Stride is certainly a character in the SpinShare community. From an aggressive yet oddly positive and encouraging personality to the regular ramblings and mayhem he causes in chat, Stride is a man whose alignment is Chaotic – no good, neutral, or evil, only Chaotic. If you’re introduced into the SpinShare community without an idea of who Stride was, a single conversation with him would instantly make you aware of why he’s such a community figure.

Well known for his charts which regularly reach high into the difficulty range, Stride’s catalogue of over 100 charts is composed largely of Japanese artists, from the various cores of t+pazolite, Powerless, and Laur, to the more upbeat and cheerful anime openings of Girls’ Last Tour and Your Lie In April – on top of his quest to chart every song in the mobile rhythm game Arcaea.

Stride is a fascinating enigma of a character who regularly has strokes of insanity, but one that the community has come to adore – so I talked with Stride to see just what makes him a singularity in the rhythm dimension.

What got you into Spin Rhythm XD? How did you find out about it?

So when I was in my last year of high school, I had this edgy friend who bought a bunch of random indie games from Steam that looked cool to him. One of them was called “Spin Rhythm XD.” I saw that it had Monstercat songs so I cried and shaked. I bought it soon after and the rest was history.

What made you decide to chart for Spin Rhythm?

Back when I used to play Geometry Dash, I was obsessed with the in-game level editor. It had a feature where you could import custom songs from Newgrounds. I would spend hours creating gameplay for the songs I loved on that site, and I got pretty damn good at it. However, I sucked at decorating the levels to make them on par with the featured levels from the community, so I got demotivated and quit.

I just played a bunch of different games till spin came along, and when customs were added to Spin, I was beyond excited. Not only could I chart songs without any of that tedious “decorating,” but I could chart any song I wanted as long as I could get a file for it and tempomap it. That was when I decided I wanted to be a charter.

What’s your general process behind a chart? What makes you decide you want to chart a song, and what about that song influences the chart’s overall design?

When I want to chart a song, one of two things happen. I either become hellbent on charting said song, which leads to it being finished in a very short period of time. Or, I set up the song, and it sits in my library for weeks until I finally finish it.

As for the second bit, I usually try to take the unique sounds from the song and try to incorporate them into the chart somehow. For example, with the off-drop in Fracture Ray by Sakuzyo, I tried my best to chart the background ambiance and integrate it into the chart. This greatly affects how memorable a chart can be, and honestly just feels cool to play 🙂

Are there any other charts or charters that you look to for inspiration in your charts?

Charters like juch. and Kali really inspire me to try new things with my charts. Hell, if it weren’t for juch., Ikaros would not be as cool as it is. It feels if I look away for one second, these two always come up with new fun patterns to mess with. I also take inspiration from Fallin (Yes, the writer of this cringe god article) and Loosiano. Me and Fallin have literally warped each other’s styles for these past few months, so I can definitely say he’s a big inspiration. With Loosiano, his simpler charting style has influenced quite a few of my charts, and shows that charts don’t need to be hard to be fun.

There are certainly a few things that help to define your charting style, one of which is wacky slider shapes. What is it about toying with sliders that interests you?

Sliders are some of the most useful note types in the game. The amount of mind-bending black magic fuckery you can do with them is amazing. Want to chart a cool guitar sound? Spikey Slider :). Want to literally chart someone fucking yelling? Slider with waves close together :). I try my best to take full advantage sliders to do all kinds of weird shit with them to make them fit the song.

Your charting style evolves quite a lot over time. I still remember when you were at risk of turning into .ave. Why do you think your charting style evolves so rapidly and quickly, and how do you feel about the constant change?

I am not just .ave., I am Seave. Jokes aside, my style changes quite a bit because of how many cool patterns are becoming standard. If I charted a wide section a few months back, I’d be sent to Spin Jail by Programmatic and Way in seconds. Now nobody bats an eye when they’re charted. I think it’s a lot of experimentation and influence from other charters that rapidly alter my style. I do my best to keep the core Stride the same though 😀

You’re known for having quite a lot of high difficulty charts. What is it about making these intense and difficult charts that appeals to you? Is it a natural artifact of the songs you decide to chart, or is it something you set out to do?

