All posts by Overnight Radio

Original Music Beds

September 8, 2015Commercials, General, Musiccommercials, jingle, music beds, original music beds, production music, radio, radio production, radio spots, televisionOvernight Radio

Music. What could be more important?
Ok, lots of things…like oxygen, water, food, family, friends etc.
But beyond those 5 base ingredients for life, you must add flavor…and music tastes fantastic, in all it’s forms.

In advertising, music plays a major role – everyone is aware how important it is across any active media. The music we use, provides a reflection of the soundtrack to our lives, either currently, or nostalgically. The message is king of course, but with the addition of the right music, the message is enhanced exponentially.

Picking the right music is an art form itself. While producing a spot, you can start to hear the music you will need in your head as you put the voices/sound effects together. You already know how it should sound, unconsciously if not consciously. You might know which styles to avoid, but not which to look for. Sometimes it’s like a carving…you whittle away the parts you don’t need to find the statue inside.

Other times you know the exact style/tempo/genre you want and you know where to find it. Those are miraculous times if not few and far between.

Then, there’s the time you can’t find anything that suits. Nothing. BUT you can hear it in your head.

That’s when original music creation comes in.

This is such a specialized talent, that when someone does emerge with it, they are coveted almost immediately…as there is a never ending amount of need for new and original music in the advertising world.

I graduated from the Music Industry Arts program at Fanshawe College in Ontario with a group of amazing musicians, producers and audio engineers. After graduation, some of us went directly into bands, some into producing bands, others into audio for video, and some into radio commercial production (like yours truly). Very few however, went into creating original music for television and/or radio commercials. But the ones that did, are some of the most successful, with their music being broadcast in commercials all over north america and the world.

Creating original broadcast ready music is not easy. It takes years of first, knowing the basic process of recording, playing multiple instruments, creating great sounds from said instruments, mixing audio (totally different from recording), editing, treating and finally, the social skills to put that music into the world of advertising.

When we create jingles, we use an original music creator from a studio called “Hard Left Productions” http://www.hardleftproductions.net/ that is able to adapt to all genres without prejudice, create them in a very timely manner, and on top of that, able to add vocals when needed with the proper rhythm and cadence the client wants. Sometimes the process is long (a week) other times, fast (a couple days). But in all cases, a piece of beautiful and more importantly, USABLE music emerges.

This is not small. I have worked in radio production for 17 years now, and this is the first time we have had a stable flow of original music to work with.

Knowing your gear and your work flow greatly enhances your chance of making a living at creating original music. But what really helps, is experience. Write, record, mix, write, record, mix…repeat until death. It’s the only way to get to a place where your music will be accepted as you have done it.

I have been asked for advice by younger people just starting out in the industry on how to get something going, and the answer is always the same.

DO.

Just do it…start recording, making music. Even if no one is asking for it. ESPECIALLY if no one is asking for it. This will give you the chance to build up your library of music. You need this library to be big. In order for it to be good, you need to do a lot. And people can tell right away if your stuff is broadcast ready or not immediately. So create your massive library of music beds. Even if you work for someone else in a totally different field.

IF YOU DO SOMETHING, YOU ARE SOMETHING.

In other words, if you create music, you are a musician. Eventually, by the time you get great, someone will have found you and will pay you for your skills, and they will be happy to do it.

Great video resource for radio production!

August 6, 2015GeneralOvernight Radio

Our friends at Newcap Radio, and specifically producer Jay Helmus, have put together some great commercial production instructional videos as a way to connect their own production departments and bring easier mentor-ship to junior producers…but of course, they can apply to anyone in the business of commercial radio production.

They include helpful hints on compression, ‘p’ pop removal, spot length, producing concert spots, working with eq and other processing and so much more.

They are well thought out and bring answers to things that may be items of frustration to newer producers. We encourage any producer to check them out, new or established – as sometimes something we think is the only way of doing something, turns out to be only one of many.

You can find the ‘Newcap Creative Corner’ at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf23dd9UYlQK3kwV-DBnP_g

Write what you know, but not everyone likes what you know.

June 19, 2015Generalannouncers, audio production, Commercial, creative radio, radio, radio account executives, radio production, radio sales, radio scripts, radio stations, script writing, scripts, targeted advertising, television, voice over artistsOvernight Radio

Everyone who is in any sort of creative writing industry, whether it be movies, TV, journalism, blogging or radio, will always give the same advice (if they are any good).

