# First SQ Competition... Any Advice?



## JaySea20 (Jun 21, 2020)

Hey Guys!

I just registered for the March 27th Lonestar SQ Shootout. I'm going to be competing in a no-money round. This is my first event ever. Never even been to one. I guess I'm a sink or swim kind of guy. Any advice? Are there any of those "I wish I would have known before" kind of things?

Thanks!

-Jay


----------



## drphilb (Oct 23, 2014)

A detailed build log with pictures will answer Judges questions with what they can not see


----------



## MythosDreamLab (Nov 28, 2020)

Don't play any Brittany Spears...


----------



## Huckleberry Sound (Jan 17, 2009)

Thump!


----------



## GoldRiver (Mar 16, 2020)

Listen to as many of the vehicles as you can and meet as many people as you can.


----------



## couchflambeau (Apr 18, 2006)

Hopefully you have good judges... have fun and learn as much as you can.


----------



## naiku (May 28, 2008)

Best and IMO most important piece of advice.... enjoy yourself. 

Secondary to that, exactly what @GoldRiver above said, listen to vehicles and meet people. If a judge critiques your system negatively, don't take it to heart, but listen and ask for advice (they may give you some, they may not) on how you can improve. 

If a judge is a good bit shorter or taller than you, make sure to adjust the seat so that they are in the optimal listening position. 

Make sure everything is working. I competed once, the judge called me over and played me a couple things that sounded really screwy. After some head scratching when I got home, I had everything playing in mono!!!  Sure made my troubles with stage width disappear once I figured that out.

Above all though, enjoy yourself. I've competed 3 or 4 times now, it's always good fun.


----------



## jonnyanalog (Nov 14, 2007)

I’m pretty sure I’m going to be there but not to compete but to observe. My buddy David will be there with his Shelby F150, it’s a bad ass truck.


----------



## Mic10is (Aug 20, 2007)

A few points
Unless you are competing in install in Iasca or Meca, then pics aren't needed 
Basic pics are needed for Emma.

Read every orgs rulebook. Then read it again.

As one of the $$ round judges and a Meca judge the best advice is read up on the rules, read some tuning tutorials.
There are numerous tuning guides online, the one on audiofrog is great place to start.

Get familiar with the judging tracks. Info is on each orgs website 
All free to download.

Listen to as many cars as possible.
Get feedback on your car from other competitors. But just remember they aren't judging that day...so just bc Joe Schmoe thinks your car is the best car he's heard all day..if he isn't a judge...it doesn't matter.

Take it all in.
Relax. Try and have fun. Ask questions politely.

Don't be a dick.


----------



## Ge0 (Jul 23, 2007)

Rule #1. Don't 2nd guess yourself. Rely on what you have done and what you have spent countless of hours working on. 

Don't stay up all night before the event making last minute tweaks. Inevitably you'll screw something up and go into judging with some setting you forgot to change back out of haste.

Just relax and have fun. Learn while you are there vs. freak out.


----------



## dumdum (Feb 27, 2007)

Enjoy it and don’t be offended if the judges give loads of feedback, it just means you have scope to get better 👍🏼


----------



## jonnyanalog (Nov 14, 2007)

jonnyanalog said:


> I’m pretty sure I’m going to be there but not to compete but to observe. My buddy David will be there with his Shelby F150, it’s a bad ass truck.


David is also willing to listen and give you some good advice. I just dabble so my opinion isn’t worth much.


----------



## court (Feb 7, 2017)

Be a sponge and take everything in. Listen to other competitors vehicles. Have fun!!


----------



## JaySea20 (Jun 21, 2020)

Thank you, All. I had a blast at this event. I ended up in Amateur IASCA and Modex MECA. And, to my suprise, did not come in last place... Lol! I am suprised that there are not more competitors like me that did all of the work and tune themselves. Most competitors had their systems professionally installed and tuned... Either way, i had a good time and me and the Tundra will probably be at Aggieland too.

-Jay

EDIT: Added Scoresheets below


----------



## clange2485 (Dec 10, 2020)

That’s awesome, sounds like you had a good time. Whats a pork pie hat??


----------



## JaySea20 (Jun 21, 2020)

clange2485 said:


> That’s awesome, sounds like you had a good time. Whats a pork pie hat??


LOL!!! I have no Clue!!! 

Anybody else know what the heck he meant?


----------



## DaveG (Jul 24, 2019)

clange2485 said:


> That’s awesome, sounds like you had a good time. Whats a pork pie hat??


Dude come on! Everyone knows WTF a pork pie hat is! J/k good question! Those AD's doing work! What's crazy is one judge loves your midbass and the other calls it boom! SMH Good job Josh!


----------



## DaveG (Jul 24, 2019)

Pork pie hat - Wikipedia







en.m.wikipedia.org


----------



## JaySea20 (Jun 21, 2020)

Well, Im still confused...

Found it. Its a track.

Title: The Coryells
Artist: Larry Coryell | The Coryells
Genre: Jazz / Fusion
Label: Chesky Records
Release Date: 2000

Song- Goodbye Porkpie Hat


----------



## DaveG (Jul 24, 2019)

JaySea20 said:


> Well, Im still confused...
> 
> Found it. Its a track.
> 
> ...


LMFAO! Guess that makes more sense than my link!!!🤣


----------



## tijuana_no (Jan 31, 2008)

DaveG said:


> Dude come on! Everyone knows WTF a pork pie hat is! J/k good question! Those AD's doing work! What's crazy is one judge loves your midbass and the other calls it boom! SMH Good job Josh!


I think both judges are in the same page on low and midbass , what the difference might be on the cd being use and music heard . one would have heard nice midbass but a bit low ib the low end that could have brought the midbass sound (pork pie hat,lol) in other cd and music selected.


----------

