|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|  |
|||||||||||||||||||
 |
Jim and I needed to get rid of a bad computer. There really was only one way to destory it.
Voiceworks Party on Nov. 30th, 2006. The Cookhouse gang and our great friend, Mona!
Check out what we have been up to in one of our studios! The Voiceworks team has been hard at work remodeling this studio before January 1st the the BIG MERGE is final. October 18, 2006 Mix For The "Real World" Your engineer can be a great reference for you when trying to decide how hot your background music or sound effects should be in your final mix. I know my room and my monitors very well. I know how they translate to the "real world" of background noise and traffic sounds. I've found that you have to mix music and sound effects a bit louder than you might be comfortable with in the studio to make it sound right in your average listening environment. In a mix session, I will always start with the levels where I think they should be. I then, of course, will make adjustments for you from that point, but will always take the time to explain why, I think, they should be where I set them in the beginning. Sometimes, for people who are not in the studio everyday, it is hard to reset your "audio threshold", so to speak, after listening to the voices being recorded and edited over and over. You get so used to hearing the voice alone that any added element, at first, may sound like it is interfering with the clarity of the message. Try to listen like it's the first time you have heard the spot. On the first listen, the brain automatically follows the voice. I often hear people say that they are getting caught up in the melody of the music, or that the beat is distracting. This can happen, but most of the time I have found that this is because, through sheer repetition, you override the natural listening pattern and follow the newest element, in this case the music, instead of the voice. One trick we do in the studio to counteract this problem is playing the spot at low volume on the smallest speakers available. Another is the "hall trick", where we play the spot at a louder volume and stand in the next room. It's amazing how this technique can replicate what your mix will sound like in the real world. A control room can be so quiet, so acoustically tuned, that it makes everything sound so "up front", or overwhelming that it can fool even the most experienced writers and producers into thinking that the background mix is too loud. It is at this point your engineer can help you decide if you are being fooled by the studio "vacuum", or if what you are hearing is really what you will hear in a natural environment. Some it works to make your listening environment noisier, to simulate the real world. Hope to see you "In Studio"
September 20, 2006 In a world full of pretense, Cookhouse tries to be a place where you can get a little idea of what the regular, everyday people respond to. How do we do that? We ARE regular people. Sure, we love to pamper you, but we also know when to back off and just treat you like we would treat a friend. Sometimes, the person who fawns all over you is the last person who should be giving you feedback about your spot. What's more important, raspberry syrup for your coffee, or a honest, sincere effort, resulting in world class audio? And all without tooting our own horn. Some engineers are so busy telling you how much they are helping you, or how much technical ingenuity they are adding, that you just may lose focus on the important things - like is your commercial working? Pretense comes in many forms. There is pretense in assuming that all actors from California are easier to direct than actors from Minneapolis. There is pretense in telling people that you are the only place in town that knows how to help you create award winning radio. There is also pretense in wasting so much time pulling so many choices of music and sound effects prior to the session (and charging you full rate for the time), that 90% of them will never be used in your project. We are happy to get you whatever you need. If you want us to pull music and sound effects before a session, we will do so, but we won't pull a ridiculous amount, and charge you an extra two hours to do it. Sometimes, we'll even do it without you having to ask, but when we do it without you asking, we don't charge you for it. I mean, you can't really cover every possibility that comes up during a session, so why not pull a reasonable amount of music and sound effects, and maybe find a few more during the mix? If you want Starbucks, or a late afternoon snack, we'd love to get it for you. We make runs all the time. We have pop, water, snacks and even beer always on hand. We also try to keep some fresh fruit in the refrigerator. And we serve Seattle's Best coffee, and Starbuck's Decaf. (Maybe a little pretentious, but really good.) We love what we do, and we will always do your project the way YOU want it. We think we are the best of both worlds. Nice regular folk who are great at producing audio. I'm sorry, am I being a little pretentious? See you "In Studio" September 7, 2006 Multi-Talented Talent We are continually blown away by the voice talent that walk through the doors, every day. But, we are particularly impressed by the folks who can do it all. There are many who come to mind, but we are just going to be able to name a few in this article. Forgive us if you fit the bill, but weren't mentioned. Mark Benninghofen and Joe Weismann at Shout Radio are perfect examples of multi-talented talent. Joe started as a writer, and not long after became a top voice actor. Mark started as an actor, and transitioned into an award winning writer. They are both talented musicians, as well. They make a great team, and they are so easy to work with. Hiring voice actors with experience on "both sides of the glass" gives you a distinct advantage. They understand what you are going through, and can give you honest feedback about how to make the spot as good as it can be. Gary Bingner of Quasimodo Advertising is another great example. He is a successful talent who is highly sought after for his skills in the "man on the street" interview style. He is also known for his "everyman" announcer style. His experience with clients, his years at big agencies, and his award winning writing skills can only inhance your commercials when you have him in the studio as a voice talent. Lynda Crotty is a funny, entertaining voice talent as well as a great writer/producer. She brings her impressive resume into every session as well as her contagious laugh. Lynda’s production company, Lynda Crotty Radio, is one of the top writer/producer companies around and she creates some of the best radio you will hear. Having worked with companies such as Bert Berdis in LA and Craig Wiese & Company in Minneapolis, you get her well rounded experience in producing/writing as well as a great voice over talent These are just a few of the great multi-talented folks you can hire today. They will, obviously, not re-write your spot for free, they do that for a living. But, they will bring their knowledge, taste, skill and humor from both a writer's perspective, and an actor's to your session. It's something you get when you hire a multi- talent. School has started up. We hope all of you are getting used to the busy feeling that seems to be buzzing around right now. Wait, maybe that’s just the 7,000 people (in one day)registering for American Idol that is taking place in Minneapolis this year. You’re right, it’s probably both. Sincerely, Doug, Jim, and Kate
If you’re an agency that distributes commercials through digital distribution, you should ask Kate about Spot Genie. Kate has been working with Spot Genie for almost 2 years now and since then Cookhouse has been able to offer one of the lowest, if not the lowest, prices for distribution in the Call or email Kate – 612-333-2067 kate@cookhouse.com |
||||||||||||||||||||
©MMV, CookhouseRecording 612 333 2067, All Rights Reserved. Design by eDigita. |
|||||||||||||||||||||
