So I have a question. My friend has VD2. Obviously the sound fonts are far superior to that of Finale. So as long as he doesn't assist my endeavors, is it alright that I use his software?

Yes, that is perfectly fine. Thank you for trying to follow the rules. It would have been no trouble for you to use his VD2 and we would have had no clue.

I'd like to reiterate a previously asked question, does anyone have the link to the Yamaha sound fonts? I'd really like this cadence to sound good, even though the sheet should be enough to make it clear.

Another question. How long should the cadences be? My normal cadences run between 1:30 and 2 minutes. However, you said something about an 8 page pdf, and it seems that even after compressing systems, my cadences remain to be nearly that long. What is the average length of cadences people are writing?

From my own experience, the norm is usually about 60 to 90 seconds. Anything longer than that and you're asking a bit much unless there's a couple chunks that are repeated (thus logistically not writing too much material for a drumline that typically has a field show to learn and clean as well).

For reference, Electric Wheelchair is about 90 seconds.

Thanks, that clears it up for me. I'm going to get started now.

Ok, today is November 15. That means we have 15 days to go until the deadline for cadence submission. As of right now we only have EIGHT cadences submitted, and I will be honest, not all of them meet the requirements for entry. Ok, to be blatantly honest about it....did some of you even read the requirements before you sent in your cadence? Seriously, you guys should go back and check to make sure. I know I checked to make sure my original post hadn't been deleted or something. Anyway, back to topic. I checked a few minutes ago (as of this posting) and 18 people said they were going to enter the contest and 23 people said they were undecided about entering. That is potentially 41 cadences that we could have to choose from, but I don't really think we are going to get anywhere near that number by the deadline. So, if you are still planning on submitting a cadence for the competition, drop me a PM so we can get an idea if this contest is going to be worth the effort.

haha.....nope, you did not miss a thing....but apparently I did when I proofread what I wrote. Sorry about that. That should be 45 days until the deadline.

Ok a few things. I know I started late, I just realized this comp. today, I gots me some work to do.

Will clarity of the sound file count against us? Sometimes the finale engine, no matter the soundfont, just won't play things back correctly. Will we need to refrain from witting stuff that causes playback issues in this instance?

My original finale file will be written with a VDL2 template. Do I submit that? I will also be creating my pdf in finale(no vdl2 template), but it will be for score use only so a lot of things such as cheeses, won't play back correctly. The original file won't really be any help to anyone without VDL2, but do I need to give that one anyway?

I was thinking about this and I was wondering if it is even fair that we get to use VDL2? I mean, for finalists, the VDL2 sounds automatically make it sound more appealing..do you think use VDL users should not use it for the sake of a fair competition?

Sorry I got in so late and started asking these questions.

I have not encountered a situation where the finale engine would not play back correctly. Yes, there is manipulating to do, but it will play correctly if you know what to do to fix the "bugs".

The rules are pretty clear when it comes to the submission. We need a copy of the original file, finale in your specific case. I understand it will not sound correct without vdl2, but that is not the reason for inclusion so it will not matter. The mp3 takes care of the "sound" requirement. If you have vdl2, it would be dumb not to submit the mp3 made from vdl sounds. Also, the mp3 will definitely be judged on accuracy compared to the written score. Again, if you know how to use soundfonts, vdl, finale engine, etc. this should not be a problem.

Finally, the sound of the cadence is not the 100% deciding factor on the winner. This is a composition contest, not an audio one. The sound is there so the judges can hear what they are looking at, so they don't have to "play" the music in their head. So, bottom line, if it sounds good but the parts are not practical or something like that, the cadence will probably not win.