Images (Some of these are blurry, oops)

Assembly Video (This video got chopped in half due to one of the outlets I was using dying and me flipping a ton of switches, so I decided not to upload the fractured VOD to Youtube, and I’m too lazy to combine them and edit out the messing around in the middle. Here are the links to the two VODs – http://www.twitch.tv/destiny/b/457329704 and http://www.twitch.tv/destiny/b/457428078)

This computer didn’t have the most strict budget (fluctuating anywhere from $1,300 to $2,000), but the goal was to play games at a high level and stream at the same time. With that in mind, we sought to build a computer that could handle both of those tasks with ease.

CPU – Intel 4770k

Haswell offers the best single-threaded performance on the market right now. That makes it a great choice for gaming, as many games still do poorly in regards to multi-threading. The fact that this offers hyperthreading also makes it a good candidate for streaming, as programs like OBS and Xsplit definitely take advantage of multi-threaded processors.

Cooler – Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

This is a sick, budget cooler. It’s cheap and it performs very well. This has been the standard “go to” cooler for overclocking for quite a while.

Motherboard – Gigabyte UD3h

Gigabyte was the king of Z77, so I’m still a bit partial to their UD3H boards. This board provided excellent OC support for me, and has plenty of features for extra USB/SATA ports. This is just an all around, awesome motherboard.

RAM – Patriot Signature 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600

Just 8 gigs of DDR3 RAM, nothing special about it.

GPU(s) – EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB

Crossfire’d 7970’s would probably out-perform this 780, but there’s something to be said for the elegance of a single-card solution. Zero hassle with SLI/Xfire, less PSU requirements and the ability to upgrade down the line made the 780 a decent choice here.

Case – Fractal Design Define R4

Expect to see me use this case a lot. I just love it. It’s small, it looks nice and clean, it’s not “plasticy”, it has padding on the inside to dampen sound and there’s plenty of room inside for managing cables. I absolutely love this case.

PSU – SeaSonic 620W 80 Plus

 

What can I say? I love SeaSonic PSUs, and 620W is easily enough here to get the job done.

DVD Drive – LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer

Just a standard optical drive for reading DVDs.

The second challenge!

The chords in the first part move from CM7->FM7, and in the second section from am7->BbM7

The last submissions were great. I’m still not sure what to do with the “winners”, other than featuring their soundcloud and what not on my stream overlay. If you were one of the two winners from the last contest, message me via e-mail or on reddit so we can figure something out!

If you’re new to this, the idea is to take this simple, melodic idea and arrange it into a full piece.

Post all of your submissions to the relevant reddit thread linked below the title!

Source

Submissions

(These are listed in no particular order, I simply pulled the submissions from the reddit post)

1 – ukdaza https://soundcloud.com/ukdaza/destiny-composition-challenge

The mastering on this is craaaaaaaaazy loud, pretty much the entire track is non-stop clipping. The drums are also in the incorrect time signature, which leads to them sounding pretty “off” during the entire thing. Those two glaring problems aside, I am absolutely in LOVE with the guitar playing. Easily my favorite musical performance of any of the tracks I listened to. I’m not sure what it is about that crazy, bluesy, emotional, guitar-driven sound, but I’m absolutely in love with that style. A second take for this was provided (at my request/demand), but the guitar still clips a bit. But it’s insanely sick playing.

2 – Deramico https://soundcloud.com/deramico/lingering-rem

This arrangement was done in a more electronic style. I think the composer here has a really nice ear for melody/improvisation, evident from both slow sections. I liked the changing of the melody instrument during the second slow section as well. I think it would have been cool to hear some more contrast between the two sections, not that there isn’t enough already, but perhaps that wouldn’t fit in with the style of this arrangement. Overall, a very slick track.

3 – Guan yo https://soundcloud.com/guan-yu/for-destiny-complete

Ahhh, of course, what would a composition contest be without a wubstep submission? That being said, this track is amazingly well polished, goddamn. The drop is nice, and the transition between sections is really sick as well. The rhythm on the second “fast” section changes the pace of everything so much. My only real complaint about this track is the fade-out ending; I would have liked to have heard something a bit more “resolute” to end the song. Otherwise, super sick dubstep arrangement!

4 – Cparsons https://soundcloud.com/cparsons/composition-challenge-1

I really like the guitar playing in this arrangement. I wish there was more contrast between the two sections (something I really wanted to hear), but regardless of that, the guitar playing sounds really slick in this. The piano highlights and the little guitar licks add enough to keep it interesting throughout the entire thing as well.

5 – Vincent Pavone https://soundcloud.com/vincent-pavone/destiny-composition-challenge

This arrangement is so cool. Incredibly polished, and very well arranged. The piano arrangement is very tasteful, and actually holds true to the example I originally put forth, but the build-up around the piano (with the arrangement of the individual strings) and the small flourishes make this sound incredibly cool. Not to mention the sick change of chords at 1:09, which was handled incredibly tastefully.

6 – meetle https://soundcloud.com/meetle/destinycomp1

The metallic sounding percussion at the beginning sounds a bit out of place, but once the rest of the percussion comes in, it all fits together in an easily digestible way. The strings were handled pretty well, considering how much of a stark contrast there is between them and the percussion. My only complaint about this piece is the use of my playing (the original sample) in the arrangement, instead of re-arranging it, heh.

