FANIMECON 2015 KARAOKE: Events and Info!

Started by Ska, April 18, 2015, 05:48:48 PM

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Ska

Whether you sing in the shower or on the radio, you're welcome to FanimeCon's Karaoke room! Open from 2pm to 2am on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, you are welcome to sign up for open mic Karaoke, participate in one of our amazing contests, or just come and listen to all the great singers! With our jaw-dropping catalog of over 9,000 anime, video game, J-Pop, K-Pop, and Disney songs (most with lyrics in both their native language and English) as well as a full American karaoke system, our database likely contains every song you have ever heard in your entire life.

Be sure to check out our enticing contests, too! With some great prizes and unique formats, your voice may win you big!


Events:
Karaoke Contest
How good is your singing, really? Can you hit the highest highs and the lowest lows? Can you carry a tune, or will you just be dragging it through the mud? FanimeCon's Karaoke Contest is the place to find out how good you really are. Friday night, with Preliminary Rounds starting at 6pm and Final Rounds at 9pm, be at the Karaoke Room to have your chance for the sweet, sweet sound of victory. New for FanimeCon 2015, winners of the Karaoke Contest will be offered a chance to give an encore performance during the Masquerade!
Prelims: Friday at 6pm
Finals: Friday at 9pm


KARAOKE CONTEST ONLINE SIGNUPS ARE CLOSED
All 35 entries have been filled for the online signups. Please show up bright and early at the karaoke room if you would still like to sign up. First come, first serve!

We will only accept the first 35 valid entries for pre-con signups. We do have at-con signups but they are first come, first serve. These at-con slots fill up quickly, so if you're serious about participating make sure to sign up early!

KARAOKE CONTEST RULES AND INFO
FanimeCon Karaoke Contest Rules and Info can be found at The Google Doc

Acoustikaraoke
Acoustikaraoke Signup Form:FanimeCon 2015 Acoustikaraoke Signup Form
Do you play a musical instrument? Show off your own original work or special arrangement of your favorite anime or video game song on stage at our Acoustikaraoke contest! Both (small) groups and solo acts are welcome to compete their talents against one another. Do not miss this amazing collection of FanimeCon's most unique performances!
Saturday at 7pm

Karaoke Gong Show
Gong Show Signup Form:FanimeCon 2015 Gong Show Signup Form
Sunday at 10pm begins the most foul Karaoke journey ever attempted on stage -- the Karaoke Gong Show! If your skin is thick enough and your mind twisted enough then you've got a fighting chance at being the dreaded Worst of Show! Yes that's right, these performers have what it takes to entertain, to amuse and amaze our audience (and judges) with such unique and outlandish acts of comedy that they might completely defy any and all explanation. Due to how terrible these novelty acts (and the judges) are, this is an 18+ event.
Sunday at 10pm


More specific contest rules and info will be posted in the coming days, so please look forward to that. Feel free to use this thread to discuss our events, ask questions about our contests, or just to ask how karaoke at FanimeCon works. I'll try my best to answer any questions you may have. Thank you for reading, and let's get excited for Karaoke at FanimeCon 2015!

Jupeboxgal

Hi Ska! Thanks for getting The Official Post up! :D I do have a couple of questions about this year's karaoke contest.

1) Are the song time limits still 2:00 for the first round and 5:00 for the finals?
2) Is it still okay to add a note or two and a few moments of silence to the beginning of a karaoke track where the singing starts before the instrumentals?
3) Are we allowed to bring and or use props while on stage?
And, lastly, 4) It's still illegal to record your own harmonies to a karaoke track, right?

Thanks for taking up the mantle this year. Really looking forward to another excellent weekend of karaoke!

Alexie828

Where's the link to the list of songs that are already available in the karaoke library? :) And can we request new songs to be added like in previous years?

princesskitty18

yay for the official post and stuffs! thanks ska :D
Fanime attendee since 2006
2012 Black & White Ball volunteer
2013-now Black & White Ball Staff

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Ska

#4
I'll be posting full contest rules after I get them double-checked for inconsistencies, but all these questions are super important, FAQ-level ones so I'm happy to answer them!

Quote from: Jupeboxgal on April 18, 2015, 10:58:49 PM
1) Are the song time limits still 2:00 for the first round and 5:00 for the finals?
Our preliminary song limit actually changed a couple years ago. In the rules it's now stated as:


Quote from: KKD Contest Rules
Preliminary/Qualifying Round
1.5 minute OR verse/chorus
The timing starts from when singing starts. These rules will allow you to perform a song that is edited for a TV opening or ending. For more unorthodox songs, a minute will give you plenty of time to show your stuff. These are soft limits and you are faded out gradually depending on where you are in your performance and other factors. You're always welcome to start your song at a certain point, or fade out after a limit you set for yourself though! Just talk to me about it at the tech desk and we'll make it work.


