I'm A Man cover on the Chapman Stick

A test of the setup I have to record video of my songs and covers.

Using the Chapman Stick and a singing at the same time. This is live and no loopers... or Autotune.

More tunes to come.

Keep learning, baby!

I decided to attend the YES Business skills for creative souls conference at the Rialto Theatre in Montreal.

Considering that I have marketing skills that I have used for almost 40 years I am hoping to get at least 1 "ah ha" moment.

Stand up to the microphone

It takes guts to step up to the mic. Too close and it sounds awful. Too far and... what did you say?

Maybe nervous and then your voice shakes. Forget what you were going to say and you feel like diying.

Wow! This really isn't helping is it?

Don't lose it... with planning, practice and sound advice, you'll step up and tell it like it is. After all you are there because you want to educate and entertain your audience.

And enjoy it!

...a little self talk (;-|)

Been silent a while...

Wow!      Almost 4 years since I posted...

I guess that qualifies as a whole rest in music, hmmm

Still using microphones and mixers...

Making more music than ever...

Heck even using my voice...

I like this, I like this a lot.

What are you making noise about?

Size Does Matter (Not that, the microphone!)

Recording interviews over the telephone is powerful tool for creating content and info products.

However, be aware of headsets and telephone hand helds.

The diameter of the mouth piece (microphone) will very the quality of the spoken word delivered via the telephone line. I will not get into the technical aspect of KHz and bandwidth, but the thing to remember is:

1) The quality of the telephone. Those $9.99 telephones you can buy at the pharmacy or retail sales stores are... well.. worth 10 bucks, so be sure to use a quality telephone
2) The smaller the microphone diameter (the size of the microphone capsule in the telephone) is in most cases limiting or enhancing the audio quality. The larger the capsule usually gives you better low end (bass) response and consequently a better voice recording
3) Wireless phones and cel phones... you are taking a chance that interference, battery decay and signal strength will effect your recording.

So yes, size does matter

Flash Back to Audio Technology 1985

Interesting how times have really changed.

20 years ago I was editing voice recordings done in a studio in the same location on a 2 track Scully Reel to Reel tape recorder. I would then edit the narration using a rasor blade and splicing block.

Yesterday I recorded a narration by telephone with someone in Wisconsin and I am in Montreal, QC, Canada. It was recorded on a computer and edited using a program called sound forge. Then I uploaded the final files onto my server and the client in wisconsin downloaded them.

Today, 1 day later, they are a final CD for sale to subscribers.

Gotta love it!

PS: I was paid within an hour of completion through electronic banking....

Promote in Your Online Audio Messages

More and more websites now have audio on the home or landing page.

However, many forget to promote their "sign up" for a newsletter, podcast or product notifications.

Explaining the quick simple steps, as well as and equaly important, benefits of signing up.

Website marketers and owners are always asking how they can build their mailing list. Why not take advantage of your own website to move your prospects closer to the sale.

Forced to Listen

Been a bit of a gap here due to the fact that I have fighting a cold. (Head, nose and throat).

Drinking lots of water, sweating it out and rest has been the order of the last few days. Of course, giving the throat a bit of a break by talking the least possible has made me appreciate (once again) that listening is so important.

I ride the train in and out of town when I go into the city (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) , which is about once a week.

Today on the way back I noticed that about 2 out of 5 people were plugged into MP3 players and iPods. (This is good news for Podcasters!)

2 out of 5 are reading or snoozing, hope they don't miss their stop and the rest are having conversations.

Now some are loud and others more intimate.

Why am I telling you this?

Just to say that LOUD constantly, is annoying and to quite forces you to over consentrate to listen, which is very tiring.

Listening should not be work for your audience.

Speaking with some variation of volume, vocal infection, good tone and using pauses when intended is what makes dialog interesting and keeps the listener tuned into the conversation.

NOTE: 4 Cellular phones rang during the few minutes that I wrote this.

Boy are we plugged in or what?

Bernie

Frequently Asked Questions in Audio

One of the big time consumers in business is reapeting the same answer to the same questions over and over.

Now most web sites have an FAQ page. But in all fairness when the answers are to long, many visitors will not read them and either:

1) Ask the question in an email
2) Just leave the site to never come back.

An audio answer option explaining your response is just as effective as when you are at a business networking event or having coffee with a prospect and telling your listener the answer to the common question.

You'll not only be sharing some usefull info, bringing your listener to a better understanding of how you can help, but solidifying the relationship because hearing a voice brings with it personality. Personality that is hard to transmit in a brief amount of time with just the written word.

Audio, Podcasting and Time Management

Quite often the difference between success and failure is not the amount of work, but the repetition of small acts.

Over the last 27 years I have been doing audio recording, music and spoken word. Quite consistently for others (clients). However, for my own business and success it's kind of like the shoemakers shoes.

Well, today that is changing. I am off to the Podcast conference in California at the end of September.

So watch what happens. Pre, During and Post.

Stay tuned...

Bernie

Sound + Interactivity = Multimedia Experience

Using sound adds personaliy to a website that text alone can not equal. By including interactivity such as customer response, selection and navigation to appropriate information, the visitor becomes part of an experience that is inviting.

They stay longer, the site is bookmarked and revisited more often. And the possability of a dialog taking place is greatly enhanced.

Take for example Home Depot's use of interactivity.

"Retailers aim to boost online experience"
By Bob Tedeschi

Audio over the web - solo or with video

I get asked this many times when I meet people asking me about audio over the Internet.

First audio over the Internet can be music, narrative or ambiant.

Which of these or combination there of, is a question of taste and preferrence.

So is audio programming on it's own or as part of the "video" experience.

When it comes to business communications, it's whatever gets the job done (marketing, training, sales, etc.).

When it's entertainment I prefer both forms. Maybe because I grew up in the "60's radio pre-music video" era. I still enjoy listening to music with my eyes closed and letting the emotions and imagination create the "scene".

However, I have to admit I love sci-fi movies (Harry Potter, Star Trek, Lord of The Rings, etc,) amazing sound tracks.

In the meantime, check out the Hanso Foundation . Great use of audio and video. You'll need hi speed access for this one.

Bernie

Sound on a website, a 2 step proccess

All to often, the Internet Marketing Guru's tell you how to post audio on a web site. This in 99% of the cases refers to "Buy this software through me so I get my commission and I hope you know what to say..."

The fact is software is one thing and communicating is all together a different matter.

So 2 steps . . .

1st - The Message & Concept - Storyboard (brainstorm) and create a spoken word script.

2nd - Capture and Publish - Record, edit, mix and encode

Finally another phase all together if you want to be heard and not just another tree "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, did it make a sound." . . . Marketing

Bernie

Listen For Tone

The next time you are in conversation with a prospect, client or even a family member, listen carefully to the tone of voice they use.

If you try to follow their tone (loud to soft, clear or subdued, quick slow, connected or with pauses, etc. . .) you will notice distinct characteristics.

When dealing woith someone who is to excited or loud try return your responses or ask questions at a slower or quieter tone and chances are they will respond in kind, if they are listening.

Bernie

Visit www.richmediasound.com for more tips

What is streaming audio?

Streaming audio is a way of playing audio over the internet, where the listener does not actually download the full audio file to start listening to that file. Audio can be streamed in several formats. The more popular are mp3, Real player, Flash and windows media audio.