Rules v0.1 · The Pit · Closed Beta

How a battle runs.

Two turntablists. Two rounds. Nobody knows who is on the other side until the very end. Press play and watch one battle go by, one eighth note at a time.

Step 1 of 14

00Before round 1

Match

Q · asks first

A · answers

The rules, in one place.

Everything the timeline shows, written out. Rules marked Beta now run in The Pit today. Planned is decided but not built yet, and may still change.

Matching

Random rival Beta now	You can't pick who you face, and there's no direct rematch — The Pit won't pair you with your last rival unless you've been waiting a long time.
Random side	Q and A are drawn the moment you're matched. Q asks first, A answers.
One at a time	One Pit battle open per player. Leave the page any time — the battle keeps going.

Beat · bars

8 bars Beta now	Every turn is 8 bars.16-bar battles are closed for now.
Count-in	The beat's first bar is the count-in. Recording starts on bar 1 after it.
Play it freely	Both of you can play the round's beat as often as you like. Round 2 brings a new beat.

Listening

Once	You hear the other take one time — to answer it, and to judge it. It's the rule of the room.
With the message	The rival's "say anything" message plays alongside their take.

Recording · re-takes

Record again	Record as many times as you want before you submit.
Every re-take counts	Counted from the moment audio starts, after the count-in. Kept for life, shown at reveal and on your profile.No points taken off.
Level	Every take is matched to the beat's loudness automatically. Your dynamics stay as you played them.

Clocks · deadlines

4:00 to submit	Starts when Q presses PLAY BEAT, or when A presses LISTEN ONCE. It keeps running if you go offline.
Time up	Recording stops and your latest take is sent. No take yet = an empty take.
24 hours to start	Your turn waits 24 hours. Not started by then = an empty take, and the battle goes on.
24 hours to judge	Listening before rating, or rating, not done in 24 hours = the battle closes with no result.It can still be reported.

Stars · score

Rate your rival	After each round, give the other side 1 to 3 stars.1 — I took this round · 2 — too close to call · 3 — you took it
Hidden until reveal	Between rounds you only see whether the other side has rated — never the number.
Score	Your score is the stars your rival gave you across both rounds: 2 to 6. More stars wins. Equal = DRAW.

Reveal

All at once	Names, both rounds' stars, re-takes and messages open together.
Play it back	After reveal, every take in the battle can be heard again.

Say anything · reports

Not filtered	Write anything next to your take. Nobody knows who wrote it — until reveal.
Report	Any battle can be reported. Officials can remove messages.
Takes kept	Takes are kept for 3 months, longer while a report is open.

Devices

Record on a computer	Desktop Chrome and a USB audio mixer. Tested on DJM-S9.
Phone	Get notified and follow your battles. Phones don't record; for now you judge on the computer too.
MIDI	Optional. Pads can run the room; everything also works with a mouse.

Coming later

Ranking mode Planned	Live battles that count toward the ranking.
Official tournament Planned	Once a quarter. The champion takes the throne.
The throne Planned	One seat. The champion holds it for 3 months — the only name on the site that isn't hidden.