February 2000 RAP
February 2000 Highlights
Feature: I Now Pronounce This Bridge Open
By John Pellegrini
Dennis Daniel once started a Tales of the Tape column in RAP with the
statement; "Never burn any Bridges. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER burn any Bridges!"
Id like to amend that statement, by saying "ALWAYS BUILD BRIDGES! ALWAYS,
ALWAYS, ALWAYS BUILD BRIDGES!" The radio industry is a small one, my
friends. The voice-over industry is even smaller. The people you meet during
your career are almost always the ones you continue to meet, year after
year. The guy who did nights with you back 15 years ago could be doing
mornings in the major market you're working in today. The high school kid
who ran the music research for your station at night 12 years ago could now
be a rep at a major talent agency or recording label. The PD you didn't get
along with 8 years ago, might now be a consultant to a major station, who
got all his old air staff jobs there, except you. This kind of thing happens
more often than any of us realize. The impression you leave people with of
yourself and your professional manner make a huge difference in your
employment every day, week, month, year, and decade.
Interview: Jim Cutler, Cutchogue, New York
By Jerry Vigil
Its always a pleasure to visit with a radio production person who has
taken their skills to the next level by going out on their own and doing
well. Jim Cutler is another first-rate example of what you can do if you set
your mind to it. After a long 15-year stint in Boston radio, Jim took the
leap into self-employment about five years ago. Today, he is the voice for a
hundred radio stations and has garnered a client list of TV voice work that
includes ESPN, ABC, CBS, Tribune Television, Paramount, Buenavista, Home and
Garden Television, and MANY others. This months RAP Interview gets up close
and personal with Jim Cutler, and we get an ear-pleasing sample of his work
on this months RAP Cassette.
Radio HED: Radio Visuals
By Jeffrey Hedquist
Radio is the most visual medium. Because your audience is creating the
pictures with their imaginations, a radio commercial provides the perfect
opportunity for brand comparisons, coupons, product demonstrations, even
statistics...because listeners can see more clearly with their minds eye.
Technology: The Art of the Squeeze - Compressor Basics
By Steve Cunningham
The lowly compressor is one of the most ubiquitous outboard devices in
any production room. Its also one of the most misused devices in the
production room. When used properly, compressors can make a signal seem
louder than it actually is, can minimize the wide changes that occur when
the talent lacks proper mic technique, and can improve the intelligibility
of speech that ends up being rerecorded or dubbed several times. But
overused, compression can cause audible artifacts like pumping and
breathing, can muddy the overall sound of a track, and can generally squeeze
all the life out of an otherwise good performance.
Feature: So How Does It Feel to be in Sales?
By Shawn Kelly
So, this is it huh? The New Millennium. What happened to the Y2K bug we
bought into? I, for one, believe it was all a good sales pitch. Not saying
that there weren't any problems with the whole Y2K thing, but it wasn't
nearly one tenth as bad as the presentation the high tech world gave us. Yes
millions upon millions of dollars were spent on making our systems Y2K
compliant, but when you really take a look at it, it was indeed an excellent
sales pitch. And that's what everything in life is, a sales pitch. In fact
you're going through one right now, as you read this article. When someone
tries to convince you about something, its a sales pitch. When you write a
commercial, its a sales pitch. When you want someone to go with you to a
movie, you are making a sales pitch. When you woke up this morning, did you
ever think that someone would say that you were a salesperson? Of course you
didn't. That's why you have to know how to be a salesperson in order to
write copy that gets results.
Q It Up: The RAP Network Speaks - Processing Your Voice
By Jerry Vigil
This months RAP interviews a top voice talent and features an article on
the basics of compressors. Our Q It Up column for the month mixes the two
and takes a look at how voice-talents in the RAP Network utilize compression
and other processing (or lack of) in their voice-work.
Q It Up: This question is only for those of you who do
voice-work, using your own Voice: Do you use any processing on your voice
when recording basic commercial and/or promo tracks? Granted, you may tweak
your voice-track during a mixdown, but do you process your voice when you
initially record it? If so, what gear do you use for processing? What mike
do you prefer for your own voice-work? What pre-amp do you use? If you use
compression and/or EQ, what settings do you use for most of your basic
voice-work? Feel free to modify these questions and expand your answers to
go with your particular situation.
...And Make It Real Creative
By Andy Capp
I started writing this column several years ago for love. Love of the
radio industry, love of the creative process, love of attempting to write
words that mean something. Im an idealist, and I say that with neither pride
nor shame. I do believe that if people share their ideas, it does make a
difference. I believe that Radio And Production magazine has made an
enormous impact on the profession of creative audio production, bringing
Producers out of their little Prod rooms and into an entire world of people
as committed as they are to this business of Creative Hot Air. The magazine
educates, commiserates, and celebrates our world, and I wanted to be part of
the party. Whether I've actually contributed anything of worth, RAP has
given me a venue to try, and Im thankful for it. Not only has this column
given me a voice, it has also opened some amazing doors and introduced me to
many Creative Geniuses that I'm proud to count as friends. Little did I know
just how powerful a thing can be when you do it for love.
Monday Morning Memo: "Seeing It" In Your Mind
By Roy H. Williams
You are awakened by the smell of breakfast. Slipping on your clothes, you
step out onto the deck of the ship just as the sun rises over the ocean. You
never knew the sky could hold so many colors... or that breakfast could
taste so good or that you could feel so alive. Sailing with your friends to
a place you've never been, everyone is having the time of their lives.
You're glad you called that number. What was it again? Oh yes... one eight
hundred blue sky... You'll never be able to look at a blue sky again without
remembering this trip...and smiling.
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