Round 3 should be fun! This round you must compose for a jazz combo or band, or duet etc. that utilizes an 8-bit theme in the jazz style. I'm going to be fairly loose with the interpretation of 'Jazz'. Blues, Swing and other forms are appreciated. Essentially we're looking for some interesting treatment of an 8-bit theme with some jazz influence. My advice is to stay away from the piano in general. Remixers who use trombone earn a special point in my heart. As far as 8-bit is concerned, I'm going to limit the themes to Sega Master System, and NES games only. If you have beef with this send me and email and we can work something out.

Best way to discover if something falls under 8-bit is to check RPGamer's Game Pages. Or, shoot me a line at my email address and ask me directly.

Returning Judges for round 3 will be myself, Matthew 'Barieuph' Russo, our Editorials Curator Micheal 'Macstorm' Cunningham and Currents Columnist Cole 'Ilchymis' Jones.

That marks the end of Round 3: 8-bit Jazz. I would like to first and foremost thank nerv, Fermat's Last Theorem, and Virtuoso for their contributions. Also thank you to our judges Macstorm and Ilchymis. Lastly I would like to thank those who voted, this time we had 11 votes, so thank you to those 11 people. I hope next time we can have a better reader turnout.

And now the results! This round brings newcomer 'nerv' to the frontlines with his Alena [nerv mix] as well as old favorites Virtuoso and Fermat's Last Theorem. In first place is nerv, with 304 points, in second place with 293 points is Fermat's Last Theorem, and lastly we have Virtuoso with 284 points. Bravo to all who entered and good luck on Round 4.

Theme (10%) - This score represents how well the submission adheres to the theme of the Audition Phase. Those failing to submit materials that represent the theme will be scored a 0. Although these would appear to be a cut and dry score, there can be some gray area, and remixers are warned to be very specific and exact with their remixes.

Remix (35%) - The category encompasses how well the remix represents the original work(s). The piece should be strong enough that someone familiar with the original work recognizes the source material, but that it also strong enough to stand alone from the original.

Creativity (45%) - This category is a critique of the artist's compositional decisions in the songs creation. What has been added to really breathe life into the remix? Does the piece flow solidly from section to section, and stay fresh without becoming repetitive? Is listening to this song enjoyable?

Production (10%) - This category encompasses the technical qualities of the sound, including the quality of samples used, of any recording done, and of mixing and panning.