October 2008 RAP
October 2008 Highlights
2008 RAP Awards: Call For Entries!
We’re proud to announce the Call for Entries to Radio And Production’s
19th Annual RAP Awards! After many requests, we have decided to open
eligibility to independent production houses! Get all the details here.
Feature: Radio Creativity Made Easy
by Dan McCurdy
Radio is one of the great under-achievers. Consider: you’re a radio
presenter aren’t you? A radio professional that understands how radio works;
so could you, should you be using the medium more creatively, more
imaginatively than you are doing in your work at present? Heaven forefend
that I should preach to you or insult you by suggesting you don’t know what
you’re doing, but just imagine releasing the full power, the full potential
that radio has and putting it to use for both your own and your listener’s
sake. Both you and your listener deserve nothing less. Let me suggest how
you can do it.
Interview: Lowell Christensen, SpotWorks, Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada
by Jerry Vigil
So you want to make that break from radio and start your own business.
You don’t have tons of money in the bank. You don’t have a rich dad. You
don’t have enough equity in your home to get a fat business loan, and
furthermore, you really don’t want to risk losing your home quite like that.
But you still have that dream. What do you do? Sometimes the break isn’t as
smooth as you’d like. Sometimes you simply can’t generate enough business on
the side unless you devote yourself to it fulltime first. Sometimes that
first year is very scary. Sometimes that dismal word “failure” just won’t
leave you alone. Lowell Christensen’s story isn’t about instant success and
lucrative, national VO deals. But his is a success story. Perhaps a story
closer to what you can imagine for yourself. If you’re one of the many with
“the dream”, read on. You’ll find Lowell’s story both informative and
inspiring. Be sure to check this month’s RAP CD for a sampler of excellent
voice, copy, and production work coming from Lowell and SpotWorks.
Test Drive: Glitch: A Free VST Plug-in
by Alan Peterson
A popular production effect is the “artificially digital” voice: bit
reduction, time scrambling, extreme pitch shifting, stutter and more,
stabbed into a voice track and typically so short that it is done before you
knew what happened. This effect, once accomplished only by hardware
processors (with some heavy editing afterwards), is now a breeze courtesy of
some free software. Kieran Foster of illformed.com, offers Glitch 1.3.04; a
free VST plug-in that acts like nine classic Eventide Harmonizers in a row,
each set for a different effect and sequenced by the BPM counter in your
audio software. The output of Glitch can be extremely bizarre and has wow
factor to spare.
Test Drive: Sony's Vegas Pro 8
by Steve Cunningham
It’s only been about a year and a half since we last looked at Sony’s
Vegas Pro 7 audio (and video) editor (see the April 2007 issue of RAP). I
usually avoid re-reviewing a piece of software that quickly, particularly
since the past few updates to this venerable program have seemed juicier on
the video side than on the audio side. But while I wasn’t looking, Sony
added something that has been missing for years to what has always been a
competent and friendly audio editor. Vegas now has a mixer.
Production 212: I Think I'm Covered
by Dave Foxx
Having spent a few hours listening to 31 promos about the same thing,
over and over, I’m feeling a bit bleary at the moment, but time is short as
the deadline looms. Off the top I can say the VO on every single one of them
was awesome. (I had to say that somewhere, so I just got it out of the way.)
Seriously, it’s given me a great deal of satisfaction hearing these, as I
know now that the level of production in our industry is a lot higher than I
thought it was. In the past, I have critiqued a number of people represented
here and I am pleased to report that I see a ton of improvement on some,
others…not so much, but then they were pretty good to start with.
Q It Up: The RAP Network Speaks - What’s your take on
the “Produce Dave Foxx” results?
Q It Up: If you’ve been following along the past couple
of months, you’re aware of the “Produce Dave Foxx!” fun we’ve been having.
On the September RAP CD you found 31 versions of the same promo, all voiced
by Dave Foxx, but produced by 31 different producers from around the globe.
No specific instructions were given other than to “produce it as you hear
it.” Whether you participated or not, after listening to the results, what
did you learn about producing a promo from this experiment? Did you discover
a technique that you might use on a future promo of your own? Did you learn
something new about compression and EQ? Or maybe some new ways to use other
voices? Which version appealed most to you, and why did you like it? Please
add any other thoughts you might have!
Radio Hed: Secret Shopper
by Jeffrey Hedquist
Often when we’re searching in vain for copy ideas, it’s because we
haven’t done the research. If you put yourself in the unfortunate position
of asking your client, “Tell me about your business,” you’re announcing that
you haven’t done your homework. Sometimes what seems second nature to me, or
self-evident to you can be helpful if stated. So at the risk of telling you
something you already know, or reminding you of something you’re already
doing, I’ll repeat to you again this procedure to help you help your clients
and make you more successful.
...And Make It Real Creative - Home, Heart & Health
by Trent Rentsch
Why do you get out of bed in the morning, really? Other than the
knee-jerk, smart ass answers like “to smash my alarm clock across the room,”
or, “to avoid a beating from my spouse.” Why do you get out of bed in the
morning? You need to use the bathroom? You’re hungry... or your pets are?
You have to go to work... ahh... now, we’re getting somewhere! So, why do
you go to work? To get a paycheck... to make money? Why do you need to make
money? To pay bills, to keep the water running in the bathroom, and cereal &
Little Friskees in the cupboard? But... why? Why? WHY?? These aren’t just
the questions of your average inquisitive 2 year old. If you’re writing and
producing commercials, these are questions of motivation that you need to
ask before you start every new project. Without compelling motivation, why
should the listener act on the information in the spot? The answer is, they
shouldn’t.
The Monday Morning Memo: The Media is Not the Message
by Roy H. Williams
“I’m in the furniture business. Which media should I use?” “I’d like to
target people who are afraid of the dentist. Can you recommend a good
mailing list company?” “My uncle uses television ads to attract new
customers and they work really well for him. Television ads have made him
rich. What’s your opinion of TV?” “No one in my town listens to the radio
anymore. Everyone has satellite or an iPod.” “I tried advertising. It
doesn’t work for my kind of business.” People say things like this and
expect me to have an intelligent response. What usually happens is that I
stand there, dull-eyed, with my mouth hanging open. These are not my
favorite moments.
|