I had a private Sally Field moment the other day after I came out of the closet. First of all, I should tell you that the closet I came out of was filled with a thousand dollars worth of acoustical tile and an Audio-Technica AT4033 microphone. You see, it's my sound booth, which is a major part of my audio production company that, thanks to all the newest whizbang audio gadgetry, consists of only two people -- my wife and me. We specialize in podcast imaging. In other words, we produce podcast intros, outros, promos, and bumpers for podcasters who want to give their podcast a more professional sound. Besides doing voice work, we also produce the music we use in our productions right here in-house. And I mean literally in-house because our studio is in our house in Georgetown, Texas (just north of Austin).

Using Acid Pro 6.0 software, a Yamaha MOTIF 6 keyboard, and an E-MU X Board 25 midi controller, I can create a 30- or 60-second music track in about an hour. I try to offer music a bit more on the quirky side because I find that podcasters like off-the-wall kind of stuff. Because each music track I create is custom, I start off with the podcast script in front of me as I sit at my computer listening to various music loops. I first decide on the genre. For example, I just completed a podcast intro for a high school podcaster in Louisiana who asked for music that sounded like Whitesnake and ZZ Top. I knew right away that I would be using electric fuzz guitars, an edgy bass, and rock drums. After laying down about six audio tracks in Acid Pro consisting of electric guitar, bass and drum loops, I fired up the Yamaha MOTIF 6 keyboard -- a great keyboard for studio production -- and picked an "overdriven" electric guitar to use for the main lead. After a about three tries, I liked what I came up with up on the keyboard. So I was ready for the final mix.

Song endings are always difficult for me when working with Acid Pro. I usually have to do some chopping of instruments at the end of a song to create a solid ending. However, this client wanted the music to fade, so I created about 64 seconds of music and then faded it down at 60 seconds. When finished with a music track, I always try to come up with a name that describes the song. In a rush, I called it "Don't Mess with Texas" because ZZ Top is from Texas. Later I renamed it. You can find it in our online music production library at http://audiobag.com as "High Energy" for just $16.77 (yes, we're always selling!).

After completing the music track, I recorded the voice work for the podcast intro. Unfortunately, I had two things going against me. It was late in the day and my voice always sounds strained that late in the day. And on top of that, I was trying to fight off a cold (to no avail). I recorded the voice anyway, edited it, and mixed in the music using Vegas Audio. I processed the hell out of it to compensate for my strained voice. I then did the ultimate bad thing: I uploaded it to the Internet and emailed the client that it was ready (well under my 48-hour turnaround time). I then went to bed ... sick.

The next day I woke up feeling better. I listened to the podcast intro again and HATED IT!!!! I was embarrassed that I had produced it. After one quick cup of coffee (warm liquid on the throat helps the voice sound better), I stumbled back into the sound booth (the closet) and recut the voice work, dropped in the new voice to Vegas Audio, and then posted it online as a revise, as I call it. It could just as well be called saving face because I was really disgusted with the first version. I quickly wrote the client and explained why I did a revise and told him where to download it. I started planning the next project while waiting anxiously for a response from the client. Later in the day, after coming out of the closet for the umpteenth time between voice takes, I checked my email and found this reply: "You are the greatest! I have not begun my podcast, but your services have encouraged me to go full-speed ahead. I am sure I will be contacting you again for more work very soon."

Whew! I lucked out. He liked it. He really liked it! Sorry, I was having that Sally Field moment I referred to earlier. Although I was worried that the client would feel like he got mediocre voice work, I was also worried he would not like the music. And yet, it was a happy ending to another project. Time to check the email and see what my next project will be.