General Writing Questions:
1. Before you begin writing, do you script out the general outline of plot and characters, or do you let these situations evolve as you write?
While I don’t make a habit of scoping out the whole work before I begin, I tend to have an idea of the major characters and their back stories before I begin. A lot of my writing is dynamic in the sense that the characters drive the story while I’m writing.
2. I’ve heard repetitively that writers should deal with writing as any other job. Do you have a scheduled or structured writing routine? Please detail.
While I’d love to treat writing as my day job, I already have one of those that demands a lot of my time. I also have a family that eats up most of the rest of my waking hours so i tend to be more of a hooligan writer, or spur of the moment. I always have something with me that I can write with, be it a laptop, mobile device, or pencil and paper. When the feeling strikes, or when I have a moment to get a few words down on a story I’m working on, I take full advantage of it.
3. What is your writing environment like? (cats, music, computer, etc.) How has this evolved/changed?
My writing environment as a rule is very quiet. Music and other distractions make it harder for me to get in to the story and prevent me from writing as much as I can. I am visited regularly by my cat and dog however.
4. Do you write anything, or have you, that is solely for yourself? (no intention of sharing with a larger audience?)
I’ve written some pieces, mostly when I was younger that were never meant for public consumption. I’d likely be somewhat embarrassed by them now, not only for their content but for their style. Luckily I’ve paid several small woodland creatures to paper their nests with the original typed documents.
5. How has social media played a role in your writing?
Social Media is a strange animal. It gives in the sense that it helps you to reach out and communicate with people that you might never have had the ability to meet otherwise, and it can help you grow as a writer by introducing you to new sources of knowledge and styles you’d never considered. it’s also a taker. Social Media can suck an afternoon away from you faster than a newborn drinks a bottle. if you don’t allow yourself to step away, you can find yourself doing all your writing as tweets or responses instead of your stories.
Podcasting Questions
1. What type of OS do you prefer? Linux, Mac, Windows? What are your machine’s specs?
I have no preference when it comes to OS. I’m more focused on the software I use, rather than the OS as it’s a means to an end. I also try to use software that is cross platform ready so if I have to change mid production, I can with fewer problems. That being said, I have produced several years worth of audio dramas on Windows Vista and Windows 7 machines. It was what was most readily available and so I used it. I own a Mac and my kids tell me it’s very nice. I also have an old netbook I picked up for next to nothing, which I’ve loaded Ubuntu 9.x on, and it hums along nicely. The Windows machine takes more RAM (4GB right now), the Mac is a 2GB iMac, and the Ubuntu netbook has about a GB in it. All run surprisingly well.
2. Would you please describe your current studio. How has this changed? (What did you start with?)
My present studio is a large closet in my spare bedroom. It’s officially “my studio” as I produce professional work, audio dramas, and soon podcast novels there. The walls are lined with sound dampening foam, and I have a great little mixing board and mic setup that i’m still tweaking. Originally, I a Logitech USB mic in my basement with several layers of curtains hung about my desk. It’s a nice change.
3. If you were able to build your dream studio, what would it include?
If I could build a studio. I’d have two rooms. One for recording. Sound proof, with a monitor on the outside of a glass wall and wireless mouse inside to control the computer the monitor was connected to. I’d have a nice workstation setup for editing and producing. I’m not certain what brand names I’d want to consider at this point.
4. Other than a computer, what piece of HARDWARE would you recommend to a new podcaster?
I’d recommend getting a good quality mic and a mixing board. A preamp wouldn’t hurt either, but you can get by with production adjustments to your recordings.
5. What have you had to learn for yourself that you wish someone could have warned you about?
The main thing I had to learn was mic levels. I’m still tweaking after years of voice acting and podcasting and production.
6. What would you consider a “beginner’s mistake” you’ve either experienced or hear others making?
A big mistake many don’t learn early enough is noise reduction. There’s always something in or just outside your recording environment that gets picked up. Pets, children playing up/downstairs, lawnmowers and cars. Finding out what software you can use to edit out the background noise is key. Finding out early is a blessing. I use Goldwave and Soundbooth.
7. How much time does it take, once you have all the elements, for YOU to put together a 30 minute podcast? (please describe your production technique)A 30 minute podcast can take anywhere from 2-6 hours depending on the number of other voices, effects or tracks involved. I tend to gather all the tracks and break them out in to separate files, clean them and eq them, bring them in to Acid Pro (or something similar depending on the machine) and mix them down, adding in music, fxs etc as needed. Acid Pro is great for this as you can edit each track independently of all the others and apply track fxs as needed (panning, volume, etc).
