FanimeCon 2012 Karaoke Contest Rules

[Hank-KKD]

FanimeCon 2012 Karaoke Contest Rules

The FanimeCon 2012 Karaoke Contest will take place on Friday, May 25. Up to 40 will vie for the right to be crowned the best singing act of FanimeCon! All finalists will receive prizes, and this year's winner will receive a beautiful microphone trophy.

All contest-related events (signups, check in, and the contest itself) will be in the Karaoke room (Hall C in the San Jose Convention Center).

Schedule

Before Con:
5/6: Online sign ups open and run until full, or until 5/18, whichever comes first.
5/21: Contest Start List posted

At Con:
5/25, 2PM to 5PM: Check-in, warm ups, and at con sign ups.
5/25, 5PM: Deadline for online sign ups to check in.
5/25, 5:30PM: If spots are available, we will add any waiting list people.
5/25, 6PM: Preliminary Round
5/25, 9:00PM: Final Round


Eligibility

You must have a valid FanimeCon badge for Friday.

FanimeCon Karaoke staff, Guests of Honor, and Industry members with professional singing or voice acting experience are ineligible to compete in the contest.

If you compete as a group, all singing members of the group must sing both songs, either as lead or as backup vocals. You may not add or change singing group members between rounds.

Signing Up/Checking In

The online signup link will be posted on this forum on 5/6. To sign up, you must complete the online form completely, including your real name and mailing address, and song IDs, if you are using our library. Incomplete entries will not be accepted.

Contestants who pre-register for the contest must check in with us by 5PM on the day of the contest. To check-in for the contest, you will need your FanimeCon badge and your contest music (either on a CD, or the song numbers from our song library).  If you don't check in, then at 5 your spot may be canceled and given to the entries on the waiting list.

Any at-con sign-ups in excess of 40 will be placed on a waiting list. Waiting list entrants must be present in the Karaoke room at 5:30 to find out if they are in the contest.

Song Selection

Songs must be from the following categories: anime, vocaloid, video game, or J-rock/J-pop.

Songs limits: 2:30 (preliminary), 5:00 (finals). Songs longer than these limits will be faded out when the limit is reached.

You may not use the same song in both rounds of the contest.

English songs which were not originally created for an anime series or video game, or straight covers of such songs (for example, Fly Me To The Moon) are not allowed. Japanese adaptations of such a song are okay.

Original songs created for a localized version of an anime series or game are okay (For example, songs from Robotech or the North American Sailor Moon).

No a cappella singing. a cappella singers are invited to join our Acoustikaraoke! Contest instead.

Acoustic-only instruments (those not using an amp) are allowed if played by the singer(s) themselves. Performers part of a larger group or who desire a more complex musical setup are invited to join our Acoustikaraoke! Contest instead.

You should generally follow the song's original lyrics-this is not a "filk" contest.

If contestants bring their own music, they must provide their own music, preferably karaoke version, on an audio CD. No phones or mp3 players please. Unclaimed CDs will be disposed of at our discretion after the convention.

Contestants may also choose songs from our open mic library. Just tell us the song ID number at signup/check-in. We are not responsible if the song sounds different from your expectations, or does not have lyrics. If you are unsure, you should try it out during the warmup period before the contest.

All contestants who do not use karaoke versions of their songs will perform with vocal dampening turned on. We want to hear you, not the original singer.
Note: Vocal dampening has been known to have unexpected effects with some songs, so if you plan to use vocal dampening, we strongly suggest that you test out your song at home before you sign up.

No song changes are allowed once the contest starts.

Scoring and Judging
Each contestant will be scored by each judge in the following categories:

•   Vocal: musical quality of performance, breath control, pitch and tone (60%)
•   Visual Performance: stage presence; overall entertainment value; style and poise (30%)
•   Song selection/difficulty (10%)

The top 10 scores advance to the Finals.

In the Finals, the winners will be determined by the sum of their preliminary round score and their final round score.

