7-22-10 Mega-Mad Props To The Jesus Geek!

You may have noticed that I forgot to post on the blogs yesterday. Part of the reason is that I'm a doof and just forgot. The other reason is because of a new bit of software I've been introduced to that totally sidetracked my day out of excitement and drastically changes one aspect of mixing audio drama that has always been a pain and taken a very long time. For more information on this necessary evil, check out the new behind the scenes video released this week at:

http://www.spiritblade.net/freestuff

Before I even had the chance to announce the release of this video, John Wilkerson of the Jesus Geek Podcast watched it and e-mailed me with a suggestion for a free bit of "underground" (but totally legal) software that I immediately checked out. It's amazing! And it will significantly cut down on my overall production time. (By as much as 10% or more!)

So I have to give out huge Mega-Mad Props to the Jesus Geek and suggest that you all go check out his podcast at http://jesusgeek.info !

Woohoo! Thank you John, for using your powers for good and not for evil!

-Paeter Frandsen

7-14-10 Questions For Randy and Tully! (Vincent and Raan!)

In anticipation of the release of the Special Edition of Spirit Blade, I've asked Randy Hesson (Vincent Craft) and Michael Tully (Raan Galvaanik) to sign some copies of the original Spirit Blade to be made available as part of a Collector's Set.

I decided that, while I'm reconnecting with these guys, it would be a great opportunity to catch up and ask any questions that you might have for them. I'll be recording our conversation and will later produce it as a special feature for the website, so I'm currently collecting questions to ask these guys and would love to get one from you!

Questions can be serious or crazy. They can be connected to Spirit Blade Productions or completely unrelated. You can ask their opinion on something, find out their favorite "fill in the blank" or confirm those rumors about a third nipple. Whatever's on your mind!

Post your questions here or call and leave a message I can use in the feature- 206-350-1226

I'll be connecting with these guys in just a week or two, so don't delay!

-Paeter Frandsen

7-9-10 Almost 1/4th Finished!

Despite a few setbacks this week, I'm currently mixing scene 9 out of 39 of the Spirit Blade: Special Edition. I completed 1-8 out of order over the last two weeks and I'm VERY excited to be hearing these scenes come alive in the way I've wanted them to for the last two years!

Along the way, I'm also re-recording a few of my lines and had my wife re-record a few of Ebony's. It's been a very unique challenge to record new lines and match them next to old ones. My approach to everything was so different the first time, more than four years ago. I'm adjusting EQs to make the new lines fit next to the old ones. I'm also performing the role of Merikk much like I did the first time, with a little more naive energy and spark than he has in Dark Ritual.

Well, that's all I can think of to write, so it must mean I should get back to mixing!

-Paeter Frandsen

7-2-10 New Behind The Scenes Feature and Forum Launch!

Busy week! I've remixed Merikk's encounter with the mysterious Messenger as well as his plummet onto a random family's hover-cruiser! Forgot how funny Joy Currie is in that scene! I was crackin' up now that I can actually enjoy how the rest of it sounds!

But there are two new things for YOU to enjoy this week, too!

The first is a 30 minute audio special feature called "Behind The Songs Of Spirit Blade". I take you through every song in Spirit Blade, showcasing a bunch of old audio clips (featuring never before heard audio including clips from the live show!) to demonstrate how far these songs have come since they were first conceived. It's a strange and often embarrassing look at my creative ideas, but if you've been enjoying the new Spirit Blade Song Bundle I'm sure you'll find it very interesting!

You can download it now for free on The Media Page! 

The second exciting bit of news is the launch of The Spirit Blade Underground Forums!

This is a brand new community for fans of Spirit Blade Productions and Christian Geeks everywhere to hang out, talk and explore ideas together! Be sure to stop by and say hi!

I'll see you there!

-Paeter Frandsen

6-30-10 Mixing Scenes and Prepping The Forums!

Halfway through the week and as usual it feels like there are not enough hours in the day!