Casting Questions
1. What is the hardest part of putting together a casted podcast?
Obviously the easiest answer is getting the cast together. I belong to an audio group that has a very diverse group of volunteer actors and actresses from around the world. I place a casting call and collect the auditions. I have an idea already what I want the parts to sound like, so based on that I select those that get as close as I can find, or those that provide me a take on the role that I really think will work. Getting everyone to turn in the lines on time however…
2. Do you provide the entire chapter to your talent, or just their lines?
I’ve done full chapters, lines and full scripts for my casts. While I don’t like to let the cat out of the bag, sometimes it’s just easier and I’ve found that many people don’t read the whole script/chapter anyway as they’re only focused on their parts before moving on to their next gig.
3. Is instruction given to your talent on how you prefer the line to be read?
I’ll include notes on accent, emphasis and pronunciation and let them run with it.
4. What do you do with all of that unused audio?
I have TONS of unused audio from second and third takes on parts to rambling out takes that would make a sailor blush. Someday it’ll make a great big blooper reel.
5.What is the hardest part of putting together a “straight read” podcast?
Straight read podcasts are harder for me cause I have to keep going back and making sure I’m not boring ppl to death with my voice. I have quite a bit of inflection possible, but at times i fall in to a monotonous mode.
6. As far as cast goes, what would you like to try, but haven’t so far?
For casting, I’d like to try to build a multi-media podcast story ala JC Hutchins. Bringing the cast in to more of an interactive role in the telling of the tale and giving them more freedom to act in the role not only in audio, but in vid clips and other imagery.
General Questions
1. If someone approached you with THEIR book, and asked you to podcast it for them for a fee, what would you consider a reasonable rate per episode? (The way YOU do it)
So far with the audio group I’ve worked with we’ve done several novels as both straight read and full cast. We charged nothing. If I were to do it myself, I think it would depend on two things. How long the novel was (# of pages etc) an whether or not they were my friend. I do tend to discount my rate on both voice over and audio production for those I know well.
2. Do you podcast as part of a larger plan, or because getting your content out in some manner IS your plan?
Yes. I podcast for the love of the work, and also so that I can begin to get more name recognition. I’m not expecting miracles, and I know it will take a number of years but I hope to get some of my work published.
3. What is the nicest compliment you’ve been paid or, what keeps you coming back?
I think that getting any feedback on work that I have completed (voice acting or actual production) is the best form of praise I could expect. Not everyone will like my work, but the fact that they took the time to respond in any fashion shows that i made an impact. I was once told that an audio drama I produced was comparable to stabbing oneself in the ear repeatedly with an Ice Pick. Not high praise, but communication. A lot of others told me it was good, but the one comment made me reevaluate my process and improve on some production skills.
4. How important are numbers of downloads/subscribers to you? Do you keep track?
Like everyone else, I’d love to have great numbers for the shows I write, act and produce. It’s an ego thing I think. I try not to pay too much attention to it though so I can focus on the actual part I need to focus on. The writing.
5. How important are reviews left on Podiobooks/iTunes and other venues to you?
Reviews give me an idea of what people like and don’t like. So far they haven’t swayed my writing style or themes. I don’t know that they ever will. I want to like what I am writing, otherwise it becomes work.
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Title: Taken Liberty
Author: Steven H. Wilson
Genre: Science Fiction
Released: 31 March 2006 – 25 May 2006
Located: iTunes, Podiobooks
Formats Available: Podcast and Dead Tree
Rating: R for sexual situations and some violence
Occasionally, I listen to a podcast for no apparent reason. This is one of those times. After having listened to the first couple of eps, I was interested enough to continue with it, but I’m not sure who recommended this story to me. If YOU did, please let me know and I’ll be sure to give you credit.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: Aer’La only wants to be free…
The Confederated Worlds are unparalleled as a society of free people, yet, somehow, slavery still manages to exist. Aer’La, a non-human, was bred to serve as a pleasure slave. Years ago, she escaped her masters and masqueraded as a human, joining the Confederate Navy, where she worked her way up to ship’s Bos’n under the heroic Captain Jan Atal. Now, Aer’La’s secret has been discovered by Atal’s superiors, the media, and the world at large. Branded a sociopath, she learns that even a free society isn’t willing to grant freedom – or justice – to all.