In case of a tie in the preliminary round, the tied acts will advance to the final round. In the event of a tie in the finals, the final round score is the tiebreaker. If the final round scores are the same, then a vote of the judges will determine final placement.

All decisions made by the judges are final.

Conduct
As a convention for anime fans of all ages, FanimeCon has certain standards of behavior which all convention attendees should abide by at all times. Karaoke is no exception.

All aspects of the act, including, but not limited to: costume, conduct on stage, and song lyrics, are to abide by no worse than a PG-13 standard. If you are in doubt as to whether something is suitable, just ask yourself: Would you do this in front of your mother?  If you're still in doubt, please email or post and tell us what you have in mind, and we'll make a decision.

If any violations of this policy occur, FanimeCon Karaoke staff reserves the right to disqualify offenders from the contest and/or terminate the act in mid-song. In extreme cases, offenders may also be subject to convention penalties including loss of badge and removal from the convention.

During the contest, no physical interaction with the judges or the announcer is allowed. Contestants may not leave the stage.

Contestants may not use an audience member in their act. Actions that encourage general audience participation as a whole (such as asking the crowd to sing along) are okay.

The only persons allowed in the performing stage are FanimeCon staff and contestants.

[Alexie828]

Weeee awesome! Thanks!
Is there's a maximum to how many people in a group? Are three members acceptable?
Also, for songs that we have to apply our own karaoke effects to, how much will it affect our score if an echo of the original voice can be heard at moments? My friends and I are trying our best to sing over it, but it is really loud at certain parts as this distant echo in the background. As long as our voices dominate, is that fine?  

[princesskitty18]

OMG FINALLY!!!

thanks galewolf :D

ohh another question
could you possibly post closer to the date like an exact time or something that the link will go up?
thanks

[Enkai]

This probably goes without saying, but just to be certain: songs from staged musical adaptations of anime are okay, correct?

If we want to do a song that doesn't have a karaoke version, is it okay if we save a pre-dampened version to CD for the contest?  If the issue is making sure the vocals are dampened, would it be possible to save both versions (undampened to live dampen at the contest, and pre-dampened) and then test the quality on the pre-dampened version?

Thanks!

[yoshi4sushi]

I am happy that the contest is on this year. I signed up last year, I had to bail out cause of an emergency, but now, I will compete and participate this year. I will give it my all, so watch out people. I am coming!  :D

[arcadiapandora]

Usually there are some rules on adjustment of tracks - ie, editing, etc.

What are the rules this year?

Personally, I'm fairly interested in wondering if I can put a bar of tapping in front of my song since it's one of those where you need to sing from the first second - and if there are volume issues I'd be concerned about missing it. A lead in would help a lot.

[ultimatejunmaster]

OOORRRRRAAAAA!!!!!!! I WILL GET MY DEBUT THIS TIME!!!!!

Btw points won't be deducted as long as we stop singing before the song completely fades, right?

[Hank-KKD]

Alright here are some answers:

Is there's a maximum to how many people in a group? Are three members acceptable?

We have three microphones on stage, so three group members is the practical maximum.

Also, for songs that we have to apply our own karaoke effects to, how much will it affect our score if an echo of the original voice can be heard at moments? My friends and I are trying our best to sing over it, but it is really loud at certain parts as this distant echo in the background. As long as our voices dominate, is that fine?

You shouldn't be applying any karaoke effects to your song. The only exception is if there is no official karaoke version of your song, then you may ONLY remove the vocals from the track. You may not remix or rearrange the track in any other way. Our judges are pretty experienced, they are not there to judge you on whether you didn't remove the original lyrics completely. They're there to judge your voices.

could you possibly post closer to the date like an exact time or something that the link will go up?

Yes, I think we could possibly do that.  :P

If we want to do a song that doesn't have a karaoke version, is it okay if we save a pre-dampened version to CD for the contest?  If the issue is making sure the vocals are dampened, would it be possible to save both versions (undampened to live dampen at the contest, and pre-dampened) and then test the quality on the pre-dampened version?