Quote from: Jupeboxgal on April 18, 2015, 10:58:49 PM
2) Is it still okay to add a note or two and a few moments of silence to the beginning of a karaoke track where the singing starts before the instrumentals?
Yes, this is allowed. Please reference the full rules when they are posted for more specific info on what is and is not allowed as far as Count-offs and pitch-centering additions.


Quote from: Jupeboxgal on April 18, 2015, 10:58:49 PM
3) Are we allowed to bring and or use props while on stage?
This is actually a new rule we've recently added to our contest rules. As such, I'll list it here in its entirety rather than try to explain it :3c


Quote from: KKD Contest Rules
Any props carried on stage must be relevant to your costume or outfit and not impact or disrupt your performance in any way.
Props that alter the lighting or staging of your performance are not allowed.
You must clear all prop usage with staff before your performance.
Cosplay prop usage may be considered as a minimal factor in your overall stage presence/performance but will not impact your score.
Good Example: A staff that matches your costume which you incorporate into a light dance routine.
Bad Example: A prop that spews confetti on the stage and audience, or adds a laser light beam/fog machine effect.



Quote from: Jupeboxgal on April 18, 2015, 10:58:49 PM
4) It's still illegal to record your own harmonies to a karaoke track, right?
This is correct. We don't want the best producer to win, we want it to be based purely on the singer.



Quote from: Alexie828 on April 20, 2015, 02:19:11 AM
Where's the link to the list of songs that are already available in the karaoke library? :) And can we request new songs to be added like in previous years?
Our song list is located at http://www.anime-karaoke.com
I'll start a thread for new song requests if there isn't already one/no one makes one before me. As always, we can't promise we will get all of the songs you want, but we will definitely try!


princesskitty18

Quote from: Ska on April 20, 2015, 12:35:56 PM
I'll be posting full contest rules after I get them double-checked for inconsistencies, but all these questions are super important, FAQ-level ones so I'm happy to answer them!

Quote from: Jupeboxgal on April 18, 2015, 10:58:49 PM
1) Are the song time limits still 2:00 for the first round and 5:00 for the finals?
Our preliminary song limit actually changed a couple years ago. In the rules it's now stated as:

Quote from: KKD Contest Rules
Preliminary/Qualifying Round
1 minute OR verse/chorus (individual category)
2.5 minutes or less OR 2verse/chorus (group category)
The timing starts from when singing starts. These rules will allow you to perform a song that is edited for a TV opening or ending. For more unorthodox songs, a minute will give you plenty of time to show your stuff. These are soft limits and you are faded out gradually depending on where you are in your performance and other factors. You're always welcome to start your song at a certain point, or fade out after a limit you set for yourself though! Just talk to me about it at the tech desk and we'll make it work.

what? O.o since when did the preliminary time alloted changed? cuz last year it was still 2mins
Fanime attendee since 2006
2012 Black & White Ball volunteer
2013-now Black & White Ball Staff

Follow us on Facebook page and Twitter!
- https://www.facebook.com/FanimeConBWBall/
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Enkai

#6
Quote from: princesskitty18 on April 20, 2015, 12:44:08 PM

what? O.o since when did the preliminary time alloted changed? cuz last year it was still 2mins

Ditto this.  I competed 2 years ago, and it was definitely 2 minutes then (as somebody who does the unorthodox songs, I would have been caught up in that change).  That really screws with my song choice - are you allowing us now to start in the middle of the song, because a lot of songs don't really start getting showy until at least a minute in.

Edit to add: just looked up the 2014 rule thread; it was 2 minutes last year.
http://forums.fanime.com/index.php/topic,19346.0.html
Quote from: Hank-KKD on May 06, 2014, 10:13:05 PM
Song Selection

Songs must be from the following categories: anime, vocaloid, video game, or J-rock/J-pop. K-pop is allowed in the preliminary round only. Although our karaoke database has songs from other categories, only songs from the aforementioned categories may be used. Signups with songs not in these categories will be rejected.

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

Ska

#7
Sorry, you're right, it seems the rules for 2014 on the forums say it was 2 minutes. I thought FanimeCon had been running the current format for longer, but I must have been confused with one of our other shows. If that's the case, I suppose this ruling is new for 2015. I've already double-checked with Tommy and he confirmed that we'll be using this format.

There are three reasons for this change:
1) We want to let as many people into the contest as possible
2) We want everyone to be judged fairly, which mean we need to keep the judges' impressions fresh
3) A single verse/chorus structure is an acceptable preliminary measure of what you have to display in the contest

We absolutely encourage you to start wherever you want in the song. Also remember that this limit begins where you first start singing, not when we first hit play. We want you to get to that showy bit, and we want for you to impress us! Our intent is not to stifle your creativity or make you feel rushed. We just want to ensure that everyone gives their best performance. If you have any other specific questions about this rule, I'm glad to answer more questions about it, or ask Tommy to give his expert opinion.