Difficult charts are just fun and exciting for me to play. Yes, the song’s BPM and tempo can influence the difficulty of the song, but the charter has the most control over it. When I chart all these 40+ Diff charts, I just go where the song takes me, and the result is often a stupidly fun and challenging chart. For example, in my parts for Tempestissimo (Uncut Edition) by t+pazolite, I wanted it to feel like you were actually playing the song accurately. The result was extremely difficult, but very fun. So basically, I follow the flow of the song, and it ends up being too hard for most people.

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Stride 01/12/2020
I’m better than you, get it head outta dual fractal girl thighs

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“I wanted it to feel like you were actually playing the song accurately.”

Stride

I think you’re also one of the most prolific collaborators. How do collabs differ from solo charting, and what makes you decide you want to collab on a song? What draws you towards collabs in general?

Collabs are a lot of fun to do with people. In terms of standardization, collabs are typically more laid back than solo charts, and give a chance for both charters to have fun, enjoy the music, and experiment. What draws me into collabs is the fact that you never know what kind of chart you’ll get out of it, and that is a lot of fun. They can also be finished quite a bit faster than solo charts. Me and Kali finished Dual Fractal by M2U in less than an hour. We also finished More than a night by T. Stebbins, a 5-minute song, in an hour as well. I hope to keep going strong with collab charts alongside Kali, juch., Loosiano, TheWay123, Fallin, and more.

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Stride 01/12/2020
Am I writing enough for each question btw?

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imfallinfree 01/12/2020
more than plenty
the question is do i use your spinshare pfp or your fries pic for the discord cut-ins

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Stride 01/12/2020
fries
fryde

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imfallinfree 01/12/2020
fryde

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You’re also a charter who has a pattern named after themselves – the “Stride Swap”, as we’ve taken to calling it. How do you feel about the Stride Swap, having your name on it?

Fun fact, I used to have another pattern named after me when I was a bad charter. It was called the “Cosmonaut.” Named after one of my old charts that had so many beatholds that ended on drum kicks, it was basically coined because they felt so out of place. Luckily, that pattern has gone to the void for now. So I can’t say I mind having a fun pattern named after me for a change. “Stride Swaps” are super fun and I’m glad to be one of the first to constantly use them.

Let’s get the elephant out of the room first. Arcaea. Wow, do you chart a lot of Arcaea – so much that they compose nearly a third of your overall charts. Have you played Arcaea? Why Arcaea music?

Oh yes, Arcaea, the game I’ve played less than 3 hours in yet I’ve charted dozens of songs from it in Spin Rhythm. It all began when I was randomly listening to music on YouTube, where I discovered Vindication by Laur. Given my taste in music, I fucking loved it, so I did a chart of it when I was still [a] semi-new charter. It wasn’t a very good chart of course, and it used the wrong album art, but it was a start.

I didn’t chart another song from Arcaea until I charted Corruption by 3R2 with Kali. I started listening to even more Arcaea music as time went on, which really warped my music taste in a great way. It all boils down to how unique each song is, and how much fun they are to chart overall. It is my long term goal to chart every Arcaea song by the end of my charting career, and I think I can pull it off.

I think we can also agree that you’ve also ended up as the “secondary” weeb charter, behind myself. First of all, no anime. Second of all, what is it about anime music that draws you to chart it?

Honestly, I’m just as surprised as you probably are that I ended up as the secondary weeb charter. Honestly though, it’s you, Fallin. When you started charting weeb songs, it made me realize how fun they were to play and eventually, chart. I blame both Matt and you for getting me into both anime and charting anime openings.

Another thing that draws me into charting them is the fact that they tend to be catchy and simple to chart. With my spite – I mean rechart of Connect by ClariS, even though basically nothing was copied and pasted, it only took about 2 hours to chart because of how the song flows. Given how much anime I watch now I probably won’t run out of charting material either :). Gonna throw in that Fallin is best weeb collaber.

