Friday, March 5, 2010 Rebuilding "Soldiers"

This week I began work on my remix of "Soldiers" from Spirit Blade. At first, I was fairly discouraged. I feel as though there is almost nothing I can salvage from the original mix and I realized I will need to rebuild this song from the ground up.

I also hurried through the recording process with Michael Tully back in 2004 when he recorded this song, and so have only a few takes to work with from that session. (Tully now lives in Texas and it would be impractical to fly him out just to re-record this song. Long distance coaching and recording is impractical as well.)

But soon I began to see obstacles as exciting creative challenges and after playing with Tully's files and testing some options with my mixing software, I'm very much looking forward to the possibilities open to me in that department! I've also found some beats and loops that already sound fantastic just dropping them down together without any polishing.

I believe that this time around I will be able to come so much closer to the creative vision I had for this song than I was able to the first time. And at the same time, I'll be able to inject new ideas and sounds that I've come to enjoy and gravitate toward since then. Can't wait!

That's all for now!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Next Song... Soldiers!

I finally finished the re-mix on "Destiny" yesterday and then listened to every other song from Spirit Blade to make my choice about which one to re-mix next. I ended up choosing "Soldiers" and I anticipate this re-mix will be a challenge, or at least very involving.

Of all the songs in Spirit Blade, this was one that never felt "finished" to my ear. As both my tastes and mixing skills have changed or improved over the last four years, it's very hard for me to enjoy listening to this song on several levels. At this point, I anticipate that the remix will involve a complete overhaul of the percussion and a completely different approach to the mix on Michael Tully's (Raan) vocals.

So my first step today will be to sift through the loops and beats I have in my collection for appropriate sounds and then begin a search online for loop and beat collections of the kind of sound I'm looking for. As it stands now, I'll be looking for a more industrial, possibly glitchy sound. But it all depends on what resources I'm able to make use of.

Hopefully, when all is said and done, I'll have a song that we can all enjoy a whole lot more!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, February 26, 2010 Next Song, Please!

Well, I think I've spent about as much time on "Destiny" as I can for awhile. The re-mix is effectively finished. At this point, the only remaining question is whether or not I want to add a layer of guitar somewhere. The "holes" I thought I was hearing earlier this week seem to have vanished mysteriously, so I'm not sure now if I still want guitar or not.

This is an indication to me that I've probably been listening to the same song for a little too long and need to gain some distance from it before I make that call. So beginning next week I will instead start work on...

I don't know yet.

But it will be SOME song from Spirit Blade. Hmm... Any suggestions?

-Paeter Frandsen

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 Side Gig Taking Center This Week

Some of you may remember that I keep a "side gig" doing some substitute teaching. Usually it averages about five days a month (or once a week) but this month has been way above average and I'm subbing 4 out of 5 days this week! Nice for the family budget, but it tends to slow down everything else.

Blog posts and the podcast will run as usual and I'll answer e-mails as I'm able, but if you don't hear from me this week, don't worry. I'm not ignoring you.

I'm using what little time I have remaining to mix "Destiny" because I'm VERY close to finishing my work with it! (At least for now. I'm fairly sure I'll want to ask a guitar player to "fill in the gaps", after which I'll complete the final mix.)

Thanks for your patience everybody!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, February 19, 2010 Setback!

Well,
I hit a setback this week in my goals. After dropping my vocals into
the mix and fiddling with EQs and effects, I realized that the sound I
was using for the primary arpeggiation in "Destiny" was not working. It had a
flanger effect on it that shifted it from having lots of low tones to
lots of high tones and and everywhere in between. Sounds cool by
itself, but building an entire song around it would mean that I would
have to constantly shift the EQs in every other sound to counterbalance
it! Not something I want to take the time to do!



So I'm now developing a new sound for that track that is in keeping
with the original feel, but that will be much more consistent and
easier to mix around. (Big sigh...)



As I finish up this week, I'm hoping to finish developing the sound for
this track so that I can get back to mixing the entire song next week!

-Paeter Frandsen

Monday, February 15, 2010 Day Off?

Hey Folks,

In Search Of Truth will be here on Wednesday. I've decided to take the day off. Of course, if I were REALLY taking the day off, I suppose I wouldn't be writing this post right now. Better run! Bye!

-Paeter

Friday, February 12, 2010 Destiny Almost Done!

With my vocals recorded and laid into the track, all I have left to do on "Destiny" is fine tune how I want the effects to sound and adjust EQ and volumes for each track!

It's been a very productive week and I'm anticipating finishing Destiny next week and getting started on the next song! Any suggestions on which song I should remix next? I'm not feeling drawn to any particular order at the moment. I'd love to get your feedback on the song you most enjoy or look forward to hearing the remix on from the original "Spirit Blade"!

Have a great weekend and don't forget to show someone you love them this Sunday!

