Well, things have really hit the fan.

(What’s that?  That’s normally a negative statement?  Huh, well that’s not how I intended it.  I should probably delete that opening.)

What I mean is:  lots of stuff happening, and although I can’t talk about a lot of it, I just have to write a post because I’m excited.  I’ve started writing in earnest for Crowfall, and I’m really psyched to see how it turns out.  A little different than my normal stuff – some of it anyway – and that means I get to buy MORE SOUNDS!  I feel about sound libraries the same way Cookie Monster feels about cookies:  I eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and still crave more.  The latest purchase was from a company called OUTPUT that have been producing some really interesting sound libraries, but I couldn’t justify buying them because I wasn’t writing music that could use them.  That’s all changed.  (-;  I would say more, but one of the other things I’ve decided is that I’d like to do some videos talking about particular libraries…  maybe not reviews per se, but talk about how I use them and how to get the most out of them.

If you’re into this sort of thing (and if you aren’t WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?-) I just released the second video in a YT series called A Musical Tour of the Spiral, in which I look at a track from each of Wizard 101’s worlds and talk a bit about how I wrote it.  It’s pretty much what I did for Empyrea, but with music everybody’s heard for a while.  This time it’s Abbey Road from Avalon.  A little troubadour lute, a little hunting horn, some recorders and Pro Tools.  doesn’t that sound pleasant?

And while we’re on Wizard 101, did you know this year marks the TENTH YEAR of the game?  I know the talented developers at King’s Isle have some cool things in the works to celebrate (I might have even helped here or there!-)  Additionally, I might have a thing or two I’m working on to pay tribute to the game and company who’ve meant so much to my career!  Stay, as they say, tuned.

I’ve also started playing my trumpet again with a local concert band to keep my chops alive, and it’s been a very social experience.  When you work by yourself in the studio (a.k.a. “The Cave”) most days, it’s liberating to be surrounded by other creative individuals once a week.  I’ve been playing around with the idea of writing (or adapting) some material for the group, so I’m hoping to carve some time out for that.  When I do, I’ll post it here in case anyone is within earshot of Cincinnati, and if not I’ll probably post it.  I also met a high school music technology teacher, and I think we’re going to work together on some content to bring to her class.  I specifically look forward to drawing attention to the fact that there are other careers in music other than rock star, orchestral player, and teacher.  Of course, there are nothing wrong with those options if that’s your calling, but my high school guidance counsellor didn’t even have a FILING CABINET for someone like me.  Even the field of “technology” is ridiculously broad…  it used to mean any job involving computers, and now computers (“what’s a computer?”) are pretty much just a tool.  Imagine someone asking what you did in the past, and you responded, “pencil user.”

But I digress…  suffice it to say that I’m busier than ever, and not just because my 15 month old daughter is running all over the house, turning the cable box on and off repeatedly, and trying to plug everything into everything else.  (Seriously, where did she learn this nerdy stuff?-)  Obviously I’ll blather about it here, but you can follow me on Twitter @nelsoneverhart for up-to-the-microsecond updates.  I can barely keep up with this meager social media existence, so don’t look for me on Insta.  😛

Thanks for listening!

-n

P.S.  I know I’ve promised some videos from older game titles;  THEY ARE COMING.  Just had a disastrous session trying to find older sounds on a Korg Triton.  If anyone has one, or an EMU Proteus1000, or a Alesis DM Pro and can dump some MIDI tracks to audio for me let me know!-)