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Stride 01/12/2020
One more thing
No Anime.

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imfallinfree 01/12/2020
no anime

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I’m starting to realize that almost all of your library is Japanese artists, since you also tend to chart a lot of Japanese electronic music, such as the hardcore of t+pazolite or the artcore of Laur. Any reason that these artists and genres are some of your favorites to chart?

First of all, you’re just now realizing? Second, fuck yeah it is. I listen to all types of Electronic music, from dubstep to whatever the fuck it is that LeaF and Frums makes. Although, this year, I’ve really started to listen to a ton of Japanese Electronic music, J-Pop, J-Anything tbh. Many of my favourite artists are from Japan such as t+pazolite, Laur, xi, Kobaryo, Cranky, and more.

I like to chart these artists because first of all, I love their music. Second of all, however, their music tends to make really fast-paced and fun charts. Lost Desire by Powerless and Dantalion by Team Grimoire being a few examples. Given how much I have on Spotify, you can expect to see these charts until the end of my charting career 🙂

Are there any other artists or songs that you love outside of Spin Rhythm? Any that you want to chart, but just haven’t gotten around to yet – or any that you just don’t think would be a good fit for Spin Rhythm?

There are too many to name here, but we def need more xi charts. We have some of their more well-known songs like ANiMA, Halcyon, and FREEDOM DiVE, but there are so many more songs I’d like to chart from them. I’d also like to go on another Sakuzyo charting spree. That dude needs more of his songs in this game, they work so well. Kronos and Axion being highlights. Other than them, a few other artists I’d like to chart more of are USAO, kobaryo, Team Grimoire, and even more t+pazolite.

Alright, now let’s finish up. Of your charts, are there any that you’re particularly proud of? Which one was the most fun for you to chart?

OG “Lost Desire” by Powerless was some of the most fun I’ve had with a song. It has so many fun drum fills and rhythms to work with, and the vocals by Sennzai are incredible. I’m still very proud of how that one came out, despite its improved version a few months later. Another one I’m proud of is Myosotis VIP Remix by M2U. When it came out, I didn’t think anything would ever be able to top it. Of course, I did top it a few times, but it will always be one of my favorites I’ve made.

Any charts on SpinShare that you consider your favourite, or any that you feel got overlooked?

There are tons of charts that I love to play. Some that I can think of immediately [are]:

• Literally any Fallin weeb chart – highlights include One Room Sugar Life, Mousou 4tune, Sirius, and More One Night.
• IM GONE – JOYRYDE by Kali, cause the movements are fun as fuck and the song is a bop.
• Valley of Voices – Kara & Kurokotei by smb: smb’s best chart in my opinion. The chart is virtually flawless.
• EURO de x3 SHINE – Manami Sugihara (aka Yuki) by Loosiano: My favourite Eurobeat chart ever. The song isn’t that hard, but my God is it ever a blast. Song is great too.

Anything that you have to say about the SpinShare community?

This is the best gaming community I’ve ever been in. I’m so lucky to have made as many friends as I have in here. I’m also so grateful to have the chance to express myself creatively through charts and music, it’s kept me going through the shit times in life. You guys are fucking awesome, love y’all idots.

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Stride 01/12/2020
Also, this may trigger some people
But g4 is cringe

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Any advice that you’d like to give for charters?

Taps after scratches don’t autoaim. Matches after spins suck. Don’t have movement after liftoff. And most of all, don’t give up. It took me a lot of time to become the charter I am now, and it took many shitty charts until I became good. It might take that long for you too, and that’s ok. Ask for help as much as you can, ask for test players, and accept both positive and constructive negative criticism. Don’t let purely unconstructive negative criticism get you down. Last but not least, make cool sliders.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Go get the Stride Arcaea album on November 13th, with lots of charts, music, and extras.

One last thing: one pattern must be made illegal. Which pattern is now illegal?

This is such a hard one, oh wait just kidding. Fast long stacks with no movement at high BPMs. I hate those.

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