7 – Quincentopolis https://soundcloud.com/quincentopolis/infestors-mid-fixed

Here’s an interesting dance remix. The contrast between the two sections in this one is actually really really amazing. The only complaint is that the piano rhythm seems a tad off during some parts of the song. Other than that, the instrumentation and overall “sound” of the track sounds really dance-able (I think, but I hate dancing, so it’s hard for me to say).

8 – NineB https://soundcloud.com/nineb/return-of-the-infestor

This guitar playing is super sexy. The mastering is a little bit off as the guitar seems to clip a bit, but it’s manageable. The solo section sounds really cool, and the changes in chords were handled well, too. The  biggest complaint I have with this is the percussion (bass?) in the song sounds “off”, like it’s in a different key or something. Not sure if it’s intentional not, as it kind of sounds like it could fit.

9 – 7th Horizon https://soundcloud.com/7thhorizon/composition-challenge-some

This is a chill sounding electronic arrangement, but I don’t think there’s enough similarity between this and the original track to qualify it as a remix or rearrangement, heh.

10 – Kasperhhk https://soundcloud.com/kasperhhk/composition-challenge-1-take-2

This has a super indie/”recorded in my bedroom” kind of vibe going on, but it fits and I think it sounds cool. The guitar playing is a bit rough around some of the edges, but this is a decent attempt using only guitars for an arrangement.

11 – Calum Brockie https://soundcloud.com/calum-brockie/composition-challenge-1

The instrumentation is amazingly and tastefully varied on this piece. I was happy when I heard the trumpet enter towards the start of the song, and the accoustic guitar finishing the song was perfect. I really enjoyed the syncopated rhythms throughout the song as well. This is an amazingly polished piece, and very mature in regards to how all of the instruments were handled.

12 – Klausto https://soundcloud.com/klausto/destinys-composition-challenge

This arrangement is pretty nice, but I’m not a huge fan of the instrumentation. The “hollow” kind of sound is really pervasive throughout the entire piece. Interesting take on the more spare areas of the piano in the middle/ending section, though.

13 – bugofwrath https://soundcloud.com/bugofwrath/comp-attempt-three

This guy actually submitted three separate versions, with the first two in the original key, and the third in Eb, but he said his favorite was the third, so I went with that one. To be honest, the piano playing on all three versions is really well done. The only thing I could have asked for is a larger contrast between the “fast/slow” sections and a little bit of a better recording. Otherwise, the piano playing was really enjoyable to listen to.

Winner

There were a ton of great submissions, so picking a single winner is really difficult. Thankfully, this is my contest, so I can do whatever I want, and what I want to do in this case is highlight two “winning” tracks.

https://soundcloud.com/cparsons/composition-challenge-1

https://soundcloud.com/vincent-pavone/destiny-composition-challenge

These are both pretty different from each other, but still very well done. I love the guitar sound so much on the first one, and I like the instrumentation and arrangement of the second one.

I’ll have the next challenge posted soon, and I’ll be featuring whatever these guys want me to feature over the next couple weeks on my stream!

Images

Assembly Video

ChanmanV and I talked a while ago about me assembling a new system for him. His budget was pretty high (anywhere from 2-2.5k), but we were able to assemble what he wanted for much cheaper. He needed a system that could stream at 1080p/60fps while still being able to tackle any game at 1080p. I’ll go over my rationale for each part below.

CPU – Intel 4770k

Haswell offers the best single-threaded performance on the market right now. That makes it a great choice for gaming, as many games still do poorly in regards to multi-threading. The fact that this offers hyperthreading also makes it a good candidate for streaming, as programs like OBS and Xsplit definitely take advantage of multi-threaded processors.

Cooler – Corsair H100i

I really love this cooler. It’s quiet, it looks nice and clean, the blue light is tasteful and it’s incredibly reliable.

Motherboard – Gigabyte UD3h

Gigabyte was the king of Z77, so I’m still a bit partial to their UD3H boards. This board provided excellent OC support for me, and has plenty of features for extra USB/SATA ports, as well as support for crossfire.

RAM – Crucial Ballistix 16GB DDR3-1600

We went ahead and threw 16GB of 1600 RAM into the case, even though he probably could have gotten by with 8GB.

GPU(s) – XFX Radeon HD GHz edition 3GB 7970 X 2

At this price, Xfire’d 7970’s are pretty much the best option you can go with for graphics. AMD has been taking massive steps to remedy their microstutter issue, and the 7970 continues to be a very cost-effective card for high performance systems.

Case – Thermaltake VN300M1W2N ATX Full Tower

We went with this case because ChanmanV wanted a case that he could easily add or remove a HDD/SDD from. This case is cool because if has a hot-swappable bay right on the top of the case, allowing you easily and quickly pop a drive in or out.

PSU – SeaSonic X Series 1050W

This PSU is a tad on the overkill side, but once you factor in PSU aging and the desire to overclock both GPUs and the CPU, it becomes a reasonable purchase.

DVD Drive – Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE

Just a standard optical drive for reading DVDs.