Note: This’ll be an attempt at “free-writing” here, so as to get myself to update this blog a little more often….
~*~
Production update: The Medieval and Renaissance Guild CD has been released!
Entitled “The Jewel and the Nightingale”, this CD contains 18 songs of “faire and madrigal musicality”, with songs and instrumentals ranging from the traditional and conservative to the wacky and original. The performers include the members of the 2006-07 MRPG Song Guild, Musicians Guild, and Madrigal Singers, whose music selections make up their list of works performed for the 2006-07 season, including favorites such as “Rose Red”, “Tourdion” and “Foggy Dew”. Also featured on this CD are two original works written by member James Sweiterlitsch — “I Need a Man” and the first-ever Madrigal rendition of “Volare (Nel Blu di Pinto di Blu)”.
At least, that’s somewhat like what the ad/press release would read if Guild was able to advertise for the CD. Or had a working website to sell it off of. T’would help if there was money for purchasing a bar code and the like, but for a first-time Indie CD production, there was plenty else to worry about.
Having not gotten the finalized song titles until the night before Faire, this is how the morning-of production went:
6:30 AM — Wake up, check e-mail
6:30 AM — Start finishing CD inserts with song/music information, begin CD duplication
7:00 AM — Finish inserts, begin printing inserts and labeling CDs
7:30 AM — Wonder what’s wrong with the printer
7:40 AM — Continue to make CD copies and label, reboot printer and print job
8:00 AM — Search online to find solution to printer problem – a failed scanner error that prevents the printer from spooling and completing the sent job
8:30 AM — Start taking the printer apart
9:30 AM — Finally begin application of online solution (screws didn’t want to come out, took forever), attempt to clean scanner parts
9:45 AM — Fail at cleaning all the scanner parts, unable to access mirrors. Put back together, try again.
9:50 AM — Nothing. Start swearing.
9:52 AM — Export CD label files to Staples Online printing service
10:10 AM — Arrive at Faire, half-dressed and with naked CDs
10:35 AM — Take a chance, leave faire to head for Staples for CD labels
10:45 AM — Staples can’t get the document to print correctly. Screwed.
10:55 AM — Race back to Faire, inform CD sellers of lack of labels, reset
11:00 AM — Start performing for Faire, ignoring the Epic Fail of the CD Labeling quest
Ah well. Got my printer to co-operate a week later, so the rest of the pre-orders to be sent out will be finished in full, as well as stock for distributing to Guild members or selling at later dates.
Moral of the story: Don’t procrastinate, and don’t assume all your equipment will work for you when you most need it. Especially if it’s 5+ years old and been put through the rigours of a college degree. -.-
~*~
In other news, I’ll be gone this weekend as I’ll traveling to Chicago (Rosemont) to attend this year’s Anime Central Midwest Anime and Manga Convention. If I had developed this blog more, if I had thought ahead about the music groups performing, I’d've applied for a press pass and blogged here about all the J-music events. But, instead I’ll have to do it as a bystander, if I even make it the performances.
Oh, and yes, I did attempt to do a Music Tech News post a while back and failed miserably. It’s still a feature I’d like to keep on this blog, but figuring out an easy and convenient way of doing it (given my schedule) is tricky. We’ll see.
Until next time…!
