"Ether without dirt": how to make a "clean" radio
Consumers of any product want to get quality, it does not matter if it is a product or service. But one of the most demanding, sensitive and capricious audiences is people who consume media (TV, radio, newspapers, news agencies, and even communities in social networks).
Perhaps an important feedback in this situation was played by the available feedback: just look at any article of any media with a large audience - there are always a couple of people in the comments who will point out a mistake, a miscalculation and a flaw.
In the field of broadcasting, the situation is similar: SMS-portals are open to hundreds of those who are dissatisfied with what is happening on the air, and discontent can be caused both by an opinion that is polar to the listener and the smallest technical marriage.
Rae Allen CC Photo
Here is a message once came to one of the most popular radio stations:
After such an SMS, the technical staff decided to check what was the matter: it turned out that the fader of the left channel was displayed a couple of millimeters higher than the fader of the right one. The editors laughed, but as they say, the sediment remained.
Nevertheless, the amount of negative can be reduced by following a few simple rules. Of course, it’s impossible to get rid of “crazy people,” but without the “dirt” in the air of negative reviews there will be much less. This article will tell you how to work "clean".
In general, the rules for maintaining a good air can be divided into technical and "human." But the point “silence in the air” refers to both.
The first rule is that no matter what, show must go on. In the most direct sense: the electricity went down, the Internet fell, the editorial office caught fire, a wild cheetah sneaked into the studio, a meteorite was approaching Earth, the hosts announced a strike, the guys from the office from above accidentally flooded everyone - the air should sound.
There are many options for emergency cases: a backup CD in the player, if computers are broken, backup power sources and the Internet - if the electricity has fallen, a backup studio, if a cheetah. On those radio stations where no one is on duty on the air at night, even the guards should be able to turn on the reserve.
In this regard, a scene from the movie “ Rock Wave ” is indicative, where a ship with a radio station on board is sinking, but the broadcast is conducted to the last - the most accurate metaphor of what is happening on the radio. Of course, this does not mean that the presenter must risk his life and health, if only the radio sounded, but he must do everything so that the state of emergency causes minimal damage to the airwaves.
If you want to offend a radio host, then call his work “boltology” (by the way, we have already written about this ). Linear DJs, those who "sit on the air", that is, do not conduct any programs, put songs and produce advertising, it is necessary to catch the fine line between periodic conversations and unobtrusiveness. That is great, if a DJ can beautifully “bring” a song, and maybe tell a heartfelt story, intrigue the listener or make a good joke, but this does not mean that you need to go on the air after each song.
With this, modern CHR radio stations often sin (we told about this and other formats here ), where DJs talk about sound weather, difficult working day and "the best music on the waves of our radio station" at the speed of sound.
Speaking on the air is necessary only when there is something to say. Ideally, a professional radio host always has something to say, but the audience does not always want to listen to him. That is why it is important to find a balance, the DJ simply has to feel the audience: when she is set up to communicate, and when she wants only music.
Photo by Andréanne Germain CC
At the very beginning of a career it is better to prescribe everything: even short broadcasts, but you need to move aside as soon as possible from the “readings from paper” - the audience of radio stations is very sensitive, she will feel when the DJ reads from the page. The same thing happens if the DJ went on the air, but he has nothing to say: the voice is the most traitorous marker, he will give out uncertainty faster than the presenter will finish the sentence. During the exits, it is advisable to identify your radio station so that random listeners do not guess which radio was turned on. The easiest way to start or end a speech is with the phrase “you are listening to the radio ...”, but to harmoniously weave the mention of the station into your mini-performance - this is aerobatics.
On the same radio station on the evening air, the presenter came up with a “trick” for herself - during her exits to quiet quiet tracks, she read excerpts from Tove Jansson's stories about Moomin trolls. It sounded magical and listeners responded positively.
The art of "pure" radio - in the details. And after the appearance of a special software, this art became much more accessible (what software is used on radio stations today, we have already told ).
At this stage, we turn to technical issues: there is an opinion that the favorite DJ music plays on the radio, but this is not so. The entire broadcasting grid is programmed in DJin, Digiton or other software, the sequence, the time of airing, etc. are set. It is very important to make a good “gluing together” - the process is about the same as what club DJs do when they make the transition between two songs.
When after a song there is a fading or a pause - this is a marriage. Two tracks “stick together” with each other so that the transition is beautiful and the rhythmic pattern does not get lost. It creates an effect of continuity and pleasant sound. Once a jingle is put in two songs, which identifies the radio station, one also has to “stick together” with it. A sign of true mastery is the ability to glue together musical compositions so that the jingle falls clearly on the rhythm of the two songs, between which it stands.
