I have listened to everything, several times. Im missing my regular podcasts and am just addicted to this.

Bravo, and many thanks,

From the UK 🇬🇧

My best guess is July for all remaining FIS episodes. Thank you so much.

Yes, I’m the “same” Peter 🙂

“It’s dark and cold here, too, but I adore it.”
Me too. That’s why I’m about to go for a run (and suffer a bit) in the snowy forest.

It’s like my regular weekend adventure. Afterwards, I feel like a “phoenix from the ashes” who deserves to enjoy EZ on the couch with a warm drink 🙂

You have a great 2024 as well. If you’re the Peter I think you are, you’ve been with us from the very beginning and it’s so awesome that you will be here for the conclusion! Of FIS. (It’s dark and cold here, too, but I adore it.)

Great to see that EZ is still alive and kicking: looking forward to listening to the penultimate episode this weekend!

In general, I think I should work less (in IT) and listen more to EZ and Capt. Afterland episodes at this time of the year (it’s dark and cold outside in Germany).

Have a great 2024!

~Peter

I’m having similar issues. The episode won’t load in my podcast feed. I’m trying to download it through the page and it keeps failing. Not having that issue with any other episodes. Not sure what the deal is, but I figured I’d let y’all know it’s not just affecting Benjamin

It’s unclear why you’re having that trouble. 😦

The internet archive is a busy entity and sometimes has hiccups, alas.

Unfortunately, I’m having trouble streaming or downloading episode 504.

Should be fixed. –JK

–Jack

Excellent. I always look forward to listen to a new episode of
Edict Zero FIS! So, let’s fight the coronavirus with an
imaginary pan 🙂

I wish you a Happy New Year!

Cheers
Peter

music link?

I cannot wait for the next episode — this show is a masterpiece, and right now, it’s the best it’s ever been.

There are no spheres, I suppose.

Actually, the fanboy section says it all. Thank you, Jack.

Great to see that the “Master of the IAD (Immersive Audio Drama)” is back with a mega episode!
So, this weekend will be an Edict Zero weekend 🙂

Cheers
Peter

From EP105 – “Relativity”

I don’t mind it so much, Fred. I’m always open to suggestions and feedback on anything that I do. Better that than silence. I always keep in mind where it comes from — i.e. is it from a fan whose intent is to improve the experience? Sometimes, criticism can direct my attention to a problem. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I go on doing what I want anyway, because a great deal of thought has already gone into it beforehand, but I do listen to and consider any and all thoughts on the material.

You are more patient than I could ever be when someone tries to tell you how to “improve” E0 as if they are doing all of the work. I think the show is amazing. Every time I re-listen to the entire show (more times than I can remember) I ALWAYS find some thing new I missed before. The incredible complex and supremely layered audio is still unmatched today including the AD’s that are not free. I would not change a thing and I think it is wrong to leave comments like the one your reply that I am replying to .

Pd. I am open to any musical requests you might ever have.

Aweeeeesooooome – Episode 307 made my day!
So, good bye, business modeling, welcome, Edict Zero 🙂

Thanks, Jack, for all your effort and have a nice WE

~Peter

Peter: Probably much more than a pan. 😀 I hope to keep touching on all those big questions that the story brings out. That’s part of the fun.

Cheers.

WOW – I’ve already listened three times to this new episode since its release!

What I like esp. is that you touch on some very profound subjects related to what some sociologists call “Next Society” (a society perhaps completely dominated by technology):

* What happens if mankind depends more on technology then on nature because we need the first to survive an ecological catastrophe?

* Can we “trust” technology that might be able to “deceive” us?

* What about the impact on our minds and bodies when we entertain more and more relationships with artificial entities?

etc.

I think we need more than a PAN to answer these questions 🙂

Anyway, kudos to you – you’re one of the masters of contemporary audio drama!

~Peter

brilliant episode – as always!

The Logan Wendell-character is quite promising: he is really scary! It would be interesting to hear more from him in the episodes to come.

I think with this episode “Edict Zero FIS” has reached a state of “sublime weirdness”, too:
crimes & conspiracies, virtual reality simulacra, serial killers, and aliens. It´s fascinating to
hear how you manage to maintain suspense by introducing always new layers of ambivalence.
You have really a very “creative” mind!

