Freesound Forums
What are 'dares'? And why should I join?
Started February 9th, 2012 · 8 replies · Latest reply by Halph-Price 10 years, 11 months ago
Hello
If you are reading this I take it you have some interest in the Freesound dares, or at least curiosity to find out what they are. 
What are dares?
A Dare is a little friendly competition.
Once a month i post a dare with a new theme. The theme and the rules change, so each dare is different, but essentially i ask people to create a composition ising sounds from Freesound and following certain rules.
Musical compositions or 'sound-scenes' are accepable as entries for the dare.
After submissions close, there is a voting period and then the winners are announced.
At the moment there are no prizes, it is just for the fun of participating.
Thank you for your interest. I hope you do decide to join us in the dare!
So... that is the short story... some more information below...
The First Dares...
A loooooooong long time ago, Bram ran some dares at Freesound - some friendly challenges or contests where he asked Freesound users (also known as Freesounders) to submit some creative sound pieces made using samples from Freesound.
Saddly, these dares were discontinued because Bram was doing lots of other stuff and did not have the time to dedicate to running dares... 
This was between 5 and 6 years ago...
The New Dares
Fast forward to Sep 2011 and Freesound was upgraded to Freesound 2 !
After some teething problems and initial bugs got sorted I thought bringing back the dares would be a nice way to celebrate the Freesound upgrade. Ando so, Nov 2011 saw the first of the new, reborna dn improved dares - I did however keep the sequential numbering from the first dares for nostalgic reasons ... so the Nov 2011 was "dare 6".
A 'dare', as I said, is a friendly competition. All dares take place in the "Dare the Community" forum and each dare is given a sequential number and a new theme along with some specific rules and a deadline for submissions.
There is also a 'DISCUSSION' thread posted at the same time where people can discuss / comment / debate / ask questions , etc.
Submissions are posted in the main thread with a link to the music piece/sound scene itself. We really prefer the sounds are posted into Soundcloud.com.
When the deadline is reached the submissions will close and a 'VOTING' thread is created, which will contain the voting rules and the deadline for voting.. Everyone who entered a submission must vote, or be disqualified. Freesounders who have not entered a piece in the competition can still listen to the entries and make their vote (but they need to comply with the voting rules).
When the voting deadline is reached, voting closes and the results will be published shortly after.
Around the time the results are out a new dare will be issued and the cycle will repeat itself.
Why Shoud I Join?
Because it's fun!
It is also a chance to improve your music skills by trying some challanges and the chance to get organized by working with restrictions and a deadline.
Also you will get feedback from others about your music, which is a great way to improve.
Because you have to vote, you will also be listening to the pieces submitted by others and doing some 'critical listening', which is another great way to improve your music making skills. Even better, if you like what you hear on someone else's piece you can ask questions and often they will tell you exactly how they did it - learning from others is another great way to improve your music skills.
Finally... it is a chance to meet and interact with other people who mostly share similar interests to you.
...Plus... you never know, you could come up with a great piece and be the proud winner of the next dare!
What Else?
Well, I have covered most of it... but here are a few more bits.
The Freesounders who have raised to the challenge of entering the dares gain the proud tittle of 'daring Freesounders'
There is a "introduce yourself" thread where 'daring Freesounders' can, well... introduce themselves and give some detail about their gear/hardware/software and sound/music interests. You can always go back to your post and edit it to keep it up-to-date with new gear or new interests
It is OK to ask questions if you are not sure about any aspect of the dare or of the dare theme.
Me or one of the more experienced 'daring Freesounders' will certainly answer your question.
Always be polite.
When giving feedback on other people's work it is ok to say you don't like something. Explain why but always be polite.
If someone makes comments about your submission, always thank them. Even if they say they didn't like it, they took the time to write to you. Feedback is useful, it is how we learn.
It is also OK to disagree, but always be polite.
Suggestions are great!
I am always looking for new dare ideas - and some of these come from YOU!
You can post these in the forum, but I prefer that you send me a PM instead. This way we can discuss so I make sure I understand what your idea is. I may want to adapt it a bit, to better fit with the way the dares work or to incorporate it into something else I am already doing or planning to do.
Having these discussions by PM also keeps future dares a secret (which is part of the fun) !
klankbeeld wrote:
He freesounders read this... and join
JOIN NOW!!! uncle Freesound needs YOU!!!
Someday, even if the sound is pure crap, someone will love it and go, "What a genius!" Record whatever you make up, especially if it's catchy.
Do you make music?
Do you use samples?
Perhaps you make hand baskets, and play a little banjo on the side.
Whatever the case, Freesound Dares might be the best thing for you.
If you have been a member of Freesound for a while and are thinking, "Hmm, I sure do like these samples. If only there was a way to put these samples together, share them with others on some type of website, and create and listen to some of the most original and inspiring music on earth. If only..."
Well, you're in luck!
Join the Freesound Dare community and get started making real connections with musicians and producers who share a common goal.
Within the Freesound Dares, entrants are given a theme and rules, then a deadline is established and it's off to the races!
Have a crack at previewing and downloading samples from around the world;
when you have enough samples to fill a hand basket, put 'em together in the style of the proposed Dare.
Then, upload your track to Soundcloud or Dropbox, and spread the word in the Forums.
The Dares are the perfect way to polish up your 'getting-stuff-done-on-time' skills.
Trust me, people like when you get stuff done on time.
Especially you!
If you're interested, check out the Dare Community in the Forums and get going already!
- Jordan
mojomills
Challenge Accepted!
