3D Printed Robot Mascots!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Aliens, Mutants, Robots of all configurations, after some delay, we are pleased to present the files for two of our mascots, free to download, print, assemble, and display in your recording space. We only ask that you share any pictures of your builds with us!

J1M: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2871226

Roadie: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2871239

More of our robot army will be coming soon. Watch the skies...

3D Printed Robot Parts and Upcoming Deadlines

With my track coming along, I took a break to play with 3D modeling last month. Here’s SSF mascot Roadie, missing only his glass dome.

3D Printed robot parts for J1M (another of our mascots), courtesy of the awesome folks at the Salt Lake Library Creative Lab! Picked up February 23, 2018. I'll post pictures as J1M is assembled.

The Creative Lab also offers a recording studio to anyone with a library card. Worth checking out for any of our friends in Salt Lake County!

https://m.facebook.com/slcpl/ 
http://slcpl.org/creativelab

Remember, the deadline for submissions for Volume V is coming up! Upload your finished composition (and Artist Profile, if you so desire) via this Dropbox link before April 1, 2018.

The finished compilation will be released on Bandcamp during April 2018.



Note: By submitting a composition, you grant permission for me to release your track as part of the compilation entitled "Silent Sci-Fi, Volume V". You retain the rights to your composition and are free, and in fact encouraged, to release and promote it on your own once the compilation is released.

Volume V Kickoff!

Volume V Kickoff!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Aliens, Mutants, Robots of all configurations, The moment you have all been waiting for has arrived. Today we kick off the writing portion of Silent Sci-Fi, Volume V. The film we will all be watching and using to inspire our compositions is Pacific Rim (2013).

A big, fun colorful Sci-Fi movie full of giant monsters battling robots, this one should have plenty of interesting imagery to inspire your compositions. We can't wait to see what you do with it.


This film can be found in the following places, among others:

Amazon (DVD or Streaming): Pacific Rim

Follow these steps to be included in the upcoming compilation:

1) Watch the film with the sound muted, and use it as inspiration for an instrumental composition of whatever style and length you choose. (Most of the submissions on Volume I through IV were somewhere between 2 and 7 minutes.)
2) Record your composition and save/export the finished product as a .WAV file.
3) Upload your finished composition (and Artist Profile, if you so desire) via this Dropbox link before April 1, 2018.

Optional: Submit a bio/artist profile, and we'll feature it on the Silent Sci-Fi Project Blog.


The finished compilation will be released on Bandcamp during April 2018.




Note: By submitting a composition, you grant permission for me to release your track as part of the compilation entitled "Silent Sci-Fi, Volume V". You retain the rights to your composition and are free, and in fact encouraged, to release and promote it on your own once the compilation is released. 

Volume V Begins Next Month!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mutants, Aliens, Robots of all configurations, we are one month away from kicking off yet another Silent Sci-Fi challenge! Volume V will begin on January 1, 2018, with a submission deadline of April 1, 2018.

Extended timeline aside, Volume V will function like previous challenges. The name of the film will be revealed on January 1, and participants are encouraged to watch the film without sound and write and record an instrumental track inspired by the film. Submissions can be of any length or style, but must be instrumental. Anyone is welcome to submit a track, so tell two friends, and let's make Volume V our best yet!

Volume IV Post-Release Thoughts, and Volume V News

Ladies and Gentlemen, Aliens, Mutants, Robots of all configurations, thanks again to all those who contributed to this latest effort, and to those who streamed or downloaded it.

Between Volumes III and IV, I had the opportunity to participate in Steven Beaumont's Post-Apocalyptic Nuclear Wasteland compilation, on Paraclesian Records. This was my first flirtation with making ambient music, rather than just listening to it, and it profoundly influenced my approach to my track for Volume IV, as well as the sound of the finished track. My tracks for Volumes I through III tended to be rhythmic, with driving virtual drums, and with two of them featuring dense walls of electric guitar. For the Paraclesian compilation, I eschewed drums or any kind of percussion, and tried to keep my guitars sparse, slow, and echoing. I also, for the first time, incorporated found sounds into my music, in order to create a story-telling soundscape as an intro, as well as a bed of ambient sound throughout the rest of the track. This was a deeply satisfying experiment, and I think it turned out reasonably well.