[Edit]: In the previous post, I said that groups had a different time than individuals. This is false. Apologies. Groups have the same time limit as individuals.
[Edit 2]: After putting together the full rulelist specifically for fanime, we opted to change the Preliminary times to "1.5minutes or verse/chrous" to prevent any confusion or anxiety over song choice. While the previous limit worked in past cons, we don't want to give the impression that you couldn't even perform a TV Size song to completion. Apologies for giving out information before it had been finalized.
[Edit 3]: Contest Rules and Info have been added to the main post! just follow the link provided.

Enkai

Thanks for the update.  Still changes my song (it was a perfect 2 minutes, but doesn't really work any other way), but being allowed to start later helps a lot with my final choice.

2 more questions -
IIRC, 2 years ago, we were able to apply our vocal dampening ourselves.  Is that still acceptable?
Since we can start wherever, how would you prefer we do that?  Do you want us to just say, start at :45 or something like that, or is it okay if we crop our file where we want to start?

I use audacity for all of that.  Nothing fancy, but it works.

Ska

Applying your own vocal dampening is allowed.

Feel free to crop the song exactly to where you want to start and finish. Otherwise, just telling me what time to start or stop is fine. But giving me less work is always appreciated! You never know if I'll get distracted by someone asking a question or another technical issue.

Moogleborg

I'll be ready! :D My karaoke skills are ready to HENSHIN! :D
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pantsu

#11
Quote from: Ska on April 22, 2015, 06:20:38 PM
Feel free to crop the song exactly to where you want to start and finish.

So, just to clarify....we can now sing whichever section of a song we like?  Previously, we HAD to start at the beginning of the song.

Also, one of our songs now MUST be from an anime (this is in the googledoc)?  We can't do 2 JPop songs?

Thanks.  Really looking forward to this year!!
2018 lineup:
Fri - Miss Frizzle
Sat - Oren Pierre Alfonso (KR Gaim)
Sun - General Leia (SW: TFA)
Mon - Samwell jersey (OMG Check Please!)

Ska

For preliminaries, you may sing whatever portion of the song you'd like. For Finals, you have five minutes so you'll most likely be singing the entire song regardless.

Yes, one song choice must be from an anime. It is an anime convention, after all! It's your choice whether you want it to be your preliminary or finals song though.

I'm glad to see everyone getting so excited for the contest! Keep those questions coming. Remember, I can answer questions about the other contests too! Or open mic in general! Don't forget to ask about them!

Enkai

All the questions! I do like the rules modifications by the way-even with a shorter length we have a lot more freedom to do what will really work for our voice.

In the portion about pitch shifting, what do you mean by "provided no other excluded alterations are made?"

Nina Star 9

Hey Ska! thanks for answering questions. :]

I have a couple of things I'd like to clarify about the new rules.
First, when you say that it's 1 minute of singing OR a verse/chorus, which is the or contingent upon? It is based on whichever is longer, or whichever is shorter?

For reference, this is the song I am considering: https://youtu.be/k8TPhQjZe1A
The singing starts about 15 seconds in, and the end of the first chorus is at about 1:53. Would I be able to sing to the end of the chorus, or would I be cut off before then?


Second, you said it is okay to start a song wherever, but is it okay to chop out a long instrumental in the middle? Or, at least, shorten that instrumental?
Or I can just ask about my specific song, because there are multiple versions. Do you know if the version of Adieu (from Cowboy Bebop) in the database is the long version (6+ minutes) or the shorter version (5.5 mins)? (though, even the shorter version would need to be faded out around 5:18 to catch all the singing...) If I can chop out 18 seconds of the instrumental in the middle, that would be fantastic.

Thanks. :]

Ska

Quote from: Enkai on April 25, 2015, 09:47:53 AM
In the portion about pitch shifting, what do you mean by "provided no other excluded alterations are made?"
Meaning section g - prohibited alterations, or any other alterations that are not specifically mentioned as being allowed. For example, "changing the pitch" by playing with the speed of a song is not allowed. I know, it may seem silly given the other rules we have in place, but there ya go.