And that is ‘write what you know’.

It’s the best advice, because no matter the story, if you know a lot about it, it shows through and if there are any fans of that subject out there, they will get it, and enjoy it…maybe even enough to buy the corresponding clients product.

There are other advantages to writing what you know too. First off, all your research is already done! No need to look up information about things that may or may not exist – you already know. Plus, you may already have unconscious sentences, paragraphs at the ready somewhere in your brain that you weren’t aware of until you started writing about it.

This all helps in creating a fully functional narrative. A beginning, a middle and an end. Something that is full of hints, secret words and dialogue that shows you have actually been there, seen that or done it. Words that only people in the know will understand.

And of course, THAT is the point.

You are directing your writing to reach that particular person, hopefully thousands of them. Interspersed throughout thousands of others who will pay no attention or negative attention to your creation. That is the collateral damage when it comes to creative writing in the broadcast industry. And very tough to explain to people outside of the sphere of advertising…especially clients new to it.

Neophytes often believe that advertising must be understood by everyone because it is played for everyone. It’s a common misconception of course and easily understandable. Why is this commercial talking to me, if it doesn’t want to reach me?

Fair question…IF you were the only person on earth…because there are a multitude of people around you with varying tastes and needs, all who are also listening to that commercial. It’s something we can’t avoid. If we COULD target the exact people all the time…we definitely would. And we are getting close with internet advertising, but even that is fought with misfires.

It’s why a lot of people don’t get local tv ad’s. Sometimes they are crude, poorly produced and unintentionally funny. While all of this is true, it is also true that it works, given the fact that it continues to this day. The reason it looks funny to you, is because they are not talking to you. Watching/listening to ads is like instantly showing up in a conversation talking about something, anything. It’s POSSIBLE they might be talking about something that interests you, but more times than not, it’s not for you.

But even when it IS for you – sometimes you can tell they are talking through you, and not too you. Something that has all the facts, but not presented in a way that is true to you – a form, a way of speaking, an order of words, that YOU (the writer) know.

You can tell this is happening when you want to take action, but don’t. (ie: there is a great sale going on at store x, but it’s so poorly presented, you assume the product is poor too).

So the next time you write something creative for a client, even if it’s for a product you don’ t know much about – find out about it, know about it…but most of all, write about it from a standpoint that you ALREADY know about. A viewpoint, a certain type of intro, a sense of humor that is yours.

Apply what you know to something you don’t.

The people that CARE about the particular product you are talking about ARE listening, and they will take action if THEY know that YOU know what you are talking about, by HOW you say it.

Write what you know.

Hobbyists hours, hobbyists product.

June 15, 2015Commercialsannouncers, audio production, Commercial, creative radio, jingles, radio, radio account executives, radio production, radio sales, radio scripts, radio stations, script writing, scripts, targeted advertising, voice over artists, voice talentOvernight Radio

“Show me a hobbyists hours, and I’ll show you a hobbyists product…” a friend in the business said to me the other day.

It really struck a chord.

In my experience in the world of radio commercial production in the last 15 years, i have met many people who work for themselves. There was always two kinds…ones that worked all the time, and ones that did not, but expected the same result. But i could never word it in such a ‘to the point’ way.

To me, it says exactly what it takes to be a success at what you do, be it radio or otherwise.

The people that never let up, that work into the night, that work holidays, work weekends, work from the road, on their phone, at their cousins birthday party, are all people who know that working for yourself, means never taking your eye off the ball.

When you work for a corporation, and your hours are structured, most, if not all of the other issues that need to be in place are being taken care of your bosses. Things like payroll, I-T problems, client meetings, accountants, office equipment repair/replacement, bookkeeping, completing credit card payments, invoicing, following up on invoicing, monthly budgets, etc etc.

This allows you time to keep creating the awesome product you were hired for.

But when you work for yourself, you of course need to take on all those roles…none of those things are taken care of. The most important part, your product, needs the most time. It is what you should be working on as much as you can. The other stuff, is a means to an end…something you HAVE to do in order to keep creating your product. It’s all one big cycle. Without a great product, there is no need for payroll, I-T etc. But with a great product, all of these things come down the line.