For Volume IV, I opted for sparse, brooding acoustic guitars, to try to evoke the loneliness of the desert, with the synths to represent the impending alien invasion. My hope was to bring a little spaghetti western flavor to the track with the acoustic and slide guitar, but with a hint of sci-fi in the synths. For percussion, I drew on my experience with found sounds in the Paraclesian compilation, and used the sound of cocking revolvers and jingling spurs to add some rhythm to the track.

Volume IV was an interesting challenge, which came at an interesting time for me. I learned very quickly during this challenge that trying to write and record a track during the first few weeks of marriage was probably not my brightest idea ever. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the time crunch many of our contributors have operated under. Huge thanks are due to my amazing wife Sara for her support and patience through this and all the preceding volumes.

My initial idea for Silent Sci-Fi was to require that artists to write and record their submissions within the space of a month, and for the challenge to happen on a semi-annual basis. I've realized, over the course of four volumes, that the one month limit is probably not realistic for most people. Participating in Steven Beaumont's Post-Apocalyptic Nuclear Wasteland compilation, seeing how much more time he allowed and the sheer number of submissions his project received, further convinced me that a longer timeframe would allow more people to participate. Going forward, the challenge will run for three months, and will be held on an annual basis.

Silent Sci-Fi, Volume V will kick off with the announcement of the next film on January 1, 2018, with the deadline for submissions being April 1, 2018.

 Watch the skies, Silent Sci-Fi returns on January 1, 2018!

Final Week of Volume IV!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Aliens, Mutants, Robots of all configurations, we are down to the home stretch -  only seven days from wrapping up the writing portion of Silent Sci-Fi, Volume IV! Our deadline is June 30, so whether you're in the midst of writing or recording, have a finished track, or are just about to jump in, we'd still love to have you! As always, you can use this Dropbox link to submit your track.

Volume IV Mid-Month Update

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mutants, Aliens, Robots of all configurations, we are halfway through the writing portion of Silent Sci-Fi, Volume IV! I watched the film a couple weekends ago and and have started assembling the ideas I came up with then. Hopefully all of you have watched the film by now and have some good ideas. If not, never fear! It's not too late.

For those who have a submission ready, feel free to submit it using this Dropbox link. And while you're at it, feel free to submit an Artist Profile or Bio for us to feature on the SSF blog!

Our deadline for submissions is June 30, 2017. RSVP to this Facebook Event to ensure you don't miss it.

Note: By submitting a composition, you grant permission for me to release your track as part of the compilation entitled "Silent Sci-Fi, Volume IV". You retain the rights to your composition and are free, and in fact encouraged, to release and promote it it on your own once the compilation is released. 

Vol IV Kickoff!!!

Volume IV Kickoff!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Aliens, Mutants, Robots of all configurations, The moment you have all been waiting for has arrived. Today we kick off the writing portion of Silent Sci-Fi, Volume IV. The film we will all be watching and using to inspire our compositions is Cowboys and Aliens (2011).

A slight departure from the mid-20th century Sci-Fi we've tackled in previous releases, this one should have plenty of interesting imagery to inspire your compositions. We can't wait to see what you do with it.


This film can be found in the following places, among others:

Amazon (DVD): Cowboys & Aliens
Amazon (Streaming): Cowboys & Aliens
Salt Lake Public Library: Cowboys & Aliens
VUDU: Cowboys & Aliens
Netflix: Cowbys & Aliens


Follow these steps to be included in the upcoming compilation:

1) Watch the film with the sound muted, and use it as inspiration for an instrumental composition of whatever style and length you choose. (Most of the submissions on Volume I through III were somewhere between 2 and 7 minutes.)
2) Record your composition and save/export the finished product as a .WAV file.
3) Upload your finished composition (and Artist Profile, if you so desire) via this Dropbox link before June 30th, 2017.

Optional: Submit a bio/artist profile, and we'll feature it on the Silent Sci-Fi Project Blog.


The finished compilation will be released on Bandcamp on July 7th, 2017.