While finishing up "Dark Ritual" and the entire time I worked on "Similitude Of A Dream", I looked forward to creating a Special Edition remix of Spirit Blade. After more than two long years of keeping it on the back burner, I'm finally able to work on it and move forward with the fixes and remixes that have been haunting my mind more often than you can possibly know.

I've also discovered the unique opportunity to make a few (and I do mean just a few) minor changes to the script. At least as far as Ebony or Merikk's lines go. No major tampering, but a few minor tweaks here and there and a few brand new lines that I think will clarify story elements and bring character to the forefront just a little bit more.

In one sense, starting work on this project is like heating up leftovers. But in another sense it's like working on a brand new project. And without so many of the monotonous details at the beginning that make starting a project an uphill battle!

Meanwhile, I'm also working with a couple of Spirit Blade community volunteers to launch the Spirit Blade Underground Forums! The site looks great and everything is almost ready. I hope to launch the forums by this weekend, but I will make an announcement here to let everyone know for sure when we launch. I hope you'll come by and say "hi" and connect with me or some other like-minded folks!

Well, back to work! The night is young and Spirit Blade won't remix itself!

-Paeter Frandsen

6-25-10 Song Bundles Are Available And The Secret Project Is Revealed!

They're here, they're here!

The song bundles are available for purchase right now at www.spiritblade.net !

They've been a lot of fun to work on and I'm glad to finally be able to share them with you! Enjoy!

And at long last I can finally reveal the nature and title of "The Secret Project" I've been talking about for so long now.

The completely remixed songs from "Spirit Blade" are more than just a stand alone project. In the fall of 2010 it will be my pleasure to release the "Spirit Blade: Special Edition" audio drama!

If you look back at my tweets and do some decoding, you'll find the letters SBSE pop up repeatedly, or other subtle references to the title. Of course, I'm probably kidding myself that any of you didn't already have it figured out. Still, the suspense of not knowing for sure was fun, wasn't it?

Now, for some of you, this will come as exciting news. (Hopefully MOST of you!) But some others may be wondering why I'm making a Special Edition of Spirit Blade instead of working on an all new audio drama. (Ahem! Like Spirit Blade 3!!)

Well you can find the answer to the question of "Why A Special Edition" in an article I've written and placed on our website at: http://www.spiritblade.net/site.cfm/sbp/spiritblade1

And if you have any other questions, feel free to send them my way and I'll be happy to get back to you!

But what are you waiting here for? Start your "Spirit Blade: Special Edition" experience right now with the new song bundles at spiritblade.net!

Welcome to the exciting rebirth of Spirit Blade Productions!

-Paeter Frandsen

6-25-10 Song Bundle Previews!

Both song bundles have been given to my "tech guy" to upload and prepare for sale on the website, but you don't have to wait! You can listen to three of the songs from the Spirit Blade song bundle right now at the Spirit Blade Productions Myspace Page-

http://www.myspace.com/spiritbladeproductions

Or the Spirit Blade Productions Facebook Page-

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spirit-Blade-Productions/119416379367?v=app_19935916616&ref=ts

You can also download previews of all the songs in the online store at www.spiritblade.net or listen to previews on the Spirit Blade Underground Weblog. www.spiritblade.net/blog

And keep your eyes here! I will post an announcement as soon as the song bundles become available, and announce the "Secret Project" at the same time! Don't be the last to know!

-Paeter Frandsen

6-23-10 Getting Back On Track

My weekend away with my family was JUST what I needed and it's great to be back with a refreshed perspective.

A couple of updates. First, I'm currently prepping some guidelines and a "job description" for those who volunteer to be moderators on the Spirit Blade Underground Forum we'll be launching soon.  If you're interested in moderating on the new forum, please e-mail me at paeter(at)spiritblade(dot)net for more information.

Today I am giving what I hope will be the final listen through on all the songs for the song bundles. If that goes the way I hope it will, I'll be able to drop off the files to my tech guy later today. If the song bundles go on sale as early as this week, I'll immediately make a post here, so stay tuned and check back often this week and next!

