Why you might need audio editing help

1) You want to create a presentation (like a podcast, for example) using a portable field recorder (you know, one of those cool handhelds) but you don't want to spend the time, energy, or money buying extra equipment and software to edit it into a professional presentation.

2) You've recorded an interview and you want to omit all of the coughing, lip smacking, and extraneous chatter.

3) You have a recording that simply needs sweetening (improving). Perhaps you need more volume, or maybe you want it less muddy sounding.

4) You want to preserve, clean up, and transfer a tape recording to digital format.

If you find you need help with your audio editing, I hope you'll visit us at Audiobag.

Noise keeps us in business

We deal with noise everyday in our business. We're sent audio from customers who don't sound proof before recording. Air conditioner hums have to be filtered out with just the right equalization without making the speaker sound like he or she is talking through a tin can. Dogs barking, telephones beeping, doors closing, and people coughing have to be carefully edited out without omitting any words.

And then we've got our own noise to deal with. The mourning doves outside our studio say, in only a way melancholy birds can, "I waaant some fooooood. I waaant some foooooood." Chewy the Chihauhau likes to do an occasional yip to scare .... uh ... something. I'm not sure what a yip scares. Nevertheless, that is one ferocious dog. And throughout the day, bells ring from an elementary school a couple of blocks away. Thanks to high quality sound deadening acoustical tiles in our sound booth, we've managed to kill the sounds. Our voiceovers are noise-free, thank you very much.

If it weren't for all the noise in the world, we wouldn't be in the audio editing business. We're cool with noise. We know how to control it. It's our job. One man's noise is another man's treasure.

Revamping your business

Have you done anything bold in your business lately? You know, have you tried something that seems like it's, well ... out there? I know what you're thinking: Who can afford to be bold in economic times like these (I hate the phrase "economic times like these" and have tried to avoid using it)? Perhaps you're thinking you need to take a conservative approach with business decisions. Because, after all, every dollar counts. I agree that every dollar counts, but I don't agree on the conservative approach to making decisions.

Staying the course got us where we are today ... in debt, nobody buying our products, and feeling like we need to get a night job frying chicken. Not that there's anything wrong with frying chicken (except that you smell like fried chicken to everyone you meet). Staying the course means sitting on your thumbs, doing nothing, and hoping for success. There is a better way.

I believe the way to be successful is to offer up something new and desirable. Redbox offers a $1 movie rental -- not $5 like everyone else. Toyota offers a car that gets 50 mpg --- not 25 to 30 mpg like everyone else. Apple's iPhone is a computer and communicator in your pocket.

Always look for ways to improve. Offer more than your competitor. Offer a better product. Offer better service. And don't get greedy with your pricing. Be nice. Live and breathe your product or service. Mainly, don't give up. Don't get the night job frying chicken. Or, get it temporarily if it helps you keep your business open while you revamp it. And do just that. Revamp your business. Rethink how you've been doing things. Redo shoddy work or products. Refund when you can't fix a problem. And reward yourself by enjoying your life.

How to sound your best when recording

Yesterday I received an email from a client who asked me if I had any favorite voice exercises I do before recording to keep my voice in shape. Here's what I told him.

I don’t have any particular voice exercises. However, I have learned that my voice is at its best in the morning. When my voice starts to sound a bit strained, I drink very warm water (not coffee – because the acidity will hurt the vocal cords). I also avoid whispering because that’s bad for the vocal cords. As a side note, I record every sentence at least twice. When doing my post-production, I use the best sentence (or grab a word from the other sentence if necessary). All breathing noises are knocked out digitally and I use a fade-in for popped P’s.

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard is when you speak about half as loud as you normally do, you’ll sound more natural. Of course, sometimes the customer wants a more upbeat delivery and I’ve got to throw that piece of advice out the window.

Preserving Austin music from the 60's and 70's

When I'm not producing audio at Audiobag, I'm working on a pet project of my brother's and mine. I'm digitizing tapes from the Sonobeat Recording Company library. My father, Bill Josey, Sr., and brother, Bill Jr. (also known by his radio name of Rim Kelley), founded Sonobeat in 1967. My brother left the company in 1970 to go to law school and my father kept running it until his death in 1976. The nine-year history of this little recording company in Austin, Texas produced over a hundred tapes of Texas' up and coming musicians ... folks like Johnny Winter, Eric Johnson, Gary Nunn, Rusty Weir, Allen Damron, and Cody Hubach (Willie's good friend).

I am amazed at not only the variety of artists Sonobeat recorded, but also of the talent they had. I believe Sonobeat recorded almost every worthy musician living or spending a little time in Austin from 1967 to 1976. And what impresses me most is the transition that was going on from the early fraternity rock sound of the Sweetarts and Lavender Hill Express to the harder "Austin" blues rock sound -- the Stevie Ray Vaughn sound, if you will. Even the Sweetarts and Lavender Hill Express moved into a more progressive sound with Lady and Country Music's Here to Stay. Music was changing in Austin in the late 60's and early 70's and Dad was there to record it for history.

If you'd like to read and hear more about Austin music in the 1960's and 1970's, check out the Sonobeat Historical Archives website my brother and I put together.

Putting customers at ease

Probably the biggest reason we get phone calls at Audiobag is the caller wants to know there really is someone behind our website. They call to talk to a real person. They want to know that when they click that "Submit" button during the online purchase process, we'll send them a product. So how do we make prospective buyers feel comfortable with purchasing from us? We make ourselves very accessible, we give instant feedback, and we have customer testimonials on our website.

We offer several ways for people to contact us. We have a phone, of course. We have a couple of important email addresses (one is for immediate help and the other is for general inquiries). Using email auto-responder, we give an automatic reply to any email sent to our help@audiobag.com email address, followed up by an email from a real person. We also use SKYPE (just add "audiobag" to your contact list) for instant chatting or to call us.

We also give lots of testimonials with names and URL addresses on our website just in case a prospect would like some references. For all of our efforts, we've never had a customer cancel an order, knock on wood (my grandmother had such an influence on me).

If you're in business and you want to make customers and prospective buyers feel comfortable, make it easy for them to contact you. In fact, make it easy for them to call you by your first name. I love it when people say, "Jack, I was calling about ...”

Focusing in on Beatlesarama

Every morning an affirmation pops up on my Dell Axim PDA screen. Today's says, "I am focused and persistent." It's what I strive for in my business. It's definitely what Pat Matthews has done at Beatlesarama. He's been broadcasting Beatles music online everyday for several years now. I know from my days as owner and operator of Instant Radio that it's not easy launching and maintaining an Internet radio station. We stopped creating Instant Radio shows when we got too busy with our podcast imaging services at Audiobag (http://audiobag.com/).

We created Beatlesarama's station sweepers. You'll hear Cathy (my wife) and me sandwiched in between songs. You'll also hear Pat Matthews' voice. He's a radio guy like me and loves what he's doing. If you're in the mood for the Beatles, browse over to Beatlearama. It's a great way to start your day. And when you're listening to Pat's station, remember this is what it means to stay focused and persistent. Great job, Pat!