Radium software also allows for “markup”. Now linear presenters rarely speak “back” or “substrate” - background music specifically for broadcasting. Most often, the DJ goes on the air at the junction of two songs, or at the beginning or end of the composition - a beautiful exit always ends a second before the vocalist of the song enters.
Before the invention of radio software, DJs memorized the duration of the intro or outro of all tracks, now there is a “markup” for this (although sometimes DJs are lazy and do not mark the tracks, relying on their memory). When opening the rhythmic pattern of the track, the presenter finds a place in the special window where the vocalist enters, a mark is placed there and the track is saved in this form.
In the main window of the program there are several timers: as a rule, one shows a countdown to the end of the song, and the second - to the beginning of the vocal. It is very convenient, the main thing is to stop your broadcast while the watch is ticking.
Thanks to these two simple techniques, “dirt” is removed, when silence can appear on the air for a few seconds, or when the unlucky host “climbed” with his broadcast, say, for the introduction of 21 Pilots - Heathens.
This item often leads to desperate rabies of radio listeners, who write whole paragraphs of angry SMS about how their favorite song carried them to the country of green meadows and clear sky, and then suddenly stopped at the most interesting place, and an idyllic world burst into advertisements of a famous auto concern. And the point here is not only that it is a marriage that anger the audience. Such circumcision also harms the advertiser, which automatically becomes an annoying factor.
To avoid this, you need to listen to your program director. He makes a playlist so that everything is exactly second to second, so if you really want to replace a boring software track with your own, cool and fun (which at many stations is punished with a fine), the entire broadcasting network will have to be “adjusted” by seconds so that there are no circumcised songs.
And yet, there are moments that are impossible to foresee. For example, a weather forecast is broadcast twice a hour, which can take 10, 20 or 30 seconds of airtime, as well as news broadcasts that also differ in time. It is clear that no one will shift advertising on the air grid for more than a minute (because there are special “tags” that trigger local advertising in regional branches, and if they do not sound, there will be no advertising).
If the playlist shows that there will be a shortage of time, it is best to put the instrumental composition on the last song, then everything will be correct and harmonious. In the case of "busting" or looking for a shorter track, or, again, put the "instrumental" instead.
Especially often songs (and sometimes even entire programs) are cut short in the regional branches of radio stations. This is mainly due to the fact that the employees of these branches deviate from the playlist proposed by the central office and put their songs.
Cindy Funk CC Photos
When the presenter is himself a sound engineer, this complicates his work. But there are a few rules, observing which, you can avoid the "dirt".
Firstly, the sound level must always be monitored: it happens that the compositions are recorded quieter than the air sounds, and the program director missed this point - it means that the fader must be moved in time with the sound up. It so happens that in the news an interview of a specialist who broadcasts it on the phone is broadcast - and you can hear it now loudly, now silently - also a fader.
And sometimes, the song is ideally suited for the duration at the end of an hour, but ends with a slow decay - the fader can correct the sound in real time. And one more thing: first the DJ starts to speak, and then lowers the fader with the sound of “back” (but the difference should be in a fraction of a second) - this rule is connected with harmonious sound - a sharp attenuation without a voice hits the ear.
The microphone is the center of the radio universe, you should also watch it. You should always check if it is turned off when the DJ is not on the air. At many stations there are special bright red lamps - indicators hung throughout the studio, they light up when the microphone is turned on - this is very convenient.
But if there are no such lamps, it is enough to accustom yourself to look at the indicators of the console. Stories about how the DJ forgot to turn off the microphone - a million, and not always they ended up positively. Let's not forget, for example, that profanity on the air is prohibited by law and threatens with heavy fines.
In most cases, there is a special “coughing” on the console - the button, which you can cough, sneeze, swear shortly or inhale, holding it. In the air, of course, this can not be done.
By following these simple rules, you can avoid most of the negative feedback from your audience. It is noteworthy that everything written above has long been set forth on specialized resources, in textbooks and even in the internal charters of radio stations, but DJs persist in violating these rules, which leads to a decline in the image of not only a single radio station, but also of the market as a whole.
But now, if some kind of marriage happens on the air of your favorite radio station, you will know why it happened. Although it’s probably not worth writing an angry message about it: this is how the presenter saves nerves and part of his salary - after all, only the one who does not do anything is wrong.
Our new historical material:
Other articles from our blog on GT and Mira Hi-Fi:
Perhaps an important feedback in this situation was played by the available feedback: just look at any article of any media with a large audience - there are always a couple of people in the comments who will point out a mistake, a miscalculation and a flaw.
