neoMAX
------
Artist:     DM Ashura
Steps:      DM Ashura
Artwork:    Vector Omega
Contact:    E-mail - FuelForTuna@aol.com
            AIM    - AshuraDemon

About me
--------
Hey, y'all.  My name's Bill, formerly known as AshuraDemon and DJDemon.
You may remember me from MaxX ResurrexXion, that song that got to #1 on
www.bemanisims.com for a short while.  This song in my opinion is a LOT
better.  Anyway, I live in Georgia, I like playing DDR (duh), writing
music, playing viola and piano, and programming.  I've been involved in
MIDI for about 5 or 6 years now, so I'm quite used to it.  I'm going to
be sending out a portfolio this summer to Nintendo and Konami this
summer, plus a lot of smaller companies, to see if anyone will accept
my music.  (And yes, neoMAX will be in the portfolio for Konami!)
Please contact me if you like the song, or if you don't like it.  I
want to see your opinions!  Love and peace!  ^_^

History of Max
--------------
This song is an extension of the "Max" series first created in
Dance Dance Revolution 6th Mix (DDR MAX).  For those who are not
familiar with the series (but then again, by now, who isn't?), the
series started with Max300 by Omega, which was then the fastest
song in DDR at 300 bpm.  This was followed by MaxX Unlimited in
DDR MAX2, starting at 300 bpm, going as slow as 140, and ending at
320.  The newest song in this series was "The Legend of MAX" at
333 bpm, but featuring a short section at 83.25 bpm for about two
measures.  The series has become famous for its characteristically
high tempo and the infamous "freeze" in the middle.

About neoMAX
------------
As you'll notice in the beginning of "History of Max", I said that
neoMAX is an "extension" of the Max series.  Not a remix.  The reason
I say this is that although there is some material from previous
Maxes (as at the beginning you can hear parts of MaxX Unlimited and
The Legend of MAX), the song is mostly original, while still keeping
the feel of a Max song.  The main theme from Max300, of which there
is always some variant in a Max song, is still present at the
beginning, and after the slow section, where the song speeds up, you
can hear the theme in the background, which gets louder toward the end.
The Max300 ending has been revamped with more realistic instruments as
well.  After this though, the song becomes more my own creation, with
the addition of a new melody (done by piano) and a different style
altogether.  I created this song because I for once wanted to hear a
Max song that was less of a random rhythm and more melodic.  This is
also the first Max to feature a significant slow section.  Its tempo
is 340 bpm, which is higher than the rest of the Max series, yet not
so much as to make it impossible, as slower songs with 16th notes have
gone faster (e.g. Sweet Sweet Love Magic).

Beginner steps
--------------
Your basic beginner steps.  Nothing really special here, designed for
someone who's playing Beginner mode and wants something harder.  It's
rated at 3 feet mostly for its speed.

Light steps
-----------
Here's where the significant steps start.   The beginning starts off
slightly easier than the rest of the song, although the steps at parts
are the equivalent of quarter and eighth notes at 170 bpm.  The MaxX
Unlimited section much resembles the steps from that song in MAX2, but
it has been extended.  One annoying thing about Max has now been
eliminated:  guessing when the next step is going to be.  The player
is given warning that it will start again by the beginning of the piano
melody.  Also, any and all tempo changes in the song are designed so
although they give a good effect, they will not be so sudden that the
player will lose their full combo.

Standard steps
--------------
The steps in this difficulty require a little more stamina, with the
steps being more constant, usually in either sets of three quarter
notes or in runs of quarter note.  Eighth note patterns are rare
except toward the end.  The crescendo at the end now has freezes,
which add a little more effect.  The song is advanced for a Standard
player, but it's not enough to make them feel like it's impossible.

Heavy steps
-----------
Here is the fun part.  As this song is meant to be difficult yet not
impossible, Heavy is where it shines.  The rhythms go with the song
as best as possible, with freezes placed where necessary, but not at
random.  At times, the placement of the freezes seem to almost "play"
the melody, like the introduction of the piano.  The slow section works
well also, with the rhythm being exactly in time with the piano.  The
most difficult part would probably be the rhythms in the end, where the
brass comes in.  However, the patterns are logical, rendering this a
hard, yet workable, song.  Also, notice the Max Combo for this
difficulty.

About the Artwork
-----------------
The artwork for this was done by Vector Omega, with a VERY little bit of help from me.  This guy is amazing.  ^_^  Now, no resemblance to
any DDR background is intended.  (I know there's numbers in The Least
100 Sec, but I noticed this AFTER he made the background.)  One thing
to notice is that that 340 is highlighted, which is a cool effect.
Also, as a short disclaimer:  I know that this is called "NEO" MAX and
there are numbers in the background, but it is NOT meant to be a ripoff
of The Matrix!  There, that's said.  Anyway, VO (whose name is J,
no period, no Jay, just "J") is a good friend of mine who I've known
for six years.  This is to you J:  YOU RULE.