And when those song bundles go on sale I'll also be announcing he name of the Secret Project! So you've got twice the reason to keep one eye right here!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 Frustration and Delays

You'd think that since I'm only working for me that I'd be able to plan my own schedule better. But actually the reverse is true. When you're the only guy running things, you're the guy running EVERYTHING. And between trying to launch a new forum, watching E3 coverage just to have something to talk about on the podcast, and getting two new products ready for launch, all while crunching to get ready for a three day weekend... I've about hit my limit. Something's gotta give.

It can't be the podcast, since I've committed to running weekly codes in my show for a podcast network contest. It can't be watching and blogging on E3, because I have nothing else to talk about on the podcast this weekend. (I mean tomorrow. Crap. Gotta do that early this week.)

So you guessed it. It's gotta be the song bundle launch. I was really hoping to launch next week. And I take my self-imposed deadlines so seriously that I become very stressed out if I sense I'm going to miss them. Such has been the case this week, and it's shortened my fuse a bit. Not fair to my family and a terrible way to try and enjoy a weekend vacation.

So I'm giving myself permission to bump my deadline to an unspecified date this year. ;-)

Don't get me wrong. I have every reason to think that I will be able to clean up the minor details I discovered in the mix of two songs today in just a few hours tomorrow or next week. And at that point I'll hand it over to my tech guy and he'll be able to upload it to the store in a day or two. (He's usually MUCH faster than that, even.) So if I wanted to continue to stay in "stressed mode", I'd say the bundles will still be released next week or the week after.

But I think I'd rather stay out of "stress mode" and just say: They'll be done when they're done and I'll keep you updated till then.

For those who may be anxiously awaiting the release of the song bundles, I would really value any grace ("undeserved favor") you can extend to me regarding the release date. And for those who don't even know what the crap a "song bundle" is, thanks for humoring me.

Have a great weekend!

-Paeter Frandsen

Monday, June 14, 2010 Buried In "To Do's"

"In Search Of Truth" will have to wait until Wednesday this week. I was greeted with a massive "to do" list today that has put my day out of wack a bit.

So for any who think I spend my day just sipping soda in my room while creating fun, geeky stories, here's a list of a few of the things I still need to get done. This kind of stuff is pretty typical for me every day, but it's not so typical for me to still have this much left at 4pm that I had hoped to get done before the end of the day.

delete 12 spam comments on the podcast site (5 min)

finish final test listening on Spirit Blade and Dark Ritual song bundles (30-45 min)

make final corrections to song bundle mixes (??min)

deliver files to website tech admin on CD for upload(30 min)

email new forum tech admin regarding some changes to the site (5min)

listen to most recent "Alliance" project for approval and make polishing notes for director (15-30min)

send notes to director (5-10min)

figure out what the crap to write about on "paeter's brain" (5-20min)

write paeter's brain blog entry (20min)

watch E3 coverage on G4 to prep for wednesday's paeter's brain blog entry and podcast (3-4hours)

check email and write responses (20-90min, I try to choose my words carefully)

find an appropriately themed picture to go with this post(ah forget it)

create a url for the new spiritblade forum (5min)

edit the video special feature for this month(20 min)

post video to youtube(10min)

create link for video on the spiritblade website (5min)

edit the behind the scenes audio special feature about the spirit blade song remixes.(20min)

start mixing work on the secret project (ah, who am I kidding. I'm outta time...)

See you Wednesday!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, June 11, 2010 Remix Songs Finished! Forum and Big Announcement Coming!

As of last night the remixes for the songs of "Spirit Blade" are finished! Next week I will be getting them(and the repolished songs of "Dark Ritual") ready for sale on our website and anticipate that they will be available the week of June 20th!

I've also made the decision to move forward with plans for a Spirit Blade Underground Forum! Thanks so much to all of you who gave your feedback on this subject. It sounds like a strong core group among you is very interested in seeing this happen! Woohoo!