Production: The production on this story was really well done and I was fine with the results. I know that production really seems to get the least knocks from me, but the reason is that as long as the production doesn’t interfere, or really enhance, I can give it a pass. So, again, the production for Taken Liberty was well done, but nothing extraordinary.
Cast: The story was a straight read by the author, Steven H. Wilson. He does a nice job and does a good bit of differentiating the voices both with modulating his tone and inflection. Well done indeed when you figure a good number of his characters are women.
Story: The story is actually quite a bit different from what I was expecting after the first episode. In that first episode, you meet the crew of the Titan, flagship of the Confederation. I was expecting a space fairing tale of daring do. What I got was a future version of JAG. Kind of.
More of that in the verdict.
The thing you should know coming into this story, which I didn’t, is that the Arbiter Chronicles seems to be a series of stories prodcast from Prometheus Radio. I really don’t anything about Prometheus Radio and am neither recommending or suggesting you avoid them. However, Taken Liberty, is a novel taken from season 2 of their series. I was still able to follow easily enough, but you definitely got the feeling that there was a depth to the characters that somehow you were missing. I also can’t recommend you listen to season one, as I have not. So, are you feeling brave?
Verdict: Taken Liberty was a very interesting story for most of the story. I can say I enjoyed it. I can’t say the big reveal was really as unexpected as I would have hoped. I love a twist. I felt this was more of a speed bump.
So, do I recommend it. No. Not really. Do I suggest you avoid it. Again no. I did find it interesting, and it is a rather short novel, so if you feel like giving it a chance, it really isn’t a huge investment of your time. I didn’t hate it. I didn’t find anything that really frustrated me, I just didn’t finish it and think “good story”, either. So, if you’re a fan of space law, you might find this interesting. If you give it a shot (or all ready have), let me know what you think!
Disclosure: I do not believe I know Mr. Wilson, or follow him on Twitter (you can’t always be sure). I can say, for sure, that I was not asked to write this review, or offered anything in return for it.
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Title: Clear Heart
Author: Joe Cottonwood
Genre: General Fiction
Released: 3 October 2007 – 7 January 2008
Located: iTunes, Podiobooks
Formats Available: Podcast only
Rating: R for Language, sexual situations, some violence
As I’ve mentioned before, I quite often am looking for new podcasts. It isn’t that I have nothing to listen to, I do. However, most of the things I listen to are currently in production, and I need to broaden my listening horizons. I also have listened to many podcasts that I’ve never reviewed. However, if I’m going to review a “legacy” podcast, I often like to listen to something that is out of my regular routine. A week or so ago, I asked Twitter for suggestions and I’ve got a whole slate full of podcasts now. One of the suggestions I got was from Laura “GreenGlam” Church, and that suggestion was Clear Heart by Joe Cottonwood.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: Carpenters and craft, friendship and rivalry: Wally is building a mansion for a dot-com multimillionaire in the Silicon Valley of California. As the dot-com’s stock keeps rising, the size of the house – and the owner’s ego – keep growing. Wally and his colorful crew may be into something that’s over their heads. When little guys work for bigshots, who gets nailed?
From bungling to burglary, from demolishing concrete to racing beltsanders, from love of tools to falling in love, everyone will encounter Wally’s Laws of Construction – or are they Laws of Life? Each house, it seems, is a miracle.
Production: The production of Clear Heart is clean and simple, like a well built house. I love clean and simple, and I can honestly say the production of Clear Heart is easy to enjoy. Song at the beginning. Same song at the end. Clean audio. No TSSF (it is hosted on Podiobooks and through Podiobooks on iTunes).
Cast: The cast is simply Joe Cottonwood doing all of the male voices and Susan Walker doing all of the female voices. The voicework duo is not like The Gearheart duo. Mr. Cottonwood does an admirable job of voicing a wide variety of characters, but for the most part, you can always recognize the voices as belonging to the same man. Ms. Walker’s female voices aren’t even intoned differently. However, it doesn’t matter at all. The story is easily told and flows naturally.
Story: This is a rare listen for me. I tend to be a reader and listener of speculative fiction. I am drawn to it for some reason. I do, occasionally stray from this pattern and read some nonfiction or general fiction, but not often. I guess I have enough “real life” to not need to read about other peoples. Clear Heart, however, is done well in the fact that the characters really come to life. Good or bad (and there are both).