Note: By submitting a composition, you grant permission for me to release your track as part of the compilation entitled "Silent Sci-Fi, Volume IV". You retain the rights to your composition and are free, and in fact encouraged, to release and promote it it on your own once the compilation is released. 

Silent Sci-Fi project, Volume IV Invitation

Ladies, Gentlemen, Aliens, Mutants, Robots of all configurations, we are less than a month away from kicking off Silent Sci-Fi, Volume IV! 

Whether you're a long time contributor or just found out about us, whether you're a recording pro or a hobbyist, if you are reading this, you are hereby invited to participate in the Silent Sci-Fi project, Volume IV, which will take place during the month of June. 

Silent Sci-Fi challenges musicians to watch the selected film, with the sound muted, and write and record an instrumental piece inspired by the film. The finished tracks will be collected by the Organizer and released as a free compilation album during July.

The writing portion for Silent Sci-Fi, Volume III, will kick off on June 1, 2017 with the announcement of our chosen film. As before, participants will watch the film without sound, and use that to inspire an instrumental track (any length, but 2-5 minutes is typical), which they will record and submit using this Dropbox link. As before, the challenge will take place over the course of a month, with the deadline for submissions being June 30, 2017.

Project Timeline: 

June 1: Kickoff- Name of film announced 

June 30: Deadline for submissions

July 7: Album release on Bandcamp 

You can hear our previous efforts here:

https://silentscifi.bandcamp.com

If this sounds like fun to you, you can follow the project on this blog or our Facebook page to receive updates or get more information about the project.  If you know someone who might want to participate, feel free to invite them.

-Brian Anderson, Organizer

Volume III - Final Week!

We are now only a couple of days away from the submission deadline and the end of the writing challenge! If you have a track to submit, please submit it on or before January 31, using the Dropbox link.

If your track isn't quite finished, don't be discouraged! You still have a whole weekend ahead of you. Good luck, everyone!

Volume III- Week 2 Update

Week two of Silent Sci-Fi, Volume III is over, we're well into week three and are roughly halfway through the challenge. I've made some decent progress on my own track- here's hoping all of you have as well!

If you haven't already, RSVP to the Facebook event for our submission deadline (Jan 31, 2017), to avoid missing it.

Those who are ready can submit their project and a photo or scan of their Artist Release form using the Dropbox link.

If you haven't already, consider submitting an Artist Profile with your bio, a picture or logo, and any thoughts on your experience participating in Silent Sci-Fi. These will be posted on this blog.

Questions? Comments? As always, you can always post them here, or send them to silent.scifi@gmail.com.

Volume III- Week 1 Update

Week one of Silent Sci-Fi, Volume III is officially behind us. I've already received positive feedback on the film, and heard rumblings of people's in-progress projects. Kudos to all those who have already watched the film and started writing and recording! For those who haven't, there's still plenty of time.

I've created a Facebook event for our submission deadline (Jan 31, 2017). Those who so choose can RSVP to it and lessen their chances of missing the deadline.

Those who are ready can submit their project and a photo or scan of their Artist Release form using the Dropbox link.

Questions? Comments? As always, you can always post them here, or send them to silent.scifi@gmail.com.

Volume III Kickoff!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Aliens, Mutants, Robots of all configurations, The moment you have all been waiting for has arrived. Tonight we kick off the writing portion of Silent Sci-Fi, Volume III. The film we will all be watching and using to inspire our compositions is The Black Hole (Disney, 1979).

This film can be found in the following places, among others:

Amazon (DVD): The Black Hole
Amazon (Streaming): The Black Hole
Salt Lake Public Library: The Black Hole
VUDU: The Black Hole
Netflix: The Black Hole


Follow these steps to be included in the upcoming compilation:

1) Watch the film with the sound muted, and use it as inspiration for an instrumental composition of whatever style and length you choose. (Most of the submissions on Volume I and II were somewhere between 2 and 7 minutes.)
2) Record your composition and save/export the finished product as a .WAV file.
3) Download the Artist Release form, sign it, and either: a) email a snapshot of it to silent.scifi@gmail.com or b) upload said snapshot with your finished composition.
4) Upload your finished composition (and Artist Release, if you didn't already send it) via this Dropbox link, before January 31st, 2017.