We're much closer to launching than you may think, but I need to check a few things off of my list first. One of those is getting some moderators for the forum. If you have contacted me before about being a moderator for a potential forum, please let me know that you are still interested. If you haven't contacted me already, but are interested in moderating, please e-mail me at paeter (at) spiritblade (dot) net and I will give you some more information that you can use to make a decision.

Lastly, keep a close eye on this blog. Very soon (in the next week or two, I haven't decided when) I will be unveiling the name of the "Secret Project" and providing you with a bunch of juicy details!

Stay tuned!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, June 4, 2010 Spirit Blade T-Shirts Available Now!

The contest is over, the winner has been chosen and the T-shirts are ready to go! Help spread the word and show everyone how Christians can be geeks, too!

I've already had a few great interactions with people as they puzzle through the meaning of the shirt.

Multiple sizes, fittings and colors available with prices starting at just $12.99! Visit our spread-shirt store to check 'em out!

http://spiritbladeproductions.spreadshirt.com/ 

And be sure to send me a picture of you wearing a Spirit Blade T-shirt! I'd love to post SB Shirt "sightings" and see how many places we can find people wearing them!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, May 28, 2010 "Fly" Almost Finished!

With the school semester finally over, I am back into (mostly) uninterrupted work in my office. It's been great! I've been working on re-mixing "Fly" this week and have certainly hit my stride. The background track is largely finished and I am going through the vocal track right now to clean it up and decide what effects I want to use. 

As with the other remixes, I'm keeping the general feel of the song the same. Although it has a slightly harder edge to it, the remix of "Fly" maintains the energetic, positive sound of the original. It also has many more percussion layers and a few added fast arpeggios that propel the song forward even more.

I'm pretty sure I won't finish the song today, but it will likely be done by Wednesday of next week!

-Paeter Frandsen

Saturday, May 22, 2010 Ready For The Summer!

My three week stretch away from my office is finally over...I think. It's always possible I could have some subbing to do next week, but very unlikely.

I am more than ready to jump back into mixing, although at the moment I am exhausted and need the weekend to recuperate. Just two songs left though! Then I'll be nearly ready to release the song bundles! A release during the first half of June is a very strong possibility right now. And at that time I will also be announcing the title of the secret project! (I can't wait to tell you all! It's been eating at me for MONTHS!!)

So stay tuned! Some really cool stuff coming up at Spirit Blade Productions!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, May 19, 2010 Found Some Time For T-Shirts!

I finally had a day to work in my office today! (Although I'll be out again now for the rest of the week.) After spending the morning catching up on e-mails I got a chance to test out the listener submitted design I have chosen for our T-Shirts!

I've chosen an online printer and I just need to finish setting up my information with them. But I should be able to announce the winners of the T-Shirt Contest on the podcast this weekend!

Stay Tuned!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, May 12, 2010 So Busy Things Are Slow

As you may know, I do some substitute teaching a few days every month to help fill in the holes of our family budget. I never know when I will be subbing until the day before (or often as late as the morning of) a job. As is often the case, teachers are anxious to be done with school near the end of the year, and so are more likely to use vacation time or sick days.

Naturally, that means that near the end of many spring semesters, I find myself yanked away from my desk and planted in various high schools for a day or two at a time. This week is shaping up to be a full week of subbing, as last week was. And I've already agreed to sub for another teacher for most of next week.

So if you were itching for the latest update on the song bundles, the t-shirt, The Alliance or the "secret project"... well, I won't have much to report for about another week and a half. You can count on the usual posting schedule, but don't cross your fingers to hear about any big strides in production around here.

On the other hand, after another week and a half I'll effectively be done with any subbing for the semester and will be giving my full attention to Spirit Blade Productions for three solid months in a row! Woohoo!

-Paeter Frandsen

Saturday, May 8, 2010 Long Week, Late Post

Hey Folks,

Sorry for the late post this week! I've had an unusually busy week and much of it has taken me away from my desk.

I'm nearly finished re-mixing  "Golgatha's Tale" (wow that went fast!) and will likely be moving on to "Fly" early next week!

I'm currently testing the top submission in the T-Shirt contest to confirm that it will work out the way I think it will and I hope to have these cool shirts available for you guys very soon!