Verdict: Let’s talk about those characters. I can’t say I liked any of them to be truthful. They all have major character defects. Just like I do.
Yes.
To be honest, these characters are very life like. Often, to their detriment. The upside is that they are interesting. That is what kept me listening all the way to the end.
In the end this is a story of people living. Changing. Growing. Life. It has plenty of profanity, and way too much rated r sexual content (I now know about things I didn’t know before, and would have NEVER been unhappy to know about — yes, I’ve lived a sheltered life, LOL).
This is a hard story for me to provide a verdict for. I didn’t like it in many ways. In other ways it was very interesting and drew me in. So, I’ll do the best I can. If you like fiction, non-speculative fiction, with well developed characters and an ability to describe construction in a way to make the art come through, while at the same time you aren’t put off by the aforementioned sexual content, you will probably like Clear Heart.
Disclosure: To my knowledge, Mr. Cottonwood isn’t on Twitter. If he is, I’ve never seen his name, or at least am unaware if I did. I was neither offered nor did I receive anything for writing this review.
Title: Assam and Darjeeling
Author: T.M. Camp
Genre: Genre bending dark fairy tale
Released: 23 September 2007 – 7 August 2008
Located: iTunes,
Formats Available: Podcast, Dead Tree, Ebook
Rating: PG13 for disturbing images dealing with children
Have you ever had a podcast that you’ve been meaning to listen to for ages, but somehow it just keeps skipping from your mind? Maybe supernatural forces are tampering with your memories. Or maybe the author just doesn’t pimp his/her stuff hard enough (at least in your hearing). Or maybe, the title has unusual words that, though you know them, seem out of place as a book title. Or maybe it is your Twitter groups fault for not bringing this story up, like ever. Or perhaps, just maybe, it is all of the above. Nah… it is just my own fault. I kept meaning to, I just kept forgetting somehow.
Well, somehow I slipped the evil forces that were trying to get my to forget about Assam and Darjeeling, and wow, am I glad I did.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: When their mother is lost in a terrible car crash, two children set out to bring her back from the Underworld — a nightmare place populated by remnants from old mythologies, defunct pantheons, and forgotten folklore. Along the way, the children discover that they cannot rescue their mother without rescuing themselves first.
Sometimes frightening, sometimes funny, and often heartbreaking, Assam & Darjeeling is the story of a brother and sister who have to go through hell together in order to learn the true meaning of family.
Production: T. M. Camp does a great job at keeping it simple. Assam and Darjeeling production is akin to something the Master Nathan Lowell might inspire. It is beautiful in its simplicity. Mr. Camp has a repetitive chime intro and outro (and yes, it is a bit too repetitive) and then without any meta discussion or trailers jumps right into the story. At the end, he humorously threatens us with copyright violation punishments too dire to retell, and he’s gone. I like that. I really really do. However, all is not joy in Mudville. Mr. Camp writes some very short chapters. That in itself is no big deal. I like short chapters. However, when each chapter is an episode, your content should not be shorter than your combined intro and outro. The intro is about 50 seconds, the outro about 2 minutes 20 seconds. When the entire ep is at or under 6 minutes, the repetitiveness of the cycle can be a bit, well, redundant. I would suggest to content providers, if your content isn’t at least 4 times as long as the intro/outro, maybe you should combine it with the next bit of content. Yes, I do mean that if you are going to intro me at 1o minutes, I want 40 minutes of content. Maybe I’m being a bit too greedy here, but if so, tell me what you think is fair.
Cast: Mr. Camp does a straight read, and he does a stellar job at it. I have a feeling he has spent many an hour sitting beside a child’s bed and has probably heard, “No daddy, say it like you did LAST time.” He doesn’t go crazy with voices, but he does do a good job and I once again find myself luxuriating in a straight read well done.
Story: Assam and Darjeeling is a unique story in that it is hard to qualify as to audience. I think back now to the original Jurassic Park movie (can it really have been 17 years ago??). People saw the amazing dinosaur effects (still hold up well) and for some reason chose to think, “Hey honey, I wonder if they’ll only be showing us vegisaurs munching leaves for two hours. Yeah, I’m sure that will make a great summer blockbuster! Load up the kids and let’s go!” Yeah, not all movies/books starring kids are written FOR kids.