Cheers
Peter

In case this hasn’t been pointed out already, the attention to detail that has been put into this series is impressive. Not just in terms of production quality and lush
audio goodness, but also the stray comments, Easter Eggs, and pop cultural references that got snuck into the script in subtle (and sometimes less subtle) fashion.

The first encounter between agents Briggs and Reznik was definitely a nice touch; Briggs mispronouncing her name as “Agent Reznor?” seems almost inevitable in hindsight,
considering how important Nine Inch Nails’ music is to the series.

Special Agent Garrett’s “Turn me on, dead man” comment, when unit 9 is sent into the fray, is another prime example of the layers of varying degrees of intricacy in this show.

Through engaging dialogue and truly obsessively detailed & masterfully deployed sound design, the lack of oppressive despair in this general setting really endears it to me. With so much doom and pity in sci fi these days, the “sunlight” – however imaginary it may be… it is… refreshing

Thanks for the explanation!

The header for Scene 7 is:

WORLDSTEM NETWORK EDZ-6
JPVENNARDO TESTSIM7

😉

Thanks for listening! Cheers.

it`s wonderful to hear my two favorite “Edict Zero”- characters (the ‘Captain’ & Agent G.) again – that really made my day on Monday evening!

As you know, I admire your “many” talents (your creative writing style, your knowledge of sound production, etc.), but your humor is “priceless”! Sometimes when I´m completely stressed out, it`s this kind of humor (the ‘Captain’ in search of the “perfect” pan, AI’s “running amok”, etc.) that helps me to de-stress immediately! The older I get, the more I think that “humor” is one of the personality traits that I like most. It`s good when someone is knowledgeable, intelligent, competent, etc., but without humor the hard times in any relationship are even “harder”.

BTW: This is the “longest” intro I´ve ever heard in any audio production! But it´s the “best”,
too. It serves its purpose (to remind you of the past episodes) “perfectly” – brilliant job!

I wish you a nice summer while producing episode 305 (as always, I´m looking forward
to the release date!)

Cheers
Peter

(Never got around to get into NIN until recently. Depressive music, yet it’s beautiful in a certain way. Guess that’s because of what my state of mind now is.)

Maybe I’m just too drunk today.

–Jack

what a “monster episode” (almost two episodes in one)!
As always, a top-notch production with an excellent cast. But I´m missing Agent Garrett. Without him the atmo is different. To be more precise, without Agent G.’s refreshing personality interactions are not as “socially weird” (in a sublime sense) as they used
to be 🙂
So, I hope you bring him back soon – together with the “pan man”.

Cheers
~Peter

You’re mighty welcome. It’s a ton of work, but it’s also a good time.

“You know how i feel about my Peej Lieutenant Johnson?” 😉

Your series is exciting, keep up the great work.

-mike

I listened to episode 1 of season 3 yesterday two times in a row: what a start into 2013!
Well done, Jack, well done!
“Edict Zero – FIS” hasn`t lost its “magic” even though I hope you bring back James Keller aka Agent G. into the game soon! Without Agent G. something is missing, perhaps the antisocial / alien touch in social interactions.

Happy new year, Jack – and please bring back the “pan”, too! 🙂
~Peter

Hey Jack,

nice to hear from you! I hope everything’s going well (didn´t you move to NYC?).

I`m really looking forward to Season 3 of Edict Zero. I even wanted to listen again to Seasons 1 & 2 between Christmas and New Year to get into a “distorted reality and paranoia”-mood 🙂

As for the audio drama talk forum, I simply don`t have the time right now for online
activities (blogging, participating in forums, etc.) because I´m involved in multiple IT projects. And after 10-12 h working days filled with programming, designing, researching online, etc. I don`t want to see any “screens” any more: no computers, no TV, no cell phones, etc.

Nevertheless, I hope we can continue some of our discussions in 2013. So, please, don`t close the Edict Zero-forum because I still think it’s a cool thing to have!

Anyway, I wish you all the best – and don`t forget to relax, too (“To be the best by being obsessed” may be true. But such an attitude can ruin one`s health in the long run)!

~Peter

*listened, that is.

Hey Jack,

yes, I´ll get back to the forum as soon as my time budget allows me to do so. I still have some of Lothar`s questions to answer, and I´ve got some questions to ask myself, too.