The available choices are: official karaoke version, official vocal version with live pre-dampening, or if you wish you may ONLY remove the vocals from the official version, without any other changes.

This probably goes without saying, but just to be certain: songs from staged musical adaptations of anime are okay, correct?

Yes.

Personally, I'm fairly interested in wondering if I can put a bar of tapping in front of my song since it's one of those where you need to sing from the first second - and if there are volume issues I'd be concerned about missing it. A lead in would help a lot.

We don't judge whether you are right on cue for a lead in- we all know it's an inexact science at best. I wouldn't worry about it.

Btw points won't be deducted as long as we stop singing before the song completely fades, right?

Sing until it fades. Or, if you want to stop early, step away from the mic and bow. This will indicate to the judges that your performance is over.

[princesskitty18]

much appreciated galewolf :D

excited..as always :)

[mlarad]

Are we going to have the option of selecting if we want to go in the first, middle or last group like in previous years when we sign up?

Are we allowed to bring small props with us to stage?

[Hank-KKD]

Are we going to have the option of selecting if we want to go in the first, middle or last group like in previous years when we sign up?

Are we allowed to bring small props with us to stage?

Yes to both.

[Cloud]

Thanks for the information!
I saw that musical adaptations of anime are allowed... An example of that would be songs from the Prince of Tennis Musicals or Rock Musical Bleach, correct?
Just making sure I did not misinterpret anything. Thank you very much!

[Hank-KKD]

Thanks for the information!
I saw that musical adaptations of anime are allowed... An example of that would be songs from the Prince of Tennis Musicals or Rock Musical Bleach, correct?
Just making sure I did not misinterpret anything. Thank you very much!

Yep, these are fine.

[Unyaa]

Hi, so if we have a group can one member represent everyone to check in? Or does all member have to be present?

[Elwen]

What are the rules with respect to fitting a song into the 2:30 time limit for prelims?  Can I cut an instrumental portion in the middle of the song?  Can I start the song at the second verse (basically cut out the initial part on the CD I submit)?

[Hank-KKD]

Hi, so if we have a group can one member represent everyone to check in? Or does all member have to be present?

One member may check in for the group, but we reserve the right to check badges for the other group members when they arrive.

What are the rules with respect to fitting a song into the 2:30 time limit for prelims?  Can I cut an instrumental portion in the middle of the song?  Can I start the song at the second verse (basically cut out the initial part on the CD I submit)?

No to both of these.
You may, however, start at the first vocals/verse if the song has a long instrumental introduction.

[CrunchiMochi]

Are you allowed to use the karaoke version with official harmonies from the original?

Also, if anybody needs help making their own karaoke version, I'm pretty good at it, and wouldn't mind lending a helping hand! Just PM me. :)

[Sygmus]

Are you allowed to use the karaoke version with official harmonies from the original?

I'd like to know this too.  I was playing around with Audacity and managed to almost eliminate the main singer of a song I'm using, but the harmony singers still come in clear.

[SuperSheba]

Heya, GaleWolf!  This isn't so much a question as a thanks.  Thanks for running this contest year after year!  I cannot wait!  

Are you allowed to use the karaoke version with official harmonies from the original?

I'd like to know this too.  I was playing around with Audacity and managed to almost eliminate the main singer of a song I'm using, but the harmony singers still come in clear.

In response to this, I can't say for sure, but I would imagine that it would be fine, as official karaoke versions usually come with harmonies in the track.  That is, however, if you didn't take the harmonies from the original track and edit them in.  If it is like the years before, then editing them in would not be allowed.  

Also, guys, I'm going to make a thread for all of us contestants to interact in so we don't muddle up this thread with non-rule related posts. 

Go here: http://forums.fanime.com/index.php/topic,17182.0.html

Hope to see you guys there for a chat!

[Hank-KKD]

Are you allowed to use the karaoke version with official harmonies from the original?

If there's an official karaoke version, you should use the official karaoke version as is.
If there is no karaoke version, you may remove the vocals from the regular version, but may not rearrange/remove portions/edit otherwise.