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We Will Find a Better Place |
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Written by Stephan
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Monday, 26 May 2008 |
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When it’s all over… when all is said and done, the lights come up, the show is over, and we all head towards the nearest exit… will anything we’ve done truly matter? Will we have made a difference? Will the world be a better place for our contributions? Will they miss us when we’re gone? Will we find a better place… in this twilight? Ok, so I’m listening to my remix of Trent Reznor’s “In This Twilight” as I type this opening paragraph… it’s one of the higher-rated entries on the NIN remix site… and every time I listen to it, it puts me in that sort of mystical melancholy mood, and I begin to wonder about it all… In This Twilight… all the black is really white if you believe it… and the longing that you feel, you know none of this is real; we will find a better place, in this twilight… As one more chapter of my life slowly draws to a close, and I prepare myself for the dangerous journey that lies before me, I find myself bathed in the twilight of my old life. I know it’s over – night falls all around me, and I’ve lost all control. I can’t get back to where I was only a short time ago – my only course of action is to move forward, through the darkness, and eventually, into the light of a new dawn. The Armageddon Overtures don’t cycle through to another dawn – they stop as the world runs out of time. I had no idea when I started writing that music that by the time I finished, gasoline would be over $4 a gallon, the economy would be on a dangerous downturn heading straight towards a recession… or depression… or worse… in a time when the world seems ready to blow itself apart, I decide it’s time to make plans to leave all the comforts of home and family and the only life I’ve ever known, so that I can trek over 600 miles south and sit by the ocean, waiting for it all to come crashing in on me… Well, what better place to be than by the edge of some ocean somewhere, sitting on a sandy beach, gazing out over the edge of the world as it all comes to a grinding halt? And what happens if all the doom-sayers are wrong? I will have wasted my life sitting at home, worried about the end, never daring to live my life because of the fear of the unknown. Fear of the unknown almost kept me from ever going to the beach in the first place. It almost kept me out of the ocean waters completely. A patricularly irrational fear led me to vacate the first house I ever moved into on my own. Fear has controlled me, has defined me, and has betrayed me too many times in my life. I can no longer live my life in fear – I have to be bold, daring, and courageous. I have to TRY. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life… here’s hoping I don’t blow it…
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Written by Stephan
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Wednesday, 27 February 2008 |
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The first review is in for The Armageddon Overture. Zlatin Balevsky from LimeWire contacted me a few days ago offering to publish a review of the CD. "Ever wonder what the end of the world feels like? Thanks to Stephan Carroll, you don't have to wait until 2012 to find out. The songwriter has explored the range of emotions mankind will go through as the end of time unfolds. In "The Armageddon Overtures" -- a full orchestra and choir suite -- feelings of hope, sorrow, anger, and euphoria form the soundtrack of the last day on earth. The music is accessible and deeply touching; it simultaneously captures the glory of the human race and its vulnerability. With kind permission, we are offering the first part of the suite - "Dawn/Sunrise (Hope)." Carroll has made the entire orchestral score available for download as well. Oh, and fans of Nine Inch Nails might be pleasantly surprised..."
Thanks Zlatin! http://blog.limewire.com/ http://blog.limewire.com/posts/1313-MP3-The-Armageddon-Overtures-Dawn-Sunrise-Hope-
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This is... the end... and the beginning |
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Written by Stephan
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Saturday, 16 February 2008 |
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The Armageddon Overtures: The Final Day on Earth is now completed! Nearly seven months after finishing the intial outline and notes, the music is finalized, the CD artwork compiled, and arrangements have been made to begin production. The CD and paperback score are now available to purchase online (see below). The mp3s have been uploaded to my website, and can be downloaded free of charge, however the CDs will be a much higher quality recording, mastered from 44.1khz 16 bit wave files.
As I reflect back on these last seven months, I am humbled and amazed by the experience of completing this project. It has been a long journey, but one that I very much needed to make. I realize this music is of a much darker nature than what I usually compose, but despite the ominous nature of this work, I believe it contains several moments of true joy and exaltation as well. I feel I have grown immensely as a musician and composer through this project, and it is my sincere hope that you will be touched by this music. Enjoy! Download the full orchestral score in PDF format (2.28mb) BONUS TRACK: Beyond This Twilight (4:25 8.11mb) - In 2007 Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) released a new album "Year Zero." Later that year, he released all of the songs from that album in multitrack format. He invited the public to take his compositions and remix them in any way they wanted, completely free of charge. This piece is Stephan's remix of one of the tracks from that album, "In This Twilight," which was also an inspiration in the creation of The Armageddon Overtures. This arrangement is a full orchestral and choral score, utilizing the lead vocal and drum tracks from the original album. Here's To The Journey!