Verdict: Let me restate that, just to make sure. Assam and Darjeeling is a book about kids that really is written for adults in many ways. Think about Scout and Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird. Perhaps another consideration would be Pan’s Labyrinth. These comparison’s easily come to mind when I listen to Assam and Darjeeling. However, another reason for the comparison comes to mind as well. Both are great stories, but I really wouldn’t allow my children to see either of them for years yet. Assam and Darjeeling touched me in a way NO OTHER work of podfiction to date has. I admit, I’m a softy when it comes to family. This story reached inside me and played my “daddy” strings the way a master luthier might be able too play a mandolin. I am so glad I finally remembered to listen to this story, and I highly recommend you take the time to give it a try too.
Disclosure: I’ve followed Mr. Camp on Twitter for quite a while now. He is very unassuming and I really did mean it when I said I don’t feel he pimps his work enough. We both have baby daughters and I’ve enjoyed watching him Tweet about his Sophie while I make comparisons to my little princess (who is three months today [proud daddy moment]). In one of those surprisingly coincidental twists of fate, I had started listening to this story a couple of weeks ago. I started on a Monday. On Wednesday of that week, Mr. Camp got old. Well, older. He ran a contest on Twitter and I won a copy of one of his books. He didn’t state what it would be and it wasn’t open to request. Imagine my surprise this week when a signed copy of Assam and Darjeeling arrived in the mail. I couldn’t have been more excited and I will definitely be suggesting my wife read it. However, that being said, I have never discussed this work with Mr. Camp, and he had no knowledge of this review and has never requested it. Seriously gang, this was a good one.
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General Writing Questions
1. Before you begin writing, do you script out the general outline of plot and characters, or do you let these situations evolve as you write?
It really depends on how the inspiration strikes me. I don’t have any hard and fast rule as to how I plot out the story. For instance, Codename: Starkeeper was one of those where I wrote it in script format from start to finish. It was a true explorative writing experience. With The Last Guardians, it developed over a decade of trying different things and developing my craft, and the final version is nothing like that first version, but ultimately, it follows a similar plot outline as the beginning, as far as the big picture. I have another novel series that I plotted out as I wrote the character sketches.
2. I’ve heard repetitively that writers should deal with writing as any other job. Do you have a scheduled or structured writing routine? Please detail.
I wish I did. It really varies depending on the day, and of course I am easily distracted. It’s certainly sound advice, though. I will get more done if I set aside a specific time to do it. I’ve also discovered that now, as I’ve been writing for a while, I’m so full of different ideas that if I sit down, something will get on paper (or screen). I have also learned that it’s not so frightening to sit down and force yourself to work on a project. There really is no such thing as writer’s block if you’re serious about the writing. For me, it’s simply letting stuff get in my way: my brain, my emotions, my preconceptions, my self-doubts–all of that crap–once you’re serious about the writing, all that stuff will fade away because you know you have to get it done. It’s become a priority in your life.
3. What is your writing environment like? (cats, music, computer etc.) How has this evolved/changed?
Depends on my mood. I used to, occasionally, get off the computer and write on a yellow legal pad, especially on lunches and breaks in a work environment. As far as music is concerened, sometimes I want it, sometimes I want silence. My cat’s always around, but she just lays on the bed. I don’t take any great measures to “get in the mood” to write or anything like that. Focus too much on music or lighting, or “finding the right environment,” and you’ll become dependent. The less you do, the more capable you will be of writing in any environment, and I think once you’ve made writing a priority, you need to be prepared to write no matter where you are, or what’s going on around you.
4. Do you write anything, or have you, that is solely for yourself? (no intention of sharing with a large audience)
Not any more. When I first really got the writing bug in college, a lot of it was just putting ideas on paper because they were there. I got started online in the role play chatrooms, and it was usually all fantasy-oriented, so I put myself into the whole Aragorn persona, and plot ideas just developed out of that. Eventually I started working on stories, and different things would inspire novel ideas, for example, the track listing of Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, believe it or not, inspired the plot of The Last Guardians way back when. Now, when I conceive an idea, I immediately begin thinking about how it will be received, and how to make it worthy of public consumption.
5. How has social media played a role in your writing?
Not so much the writing, but certainly the promotion of it. I’ve just simply tried to make a network of friends, rather than “contacts.” Because a friend will invest themselves in what you do, if you invest yourself in the things they do. Someone who only wants you as a “contact” that they can take advantage of, really has little concern with your own projects, but simply how they can leverage their support in your return of that support. It sounds like the same thing, but if you support people without expecting something in return, people can see whether you’re sincere, or just out to get reciprocation.