I`m really looking forward to part 2 because “pan time is always big time”.
It would be cool if I could hit my computer with a frying pan every now and then, too – just to determine “its” note 🙂

Cheers,
Peter

Cheers,

Jack

I just wanted to drop you some lines: As always a high quality episode – and the “pan time”, well, it really made my day yesterday! What a pleasure to listen to “The Captain” again.

I hope you`ve given up the idea of closing the “audio drama talk forum” of Edict O because I really like to continue our forum discussion. But, at the moment, I´m very busy. I think I`ll have to wait until summer before I`m able to resume the discussion (Btw: I`ve come up with some strange relationship between the concepts of “essentialism” and “simulated reality” that I wanted to discuss with you guys) .

Again: excellent job!

Have a nice time and a la prochaine

~Peter

“They all deserve a thorough panning.”
But who pans the “pan man”?
Well, self-referentiality leads to paradoxa, but it can hurt, too. It seems to me that pans are the “ultimate” paradox artefacts if they are used in the right, i.e. self-referential, way. And, who knows, “self- and other-referential panning” might even foster creativity.

So, “let`s pan every one!” 😉

~Peter (Pan)

> That scene did turn out well, didn’t it?
I loooove this scene! Every time I think about it I have to laugh out loud. Yes, indeed, “an ambassador`s work is never done!” 🙂

> I think it’s safe to anticipate a note or two.
Excellent news. So, it`s “pan time” again: Let`s pan!

BTW, didn`t you want to do shorter installments being released more frequently? A 2-3 week release cycle would be great because having to wait six weeks between the installments is a bit long for getting into “FIS mode” again.

Cheers
~Peter

Captain Socrates returns in the next installment. I think it’s safe to anticipate a note or two 🙂

Cheers.

–Jack

what a brilliant installment in an already wonderful podcast series!

“Beastie, beastie, beastie…” – I almost wet myself when I listened to this scene.
Your warped sense of humor is priceless!
Perhaps the elimination of “undesired entities” can be done by means of pans, too?
So, bring the “pan” back, please 😉

Cordialement
~Peter

I’m happy to hear that it succeeded with the desired effect. Thanks to you, too, for listening. Cheers!

Indeed. The endings to ALL of the episodes this season have been especially rerwarding – but in the rush of this season of the year, the ending of episode three gave a welcome, stress-relieving guffaw. Thanks!

Hey Jack,

apropos “distaste” for the whooshing sound effect:

First, let me say that I like your elimination of the (all-knowing) narrator and your use
of the spoken word, sound effects and music as “equal” partners. I`d say that this is a very promising way for audio dramas! Nevertheless, I loved the “frantic narrator” of “Hoad`s Grim” – at least, after the first “shock” 🙂

Second, I don`t know if “distaste” for the sound effect mentioned is the right word. I´d rather say, if the whooshing sound is used too often, it becomes too “dominating” in the delicate balance between word, music and sound. And perhaps one main problem of the “Edict Zero” audio production is to maintain this delicate balance so that no dimension alone dominates the other ones.

Especially in the intro and outro of episode 1 season 2, the whooshing sound effect worked as a kind of perturbation, for my acoustic taste. Consequence: I started focusing
on this effect, and the longer I listened, the more I focused on the whoosh sound – as if all my attention was absorbed by it.
Or, to give you an analogy: it`s summer time. Your room is hot, dark and quiet, and you`re trying to sleep. But there`s a small mosquito flying around you: “buzz, buzz, buzz…”. The more you focus on the buzz sound, the less likely you will fall asleep.

So, in short, I found that the whooshing sound demanded too much of my “attention” so that it was more and more difficult to focus on the other aspects (esp. dialogs).

Maybe this is my acoustic idiosyncrasy. Just wait how other listeners will react. But a simple remedy might be to use this effect “sparingly” so that the delicate balance mentioned above is maintained.

> My response has gotten as long as your comment, hasn’t it?
Yes, it has 🙂 But it’s always interesting to get some background information from you!

