August 1999 RAP
August 1999 Highlights
Feature: Some Things That Make a Difference - Part 2
By Marshall Such
To all you Prod Pros who have asked me, "When are we gonna see part deux?"
here it is. Running the Potato Empire and writing gobs of production music
has left little time to proselytize. I apologize.
Writing: I think there are two things that make for a sassy script: Great
writing and getting the voice talent(s) to interpret your words the way you
hear them in your head. Let’s start with the second part of the writing
conundrum first. As I wrote in "Writing For Your Station Voice" (Radio And
Production, March 1995), use markings in your scripts! We get TONS of
scripts every month for our various voice talents, and nearly everyone is
typed in CAPS with no other markings other than periods and commas. Just
goes to show you how effective the article was, huh?
Interview: Dave Lee, WAMZ-FM, Louisville, Kentucky
By Jerry Vigil
If you’ve been in production for at least a decade, you remember the
rapid spread of CHR-type production into other formats. In Country radio,
this style of imaging first made a big noise at WAMZ in Louisville,
Kentucky. The noise-maker was Dave Lee, who arrived at WAMZ over eleven
years ago with a rock and roll resume in one hand and a Brown Bag library in
the other. With the legendary Coyote Calhoun in the PD’s chair, Hot Country
was born. Dave was and is relentless in his pursuit of perfection, and WAMZ
faithfully remains Louisville’s hottest radio station.
Test Drive: Voxbox From Manley Laboratories
By Steve Cunningham
Voice processors that combine a mic preamp, a compressor, some EQ, and a
limiter have become quite popular. They give you all the tools you need to
produce great voice tracks in one box, without all the connection hassles of
using a mixer and outboard processing. In addition, the quality of the
individual sections in a vocal processor is usually better than what you’ll
find in a typical mixer and outboard gear combo, and the whole business is
much easier and more convenient to use.
Having said that, describing the Manley Voxbox as just a vocal processor is
a bit like saying the Porsche Boxster is a good transportation car. The
all-tube Voxbox is not just good, it’s astonishingly good. In fact, every
audio block in this product is astonishingly good.
Q It Up: The RAP Network Speaks - The Home Studio Part 2
By Jerry Vigil
The Home Studio, once a dream for most, now a reality at incredibly
affordable prices. Get a napkin and get ready to drool over some of the
studios outlined in this month's Q It Up column. No doubt, some of you have
taken the home studio to the max, and aren’t through yet.
Q It Up: Do you have a studio at home? What is it equipped
with? (If you have a computer-based workstation, what audio software are you
using? Also tell us about your computer—CPU type/speed, hard disk size, RAM,
and sound card. Include any other information you feel is pertinent.) What
plans do you have for new gear in the near future? Feel free to add any
other comments you might have.
Feature: The Virgin's Guide to Consolidation - Part 2
By Craig Jackman
In part 1 of this strange new journey, the deadline for interventions had
passed, and the current owners of CHEZ-FM Inc. were waiting for the
paperwork to go through to sell the company to Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. Not
sur-prisingly, the way government works, we are still there, waiting. Some
inter-company planning had begun however. CHEZ-FM and sister station CFMO-FM
have switched consultants to the ones used by Rogers Broadcasting stations.
General Accounting was being handled with the assistance of the Rogers head
office in Toronto. Also, the Engineering staffs of both stations are looking
at (among other things) expanding the Production area at CHEZ-FM as part of
a complete renovation and expansion of the current building (which was just
renovated and moved into 2 years ago).
Radio HED: Brainstorming
By Jeffrey Hedquist
Having trouble breaking writers’ block? Don’t give up, bring in more
brains! Do a radio mind-meld. Gather 2-5 people in a room, turn on a tape
recorder, take notes, and have everyone fire out suggestions Don’t say no to
any of them, no matter how outrageous, inappropriate, or bad they might
seem. You want to keep the flow going. The best thing you can say is,
"Great. Where else can we take that approach? What’s an extension of that?
How much further can we take that idea?"
The Monday Morning Memo - John Young's Fortune
By Roy H. Williams
Light is fading and snow is falling; a reflective white coat to warm a
surreal, half lit world. The scene indoors is even more surreal as a man in
a blue work shirt with the name "Fred" on the pocket gives John Young the
opportunity of a lifetime. "John, you’ve got to help me sell air
conditioning systems in February and March or I won’t be able to hang on
until summer."
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