Participate

• Log in or create a chef account.
• Download the .ZIP file of the latest ingredients.
• Slice, dice, and remix the ingredients.
• Upload an .MP3 file of your remix.
• Listen to other chefs’ remixes and comment on them.
• Join the chat on Discord.

Rules

• Finish your remix in two hours or less!
• You may only use the ingredients to make your remix.
• No other sources, sounds, synths, instruments, etc may be used.
• You can slice, dice, tweak, smash, filter, crush, loop, and stretch the ingredients however you wish, but no other ingredients or artifacts may be introduced, such as the modulator tone of a ring mod effect, self-resonating filters, and effects that add noise.
• You may get away with cheating once or twice, but eventually you will start losing sleep over it, and we will find you, wherever you are.

Tips

• Don’t be nervous. Any remix you compose might have a redeeming quality.
• Bonus points if your remix also tells a musical story about the ingredients, though nobody has ever done this.
• Come up with some original methods to create percussion sounds out of any ingredients. It’s not too hard to get a kick drum out of the sound of bacon frying with a little filtering and pitch envelopes.

KracFAQ (classic)

Q: What is Iron Chef of Music?

A: It's Kracfive's music making battle.


Q: How does it work?

A: At the start of each battle, the Master of Ceremonies unveils the secret sample ingredient(s). Each contestant is given 2 hours to build the best song from these special ingredients, trying to beat all of their opponents.


Q: If I want to participate, what do I do?

A: The battles either take place locally, meaning the majority of participants are there in person, or globally, meaning the majority are scattered across the globe and compete via internet. Local battles are a bit impromptu, but if you're near Chicago they are happening with some regularity - email ipagos. For global battles, visit IRC channel #ironchefofmusic on efnet, check www.ironchefofmusic.com & myspace for info, sign up for the Kracfive mailing list at kracfive.com!


Q: How is it different than the real Iron Chef involving Japanese cuisine?

A: Whereas the original Iron Chef is a battle between cooks in a food-based arena with a time limit, our's is a battle between musicians in a sample-based arena with a time limit. We may still have good food on location though.


Q: How is it different than a hip-hop producer battle with cash prizes?

A: {Musical} Iron Chef is not genre specific. Anyone who thinks that they can manipulate a given chunk of audio in an inventive way is invited to participate.


Q: What about the fabulous prizes?

A: There are no huge cash prizes yet, only the pride of being the reigning {Musical} Iron Chef champion. Remember, no matter which chef comes out on top it is you, the listener, who really wins. Contact us if you or your company would like to sponsor Iron Chef of Music by providing prizes for future battles.


Q: Why can't I use my guitar?

A: It would break the special ingredient concept. We must observe the limits of the sample. The only sounds allowed are those contained in the given audio-chunk. This chunk may or may not contain real instruments. It will be up to the competitors to create their own "instruments" from this chunk for their song.


Iron Chef Ipagos says - "The meaning of IRON CHEF OF MUSIC is to destroy the opponent by learning their weak strategies. Through IRON CHEF OF MUSIC, we have found our competitors' weaknesses and destroyed them accordingly, while enjoying ourselves. These techniques are applied daily to our IRON CHEF OF MUSIC regimen of battle strategies."