In the field of broadcasting, the situation is similar: SMS-portals are open to hundreds of those who are dissatisfied with what is happening on the air, and discontent can be caused both by an opinion that is polar to the listener and the smallest technical marriage.
Rae Allen CC Photo
Here is a message once came to one of the most popular radio stations:
“Dear radio! I listen to my favorite radio station, and I understand that you are all there, it seems, *** [they went crazy]. The sound from the left channel is louder than from the right.
It is impossible to listen. Rolled you guys "
After such an SMS, the technical staff decided to check what was the matter: it turned out that the fader of the left channel was displayed a couple of millimeters higher than the fader of the right one. The editors laughed, but as they say, the sediment remained.
Nevertheless, the amount of negative can be reduced by following a few simple rules. Of course, it’s impossible to get rid of “crazy people,” but without the “dirt” in the air of negative reviews there will be much less. This article will tell you how to work "clean".
Silence is the greatest evil
In general, the rules for maintaining a good air can be divided into technical and "human." But the point “silence in the air” refers to both.
The first rule is that no matter what, show must go on. In the most direct sense: the electricity went down, the Internet fell, the editorial office caught fire, a wild cheetah sneaked into the studio, a meteorite was approaching Earth, the hosts announced a strike, the guys from the office from above accidentally flooded everyone - the air should sound.
There are many options for emergency cases: a backup CD in the player, if computers are broken, backup power sources and the Internet - if the electricity has fallen, a backup studio, if a cheetah. On those radio stations where no one is on duty on the air at night, even the guards should be able to turn on the reserve.
In this regard, a scene from the movie “ Rock Wave ” is indicative, where a ship with a radio station on board is sinking, but the broadcast is conducted to the last - the most accurate metaphor of what is happening on the radio. Of course, this does not mean that the presenter must risk his life and health, if only the radio sounded, but he must do everything so that the state of emergency causes minimal damage to the airwaves.
Speak, if you have something to say
If you want to offend a radio host, then call his work “boltology” (by the way, we have already written about this ). Linear DJs, those who "sit on the air", that is, do not conduct any programs, put songs and produce advertising, it is necessary to catch the fine line between periodic conversations and unobtrusiveness. That is great, if a DJ can beautifully “bring” a song, and maybe tell a heartfelt story, intrigue the listener or make a good joke, but this does not mean that you need to go on the air after each song.
With this, modern CHR radio stations often sin (we told about this and other formats here ), where DJs talk about sound weather, difficult working day and "the best music on the waves of our radio station" at the speed of sound.
Speaking on the air is necessary only when there is something to say. Ideally, a professional radio host always has something to say, but the audience does not always want to listen to him. That is why it is important to find a balance, the DJ simply has to feel the audience: when she is set up to communicate, and when she wants only music.
Photo by Andréanne Germain CC
At the very beginning of a career it is better to prescribe everything: even short broadcasts, but you need to move aside as soon as possible from the “readings from paper” - the audience of radio stations is very sensitive, she will feel when the DJ reads from the page. The same thing happens if the DJ went on the air, but he has nothing to say: the voice is the most traitorous marker, he will give out uncertainty faster than the presenter will finish the sentence. During the exits, it is advisable to identify your radio station so that random listeners do not guess which radio was turned on. The easiest way to start or end a speech is with the phrase “you are listening to the radio ...”, but to harmoniously weave the mention of the station into your mini-performance - this is aerobatics.
On the same radio station on the evening air, the presenter came up with a “trick” for herself - during her exits to quiet quiet tracks, she read excerpts from Tove Jansson's stories about Moomin trolls. It sounded magical and listeners responded positively.
Clay, mark up
The art of "pure" radio - in the details. And after the appearance of a special software, this art became much more accessible (what software is used on radio stations today, we have already told ).
At this stage, we turn to technical issues: there is an opinion that the favorite DJ music plays on the radio, but this is not so. The entire broadcasting grid is programmed in DJin, Digiton or other software, the sequence, the time of airing, etc. are set. It is very important to make a good “gluing together” - the process is about the same as what club DJs do when they make the transition between two songs.
When after a song there is a fading or a pause - this is a marriage. Two tracks “stick together” with each other so that the transition is beautiful and the rhythmic pattern does not get lost. It creates an effect of continuity and pleasant sound. Once a jingle is put in two songs, which identifies the radio station, one also has to “stick together” with it. A sign of true mastery is the ability to glue together musical compositions so that the jingle falls clearly on the rhythm of the two songs, between which it stands.
