HOW IT WORKS:

"Failed State" is a nine track album designed to be played on four separate devices simultaneously. In order to hear the album in its proper form, you will need four devices capable of playing the files. I've found that most digital music players, (phones, iPods, iPads, etc.), tend to be the best option as they stay in sync better than CDs.

First, begin by downloading the entire album, (there are 45 tracks in all). You will note that there are four tracks for each song, (i.e. "Fear Is Defeat - disc one," "Fear Is Defeat - disc two," etc.). After you have downloaded the files, create four playlists. Begin with the tracks labeled, "disc one." Place, in order, each song from disc one into the first playlist. The end result should look like this;

1. "Fear Is Defeat" - (disc one)
2. "Do It Because It's Hard" - (disc one)
3. "Mold" - (disc one)
4. "Finding Bodies" - (disc one)
5. "Is This Upsetting You?" - (disc one)
6. "Yard Onion" - (disc one)
7. "This Bad Habit" - (disc one)
8. "Suffer In Silence" - (disc one)
9. "Dependable Vessel" - (disc one)

Next, build the same playlist for discs two, three, and four. Again, make sure the track order is correct.

Now, upload each individual playlist to a device. For example, load the playlist for disc one onto your phone. Load the playlist for disc two onto your friend's iPod, etc. Once you have all four playlists loaded onto four devices, you are ready to begin.

Depending on how elaborate your set-up is, you will need two to four people to properly sync all four devices at the top of each track. Get all four devices paused at 00:00 at the top of track one. Have one person in the group count off, (I've found a five count works best. Instruct everyone to hit their "play" button on five). At the top of each track, you will hear, "Track number _____" from each player. If they do not sound like they are all in sync, pause each device, reset to 00:00 at the top of the track, and try again. The songs sound much better if all four devices start in sync. After you hear, "Track number _____," you will then hear each individual player announce it's assigned disc number. This will allow you to ensure that all four devices are running, and will give you an idea of where the volume of each device is currently set. If, for some reason, one of the devices failed to start, pause each device, go back to 00:00 at the top of the track, and try again. Don't get frustrated if it takes a few tries to get all of the devices to sync up. Some devices have a 1/2 second lag time when the play button is pressed, while others start right away. You will need to experiment with your devices a bit in order to figure out how each one is behaving.

Once synced, sit back and enjoy the ride.

IMPORTANT - You will need to repeat the above procedure after each song. Unfortunately, the devices will not stay in sync from track to track, so after track one has finished playing, pause all four devices, get them set at 00:00 at the top of track 2, do the countdown, and hit play on, 'five."

It's up to you how you'd like to "mix" the album. As all four devices are running, you may want to make adjustments to the volume of one or more sources.

If you have one source that is more powerful, (i.e. louder, better quality), than the others, play the "disc one" playlist in that device. The disc one playlist contains the foundation for each song. If all four devices are the same, it may be beneficial to bump the volume on the disc one playlist up a notch or two louder than the other three playlists. You will get the best results this way.

I have included a brief, "notes," section with each individual track that will give you suggestions on how to mix the song for the best results. However, feel free to ignore these and just play it by ear. Since it is virtually impossible to sync all four devices every time, the album will sound a bit different each time you listen to it!

Lastly, there are nine tracks labeled, "(stereo mix)." These are just two-track stereo mixes of each song so that you can listen to the songs on one device if you so desire, (though I do not recommend it).

If you like the album, please share the link with your friends, family, or anyone that you think might be interested in checking it out.