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Kaos versus Project T
Okay, here are my results for this challenge. I don't know how you want to handle both me and John judging it, so I'll leave that up to you two! I would like to know which person mixed which mix though  Both of you did a great job!
Here are my judging criteria:
4pts Intro Track
10pts Consistent Beatmatching
10pts Consistent Phrasematching
10pts Track Key Matching, Volume Matching and Gain Structure
10pts Track Selection
10pts Mixing Style/Originality
5pts Sound Quality
3pts Effects
5pts Track Order
3pts Exit Track
You start with 100% and I take off points for imperfections. This means that if your mix is considerably longer than your opponent's, you have more of a chance of getting points taken off! This means stick to the same time limit that you and your opponent agree on. It's not really far to judge two mixes that are incredibly different in time. I tend to nit-pick when I judge, so don't be offended when I do so. I critique the mixes so that you can hopefully learn from that critique and if I say everything was pretty good, then that doesn't help you learn how to become better. I listen to trance all day long almost everyday, so if I hear those same tracks over and over again in your mixes, down goes the points for Originality. I want to hear good tracks that I've never heard before and mixes of good tracks that aren’t played all day long! BUT, this doesn’t mean that I will dock points for mixes that have a lot of popular tracks, as long as the set flows very well and is arranged well also.
It is possible to get more points than are listed for each category if you are quite exceptional in any one of them. You have a better chance of getting points over 100% in the lower point cats like effects and intro/exit tracks rather than beatmatching etc. I try to judge the sets on how they would hold up in a club setting, because that is what I think most of us are striving for. This doesn’t mean that a headlining set will always beat out a warm-up set either. I will try to remain unbiased between the two types of sets and also of sets of different genres, but my own personal tastes will always seep into my judging!
Kaos vs. Project T:
Mix 1
3/4pts Intro Track
Decent track, but takes a while to get into the swing of things.
10/10pts Consistent Beatmatching
I wasn't using my headphones, but it seemed right on to me!
10/10pts Consistent Phrasematching
I wasn't counting beats in each transition, but again, it seemed right on to me.
7/10pts Track Key Matching, Volume Matching and Gain Structure
The tracks got consistently louder during the set, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it started to distort and clip on Southern Sun. The keys were all good and the volume matching could be improved on some of the transitions--especially the louder/fuller basslines. Equing was good.
7/10pts Track Selection
It's good to hear a bunch of decent tracks that I haven't heard before, but most of them were only decent. The ending kicked it up quite a bit and overall it makes a very good warm-up set.
7/10pts Mixing Style/Originality
I think that you played out too much of the tracks and could have put more tracks in the time that your set took. Since the BPM and the energy of the set was on the low side, I think that it is good to make the tracks shorter so the crowd doesn't become bored with slow AND long tracks. This way the tracks are still good warm-up tracks, but you can get more people dancing because the perceived energy is higher, while not too high to destroy the energy of the headliner.
3/5pts Sound Quality
Distortion and Clipping on Southern Sun. Several spots that had pops and crackles during quiet points.
2/3pts Effects
I picked up some teasers and a very nicely timed backspin.
4/5pts Track Order
3/3pts Exit Track
Although it doesn’t give the dj after you too much to mix out of—it sounded like you mixed in a 1 min track at the very end, it is an appropriate way to end a mix.
Total pts = 56/70 = 80%
Mix 2
2/4pts Intro Track
I like this track, but it starts off with a typical bass beat beginning (aside from the first few seconds and takes a while to get to the point. I liked it because even though it was a simple track, it wasn't boring and it has a good amount of energy (compared to the rest of your set) to draw people in, but it did take a very long time to get really interesting.
8/10pts Consistent Beatmatching
Beatmatching was off during three or four of the transition. It wasn’t horrible, but you did much better during some transition over others.
10/10 + 1pts Consistent Phrasematching
The tracks are consistently phrase matched as far as I can tell—without counting beats. A few of the transition don’t carry through with a bass beat, and often times this is harder to do than if it does, kudos to you. Even if there was a drop off in bass built into the track at the point when you mixed in, you did a good job timing the cross over because I didn’t hear a drop in bass volume at all. Because you had a couple of these transitions and the other set didn’t, I shall give one bonus point.
7/10pts Track Key Matching, Volume Matching and Gain Structure
The volume got a bit loud during the first track and the volumes during a couple of the transitions could have been better. One of the last transitions had poor volume matching compared to the rest of the mixes. The bass volume dropped off considerable during the transition.
6/10pts Track Selection
As in Mix1, this is a good warm-up set, and it is easier to compare these two sets as such. I think that the bass beat drops off considerably more in this mix though, and due to that deserves fewer points. You build up the energy a small amount better, but the drop off in bass detracts from that. Also, you built up the energy to about the middle, and then it slide downward for the next 10 minutes or so and it was held there until the end. It never really picked up.
7/10pts Mixing Style/Originality
There were a few points which the bass beat in the track was eliminated for semi-extended periods of time. After starting with a decently upbeat track, you lost some of the energy by playing tracks that had these “bass gaps”, if you will. As I commented in the first mix, I think that you did a relatively good job with keeping the track time down and mixing in a good amount of tracks, or at least I feel that it is a better job than mix1.
4/5pts Sound Quality
In general the sound quality was very good. I think that there were a couple of times that the tracks started to distort and clip, it wasn’t incredibly noticeable.
1/3pts Effects
I think that there was a filter-like effect around 46mins, and it didn’t seem to be in phrase to the track. Other than that, I didn’t hear any effects.
3/5pts Track Order
Because of the track energy fluctuations and the lack of buildup at the end, I think that the track ordering could have been slightly better.
2/3pts Exit Track
The mix fades off into the distance. I have heard better tracks, but this track is a good ending to a warm-up set because it leaves the Dj after you a number of options.
Total pts = 51/70 = 73%
Given that mix 1 has more points, I declare that the Dj of Mix1 to be the winner. I feel that this mix was better overall based upon the criteria that I have stated above.
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When you dance, the DJ takes you on a journey, but he or she is usually not the focus of your experience at a club or festival or wherever you hear the music. Dancing is. Music is.
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I was the one who said that I would judge your two mixes. First off, are you both done, and second, when does your challenge expire? Do you still want me to do it, if so I can finish it by tomorrow evening.