I’ve made a lot of friends using Twitter, simply finding like-minded people in the podcasting community, and then having gone to Balticon just once, made so many more friends. Once you’ve met people face to face, the friendship becomes that much stronger. I’ve developed relationships with Tee Morris, Chris Lester, P.G. Holyfield and Christiana Ellis, just as an example, and at times we can bounce ideas off of each other, and just learn from what each other is doing.
Podcasting Questions
1. What type of OS do you prefer? Linux? Mac? Win? What are your machine’s specs?
I would *prefer* a Mac and ProTools, but that’s only in my dreams. Finances necessitate a PC with as much free software as possible. It’s just a Dell 3Ghz processor with 1GB of Ram and a 250GB Free Agent HDD for all my project files.
2. Would you please describe your current studio? How has this changed? (What did you start with?)
I have a cheap desk in my bedroom. I have a down blanket hung on the wall behind the monitor, with a little bit of eggshell foam on a dresser beside the desk. A TAPCO (by Mackie) Mix.60 mixer, an MXL 990 microphone and a pop filter.
3. If you were able to build your dream studio, what would it include? Be as specific as you wish.
Again, a Mac with ProTools first, a compressor/limiter/gate, an EQ, a Heil PR/40 with the desk boom, a suitably insulated and soundproofed room, and most especially, a soundproofed computer. Also an off-board recorder.
The Heil PR40 is something I’ve discovered of late, and it’s a dynamic mic as opposed to a condenser. Basically that means it doesn’t require Phantom Power, but the other part of that is that condenser mics take in a lot more background noise. The Heil PR40 has a tight sound field so that it almost can’t pick you up if you move your mouth six inches in one direction. It’s an expensive mic at $325 retail, but it’s probably the absolute best microphone for recording voice.
4. Other than a computer, what piece of HARDWARE would you recommend to a new podcaster?
If you use Skype at all, I’d recommend a second sound card. But for everyone, I’d suggest a Zoom H2 or later, or some sort of portable recorder that gives you .wav or .mp3 capability. It’s the aforementioned off-board recorder. What I mean by that is something that is not plugged into everything else. This is something I’ve learned sort of by experience. When I first started podcasting, I discovered that if my laptop were plugged in, there was a lot of noise on the recording, but on the battery, it was quiet. So when the laptop HDD went bad and we lucked into a couple desktops, I found that there is always a latent hum. If you can get a power conditioner, that might eliminate most of it, but a battery-powered recorder gives you a lot of versatility. Also, if you don’t have your signal bouncing back in through your mixer into the PC, it’s a lot easier to get clean recordings. When doing panel discussions or Skype interviews, anything requiring multiple voices, it becomes easier to manage the unity gain of your output signal. If you’re just recording your voice, then you’ll have a clean .wav or .mp3 of your voice you can dump down into Audacity or whatever and edit away.
5. What have you had to learn for yourself that you wish someone could have warned you about?
To go with “The Adventures of Indiana Jim” as my show title when I first thought of it. I initially thought it was pretentious so I didn’t use it at first. Really, it’s the branding. You have to have a plan, and you have to know who you are. When I started out I wasn’t sure what I was doing, and over time, I have developed a groove for it I suppose.
6. What would you consider a “beginner’s mistake” you’ve either experienced or hear others making?
Oh gosh, a lot of things.
#1, a failure to have an appealing website. It’s so cheap and so easy, especially for my generation being so tech savvy, to look at other podcast websites and find a clean, inviting format for your website. A .net domain you can buy for like $10 a year, and hosting for about $3 a month, and WordPress is free. I am fortunate to be hosted by Farpoint Media, but you can buy a 100MB per month Libsyn account for file storage for $5 a month. So for $8 a month and $10 a year, you can put up a website as nice as any other you can think of. Take the time to learn a little CSS, and you can make that puppy sing.
#2, a failure to USE RSS. I see so many beginners, believe it or not, or people who just haven’t taken the time to care, to have an RSS feed for their products, and still expect people to download things manually. It’s so simple to set it up, so people can subscribe in iTunes or any feed reader. You’re simply serving your audience by doing it. In one place, with one application, I can download my favorite stuff. I sounds so simple.