And until that business pays enough to cover more people to handle those other jobs, it’s up to you. YOU are the boss, YOU must do this all, and you MUST keep on producing your product.

This seems obvious when talking about it, but when it comes down to it, a lot of people are what my friend calls a ‘hobbyist’.

There is nothing wrong with being a hobbyist. I am a hobbyist in some things. I used to be a full time musician, but now, I don’t have the time to be a professional musician, I only have time to be a hobbyist. Which is great! You should always have a hobby.

But if I were to think that playing the guitar part time should land me a number one single, then there is a disconnect…that of course happens with the hobbyist.

This is where it’s easy to find people you want to work and surround yourself with. You divide them up into 2 groups: Pros and Hobbyists.

You are able to tell the pros NOT by their equipment, not by their contacts and not by the description of what they do. You can ONLY tell a pro by their product…in our case: radio (either your stations sound, the voice over artists you use or producers in your employ).

You know a great product when you hear one. When you hear how a voice over artist conveys a script with the proper cadence and emphasis or how a producer spaces out a spot to get the right pause in the right place, with just the right piece of music…these are the things that pro’s do.

A hobbyist does not. They do not have the experience to consistently do the Pro’s job…and it comes across in poorly read scripts, or production that isn’t fit to broadcast.

A hobbyist CAN become a pro…but it requires a tonne of time and practice…which most hobbyist’s are not willing to do.

Don’t let yourself get fooled by a flashy demo or website. It was probably created by pros for the hobbyist.

There’s a million hobbyists out there in all professions. But if you are a pro, you will of course already know, that you are who you surround yourself with. Protect yourself AND your product with professionals…they are the only ones who put the hours in.

Connecting Sales and Creative.

April 13, 2015Commercials, Musicaudio production, Commercial, creative radio, radio, radio account executives, radio production, radio sales, radio scripts, radio stations, scripts, targeted advertisingOvernight Radio

We are from different worlds…different universes. We speak different languages, and therefore we cannot understand each other. One stands for art, the other for commerce. We are opposed.

We are…the creative department and the sales department in the broadcast industry.

Silly of course, to use such dramatic words to describe people that work in the same business, the same building, down the hall. But even though it’s an exaggeration, it IS understood that we DO indeed come from separate ‘worlds’…worlds being another word for a set of principles.

While in an acute sense, it’s not wrong to describe it this way…but in the bigger picture, it does end up being wrong.

Of course, we are all different…men/women…asia/europe…green/blue…and we need those differences to counter-balance the other…and at the same time, we need to be so complimentary to them, that only something very similar can do it. Men can’t live without women, asia is connected to europe, and green easily turns into blue with the help of purple.

My point here is that the creative side of things is not so different from the sales side of things. We need each other…and only something similar to us could be the yin to our yang.

These are things we know inherently, but do NOT know consciously. So sometimes it’s a good idea to consciously reflect on it to remind ourselves that we aren’t so different.

The biggest drawback is from the creative side, thinking that we are the only ‘creative’ ones. Something one might forgive since it’s literally in our name. But creativity takes place in sales all the time…maybe ALL the time. You have to be resourceful, uncanny, precise and loose all at the same time. You go into a sales meeting (that took creativity to get in the first place) with a set of rules in your mind of how it should go – and on top of that, a set of alternate routes to take if things go south. All of these need to be in your mind already, lined up, ready to go in an instant.

The ability to bend yet also be un-bendable is a trait i have admired in sales forever. Knowing how to talk, WHEN to talk, how to reply, how to groom, how to help, and to know when NOT to help are all talents one might have if they were in an improv show. I can tell you that at least for me, creativity is likely the ONLY thing you need in a ‘who’s line is it anyways’ type of show. But these are all traits of our cousins in the sales department.

Creative dept people lose track of that sometimes…and think that just because we hold the paint brushes, that we are the only artists in the building. It’s great to have a paintbrush and have all the masses walk through and see (hear) our paintings. But someone had to pay for it, someone had to commission it…and to bring a cold call to a business, all the way to a painting on the wall (as i keep with the painting/commercial comparison) is an amazing feat – a wildly creative feat.

One i will always admire. I love sales peoples art…it’s hard to see it…but when you do, you realize it’s all around you…and the only reason anyone can see (or hear) yours.

We are the same…just two sides of the coin…sometimes we can’t see each other…but we have each others back.