> Maybe I digressed.
I like your digressions as much as your “quirky AIs” – just “keep ’em comin” 🙂

Cheers,
Peter

just some quick feedback [unfortunately, I don`t have time for the audiodrama talk forum right now because I`m a bit stressed out with an IT project]:

All in all, these three episodes so far represent an “excellent” start into season 2 of “Edict Zero”! And I think you`ve found the right mix of 1) suspense / mystery 2) horror 3) sci fi and 4) humor [I find it particularly funny when one of the AI systems goes wild. If the complex tools I have to use in software development had a voice, they would certainly talk like the AIs in “Edict Zero” – frankly, between you and me: I think the machines want to take over the world by driving humans “insane” :-)].

There`s just one thing that I find a little bit disturbing: the intros.

1) You use a whooshing sound for the transition between different scenes. That´s ok, but
I`d use this effect very sparingly. If you use it too much, it makes the head spin.
Example: after listening to episode 1 of season 2, I went jogging the next day early in the morning. It was dark, empty and quiet outside, but I always had to look around to see if a car was coming because I had this whooshing sound in my mind. And if you ask me what I remember mostly of this episode, well, it`s “whoosh – whoosh – whoosh” :-).
This might be my acoustic idiosyncrasy, but perhaps other listeners feel the same way, too.

2) I think the intros aren`t very helpful from the content side:
* The hard core fans like me who listen to the episodes several times don`t need a mnemomic jump-start at all
* Other listeners might still have problems to orient themself because the intro scenes follow the logic of a chain of associations, and that means it`s less a matter of “narrative logic” and more a matter of “narrative atmosphere”.

I know in the Edict Zero-plot there isn`t an all-knowing narrator who could speak the intros, but I`d prefer “more narrative” and less atmospheric intros. Maybe, you could
use the different voices of the Edict Zero-characters to make such intros. Or, you could
use the voices of other podcasters for “the story so far”.
But, again, this might be an idiosyncrasy of mine when it comes to audio dramas.

Anyway: brilliant work – so that all the “suffering” that goes with such an ambitious audio production was worthwhile!

I wish you some happy holidays and hope to see you in the audio drama talk-forum
in 2012!

Cheers
Peter

I`ve been waiting the whole day for this episode –
I´m sooooo “excited”! 🙂

See you in the audio drama talk forum.

Cheers
Peter

Frankly, I had hoped word of mouth about the show’s quality would suffice to expand awareness, due to its depth and its unique nature. I’m sure the new season will bring new things, new listeners, new chances to broaden awareness. The physics of the upward curve is an awesome thing.

Those who appreciate all the work that goes into Edict Zero by me and the other voice actors are awesome too. Thanks!

Thanks for the update on your production schedule. I apologize for missing the ‘Next Relese’ button on your web page. I am viewing the mobile version, which requires a bit of digging to find it.
I wanted a chance to sing praises to your skills and imagination in any case. I listen to every episode at least twice, and I find something new and interesting upon each successive hearing.
Your production is miles ahead of any and all of the other ‘full cast’ podcasts I’ve heard, and I listen to as many different ones as I can find, many of which are quite excellent themselves.
Thank you again for sharing your project with us.
My hope for you is that more people become aware of it. Have you thought about releasing Edict Zero FIS through Podiobooks.com or some other conduit that would give you more exposure?

Thanks so much for the compliments!

You can keep an eye on the schedule-in-progress on the site by looking at the column to the right, where there’s always a “NEXT RELEASE” and under SEASON 2 EPISODES there will be the next scheduled episodes (sometimes with a “slated” date, or a TBA).

I’m itching with anticipation for season two. What are your plans?

I understand that production for the shows is terribly complex, difficult and time consuming. That’s part of what makes it so singular and spectacular.
Are you in production for season two? Do you have a release schedule planned?
Please indulge us with more!

Moreover, you do have the option of going directly to the Edict Zero item on the internet archive at:

http://www.archive.org/details/EdictZero

It works fine on my end. Not a hitch. It may be that the internet archive (the host of the files) had a hiccup, as it does from time to time for little periods, and it will work for you the next time you try. I apologize for the inconvenience.

However, I’m going to be handling Season 2 differently (which I touch on in my little status updates on the Slipgate Nine wordpress site) and I think you’ll find it much more accommodating to the sentiments you’ve expressed here. Briefly : shorter, different arcs in more frequent episodes. Yes, probably twice a month.

