Compo is a slang word for "composition competition" commonly used by the arrangement community. It is derrived from the demoscene competitions by the same name.
Contrary to this, compos are less of a competition and more of an excerise in composition abilites. Each compo has it's own unique format and guidelines and while some are as short as 1 hour, others can last anywhere from a month, to a few months.
It's important to remember that the primary purpose of compos are to hone your skills and abilites by working within, sometimes very constricting, guidelines. These techiniques have proven essential to the growth of countless musicians.
Remember: the only way to lose a compo, is to not participate.
Compos
ORC - Original Remix Competition
The ORC was started as a sister competition to PRC. It initially ran with the same rules, the only difference being that the contestants remixed an original piece made by a person on OCR. The first source tune was made by ReactorZ0 to start the competition. From there, whoever won the competition would choose an original tune he/she made to be the source for the next competition. Voting is done by the general public.
Organizer: Doulifee
PRC - People's ReMixing Competition
The Peoples Remix Competition is a bi-weekly contest based on videogame music arranging. Started by reelmojo, the basic idea was for people to spend a week in remixing the chosen source tune (usually a song not covered on OCR yet). The forum goers vote on the tracks, and the winning musician from the vote gets to choose the source tune for the next PRC, or in the case of an anniversary/special event (e.g. remixing a song for an OCR site project) a different prize when allocated.
Organizer: Bundeslang
OHC - One Hour Compos
Welcome to One Hour Compos! We meet up every Thursday at 6 PM Pacific, 9 PM Eastern to create an original piece. Compos run for one hour and are themed. This compo is open to everyone, from aged veterans to first time mixers. You are welcome to create something original or remix pre-existing work, the purpose of this compo is to encourage practice and skill up. You may remix in any program, but please only upload MP3 format 6 MB or less. Voting ends one week after the completion of the compo. Join us for discussion in #thasauce on irc.esper.net.
Organizer: starla
FBRC - Freshly Baked Remixer Challenge
Way back in 2002 a forum user name "I Like Cookies!" (now just Jeff), ran a 1-shot competition called the Freshly Baked ReMixer challenge. In the thread artists signed up and were assigned challenges posted by other forum users. This is how artists like myself, Suzumebachi, and GLL all got out starts. There were also some other impressive tracks by Disco Dan and a few others. Some time later the same user did the Second Annual FBRC which, while not as popular as the first one, still saw some solid success. Since the competition has long been forgotten by most, and seeing all the talent that's on OCReMix today, I think it's time we try a revival. The idea of the competition is for forum users to challenge remixers to remixes of songs/games they request. The remixer than has a predetermined amount of time to produce a remix of said material.
Organizer: Ramaniscence
AR24C - Anime Remix Compo
Anime Remix is hosting weekly and holiday competitions to remember, respect, and enjoy Animations that we love, hate, or simply want to share with the community. Source material and possible additional resources will be provided. All remixes must be submitted within the time suggested in the description.
Organizer: Xaleph
2DC - 2-Hour Dynamic Compo
Basically, this is a random compo that happens whenever the mood strikes. It's thematic, so yes, there is a theme. However, once in a while, we'll mix it up with some Free For All action, or some pre-determined sample pack of some type. The main purpose, of course, is to skill up. That's always the purpose of compoing.
Organizer: Dyne
DDC - Doubles' Dash
Overview:
Doubles' Dash is a themed compo held the last Friday of every month, starting at 9 PM EST.
Teams of two write, record and upload to ThaSauce a vocal song in under three hours and twenty minutes. Teammates are not to be chosen until 15 minutes prior to the start of the compo, thereby providing an X-factor.
Typically, one team member handles the instrumental and production, while the other handles lyrics and vocals, but that's not a rule; division of labor can be handled in any way a team sees fit, though it is not in the spirit of the event for one team member to do everything while the other sits idle.
Doubles' Dash is a themed compo held the last Friday of every month, starting at 9 PM EST.
Teams of two write, record and upload to ThaSauce a vocal song in under three hours and twenty minutes. Teammates are not to be chosen until 15 minutes prior to the start of the compo, thereby providing an X-factor.
Typically, one team member handles the instrumental and production, while the other handles lyrics and vocals, but that's not a rule; division of labor can be handled in any way a team sees fit, though it is not in the spirit of the event for one team member to do everything while the other sits idle.
Organizer: Shael_Riley & Level 99
compo:ThaSauce goals
- Make running a compo easier for organizers
- Make participating in a compo easier for remixers
- Make enjoying a compo easier for listeners/voters