Optional: Submit a bio or artist profile, and we'll feature it on the Silent Sci-Fi Project Blog.


The finished compilation will be released on Bandcamp on February 7th, 2017.

Volume III Kicks off Tomorrow!

The clock is ticking... When the ball drops tonight, signaling the beginning of the 2017, we will kick off the writing challenge for Silent Sci-Fi, Volume III by announcing the title of this Volume's film. At any time between kickoff and the January 31st deadline, contributors can record and submit their instrumental compositions.

See you all in less than twelve hours!

Silent Sci-Fi project, Volume III Invitation

If you are reading this, you are hereby invited to participate in the Silent Sci-Fi project, Volume III, which will take place during the month of January. 

Silent Sci-Fi challenges musicians to watch the specified film, with the sound muted, and write and record an instrumental piece inspired by the film. The finished tracks will be collected by the Organizer and released as a free compilation album during February. 

Project Timeline: 

Jan 1: Kickoff- Name of film announced 

Jan 31: Deadline for submissions

Feb 7: Album release on Bandcamp 

You can hear our previous efforts here:

https://silentscifi.bandcamp.com

If this sounds like fun to you, you can follow the project on this blog or our Facebook page to receive updates or get more information about the project:

I will also continue sending out updates via email. If you don't want to receive emails, simply reply to any email you receive with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line. If you know someone who might want to participate, feel free to share this with them.

-Brian Anderson, Organizer

Coming January 1 - Silent Sci-Fi, Volume III

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mutants, Aliens, and Robots, we interrupt your festive gingerbread and eggnog to bring you these good tidings:

After two successful writing challenges, resulting in two great compilation albums, Silent Sci-Fi is set to return with a vengeance! We know that some of you may have picked up some new music gear on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. We know you might have a few musical items on your Christmas list as well. Here's an opportunity to put them to immediate use!

The writing portion for Silent Sci-Fi, Volume III, will kick off on January 1, 2017 with the announcement of our chosen film. As before, participants will watch the film without sound, and use that to inspire an instrumental track (any length, but 2-5 minutes is typical), which they will record and submit using this Dropbox link. As before, the challenge will take place over the course of a month, with the deadline for submissions being January 31, 2017.

In addition to sending out announcements via this blog and our Facebook page, for Volume III we will also be sending out announcements via email. If you want to receive updates via email, simply fill out this brief Google form. If you want to be removed from the list, simply send an email to silent.scifi@gmail.com with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line.

More news will come in the next few weeks. Stay tuned, and feel free to invite any fellow musicians who may want to participate.

Volume II Album Release!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mutants, Aliens, and Robots, we are pleased to present, for your listening pleasure, Silent Sci-Fi, Volume II! It's available for free download on the Silent Sci-Fi page at Bandcamp.

Listen, enjoy, and stay tuned. Silent Sci-Fi will return, January 1, 2017...

Volume II Deadline Extension!

It has come to our attention that there was some confusion regarding the deadline for submissions. As this was likely due to a miscommunication on our part, we have pushed the deadline out to October 22nd.

Use this week to finish up anything you haven't, and submit your finished tracks to:

https://www.dropbox.com/request/OTCQ7Xbz1oFenB9Gue40

We will release the finished album on Halloween.

The Dropbox Link is Up!

The link to Dropbox is up! If you're ready to submit your recording and Artist Release, feel free to do so on or before Oct 15 by clicking the link below and uploading. If you have any trouble with the link, or any questions, as always, feel free to drop me a line at silent.scifi@gmail.com.


https://www.dropbox.com/request/OTCQ7Xbz1oFenB9Gue40

Volume II Kicks off Today!

And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for. I am pleased to announce the kickoff of the Silent Sci-Fi, Volume II. The film we'll all be watching (without sound, of course) and using to inspire our compositions is The War of the Worlds (1953)!

So, as before, rent, borrow, stream, or buy it, but most importantly - watch it, and write an instrumental piece, any length, any style inspired by what you see. Record your composition, and submit it before October 15. Good luck everyone!

Questions? Comments? As always, they can be posted here, on our Facebook page, or emailed to silent.scifi@gmail.com.