Looking forward to the writing of S-2 this summer.

Meanwhile, bear with me, if you would. Good things in the future.

Thanks for listening and the good wishes.

Cheers.

I`ve just downloaded
episode 108 and I`m
eager to listen to it while
relaxing in the sun.

But wouldn`t it be better to shorten the release cycle of the installments?

Having listened to the FIS episodes several times I`m very familiar with the story.

However, the current release cycle makes me feel a bit out of sync with the story. It’s like having some difficulty getting in the FIS-mood again.

If other listeners feel the same way, wouldn`t it be a
good idea to break these rather
large episodes into two shorter ones and release them every two weeks?

I think this would help to be in the FIS mood “all the
time” 🙂

Just my two cents!

Best wishes
Peter

Awesome –
I’m looking forward to an interesting ride!

~Peter

Thanks! And if you stay along for the ride, you can expect to be listening for some time to come. I’ve already committed to a second season and a third is fairly likely.

This is Edict Zero’s childhood. 😉

Dear Jack Kincaid,

as a software developer I don`t know much about CC-licenses (just the basics), but I agree: better to be cautious than sorry!

Perhaps you could ask the staff of podiobooks.com to host “Edict Zero”, but that you’d prefer the donate-button to be deactivated (with a short explanation why that`s
the case).

I don`t know if that’s possible, but you could just give it a try.

Regarding “donations”:
As a big fan of open source software development, I like your non-profit attitude, but I don`t see the donation approach of podiobooks.com and other websites as a valid business model. In my opinion, the donations can cover some expenses for good audio equipment, some web space, etc., but they can`t compensate for all the effort, time and energy you and your team have put into a top-notch audio production like “Edict Zero”.

From a fan perspective, I see small donations as signs of appreciation and encouragement for interesting creative projects (like yours) too.

So, I’d say that donations are rather an additional kind of “feedback”, not a capitalist means to get rich (at least not via podcasts).

Anyway, I wish you and your team all the best and I`m eager to listen to the rest of the story!

And, of course, I’ll tell all my German friends to listen to “Edict Zero” 🙂

~Peter

As for podiobooks, they’ve been suggested to me by a few, but as a producer who utilizes so much CC-licensed music and operates with non-profit philosophies, I’m not comfortable with the ‘Donate’ feature (even if I waive donations, I believe there may still be the perception of receiving them). Now where my thoughts lie in the spectrum between conscientiousness and paranoia, it’s hard to say, but I prefer to be cautious, particularly when I use such high profile CC material.

Thanks so much for listening.

–JK

I just wanted to send you a “big thank you” for releasing this free audio production!

Captivating plot,
dense atmosphere,
great sound effects / music themes,
brilliant voice actors [Phil Rossi is one of my all time favorites since “Crescent”, but I must admit I
love you all :-)].

In short: one of the best audio productions out there in the podiosphere and now my “personal favorite”!

Perhaps you should release it via http://www.podiobooks.com
too because this audio production deserves a large audience.

Keep up the good work and

thanks again

~Peter

Glad to have you as a listener! I’ll do my best not to disappoint with the “more”. Thanks for listening and the comment too. Cheers.

As for avoiding “narration”, yes, this was particularly challenging for me, considering I spent my life previous to audio production … writing novels (many of them literary with a lot more narration than there was dialogue…)

I think I’m still adjusting to my new existence, but it seems to be working well.

Cheers.

Thank you very much. I actually feel I can learn a lot from you guys 🙂 Especially when it comes to mixing… Your mixes are very strong. I particularly enjoy the sense of movement you manage to bring to the scenes… That’s very hard to do when you only have sound to work with. Scriptwise, it’s also very cool how you manage to avoid too much “self-narration” — another challenge. Finally, the atmosphere you conjure up really works. I believe atmosphere is one of the key components of audio drama and this show has it in spades.

Thanks, and you have a marvelous show as well!

Thanks so much, and yes quite a lot of time and energy goes into the shows. At times, it’s overwhelming, but to hear the end product of the work is so worth it.

I would actually prefer greater frequency than once a month, but it will have to do. Anything more wouldn’t be possible without a sacrifice of quality.

Thanks for the favorable assessment of the show!