Adage to Night Time Audio Production
- Alex
- Apr 9, 2019
- 3 min read
You've definitely heard it over a million times. Radio commercials, splitters, promos, PSA's and literally everything outside of music or people actually talking to you on air that comes out of your speakers. You know what I'm talking about! But... did you know there is so much production work involved in creating a radio station and keeping it running. Things need to be produced, updated, reworked, reinvented... daily! Have you ever wondered what goes into making all that zany, whacky, danky, stanky radio?
Well, if you're guessing a lot of time and effort, you are correct. As part of the Radio Broadcasting program at Humber College, I got introduced to exactly what it takes to make things sound good when played back on air. Everything from writing scripts for things, coaching voice talent... coaching yourself as a voice talent... we haven't even touched the audio production side of things yet! Adjusting, fading... it's getting nerdier by the word! Without getting too geeky and boring, I'll loosely leave it at this. It takes a lot of time, effort and creativity to make the whole gag come together.
My personal endeavors in radio production have so far been riddled with late nights, coffee and the occasional inhaling of herbal combustibles... ;) Seeing as there are roughly thirty students in my program, and only three production studios among the thirty of us, daytime spots are a bit of a hot commodity. Also, seeing as everybody in the program is a bit of a radio geek, we all tend to hang out together in between classes. Any guesses as to where we go? Yup! You guessed it, the studios. This makes studio time during the day pretty distracting to say the least...
But once all the kiddies are off to bed, the real weirdos come out to play. One thing I like about the night is that generally, there is nobody left over in the studios. You have time, you have space, you have mental clarity, free from distractions. It's just you, your thoughts and whatever you conjure up in the production studio. Also, you can dance around like an idiot, and you're the only person to witness it!
Which is necessary because more often than not, when you get to the studios late at night, you've already had a full day! So, maintaining high energy is a major key. Blare your favourite music, dance like nobody's watching, drink a bunch of coffee! The night is yours, and it's your task to be liberated by it. You can scream, howl and cry, and it will all fall on deaf ears... unless you want to record it! Which is also great, because you don't have to worry about how you sound in front of all your peers, and be embarrassed by yourself. Make a fool of yourself, and make sure you're the only one to hear it! As long as it sounds good to you, you're ahead of the game.
The night does have its consequences... like, mornings! Fuck mornings. Mornings are literally the work of the devil. What the flying fuck, who created them?!?! After staying awake for so long, letting that creative energy burn the midnight oil... mornings can be tough.
But is it worth it? Is it worth the silence? Worth the quiet? The peace? You're gonna have to try it yourself, and let me know!
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