No music this week, so instead, I'm devoting the time I would spend typing an update devising what will be the first Sound Test Monthly Challenge.

That's right: I'm stealing ketsugi's FanFic Challenge from August 2004 to inspire more people to get involved with Sound Test and turning his challenge into something more pragmatic for music.

Basically, there will be a theme for each month (in the case of this month there are two themes) involving some aspect of video game music utilized in role-playing games, whether it be music from a certain game or specific themes from a game. File-type requirements follow the standard rules for submissions as found in the guidelines.

This month's first challenge is to remix a theme that you attribute to your favorite character from a role-playing game. For example, if your favorite character is Rydia from Final Fantasy IV, you might choose to remix her theme, appropriately named for her. However, if your favorite character is someone who does not have a theme, like Kain from the same game, then you should choose a theme from the game that you feel should belong to him.

Make sense? No? Oh well. I tried.

The second theme of the month, with Hallowe'en coming soon, is a reprisal of last year's Hallowe'en special! Get ready to freak out your fans with creepy effects, sounds of brain-munching zombies, vampires, witches' cackles (a nod to Tom Plets ^^), try to make leaves rustle, doors creak, ghosts 'boo'; be creative!

The challenges of each month will end by the posting of the first update of the following month, at which point a new challenge will be initiated; since Sound Test is updated on Wednesdays in the evening (Eastern time), respondants to both challenges this month should submit their works by 03 Nov.

This effectively replaces the 'Most Wanted' section, and before this challenge is over, I'll have a separate page devoted to the Monthly Challenge, and will probably come up with a better name for it.

...well, stop reading, and get working!

Music Submissions - music@rpgamer.com