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I received an email that really made me think about the big picture of what we do. Just what is it we do?
Some would call it recording or production, while others may say podcasting, New Media, broadcasting or netcasting via RSS. To some extent, it’s ‘all of the above’.
In most cases, the term I use to describe this show depends on the person listening. Sometimes I succeed in conveying what I do, but mostly the ‘deer in headlights’ stare tells me I missed. To complicate matters a bit, this show is only part of the Studio1A service menu.
Here in the USA, as we ready ourselves for the transition from analog to digital television, I am reminded of the difficulty involved in conveying technical concepts to those that are interested in the end result. Although I suspect the NewMediaGear audience is more tech savvy than, there are likely many more people interested in the destination and not the trip.
Many times, I am asked why a rack of processing gear is needed when similar results can be obtained in post-production using plug-ins. There are several reasons why I go with hardware as much as possible. First, it fits my goal, which is to broadcast. Like my old air shifts in radio, I enjoy sitting down at the console, voicing a show, and submitting it for audience consumption. It still takes a bit of getting used to the delay factor of Podcasting, but it’s not all that much different. Via my phones, I hear exactly what the processing chain is doing and how to ride the levels, with zero latency.
That’s a big contrast to my “other job”, which involves voicing both dry and produced commercials, voice tracks and other recorded elements. This work is where multi-track/plug-ins and post-production come to play. There is a lot of tweaking, moving around tracks and layering. Sometimes the client wants almost no processing. It’s all about the job at hand.
Having a broadcast and post-production studio certainly helps me to move easily from task to task. I also realize that not everyone has the ability to devote this much space to multiple studios and uses.
The truth is that amazing things can be done with a simple microphone and laptop using software. Most often, the deciding factors will be your budget, time limitations, space and experience.
I haven’t decided if it’s more fun creating content or putting together the tools to create that content. Maybe it’s best that way?
Put your effort where your passion lies. If you’re a software techie, the sky is the limit in what you can create on a modest laptop. If you enjoy rack mounted equipment and the smell of solder, then custom design your masterpiece. Most people I speak with are somewhere in the middle.
In either case, you will want a great microphone to get the most out of whatever connects to the other end. Above all, have fun.
Drop me a line, any time with comments, thoughts and suggestions:
mark at newmediagear dot com
Best,
MarkJensen