-Paeter Frandsen

Thursday, February 4, 2010 "Destined" to Finish Soon!

The basic track for "Destiny" is finished and I've been working on re-mastering the vocal tracks for "Destiny" this week. Joyce's vocal track is currently being "cleaned up". This means that I am balancing out volume levels for the entire track (something I didn't do the first time) and correcting pitch here and there, trying to decide how much I want to do for practical reasons and how much I want to do as an effect. The jury's still out.

I haven't touched my own vocals yet, because I'm thinking I may just re-record them. It would probably take less time than cleaning up the original, and I'm thinking I might make some subtle changes to my performance that will add a little intensity to the song.

Once the vocals are laid down, it will mainly be a matter of balancing levels for each track element and the song will be done!

That's all for now! Have a great weekend!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, January 29, 2010 Creative Momentum!

Well, this has been a great week for getting creative work done! I'm basically finished with the track layout for "Destiny" and am now going back to re-mix the vocals for Joyce Smith (White) and myself.

I'm so happy with the pace I've been keeping and hopefully the momentum will continue into next week!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, January 27, 2010 Destiny

In preparation for the "song bundles" I will be releasing a few months from now, I'm currently working on the re-mix for "Destiny"! It's coming together well and I'm able to create some sounds this time around that I couldn't before.

The lead synth has been given a harder edge by de-tuning it slightly and adding distortion and octaves. I'm also adding an "epic men's chorus" that helps to give the song a paradoxical sound when contrasted with the harder electronic textures.

I'm having a ton of fun and feel like I'm finally starting to gain some creative momentum! Woohoo!

-Paeter

Friday, January 15, 2010 Spirit Blade Productions 2010 Plans

2010 will be a very important year for Spirit Blade Productions! Here are a few things you can look forward to and in their planned order of execution!

1. Music! Currently, I'm making plans to release "song bundles" or "soundtracks" (not sure which I'll call them yet) for both "Spirit Blade" and "Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual". I'll also be creating some remixes of these songs for inclusion in the bundles. Some will be minor re-mixes and some will be complete overhauls.

2. More Cool Goodies! During the production of "Pilgrim's Progress: Similitude Of A Dream" I made some video recordings of dialogue recording sessions and some screen capture video with commentary as I created and mixed some of the unique sound effects and scenes of the project. I'm not sure of the specific method of delivery for these videos (Youtube or downloads on the "Media" page) but I'm looking forward to editing the footage and putting it together for you all very soon!I'll also be making some cool T-shirts available this year and some other goodies you'll be able to get at the site. As always, I plan to keep up with my schedule of releasing one new free special feature on the Media Page every month. So keep checking back! (spiritblade.net/freestuff)

3. The Secret Project! It's... well it's a secret. I should be able to announce it in full about three months from now (that's the current plan anyway, but you know how that goes). I can tell you that Spirit Blade fans will dig it, though! And although it is third on the list, this project is actually my highest priority project for 2010 and I hope to release it before or during the summer, or at least before the end of the year.

4. The Spirit Blade Audiobook! I released the first part of this project on the podcast in December. I have finished recording it all and only need to mix and release it. It will be made available for free and released all at once, rather than in "chapters". The project is be read by me and enhanced with music and sound effects. This book is the basis for "Spirit Blade" and "Dark Ritual" and although the story has some very noticeable differences, it will hopefully provide an interesting look into where the "Spirit Blade" universe began and where it might have gone.

5. Relaunch Of Spirit Blade Productions! Although 2006 marks the first year of our existence, 2010 will be the year that this little company becomes re-established. I believe it will be looked back on as the year we hit our stride. The reasons for this will become clear as the year unfolds, but I hope you'll stick around and be a part of the celebration!

6. Spirit Blade 3 Begins Pre-production! (Or should it be "Pilgrim's Progress"?) At this point, my
plan is to begin writing "Spirit Blade 3" later this year. I would
estimate that pre-production work on SB3 will take 6-12 months. The
script for "Pilgrim Ep. 2" is nearly finished. But in order to save
money on production costs, I will be recording both SB3 and Pilgrim
Ep.2 at the same time. SB3 will be produced and released first, and
then Pilgrim Ep. 2 will immediately begin production afterward. SB3
will probably take about 12 months to produce after recording with the
actors. Pilgrim Ep. 2 will probably take around 4 months. 



So a very rough estimate (given all of these other estimates) would put
the release of Spirit Blade 3 at around April 2012 and Pilgrim Ep. 2 at
around July 2012. Thereafter, I will focus all of my efforts on
finishing the rest of the Pilgrim's Progress series, releasing them
much closer together than previous projects. Should Pilgrim's Progress
gain a larger response than our Spirit Blade series, I would reverse
production order, resulting in a roughly August 2011 release for
Pilgrim Ep 2 and an August 2012 release for Spirit Blade 3.