Radium software also allows for “markup”. Now linear presenters rarely speak “back” or “substrate” - background music specifically for broadcasting. Most often, the DJ goes on the air at the junction of two songs, or at the beginning or end of the composition - a beautiful exit always ends a second before the vocalist of the song enters.
Before the invention of radio software, DJs memorized the duration of the intro or outro of all tracks, now there is a “markup” for this (although sometimes DJs are lazy and do not mark the tracks, relying on their memory). When opening the rhythmic pattern of the track, the presenter finds a place in the special window where the vocalist enters, a mark is placed there and the track is saved in this form.
In the main window of the program there are several timers: as a rule, one shows a countdown to the end of the song, and the second - to the beginning of the vocal. It is very convenient, the main thing is to stop your broadcast while the watch is ticking.
Thanks to these two simple techniques, “dirt” is removed, when silence can appear on the air for a few seconds, or when the unlucky host “climbed” with his broadcast, say, for the introduction of 21 Pilots - Heathens.
No need to cut
This item often leads to desperate rabies of radio listeners, who write whole paragraphs of angry SMS about how their favorite song carried them to the country of green meadows and clear sky, and then suddenly stopped at the most interesting place, and an idyllic world burst into advertisements of a famous auto concern. And the point here is not only that it is a marriage that anger the audience. Such circumcision also harms the advertiser, which automatically becomes an annoying factor.
To avoid this, you need to listen to your program director. He makes a playlist so that everything is exactly second to second, so if you really want to replace a boring software track with your own, cool and fun (which at many stations is punished with a fine), the entire broadcasting network will have to be “adjusted” by seconds so that there are no circumcised songs.
And yet, there are moments that are impossible to foresee. For example, a weather forecast is broadcast twice a hour, which can take 10, 20 or 30 seconds of airtime, as well as news broadcasts that also differ in time. It is clear that no one will shift advertising on the air grid for more than a minute (because there are special “tags” that trigger local advertising in regional branches, and if they do not sound, there will be no advertising).
If the playlist shows that there will be a shortage of time, it is best to put the instrumental composition on the last song, then everything will be correct and harmonious. In the case of "busting" or looking for a shorter track, or, again, put the "instrumental" instead.
Especially often songs (and sometimes even entire programs) are cut short in the regional branches of radio stations. This is mainly due to the fact that the employees of these branches deviate from the playlist proposed by the central office and put their songs.
Cindy Funk CC Photos
The remote is holy
When the presenter is himself a sound engineer, this complicates his work. But there are a few rules, observing which, you can avoid the "dirt".
Firstly, the sound level must always be monitored: it happens that the compositions are recorded quieter than the air sounds, and the program director missed this point - it means that the fader must be moved in time with the sound up. It so happens that in the news an interview of a specialist who broadcasts it on the phone is broadcast - and you can hear it now loudly, now silently - also a fader.
And sometimes, the song is ideally suited for the duration at the end of an hour, but ends with a slow decay - the fader can correct the sound in real time. And one more thing: first the DJ starts to speak, and then lowers the fader with the sound of “back” (but the difference should be in a fraction of a second) - this rule is connected with harmonious sound - a sharp attenuation without a voice hits the ear.
The microphone is the center of the radio universe, you should also watch it. You should always check if it is turned off when the DJ is not on the air. At many stations there are special bright red lamps - indicators hung throughout the studio, they light up when the microphone is turned on - this is very convenient.
But if there are no such lamps, it is enough to accustom yourself to look at the indicators of the console. Stories about how the DJ forgot to turn off the microphone - a million, and not always they ended up positively. Let's not forget, for example, that profanity on the air is prohibited by law and threatens with heavy fines.
In most cases, there is a special “coughing” on the console - the button, which you can cough, sneeze, swear shortly or inhale, holding it. In the air, of course, this can not be done.
By following these simple rules, you can avoid most of the negative feedback from your audience. It is noteworthy that everything written above has long been set forth on specialized resources, in textbooks and even in the internal charters of radio stations, but DJs persist in violating these rules, which leads to a decline in the image of not only a single radio station, but also of the market as a whole.
But now, if some kind of marriage happens on the air of your favorite radio station, you will know why it happened. Although it’s probably not worth writing an angry message about it: this is how the presenter saves nerves and part of his salary - after all, only the one who does not do anything is wrong.
Our new historical material:
" How rock and roll sounded": the story of the brand Marshall
Other articles from our blog on GT and Mira Hi-Fi:
All Articles