Hats of Audio Production

The "Hats" of Audio Production

In the process of creating streaming audio for the Internet, there are several distinct steps. There are several individual tasks that must be accomplished and a combination of hardware and software that must be mastered. In simple terms, the following are the major steps.

1. Someone must decide what is to be said and who the audience is.
2. Someone must write the script and get it approved.
3. Someone must be the announcer or voice talent. (voice actor)
4. Someone must act as an Audio Recording Engineer & Editor.
5. Someone must be the programmer and load the audio file into a Web site.

As you can see, the five steps are fairly simple when taken individually. There is a temptation to add a sixth "hat", that of Producer to coordinate all of the various people and make sure things get done.

It is also easy to see when viewed in such a simple way that you could easily hire five or six different people to produce your audio…to make it happen. It is common however for some people to have two or three skills. For example, Dick Cable, the (retired) Anchorman can easily decide what is to be said as a Journalist. He also has deep skill as a scriptwriter and he obviously is a world class announcer. As it happens, Dick cannot do the programming and code. In his early days, Dick owned the audio editing hardware, but no more.

Today things are different. As a Journalist, I do it all…and that fact is often too much. In many instances, I cannot decide what is to be said on behalf of a business. Sure, I can write the script. I can even do the announcing but I don't consider myself in Dick's league; not by a long shot. I can do the engineering and programming and several steps in between. I cannot provide the voice of a female announcer.

It is useful to understand that streaming audio, over the Internet is much like owning a radio station, without the need or regulation of a government license. There are no rules and you may say anything you please. There are no "seven dirty words" but you should be guided by good taste, common sense and slander laws. Just because it's unregulated doesn't mean you can be irresponsible. It does however allow a blurring of education and entertainment (edutainment) and/or information and commercials (infomercials)…and everything in between.

There is more information that is useful to producing successful audio. I have two primary software packages that I use to create audio. First, I use "Audition" to record and edit the audio. I used to use "Emblaze Audio" to deliver the code and the actual sound stream. I now use simple HTML code. Now that you know my "secrets", does it make you a scriptwriter or voice talent? You still need to cover more "hats".

The technology will allow you to create an audio file lasting hours. In fact, you may speak indefinitely. Resist the temptation! Most things want to be said in less than eight minutes if they have importance.

Heed this old saying: "It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

The next thing that is helpful to understand is why audio is so powerful. To keep this short consider: Listening is a passive thing to do. Reading requires active participation from the media recipient…they have to do something. Sadly, people don't read as much today as they did in the past. The public seems to prefer it's daily dose of information and entertainment in a passive form like radio or television.

You can put the best writing in the world on a web site. You can hire the best (most expensive) writers in the world and they'll provide Pulitzer Prize quality prose but if you demand that people read it on-line…they won't! Why is that? It's simple human physiology.

Black ink on white paper is the form of books and this article. Black is favored for its high contrast and the fact that black absorbs light…it's easy on the eyes. Now consider the computer monitor. It's hard to hold at the correct distance for those of us who wear bifocals. Of primary importance though is the fact that monitors emit light, thus creating miniscule eyestrain. If the information you wish to convey cannot be accomplished with a VERY short paragraph…audio is the better choice. It's really no contest.

There are other things audio can do like music and laughter and audio can more readily convey emotion, mood or urgency. The technology is improving all the time and it is now an economically viable tool for many commercial web sites. Clearly, it's an idea whose time has come.

Consider that in todays modern world, at least in the United States, we humans are subjected to a constant, never ending barrage of commercial advertising messages. In order to preserve our sanity, we have learned a defense mechanism. We learn to block things out. The TV blares but we don't hear it. We also have hardware protections. I LOVE the"Mute" button on my TV's remote control. The advertiser paid for the commercial that the TV failed to deliver!

I love beer commercials. They're the most clever and creative genre on TV because the beer makers have learned the ONE IMPORTANT LESSON: We as humans…being constantly bombarded, now demand that we be entertained as an unspoken condition of our paying attention to what you're saying.

What is your audience going to be doing on your web page while they are listening? What will they see? What pictures will the look at? Any forms to fill out?