July 2001 RAP
July 2001 Highlights
Feature: Creative Copy
By Steve McKenzie
"The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is
nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:8-9)
Been there, done that. This is the problem with radio -- predictability.
People are bombarded with thousands of radio commercials and expect yours to
fall into the same pattern, i.e. car commercials with screaming announcers,
dialogue commercials that sound unnatural, and dance club commercials that
sound like dance club commercials in every other market in the country. In
so doing, we don't engage our listeners, and eventually they tune out, or at
best get bored.
Your mission. To go beyond these kinds of expectations and serve up
something that has never been heard before, to arrange sounds in such a way
that the listener is intrigued, surprised, and wants to replay them again
and again and again. Radio is art and entertainment, so why not your
commercials as well?
Interview: Krash Bassett, The Audio Farm, Englewood,
Colorado
By Jerry Vigil
Having an imaging producer AND station voice in-house is a luxury most
stations cant afford these days. Just having a top-notch in-house imaging
producer alone is getting to be more than the corporate budgets will allow
for. But this has proven to be a blessing for those who have started their
own production companies to service radio stations. Two years ago, Krash
Bassett said goodbye to his last radio gig and put his full-time efforts
into his company, The Audio Farm. He does no voice work, but there's plenty
of production to keep him busy. And in his spare time, Krash has managed to
produce his first imaging production library called Revolt.
Radio Hed: Be Quiet
By Jeffrey Hedquist
Where's the richest repository of ideas, scenarios, stories, characters,
and creativity? Inside you! Stored in your memory bank, in the silent center
at the core of your being waiting for you to tap it. How do you do this? You
can only get in if you're quiet. With the pressures of daily activity, and a
mind full of thoughts, the door stays closed. How can you quiet the mind so
you can dive in to this ocean of creativity and break through writers block?
For some people, listening to or playing music works, or exercise, prayer,
or just taking a walk outside.
Technology: USBPre from Sound Devices - User Review
By Jim Kipping
This article will change the way you will do work in your studio or on
the road. Production folks, engineering types, field recorders and the like,
listen up! Run, dont walk, to the nearest phone and order this device! The
USBPre from Sound Devices is simply awesome! This very simple USB device is
not only a sound card, but it is also a replacement for an entire mixer
Production Libraries: Velocity from FirstCom
By John Pellegrini
Velocity is the newest library from FirstCom, the mega-monsters of
production music. If I were to attempt to review every library FirstCom has
to offer in the coming issues of RAP, I still wouldn't be done by the July
issue of 2002. Can you say variety? Yet, with all that music being offered,
no two libraries sound alike. There are loads of styles for just about every
format available. Velocity is a strong addition, which takes advantage of
the newest music styles for stations that demand a cutting-edge sound.
Q It Up: The RAP Network Speaks - How Do You Like MP3 So
Far? -- Part 2
By Jerry Vigil
Q It Up: Delivery of commercials via the Internet and
MP3 by now, most of us have had at least a taste of this new technology. At
this stage in the MP3-ing game, what are your thoughts on this new method of
sending and receiving commercials? Has it been a blessing for you? Have you
had your share of problems? What are your likes and dislikes about the way
things are progressing with this new delivery method? What would you like to
see changed? Please add any other thoughts you have on the subject.
RAP Forum: What is With Those People?
By Albert Berkshire
I'm willing to bet there isn't a day that goes by in any given sales
department, in any given radio station where someone doesn't ask that
unanswerable and burning question: "What is with those people?" Its
something that I cant even explain, and Im one of "those people."
I am (as Trent Rentsch calls us all) a "Creative."
There are things that I think about that I couldn't begin to explain why I
think about them. Its like they just appear in my mind and somehow,
sometime, I must find a way to get that particular thought into a radio
commercial. And to be completely honest it sometimes scares me, too.
...And Make It Real Creative:
By Trent Rentsch
I've only felt like giving up twice in my life, once personally, once
professionally. The personal decent includes memories that Id rather not
think about, much less share. Lets just say that I am fully aware that some
people thrive on being completely evil to others. Lesson learned, somehow I
survived. The professional downfall is easier to write about, even if there
was an unintentionally evil person involved, and even if I did take it
personally.
Personal Computing: Ward Off Internet Legal Woes
By Reid Goldsborough
As the Internet becomes ever more integrated into the economy, the old
club atmosphere has given way to a more adversarial environment. While some
disputes are still resolved by discussion and consensus, you're more and
more likely to see someone call in the lawyers.
Monday Morning Memo: The Impotence of Advertising
By Roy H. Williams
It is unusual to find a businessperson who will ask Advertising to do
only what it can. Most are asking advertising to do what it cannot. Let me
say this plainly. Advertising cannot repair a broken business. It will not
make you better at what you do. It cannot turn failure into success.
Advertising will only accelerate what was going to happen anyway.
|