I say all of this because I'm actually ready to give you all a voice in my production schedule! If you'd rather hear the next part of "Pilgrim" before the final chapter of "Spirit Blade", make yourself heard! Comment here or send me an e-mail. If I get enough interest in "Pilgrim" coming first, I'll set up a poll and give everyone a chance to vote on my future production schedule!Otherwise it's full speed ahead to the climax of the Spirit Blade Trilogy!

Thanks so much for your involvement with all I've been juggling over the last 3 1/2 years! I hope you'll join me as I continue to enjoy geek culture and search for truth both here and on the podcast. I also hope you'll consider joining the creative fun as Spirit Blade Productions continues to sponsor the online volunteer community, The Spirit Blade Underground Alliance! You don't need to be an expert. This is a place to learn how to pool your creativity with others to create fun and exciting Christian Sci-fi, Fantasy and Horror that engages both the imagination and the critical mind! Check it out at spiritblade.net/alliance

Drop me a line any time. I love to interact with you guys and hear what you're thinking about these announcements, the blog posts in general anytime, the podcast or whatever randomly pops into your head!

Hope to talk to you soon!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 Must...be...creative!

For almost a month now I have been itching to look at the bland waveforms and track files of my mixing software. Never before has taking two weeks off from work resulted in so much catch-up time afterward. I'm finally back to my normal pace of e-mails and other correspondence, but yesterday was the first time in almost a month that I have done anything creative for work. It was driving me nuts!!

And I still haven't satisfied my craving, so I'd better go mix some more audio or something!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Catch Up Week

Well, I had originally thought that I might post "In Search Of Truth" here today this week. But it looks as though I won't have the time this week. (Believe it or not, I've been doing nothing but answering e-mails and other correspondence for almost three full days now!) As of this moment, I'm about two hours from being caught up, which I should be able to do tomorrow. But that still won't leave me enough time for "In Search Of Truth" this week. Not only that, but a really cool opportunity has come my way for this weekend (not related to Spirit Blade Productions) that will prevent me from producing a podcast this week as well.

So my apologies to everybody, but the big announcements about what is coming this year from Spirit Blade Productions will have to wait until next week.

Meantime, I've got some more e-mails to answer. See ya!

-Paeter Frandsen

Monday, January 4, 2010 Back And Ready To Go! (Almost...)

After more than a week of vacation, I'm finally back and ready to go!
Almost.

I caught a cold at the tail end of my vacation and so am a bit low on energy
and blowing my nose a lot. I've also got a TON of e-mails and correspondence to
catch up on before I get to do much of anything creative. But I should be back
to my normal routine later this week.

I'm not sure yet if there will be an "In Search Of Truth" post
this week, though I'm hoping to do one. I'm still planning on the podcast this
weekend either way, and you can count on hearing about the big 2010 plans
coming from Spirit Blade Productions later this week, either here or on the
podcast!

Stay tuned!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, December 4, 2009 Beat Collection

Well, I still can't say what the "Secret Project" is for 2010, but I can tell you that I'm FINALLY working on it again after spending half the week in a mountain of e-mails. That's what happens when I take a few days off, and it's likely fixin' to happen again! I'll be taking several days off next week, so I apologize in advance if I'm a little slow to answer e-mails.

Anyway, as far the Secret Project goes, I can say that I found some really cool beats this week for one of the songs I'm working on for it. Some hard, even nasty sounding percussion that dirties things up in a way that makes me feel all warm inside. Can't wait to start stitching the song together!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, November 20, 2009 Secret Project Starting Up!

If you've been to spiritblade.net recently, you may have noticed that there is a "Secret Project" due to be released during the first half of 2010. No, it's not the Spirit Blade Audiobook, but it's something fans of the Spirit Blade series will dig, and something I've been excited about doing for a little while now. 

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I've started working on it again as of this week (I've already spent some time working on it during the production of "Pilgrim's Progress") and it's coming along great! I've been through a few sound effects and musical ideas to narrow down the basic feel of what I want and today things started coming together nicely. My wife got a preview and it brought a wide grin to her face. Hopefully it will do the same for you in a few more months!

-Paeter Frandsen 

Friday, November 13, 2009 Spirit Blade Audiobook On The Horizon!

With the main thrust of my publicity efforts for "Pilgrim's Progress" slowing down, I'm finally finding time to give attention to the next project on my list: The Spirit Blade Audiobook!

"But wait a minute. We've got a Spirit Blade Audio Drama. Isn't an audiobook a bit of a step back?"

Not in this case. For one thing, this audiobook is actually the unpublished novel that I wrote which, after numerous changes and restructuring, formed the basis for both Spirit Blade and Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual! Far from a re-treading of what you've already heard, the Spirit Blade audiobook will be a very different story with new characters and plot threads you've never seen or heard before!

