Raise The Bar

Inspiration

After some first impression and bonding, our team realized we had one thing in common. Our enjoyment for rap music, artists, and culture. We knew we could integrate that passion into our project, so we did just that!

What it does

Using the Google Cloud Speech API, we created a platform where users can record themselves rap and return an accuracy score. This score is based on how well-spoken each word is, even pointing out which words you got correct or not. After entering a name, click begin to start hearing the beat. A countdown will indicate when to start rapping. Track your progress with the progress bar and check out how you compare with your friends with the built-in leaderboard.

How we built it

Since we all had experience programming in React, we imported starter code to get us going. We delegated tasks for each member to do, such as create the algorithm, begin on the design, handle the database, and set up the Google Cloud Speech API. Since we wanted to make everything from scratch, we also wrote the lyrics and created the accompanying beat for the page. After doing our individual tasks, we came back together and began working on the main codebase. After setting and connecting everything together, all we had to do was squash some bugs.

Challenges we ran into

The algorithm had many bugs
The user flow was hard to visualize in the beginning
Merge conflicts due to all of our members working simultaneously
Syncing up the beat with the lyrics

Accomplishments that we're proud of

The design
Learning how to efficiently work with the Google API
The API and algorithm work well together
The leaderboard displays and sort scores perfectly
Implementing a countdown timer
Successfully building off of each other’s work

What we learned

We really were not close to each other when the team was formed, so figuring out what we were interested in and brainstorming ideas was a lengthy process. But once we found our common interest in rap, we learned how to build ideas off each other. We learned how working together on a bug is more efficient instead of relying on a single person to handle it.

What's next for Raise The Bar

We believe Raise The Bar could be used for rappers who want to improve their game, but also a platform where non-rappers can see how well they can rap. We would want to first improve our algorithm, potentially to the point where we could track how accurate the lyrics are in real-time. We also plan to include various beats and sets of lyrics to keep the experience fresh. Additionally, we would want to add a feature where friends could battle each other live to see who obtains a higher score. We believe that rapping can bring people together, so scaling the platform is also very important to us.