#3, a failure to use social media. I have friends with Twitter accounts who simply forget to announce when a new project comes out. When I mention this, I’m met with “well it was all over my website.” Look, if you expect your friends and colleagues to casually browse by your website every so often and “discover” that you have a new product out, you’re doing them a disservice, and ultimately yourself. The idea is to be heard, and you, as the creator, must do the work, not demand it of your audience. If you aren’t using every tool at your disposal, you’re not doing enough. Now that’s not to say you need to be on every social network under the sun, but if you are on Twitter and Facebook, and you’re not doing the simple thing of just posting a link saying, “here’s my new thing,” then what’s the point?
#4, a horrible sound. Sometimes beginners use whatever it is they have at their disposal, and I guess that’s fine when starting out, but people really need to be more conscious of how they sound. Soundproofing is the very first thing one can do, and Nathan Lowell is a good example. When he started podcasting his novels, he recorded them in his car. A car interior provides quite a bit of soundproofing and isolation, and that worked wonders, despite having a cheap microphone. Another example of using the things at your disposal is Scott Sigler. He recorded a lot of his stuff in his closet, because he cared about his sound.
If someone is serious about podcasting, then they need to be serious about what they’re putting into people’s ears. It takes maybe $130 in mic and mixer to get a decent sound, maybe $35 for a cheap mic stand and a pop filter. It’s not a ton of investment if you’re serious. Also, paying attention to distance from the mic, clipping, and simple public speaking. These little things make a huge difference when starting out.
7. How much time does it take, once you have all the elements, for YOU to put together a 30 minute podcast? (please describe your production technique)
I would love to record “live to tape” as it were, but I lack the equipment to do it right. So what I do is insert my intro file, then do the requisite recording, whatever that entails. Most of the time I’ll record 10 minutes of whatever I want to talk about at first, then I stop to add the bumper for my little news headline segment, then when that section is done, I’ll usually aim for that 13 minute mark to hit the break for the promo. I’ll take my bump-out file and match it up with wherever I break the talking, then paste the promo, then paste the bump-in file, and record from there. I will record to the end and stop. Before I put in the outro, I do the editing. I run noise reduction, then compression. I usually record with my levels hovering around the -12 mark to leave headroom so I don’t clip. That usually ensures I get a nice clean sound after compression. I’ll edit certain flubs and long uhmms to make sure I don’t sound too much like an idiot. Sometimes I leave a flub or uhmm in if it will make the audio sound chopped up and unnatural. I’ll match the outro up with the finished voice and then export to MP3. That whole process may take a couple hours if everything goes smoothly. I think for the ratio of finished recording to production time, 1:4 is probably a safe estimate.
Casting Questions (answer if you can)
1. What is the hardest part of putting together a casted podcast?
I think the first thing is making sure the actors get their voices in on time. It’s unavoidable, but you will always get delays from someone in your cast. Real life always strikes in the middle of a production, and I guess the hardest part for me is having to tell a cast member you have to move on with another actor.
It’s the nature of what we do to use volunteer voice actors, and no one wants to be “that guy” who “fired” a volunteer from a project. You have to believe strongly enough in your project and your own schedule to take that step if it’s not working out. You have to be very nice and gracious about it, and usually the other person understands. They are, after all, the one to whom life is happening. It’s still difficult, especially if you know their voice would be great.
The second hardest part is the differences you have in actor audio. They’re all using different mics in different rooms, and sometimes it’s difficult to make sure they all go together. I usually have a particular sound I like, so I’ll EQ or do noise reduction to get each one as close to the same as possible. Sometimes I’ll run a low pass or high pass filter to get certain frequency ranges out of a particularly bassy or hissy sound.
2. Do you provide the entire chapter to your talent, or just their lines?
I will usually leave in a paragraph or two around the part in order for the actor to get a feel for the scene, but I provide the scene only. Enough to let them see the dialogue and work with it, but not so much they get distracted. My belief is that even with my leads, it’s fun to keep things hidden from them. I find that if after the recording they get to listen to it along with the general audience, it will make them that much more excited about the work. They will get just as much into the story, and they’ll want to see how their character fits into the story.