Like the "Pilgrim's Progress" audiobook bonus feature included with our latest audio drama, this audiobook will be enhanced with sound effects and a musical score, drawing some scoring from Spirit Blade and Dark Ritual to maintain a tone similar to those projects.

But unlike our previous projects, the Spirit Blade Audiobook will be available for free!

Recording for the project is finished and production has already begun. So keep your ears open for this one in the next few months!

-Paeter Frandsen

Tuesday, November 10, 2009 Powering Through Publicity

Although I had hoped to speed through my "publicity e-mails" for Pilgrim's Progress in a single day this week, my memory has not served me well regarding how long this sort of thing takes and how I want to approach it. It just takes time, plain and simple.

I'm still hoping to "power through" the bulk of my e-mail publicity stuff this week, but I'm interjecting some other work as well, to prevent me from going insane from the mind-numbing tedium of it all!

Some grand and distant day when I have money I'm going to be paying someone else to do this...

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, October 30, 2009 Marketing Is Lame, Audio Is Cool

If you've got a story or message you're passionate about that you want others to experience who have never heard about it, you have to engage in some form of marketing. But despite my passion for what I do and create, the marketing is my least favorite part of running this little company, second only to all the technical internet stuff I have to keep afloat.

The last few days have been filled with e-mail writing and e-mail sending. Not to folks I've interacted with before, but to folks with blogs and podcasts that I think might be interested in what we're doing or who might be willing to help get the word out. It takes me well outside of my comfort zone and I sometimes agonize over my choice of words in an effort to avoid coming across like a salesman. But at the end of the day, I've got a product that I think others will want. And if I want them to buy, I have to sell. A necessary chore.

Thankfully, mixed in with that has been my work on the Spirit Blade audiobook, which I have now been able to resume work on. I am about two-thirds of the way through recording it and am hoping to take two days next week and just barrel through the rest of it. Mixing the audiobook for "Pilgrim" took much less time than I had originally anticipated, and so I'm realistically hopeful that you guys will be able to start listing to the Spirit Blade audiobook before Christmas! I'm not positive what the release method will be, but I do know that it will be available free of charge!

It's also been really great to hear the positive and energetic responses from those of you who have listened to "Pilgrim's Progress: Similitude Of A Dream"! Your encouragement means a lot! Thank you!

Have a great, safe Halloween weekend!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 Evaluating Options

Well, now that "Pilgrim" is out, I am finally emerging from my production cave to re-evaluate my online marketing strategies and how I can make the best use of my evaporating time.

I'm looking into Twitter, which I've avoided because the nature of the beast lends itself to sharing only short thoughts with little substance, and I'd much rather share ideas than tell you all that I'm eating cereal or mixing audio (in which case, I'm not really doing either because I've wasted time to stop and say that I am.) But I've learned that I CAN use Twitter to let folks know when a blog post has gone up or a podcast episode has been published, which sounds cool! And I think I've got it worked out so that I don't have to do anything extra to make that happen. I don't know, it's set up now, so this post will act as a sort of "test".

I'm also currently wondering about MySpace. I'm very hesitant to add anything to my "posting ritual", which already takes up more time than I'd like. I've been unable to find a tool that will allow me to simultaneously post blogs to Typepad, Blogger, Facebook, my two Ning groups and Myspace, so I currently manually copy and paste my weekly posts for both blogs into all of those places.

I'm looking for ways to subtract time from this ritual and I've got my crosshair on my MySpace web presence.

Is it worth it to keep a presence there? If so, is it worth it to paste my blog posts there? I get comments regularly on Facebook, Blogger and Typepad, but it's been almost a year, maybe more, since I got a comment on MySpace.

Should I just keep the two pages (one personal and one "Spirit Blade") with LINKS to my blogs but not worry about actually copying my blogs to them, or should I keep those blogs going on those MySpace pages, even though it's the same blog material you'll find on Blogger (Paeter's Brain) and Typepad (Spirit 
Blade Underground).

Recently, it was suggested that I try "Ping.fm", which I had tried a year ago. This free service allows you to update multiple social networks at once, but a year ago I didn't get any further than signing up because they weren't compatible with all of my social networks. So I tried it again today.

Ping.fm failed me again.

It lured me in with the promise that I could post to all of my social networks, but when I began to create posting groups (so I can post to some social networks and not others) it revealed that if I choose "blogging", my options are severely limited. It looks as though the only places it can send blogs to, among my social networks anyway, are Facebook, Blogger and Typepad. I can only microblog and do status updates at all the others. So again I am faced with what to do about Myspace and Ning. Especially Myspace.

Should I continue to copy my blog posts there, or just put a referral link on the Myspace page and hope they check out my Typepad blog?

Any web geniuses out there that have this problem solved?