Time for a Change. (Patreon)

I am sure that many of you have noticed that over the past few months the updates on here have been considerably more sporadic than ever before.Firstly, I want to assure you that we aren't shutting down, but we are going through a massive set of internal changes. We are recreating our audio editing pipeline to accommodate the growth in skill from both myself and my original audio editor(Liminal Spine) as well as working in a second editor(Ancillary_Eidolon). This is also to give us a more reasonable time frame to edit out files instead of our original insane one week turnaround speed.We will be moving to a slower process, but the switch has caused delays as we have been reworking our file production process and pipeline.

What is Changing?

Previously we had aimed to produce four to five files a month with SFX, binaurals, around a 25 to 35 minute runtime, and used a rough bulleted list for planning. Going forward we are going to make several changes to our file production pipeline: Which I have listed bellow.

2-3 Agent Tier Files | Regular Quality

These files will be handled by new editor who has been doing almost all the cleanup for the audio files for a while and doesn't need as long of a turn around time for clean up and production.

15 - 30 Minute run times.

We will be aiming for shorter files overall as it places less strain on us for editing and recording.

Scripts, for most files.

Which means that you can preview contents and know what you are getting even better.

Creates flexibility for bonus files(Creating gendered versions, Upgrading them with sound effects, or creating multipart series.)

Binaurals will be staying available on this tier.

Audio Effects may occur on a file by file basis.

We will still offer a clean track with no SFX or Binaurals

1 Traveler Tier File | High Quality

These files will be handled by my original editor. With a four week turnaround time she will have the time to work properly create her art and get the feedback she needs to thrive.

20 - 25 Minute run times.

We are sticking to a very tight runtime to avoid scope creep and burnout for my original editor.

This length also means that we can get the most bang for our editing and scripting.

Scripts, for all files.

I will be creating full in depth script for these that include everything(Sound effect placements, ambient tracks, voice acting/effects).

Audio Effects, in every file.

This means everything from footsteps to custom boot up sequences for tech(Basically proper audio engineering).

Binaurals that are tuned to place emphasis on words and phrases.

We will still offer a clean track with no SFX or Binaurals

The Long Version or Why We Are Doing This.

Story time! When I started this Patreon I was the one editing the files for most of the first year. I was some how managing to solo brainstorm, record, edit, and post a file every week. Which may not sound like a monumental amount of work, but that's really only the case if you've never been involved with audio production let alone working a day job at the same time.

During the end of the first year my first editor came onboard. She was just getting started and I coached her a bit and showed her the way I wanted things done. Her coming onboard lifted a massive load off my shoulders. In no time at all we were pumping out files with terrifying regularity. With her help I was able to really lean into a making sure we had one new file out every week no matter. This worked for a long time, but truly it is not the sort of thing that can remain sustainable with a team of two. Though to be fair we both didn't have an idea of what a reasonable production pipeline or turnaround time looked like at the time.Over the last few years, both of us have burned out numerous times from maintaining that insane speed and incredibly tight production schedule. Yet in spite of that both of us have also grown in our skill. My wonderful editor was delivering higher and higher quality files in that same short time frame. She went from being barely an editor to a full blown audio engineer. She has learned how to create custom binaural audios, spatial audio, and sound effect mixing/editing. Her process is worlds apart from what it once was and my script-less method was certainly not making any of that easier: Editing in sound effects without a plan going in is a nightmare.

I on the other hand had to find ways to cope with my increasing lack of spontaneity. Where once I could bust out an entirely original file with no prep work other than maybe a loose set of tags and a one sentence idea I was now creating rich detailed outlines that bordered on scripts. I was spending time researching other creators catalogs in depth, scraping out every corner of the web for smut, and reading through written works for ideas.

Both of our processes were growing in complexity and their time requirements, but our deadline was staying the same one week turnaround we started with.The last four years of burnout repeat led me to a point of total apathy that pulled me apart from the passion I had for my craft and the involvement in the process I once had. A few things in my personal life have occurred as well as some hard discussion between myself and my editors which have reignited that passion and my desire to see things done well.Which meant that it was time for a change.