That's all for now. Don't forget to kiss your mom and tell her you love her! There are good moms, bad moms and every mom in between. But if you're alive and breathing, your mom went through some very unpleasant things to make that happen. So don't forget to show her some love!

-Paeter Frandsen

Wednesday, May 5, 2010 "Deadly Game" Finished!

I'm finally back in the mixing groove and on a roll! As of Monday, the remix of "Deadly Game" is finished!

Of all the songs I've mixed so far, this one feels the least changed from the original, in terms of style. I was able to add significantly more orchestral and choral elements so that the finished product has much more of the expansive, epic feel that I was shooting for the first time. The mix is also greatly improved in its balance and much easier on the ears. (The original has lots of piercing treble, to my ear.)

As of now, I'm already more than halfway finished remixing "Golgatha's Tale", which is also changing very little conceptually. With both of these songs, I've been adding more of the same kind of material that was already working in the original versions, and then adjusting the balance of the mix so that you can hear those elements much better than before, while still keeping the vocals in the front of the mix. This was something I had a lot of trouble with the first time, and so the original mixes tend to sound very vocal heavy with a thin track behind them.

I'm so excited to be taking what I've learned since 2005-06 and applying it to the remixes of these songs! As I intended, the songs requiring the most reworking were completed first, so I'm in a stage now that is moving along much faster. If my current pace continues, I may be able to release the song bundle for "Spirit Blade" by the end of May or early June, with the song bundle for "Dark Ritual" releasing at the same time or very soon afterward!

Also, once these two song bundle projects are released, I will be ready to announce the name of the "secret project" I've been keeping under wraps this year!

Stay tuned!

-Paeter Frandsen

Friday, April 30, 2010 "Music For Despair" Video Journal!

Earlier this week I posted the next video journal about the production of "Pilgrim's Progress: Similitude Of A Dream"! The video is titled "Music For Despair" and it is part 1 of 2!

Musical scoring plays a big role when I put a scene together and this was no more true than with the "Swamp Of Dreadgloom" sequence!

Check out the latest video journal to get an idea of how I strategically make use of music in my audio dramas and how some of the selection process is handled!

You'll find a link to our Youtube channel with a bunch of other free goodies at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/spiritbladevideos

Enjoy!

-Paeter

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 A Recent Loss

Some of you may have heard me mention the name "Ryan Emenecker" a couple of times. Ryan is a friend of mine and the very talented guy who designed the main website (www.spiritblade.net) and also the CD art for Spirit Blade, Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual, and Pilgrim's Progress: Similitude Of A Dream.

A little over a week ago, Ryan's mom passed away after a sudden cancer diagnosis and just a few months of fighting the disease. She was only 54 and had been a big part of Ryan's life and the lives of his wife and daughter.

Ryan's mom was not a woman who trusted in her own strength and goodness to be made right with God. She made the decision long ago to trust Jesus with that job. So Ryan and his family are not sorry for his mother anymore. Her suffering is over. But the loss to them is extremely painful and they miss her very much.

Because of this, I wanted to give a gift to Ryan. It would be insulting to imply that a material gift could remove the grief he is feeling, but it can still be a reminder that he is loved and appreciated by a community that he has impacted.

I want to invite you to be a part of this gift with me if you have enjoyed anything you've found at spiritblade.net and if you feel inclined. If you have enjoyed the atmosphere of our website or if some element of Ryan's CD art has attracted you to the story it represents, you're invited to join me in reminding him that he is appreciated, cared about and valued.

I've created a donation button using my wife's paypal account that you can use to donate a gift for Ryan. 100% of your gift will go to Ryan.

Whether you donate or not, you can also send a message that I will include with the gift for Ryan. Send any messages to Ryan to: paeter(at)spiritblade(dot)net

The deadline for all e-mails and donations will be Friday May 7th.

You will find the donation button below. Any amount would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

-Paeter Frandsen

NOTE: This post has been edited and the donation button is no longer available. Thank you so much to everyone who donated.