|
(From the February 1989 issue of Radio And
Production)
Tips & Techniques
Production Basics
L+R = "Music's Too Loud"
by Jerry Vigil
You are often asked to play a commercial you've produced down the phone
line to the client. You've probably had the client respond by saying
everything is fine except the music seems a little too loud. You've been
mixing commercials for years, and now this client knows mixing better than
you, right? You're both right.
Most studios with a patch to send audio down a phone line use the L+R
mono mix of the console. If you send a mono mix of a spot with stereo music
down the phone line, the music will actually gain level in the mono mix
while the voice track level will remain the same. The reason is a little
difficult to understand, so we'll try to explain in non-technical terms.
In a stereo situation you have a left, a right, and an imaginary "center"
channel. Your ears use the "center" channel to mix with. When you apply a
voice track equally to both left and right channels, it appears in the
"center" channel. Now, add stereo music with horns in the left channel only
and a guitar in the right channel only. Everything else in the music is in
the "center" channel because it is being applied equally to both left and
right channels, giving you a good mix of voice to music in the "center"
channel.
When you combine the left and right channels, the horns and the guitar,
that were not part of the "center" channel before, now become part of the
"center" channel. Together they increase the level of music "energy" in the
"center" channel, thus giving you a mono mix of too much music.
There are a couple of ways to deal with this. If you're playing a spot to
a client you feel might be the type to complain about the music, tell him
beforehand that the music will be louder than it actually is because he's
hearing a mono mix of the spot. Tell him not to worry, the music won't be as
loud on the radio since your station is in stereo. Any more technical than
that and you'll bore the client.
If you can, just play the left or right channel of the spot to the
client. If the spot has no special stereo effects in it, a simple voice over
music spot will sound just fine over the phone. Patching the console left or
right channel into the phone will do the job. If you don't have a choice, as
far as your phone patch goes, a good pair of headsets will send a decent
signal over the phone if you just cup one of the earpads over the
mouth¬piece of the phone.
Dubs to Cart: "In & Out of Phase"
from Bill Reitler,KWIZ,Orange County, California
It's important to be sure that what you are loading to cart is in phase.
If your board has a phase reversal button and other people use the studio,
sooner or later someone will mistakenly push it in, leaving a signal 180
degrees out of phase. Unless you have carefully scrutinized your board
(often tough to do when 10 spots await you first thing in the morning) or
are listening in mono, you might not notice. If the cart makes its way into
the control room, your station is stereo, and the studio monitor is stereo,
the jock might also be unsuspecting until a listener listening in mono
complains about how weird the spot on the air sounds! (Better hope the
caller isn't the sponsor!!)
To prevent the aforementioned scenario, simply get in the habit of
monitoring anything you're carting in audition or cue while you are
recording. Monitor, at least for a few seconds, in mono. Pay particular
attention to voice tracks, which are usually center channel and thus first
to go in a phase reversal. If everything sounds OK, you can rest easy (until
the next crisis).
Good phase integrity is also dependent on proper record head azimuth
alignment. If your record¬ cart machine sets this automatically, ask your
engineer to check, from time to time, that it is doing so properly. If you
must do this manually, be sure you are doing so properly. Otherwise, your
audio quality will be muddy and not crisp. Happy carting!!!
Advanced Production
Co-op Promo: "Make Some Brownie Points"
by Jerry Vigil
You've been hounding the sales staff all week long to get their copy in.
You've been a little less that patient in dealing with them. Maybe you
slipped and said something tacky to the Sales Manager. Here's a tip for a
promo that's sure to get him back on your side.
Co-op advertising, as you probably know, is a great sales tool. The rep
goes to a client that distributes the "XYZ" brand of stereo systems and
explains how "XYZ" will pay for 50%, 60%, maybe 100% of the advertising
costs for the client if the client will mention "XYZ" a certain number of
times in the ad. Sometimes "XYZ" will provide the copy with blanks to fill
in with the distributor's name and address a few times. Joe Blow's Stereo
Shop gets on the air using XYZ's money.
There is a great promo flying around that promotes co-op advertising. The
copy is what makes it. The real estate industry has added a new phrase to
everyday language: "Other Peoples Money" or "OPM". The opening line of the
promo is something to the effect of: "How would you like to advertise your
business using other people's money?" Take it from there and make it sound
like another commercial. Don't make references to your station until the end
of the promo. De-emphasize the word "co-op" in the copy and try to use the
phrase "other peoples money" at least 2 or 3 times. Don't necessarily
explain how co-op advertising works, just tease the idea that Mr.
Businessman can advertise on radio using someone else's money. It then
finishes up by saying something like, "If you want to learn more about how
you can advertise on radio using other peoples money, call the (your station
call letters) Co-op Advertising Hotline now." The number, of course, is the
number to your sales office.
Surprise your Sales Manager. When you have a little spare time (ha ha), take
the opening line above and use your imagination to write up a spot promoting
co-op advertising. Produce it and give it to your Sales Manager. When he
calls you up praising you for your creativity and thanking you for your
interest in sales, tell him you'd be glad to talk to him about it over
lunch, then ask him where he's taking you.
Rent a Vocoder!
by Jerry Vigil
The unusual effect of a vocoder is still finding its way into jingles and
other heavily produced station ID material. The fact that most vocoders
provide only that single effect and cost around $1000, keeps it from
becoming a prevalent piece of out-board gear in radio stations.
Its unique effect on the voice makes for great ID's and sweepers. The
extremely electronic sound generates excellent contest elements for
promotions that include a "Cash Computer", a computerized black jack dealer,
or any other elements that need a "computer voice".
If you're in a good size market with a few recording studios, give them a
call and ask if they have a vocoder. If they do, it's well worth a 1 hour
fee to send a mike through the vocoder, roll a tape, and lay down 100 or so
lines you can use in the future. Do your call letters in every way your
station uses them. Do every liner you can think of that you're using on the
air. Throw in some commonly used lines like, "another winner in minutes" or
"the winning's easy". Store the tape and go to it from time to time to pull
out what you need.
If your station produces jingles at a local studio, the fact that you're
a client may give you enough clout to actually rent the vocoder for a couple
of days and set it up in your studio. Since the vocoder is not used very
often, they might be willing to rent it out to you. Then you can have as
much time on it as you want without having to buy studio time elsewhere.
Check with local music stores. A good store will have a vocoder. Some of
them may rent equipment or might be able to tell you who would.
|