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Written by Stephan
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Sunday, 03 February 2008 |
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The package arrived Thursday afternoon, and I was excited to open it when I got home from work. I was a little disappointed, though, to discover that the CDs were not formatted correctly, and really not at all what I had ordered. However, I was more impressed by the two books containing the written score (pictured below). | It's difficult to put into words how I felt upon seeing my music transcribed on paper for the first time in my life. As I flipped through the pages of music, I immediately noticed a few minor mistakes that need to be corrected. But overall, the format, layout, and design are perfect. This book could have been printed along with any of the other full scores I've purchased over the years. Wow. 
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Now it is time to submit the book for copyright (once I get a revised copy of it, of course). It's also time for me to prepare to produce the first batch of CDs. I've been looking into some companies through the internet that seem to have good rates. After the problems I had with the first CDs I ordered, I tried printing the cover artwork myself, only to be disappointed in the quality and appearance. So I know it's time for me to go professional with this.
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Written by Stephan
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Sunday, 27 January 2008 |
On July 18th, 2007, after three days of brainstorming this concept on paper, I completed the original project outline. On December 2nd, 2007, I finished the first draft of the orchestral score. On January 20th, 2008, all nine compositions were completely recorded with only minor revisions to be completed. Today, January 27th, 2008, I am thrilled to report that both the printed score and the recordings are completed! I have also taken the first steps toward publishing the completed collection of "The Armageddon Overtures." Copyright forms have been filled out - the sound recording portion of the copyright (the CD) will be dropped in the mail first thing tomorrow morning. I have ordered a copy of the printed score in paperback format, and I should receive that within the next week. Once I have that in my possession, it will be mailed to the copyright office as well. I usually give the US copyright office two weeks turnaround time for completion of the copyright process - the time it takes for the copyright to become official is sometimes less than a few days from the date I mail it in. However, I won't receive official notice for another six months, but I'm used to that. This entire project has been one incredible adventure for me. I've discovered new ways of thinking about music, learned the intricacies of orchestral music, and forged ahead into new frontiers of passion and determination. This process has changed me in so many ways... I can't wait until I'm finally able to offer this to the public! | 
The paperback cover
179 pages
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The CD artwork is now completed as well. I have decided to have this CD produced professionally for the first time in my life. The cover artwork is primarily black in color, and I would go through far too many ink cartridges trying to print these myself. Both the book and CD will be available to purchase online very soon, and I plan to make the entire CD available for download on this website as well. So keep checking back for more updates! The journey has just begun! The CD artwork: 
Final running times: I. Dawn/Sunrise 7:41
II. All That Was 5:58
III. The Agony of Farewell 7:22
IV. All That Is 6:35
V. A Midafternoon’s Nightmare 5:22
VI. All That Could Have Been 6:13
VII. Sunset/Twilight 5:55
VIII. And All That Is To Come 7:05
IX. Ω 6:23 Total running time: 58:38
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Written by Stephan
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Sunday, 20 January 2008 |
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There it is - all nine sections of The Armageddon Overtures, fully recorded and loaded in my audio editing software. Section nine was completed late last night, with some minor revisions this morning. It took about eight hours to complete section nine, which is probably just about the average time for each of these recordings. Earlier this afternoon, for the very first time, I sat down and listened to all nine pieces straight through... all I can say is WOW! This project is truly epic in scope. I feel that I have outdone myself by a wide margin on this one! 
There it is - a small snippet of the first page of written score for The Armageddon Overtures. At the same time that I'm finishing up the recording and preparing it for copyright, I'm also cleaning up the score and beginning to research how to copyright that as well. I've never had to think about copyrighting the actual score before, since I've never written anything down! This is sure to be an adventure, but once it's completed, I have plans to publish it in a book. So... I'll keep you posted. And I'll probably start posting audio clips on the website here soon.
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Written by Stephan
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Sunday, 13 January 2008 |
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It's hard for me to believe I'm saying this, but earlier today, I completed the EIGHTH section of the project. It ended up being one of the less complex orchestrations, resulting in only 30 tracks instead of the usual 40 or 50 I've been working with all along. It also ended up being a bit longer in duration than I expected - seven minutes long. Three completed songs all recorded in 48 hours time. I don't think I've ever accomplished something on this great a scale before in my life! Of course, you know what this means, don't you? I've reached the final song - one more composition to record, and this project will be completed! I really shouldn't say that, because I know I'm going to nit-pick this to death once I've got all nine pieces recorded. I usually do spend a good deal of time listening for problems or inconsistencies that I'd like to fix before copyrighting and publishing it. But I think there should only be a few minor details to iron out with this project. Wow... guess I better start designing the CD artwork!
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