Please Consider Contributing to the Radio Show

[rmbittner]

I've had a lot of fun doing a couple of humorous pieces for the Radio Show. I hope everyone here who has the ability to record audio will consider contributing too. It's amazing to hear your own work featured on a radio show/podcast.
BTW, you don't need much equipment here. Even though I do have a Pro Tools-based home recording studio, both of my ads were done entirely at my office desk, using GarageBand on an iMac. (I'd be happy to provide more info, if anyone wants/needs it.)
Bob

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I piddled around at trying to make one, but it sounded like I was in a tin can. I have lots of photo tools, but no audio tools. Besides, someone beat me to the cat hair blend Oh well, it is fun to listen to them.

 

[rmbittner]

cosmic:
"it is fun to listen to them"
Thanks!
As for the "tin can". . . I'm using a USB GO MIC by Samson. I picked it up so I could record songwriting demos on my iPad, but it works fine with the iMac. (I've been away from the Windows world for over a year, so I'm not up to speed on what Windows users might need here.) It's very much susceptible to plosives, but other than that I think it provides better sound than you might get from your computer's built-in mic. Otherwise, the closer you get to any mic, the less you'll have to worry about room noise, which is what I think is leading to the "tin can" kind of sound. Also, many mics characteristically exhibit a "proximity effect," meaning that the closer you get to them, the more they accentuate the bottom end. So, again, closer is often better, especially for audio intended for radio. (Or it may just be a mic that's not quite up to the task.)
There's also a lot that can be done with EQ. I don't know what kind of software you're using, but you should be able to cut the midrange and high-mids a bit and accentuate the low-mids and bottom frequencies.
Bob

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Oh, yes, you were great. Sorry, I am slow. I loved the whole thing, and was kicking myself on the Persian/cat hair thing I was going to go for also. But, you did far better than I could have done. I am not very good with voices. Some have faces made for radio. I have a voice made for being a novelist, lol.
I have Audacity and a mic/headphone thing, but I just don't understand any of the terminology of the whole genre. Back in the 80's when I had an EQ, the idea was to just push all of the sliders into the "up" position, lol. I will play with it.

 

[rmbittner]

Audacity should be able to get you there.
I'd suggest that you record a couple of lines. Then click on Effect and choose Equalization. Then click the Graphic EQ button. You'll see a row of sliders that probably look a lot like the EQs you used in the 80s. Try lowering the slider under "400Hz" a quarter-inch or so. Listen back and see what that does to the sound. If it's not helping, put the slider back up to 0 and try lowering the slider at 800Hz. If that helps a little bit more, play around with adjusting the slider that Audacity calls "Length of Filter" but which every other audio EQ would call the "Q." This determines whether your cut at 800Hz is very narrowly confined to frequencies around 800Hz or whether it extends to a wider range of frequencies. If it sounds good to you, it is good.
You'll likely be tempted to really boost the lower frequencies to get a richer, more deep-bodied sound. I'll just warn you to be cautious there. When it comes to EQ, a little can go a long way. And you'll get much better results by cutting/lowering unflattering frequencies than boosting other frequencies.
As for "voices": Not a requirement at all! I enjoy doing that, so it's what I do. I also enjoy writing/recording music, so I include my stuff as background music for these pieces. Again, not a requirement at all, just something I enjoy. But most of the ads that run on the Radio Show are straightforward single-voice performances, and most don't include music at all or even sound effects. Do your own thing!
Bob