The icon for “Arranger” … created by Gideon Klindt.

Arranger is my first commercial game release. It will be unleashed in the summer of 2012.

I’ve been slogging my way through AS3 in an effort to package for the iOS/Android platforms. Translation = I’m making my first “real” video game. I started teaching myself to code back in September 2011. Four months later, I have about 20% of an RPG for mobile devices completed!

It has been a ton of hard work and I’ve had my share of “beating my head against the wall” moments. I’m in the middle of learning how to use sharedObjects to save game states and it isn’t pretty. I haven’t worked the logical part of my brain so hard in a loooong time.

I’ll keep the game concept under wraps for now, but I’ll be sure to post some screen shots and probably a game trailer before too long. let me just say this:

“Hapnar loves musjuice.”

One of the first song ideas I had last year while playing with my DSi and the Korg DS-10+ cart was a simple repeating bass line in 4/4. It was a simple idea with a strong melody over the top. It was quickly shelved when I started sequencing my Synthlove EP.

When I started writing my current album(s?), I dug out that little idea and retrofitted it with some distorted guitars, organs and simple NES style synths. I’m trying to figure out a bridge section that will bring a third dimension to the song … and then onto the next.

Right now, I’m hacking apart the original structure from the resurected DSi mix, and making an opening. Preliminary results seem good … but I’m not sure if I need a key change for the bridge. I have a sort of inversion going on now … but dang it why didn’t I take any music theory?!?!

Oh well …

I have approximately 20 twenty song ideas floating around right now on two computers and an iPod. I’m starting to sort through it all as I rework some of the ideas and I’m thinking I might have close to two albums worth of material here.

… at least an EP and an album.

I know that one of the two things will be structured around having a drummer and a bass player on board, so I’m sifting through the mess and trying to imagine which ones fit that situation. Maybe I’ll lump together the more synthy/electronic ones and put out something with that kind of vibe to it.

I also have been working on a few pieces that will require classical instrumentation … so maybe that category will evolve or fuse with one or both of the other two directions. OR MAAAAAYBE … I’ll end up fusing them all together and put out some bizarre jazz/pop/classical/fusion album.

Naaaaa … April Fools Day was yesterday.

I really don’t know where it will all head. My drummer and bassist are SUPER busy, so I may need to plow ahead with an album of material that does not require them and save a pile of songs for when they can get ready.

I completed Synthlove (an EP of 80s covers sequenced on my Nintendo DSi) last summer. I spent many long hours on public transportation coaxing something that sounded good from the minimal capabilities of the Korg DS-10+ cart. Alas, another method was unknown to me at the time. Would I have know about this time saving measure, I wouldn’t have needed to think about how to arrange the song, voice the instrumentation or even manually input the notes! All that time … wasted on what … creation and exploration? I shoulda’ known.

Nowadays, it seems anyone can make 8-Bit “covers” with virtually no experience or effort. This is how you do it:

1) download, unzip and open gxscc (you google it)
2) download a MIDI file of any song you can find
3) drop the MIDI file into the gxscc and press play

You are now a hipster, retro musician and a genius*.

I don’t wish to sound too snarky about gxscc. I think it rules to be able to hear bad MIDI arrangements voiced through basic sine/saw/square waves. I’m not so excited about people calling this process “covering a song”. C’mon people!

ALSO: My previous 8-Bit Rebecca Black cover was done by hand the “old fashioned way” as well.

* I do not condone selling your work of genius unless you obtain the appropriate licenses from the current publisher of the music of which you are derezzing.

Oh and …

HEY KID GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!

This is my work email signature. I posted it to reddit today to much fanfare. Future internet historians may not understand the significance of this trite little bit of office humor, but I am currently bathing in my fifteen minutes.

Let it be said that I have nothing against iPhone users. In fact, I sport a 32gb iPod touch 4G. My problem is routed in the idea that the iOS (and other device manufacturers) assumes that you will be paying so little attention while using a mobile device, it has a built in excuse for your inept communication skills. Can we get this kind of notification on Java applications? Flash? Windows? Or is it already understood that software is buggy, typos are common and people just … well … make mistakes.

… and don’t even get me started on the whole “I didn’t know I could turn it off” thing.

PHASE II involves going back to the first tracks I penned for the new album and:

1) completing and extending song structures
2) composing melodies
3) translating and arranging guitar parts in standard & shipwrecked tunings
4) chasing lyrics
5) eliminating a few song ideas

I’m not sure how long this part will last … but I’m hoping to start tracking the guitars/keys/vocals over the summer.