Quote from: Nina Star 9 on April 25, 2015, 10:01:51 AM
I have a couple of things I'd like to clarify about the new rules.
First, when you say that it's 1 minute of singing OR a verse/chorus, which is the or contingent upon? It is based on whichever is longer, or whichever is shorter?
For reference, this is the song I am considering: https://youtu.be/k8TPhQjZe1A
The singing starts about 15 seconds in, and the end of the first chorus is at about 1:53. Would I be able to sing to the end of the chorus, or would I be cut off before then?
It's based on whatever fits better, to be honest. Do a verse/chorus but still have thirty seconds left somehow? You can do more singing if you choose to keep going, but you'll be faded out once you hit 1:30. Performed a verse and you're halfways through the chorus just as we hit 1:30? I'll usually let you finish it if we're running on-time and it makes sense to me. As long as you let me know either during warmups or when you're in the on-deck area of any shenanigans with your song, we should be able to work it out.

With your reference case - We're shooting for 90 seconds. Your verse/chorus is 113. Removing the 15 seconds since you haven't started singing yet, you're at 98. If there was any pause past the 90s mark I'd probably start fading you out, but if you're still singing you'd be able to squeeze in the last bit of the chorus before I'd start to fade you. You don't have to do this, but I would suggest that you find a fade-in point somewhere closer to when you start singing, either by letting me know what time to start you at, or just editing your song down yourself.



Quote from: Nina Star 9 on April 25, 2015, 10:01:51 AM
Second, you said it is okay to start a song wherever, but is it okay to chop out a long instrumental in the middle? Or, at least, shorten that instrumental?
Or I can just ask about my specific song, because there are multiple versions. Do you know if the version of Adieu (from Cowboy Bebop) in the database is the long version (6+ minutes) or the shorter version (5.5 mins)? (though, even the shorter version would need to be faded out around 5:18 to catch all the singing...) If I can chop out 18 seconds of the instrumental in the middle, that would be fantastic.

I don't believe editing out the instrumentals from the middle of a song is allowed. At that point it's editing the song's composition, not just fading it in or out or making other small adjustments. That being said, the final's song time limits are not put under as much scrutiny as preliminaries so I would suggest against making any changes and sing it all the way through.

Talking specifically about adieu - First of all, our database version is 5:40(though it is not a karaoke track! just a reminder.) The vocals do end around 5:18. This is still within an acceptable time for a finals song and we would let you sing it to completion. If the song was 6-7 minutes we'd have to discuss alternatives.

pantsu

Quote from: Ska on April 25, 2015, 09:04:22 AM
Yes, one song choice must be from an anime. It is an anime convention, after all! It's your choice whether you want it to be your preliminary or finals song though.

Thanks for this clarification Ska, as this is a big change from before.  Can I suggest that you make this point clear at the beginning of the rules googledoc?  It was kind of hidden in the "which songs qualify" section and might not be obvious to someone just skimming the rules.

As for open mic karaoke, can we bring mp3 players to use for that?  I find it easier to just dump all my karaoke tracks into a playlist on my ipod rather than burning a CD and having to keep a written list of which song is which.

Thanks for answering all our questions!!
2018 lineup:
Fri - Miss Frizzle
Sat - Oren Pierre Alfonso (KR Gaim)
Sun - General Leia (SW: TFA)
Mon - Samwell jersey (OMG Check Please!)

Enkai

Quote from: Ska on April 25, 2015, 11:59:12 AM
Meaning section g - prohibited alterations, or any other alterations that are not specifically mentioned as being allowed. For example, "changing the pitch" by playing with the speed of a song is not allowed. I know, it may seem silly given the other rules we have in place, but there ya go.

Okay, perfect! Thanks for all the quick responses!

Ska

Quote from: pantsu on April 26, 2015, 12:21:50 AM
As for open mic karaoke, can we bring mp3 players to use for that?  I find it easier to just dump all my karaoke tracks into a playlist on my ipod rather than burning a CD and having to keep a written list of which song is which.

For open mic, we allow any format that you can plug in using a 3.5mm jack, with one exception: We do not allow devices that are attempting to play streaming media sources (Youtube, Spotify, etc.) because the user experience is typically horrible inside the convention center. You might think you have five bars and can download at 25mbps but I guarantee the second you get on stage your song is going to buffer and it'll make for an awkward time all around.

Other notable things about open mic -

  • flash drives or other removable media is up to the staff to decide if it's allowed; It matters on who's teching.
  • CD's are allowed as long as we have a cd player in our tech computer(some of our netbooks don't have one.)
  • We usually don't have internet so we can't just "download a song" or "find you lyrics for a song on your ipod."
  • If you want to play an instrument we will try to mic it for you

    • if you require setup beyond that we might suggest you come back for AcoustiKaraoke and the Acoustic Open Mic

If you have any other specific use cases just let me know and i'll tell you if we can handle it or not. ex: I have a portable record player that outputs 1/4" (Yes we probably can but what in the world are you doing with that please tell i'm curious??)

marisuga

So what are the prizes? (Just curious!) Does first place still get to sing in the masquerade?