DOC SAVAGE - THE RADIO SERIES CONTINUES! NOW COMES THE SOUNDTRACK...

With the script for The Fortress of Solitude finally in the can, I started putting together the soundtrack, complete with a music score and sound effects. To put together the various elements, I used Nero Soundtrax, a very handy, if imperfect, part of Nero 8 software.

As with the previous radio play, I cribbed the score from Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, which I've always considered a great Doc Savage score that wound up in a well-meaning but lifeless movie. Many of the sound effects I utilized were available for free on line, and those I couldn't locate I put a little money into on iTunes and pretty vast collection of sound effects.

It's a crazy process, trying to coordinate the script, the music track, and the sound effects into one cohesive whole. I basically read the script aloud until just the right cue, pause the track and insert the effect. At times I've got one that just isn't loud enough for the given effect, so I boost the signal a bit, sometimes even using some of Nero's interesting effects to enhance it.

Edward Shearmur's glorious score encompasses every conceivable element you would want in an action-adventure thriller... pulse-pounding suspense, thrilling battle music, the heroic theme, and even some lighthearted humorous rifts. With a little judicious editing, it makes for a fabulous whole.

Now the big problem forthcoming is getting my three other actors synced up to the finished track. We'll see how well that will go in our next episode.