Culture Sculpture: How Important Is Audio To You
Words by Mr. Al Pete
Happy Friday (...or whatever day you’re reading this). Hope everyone is at peace with things.
One of the MANY things that I focus on when it comes to any work I’m involved in is audio. Makes sense to do, right? I mean...I am a Hip Hop artist, DJ, and podcaster. All of these jobs deal with audio. I can safely say that it’s the primary component. These occupations have a heavy presence with consumers, and even clients, companies, and the big wigs. When you sum this up, this means that there is a good amount of consideration for others, and yourself.
So...I ask, or pose the thought: How important is audio to you?
This is where I get direct. *James Evans appears*
Being blunt: your content has to be extremely catching and great for me to listen to your podcast show, song, or video and it has bad audio. Yeah, I’m a snob with it. Especially now that my day job is being an audio engineer. It makes matters worse. When you’re tapped into a show, song, or video...you can close your eyes and you’re still going to hear...audio. Imagine it being completely off or it doesn’t fit the mode of the show you’re listening to. You’ll cringe, I’m sure...but do you cringe with your own work? Two examples that’ll put you in thinking mode.
Example one (and a personal experience). I’ve been in plenty of (Hip Hop) conversations and I’ve witnessed some emcees state that getting their music mixed and mastered isn’t THAT important. Many of them reference the fact that the newer rappers simply record and place their song, or album, on their SoundCloud pages and people still listen. After this is mentioned, imagine the ‘so what’s the point?’ face that pops up on said emcee...and imagine the ‘that’s not a good philosophy to run with’ face I give. The audacity...or not using audacity (...you can AT LEAST do a light mix in the Audacity software...I hope you have the ‘ah haa’ face right now *laughs*).
Another snob alert: not caring or paying SOME attention to the audio that compliments your creation says a bit...meaning...do you actually CARE about your product overall? It’s one thing to work on something and “get it out” to the masses. Yes, I rock with that move a lot...BUT...after a while, you have to study and research the field you want to reside in. While doing your studies and homework, finding out the people who work directly with audio designing should be a part of the assignment. Doing this only helps grow your content, and your brand, professionally.
Think about it...or let's look at the second example. We’ll reference a podcast show. Let’s name it the Sports To The Max Podcast Show. From the jump, you noticed the word ‘sports’ and you begin thinking about the elements that are attached to sports: fans cheering, an abundance of activity from the players, commentators, and more. Imagine the host(s) that are speaking about...let’s say...a NBA game that came out last night, talking in monotone. On top of that, you know that the game was great and amped. So, to hear the podcasters talk with no excitement AND the quality of the audio is shot? Will you still listen, or head over to ESPN to experience clear audio (and video, which audio helps video thrive...it works hand in hand)?
I could go into more scenarios, but for reading purposes, I’ll wrap it up. I would like to leave some quick pointers when it comes to paying attention to the audio:
Find out if what you’re presenting is a hobby or brand building. That’ll determine how much investing you need to do. If you’re serious about your product and it consists of audio, consider taking it seriously and study/research the standards of audio and strive to get there.
Outsource your audio work. There are many audio engineers and producers that will do the work to make THE work sound good/decent/great. Expect to pay them for their work, please. Engineers, in my opinion, should get more credit for turning coal into a diamond.
Next time you listen to the radio (yeah, that still exists), watch a movie, play a video game, or be around something professional, tune in to the sound(s) provided. Then, compare it to your sound. That’s easy homework.
Some simple things you can do that’ll help with audio. If you record at home, or in someone’s spot, make sure the atmosphere is quiet...as much as possible. Record in a closet. Pad the area up with towels, blankets, or foaming panels (I made mine in The MPN Studio...I have way more to work on, but...I record at night and with no one around). These pre production moves can help some.