3. Is instruction given to your talent on how you prefer the line to be read?
In most cases, yes. Each actor is different, though. For instance, I did not do a very good job telling Mae Breakall how to play a certain character, and so she read it one way when I had intended it differently. Once I was clear, she delivered some of the best audio I’ve ever received, and Chris Lester can attest to that with her work on Metamor City. As a director, you have to make sure you are clear on exactly what you want, because you can’t expect people to read your mind. Of course, in some cases you simply give the lines and the actor knows what you want. I have that kind of synergy with a few people, such as Philippa Ballantine, P.G. Holyfield, Sarah Gilbertson and Joe Harrison.
4. What do you do with all of that unused audio?
I still have all the original files from Codename: Starkeeper, and I don’t really want to delete them. I plan on going back and pulling outtakes for a blooper reel, but that’s going to take a lot of time. What I’ve taken to doing now is pulling the outtakes out as I go through each individual part to get the best takes. I’ll go through each part and find the best takes, then do the noise reduction and compression then, so that all I have to do later is cut and paste into the final project file.
With Codename Starkeeper, I’m keeping the sound effects files that Joe Harrison made so I can pull from those whenever I do another Star Wars piece. The music files I’m keeping later perhaps to show how I edited different musical pieces from different films together in certain scenes.
Title: Transistor Rodeo
Author: Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff
Genre: Science Fiction/Cowboy Punk
Released: 8 April 2008 – 17 April 2009
Located: Author’s Site
Formats Available: Podcast only
Rating: PG for robotic violence. This is a family friendly podcast.
In April of 2008 I had way more time on my hands than I would have hoped for and was rabidly searching for podfiction. Although at this point I was on Twitter, I was more of a by stander than a part of the community (slow learner I guess). Rather than ask for opinions I simply browsed Podiobooks.com and listened to anything that caught my attention. Some were great, some were much the other end of the spectrum. I had never heard of Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff but had found an assassin story (Number One with a Bullet) that I had enjoyed so was willing to take a chance on him again (a policy I will probably always adhere to).
Transistor Rodeo was billed as a family friendly podcast, which truly I don’t know if I’d run into before this point, but I have always been a fan of rodeo (hey, I did grow up in Wyoming after all) and enjoy animatronic AI’s as much as the next guy. I also have an 11 year old son that I was looking for something I could share with.
So, on to the review.
Synopsis: When a bunch of robotic cowboys and robotic animals from a big-budget spectacular mechanical traveling show go haywire and escape into the city of Los Angeles, it’s up to one broken down ex-rodeo star and his son to round them all up before something terrible happens.(stolen from the author’s site) [I would like to humbly recommend to author's that the provided synopsis is an example of "inadequate". I really like to know as much as I can before subscribing. I'll take a chance occasionally, but a good synopsis is the hook.]
Production: Mr. Nemcoff is a professional in this area I believe. The production on his podcasts are very good. At least those that I have listened to. I will say that Transistor Rodeo is almost too slick at times. I also have never enjoyed the use of the author asking the audience questions as a tool to try to get them to make guesses of future episodes. Foreshadowing should be provided to accomplish this, or simply surprise me.
Cast: Mr. Nemcoff does a straight read in that he voices all of the characters. He isn’t a Sigler or a Hutchins, but he does a more than adequate job of bringing the characters to life.
Story: This is an interesting mixture of the western genre mixed with Jurassic Park and Westworld (you know, the one with Yul). I have never heard anything like it. It definitely captured my attention and I did enjoy it. The episodes are relatively short and at 24 episodes, I’d consider this one almost a novella, although I have no idea of word count. Some of the characters became annoying after a while, but that is a good thing. At least for me.
Unfortunately, the release schedule was ridiculous. It began fairly regularly, but fell apart at the end. It was two months between the release of episodes 22 and 23, and a huge eight months between episodes 23 and the finale episode 24. I truthfully gave up before it was released, but later came back and picked it up.
Verdict: I will recommend this story, though I know it isn’t for everyone. It is candy. Not filling, but fun. Especially if you have teen or preteen boys (and/or were raised on John Wayne movies). I will say that at times Mr. Nemcoff’s style of continually trying to keep the action at a breakneck pace was a little tiring, but overall, he did do a good job of it. If you have never heard a story quite like the one described here, I recommend you give it an episode or four to see what you think.
Disclosure: I have no idea if Mr. Nemcoff is even on Twitter. I have not heard his worked ever discussed in the group that I follow, though I seem to remember him doing a voice guest appearance on something I was listening too. I was neither offered or received anything for writing this review.
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