Registered Charity number 289813
What We Do
Our Rôles in the Association
Part 1 - Producing the Master Tape
by Richard Porter
|
A variety of skills is needed to provide the high quality service for which we aim. This section will give you an idea of what our volunteers do. EditorEarly on Thursday morning our Editor of the week gets two copies of the Maidenhead Advertiser and begins the job of deciding which articles to include on the tape. We don't have time to read everything but the main stories are always included plus as many of the others as we can fit into the 90 minutes available. We aim to cover a balance of articles with the emphasis on those likely to be of most interest to our listeners but without attempting to censor or sanitise the news in any way. Certain items are always included. We start side two with a summary of the family announcements, then news from around the villages and sport. The selection from the Advertiser's archives is a popular feature of our tapes. The selected articles are stuck onto cards which makes them easier to handle and it cuts down the rustle of paper during recording. We need two copies of the paper because we will almost always need to include items printed back-to-back on the same sheet. The articles are numbered in the order in which they will be read and an estimate of the reading time is made. It is important to keep a few short items in hand so that we don't start a long article right at the end of the tape. The procedure for the magazine is a bit different because items are often read from books or magazines which cannot be cut up. Long pieces may be split between two or three readers, and jingles are used at one or two points on each side. There may also be prerecorded items for inclusion. A running order and scripted introductions are therefore prepared in advance for the readers and recording engineer. The Editor is usually the presenter and one of the readers for his or her week.
ReadersThere are four readers on each team, usually including the editor. As well as being able to read fluently the reader must have a strong, clear voice and good diction. However the paper must be read as if to someone sitting in an easy chair nearby, not at the back of an auditorium! This is a skill that may need to be relearned by those with drama training. Ideally we would like to alternate male and female voices but usually the ladies are in the majority. Some teams like those from the Soroptimists and the W.I. are all female. There are several pitfalls to be avoided when reading from the paper, which is not written to be read aloud. The reader has an opportunity to scan the articles beforehand and confer on the pronunciation of difficult names. Sometimes long sentences need to be broken up or slightly reworded if they don't make sense. Parts of an article can be left out if it is too long, but this is usually indicated by the editor. Amounts of money are a trap for the unwary, because the currency sign (usually a pound sign) is printed before the figures but must be read out after them. It is increasingly common to come across e-mail and web addresses (URLs), and these require knowledge of internet practice. At present very few of our listeners have internet access so URLs are normally left out. We try to record each side of the master tape in one take, but it is always possible to stop and go back if a mistake is made or if something doesn't make sense. On the other hand, if small mistakes can be corrected in the same breath we just continue. We might also need to stop if there is a technical problem or a loud noise from outside. At the end of an article the reader gives a hand signal so that the next reader or presenter, and the recordist, are ready for the changeover. The recordist will also give a cue to the readers when starting or restarting, and indicate when we are approaching the end of the tape. The presenter has a standard script for the start and end of each side, and the readers introduce themselves individually at the beginning.
Recording EngineerThe recording engineer is responsible for making a good clear recording of the session on a master cassette. Because we do not have a permanent studio he must also bring the equipment to the session and deliver it to the engineer in charge of the next session. All our current engineers are men.
The engineer arrives early in time to set up for the session. The equipment must be unpacked from its flight cases, connected up and checked. The microphones have battery powered preamplifiers which are switched on and tested. It may be necessary to replace the cell or use a different microphone if there is a problem. The master tape is labelled up, inserted into the recorder and rewound to take up any slack. The tape counter is zeroed. An MP3 player is now used for the signature tune and jingles. A second cassette recorder is available to play back pre-recorded inserts and also serves as a standby for the main recorder. A CD player is also available. The signature tune is held on CD and cassette in case the MP3 player should fail. When the readers are ready they attach their tie-clip microphones and read a few words to check the level. It may be necessary to reduce the gain slightly for loud voices, or to apply some equalisation1 to aid intelligibility. The engineer must make sure that the microphones are worn in a suitable position and not obstructed by clothing or arms. The best position is on the chest, pointing down and to one side so that they are not in the line of the breath when reading at the bottom of the card. They should be half way between the reader's chin and the table top. The engineer must be aware of avoidable noise and reduce or eliminate it if possible. Background noise is much more apparent on the tape because the ear cannot filter it out, but on a hot day when the windows are open some traffic noise is inevitable. In other situations we must put up with some noises from within, but we do stop for chiming clocks. When everyone is ready the engineer starts the recorder and the timer, and a few seconds later starts the signature tune. This delay is to allow for different amounts of leader tape2 on the master and copy cassettes. After a few bars the engineer fades down the music and cues the presenter. The music continues at low level during the introduction and is faded completely for the first news item. For the news tape the reading goes round the table, usually but not always in a clockwise direction. On each changeover the engineer must fade up3 the next reader's microphone and fade down the last one. There is sometimes some unscripted banter or laughter which can be "off-mic" but is usually picked up. As the end of the side approaches the engineer signals the time left to the presenter and if necessary gestures to the next reader that his or her article won't be needed, or that a very short article is required. On the magazine session there is much more toing and froing as the presenter introduces each item, and the engineer is guided by the prepared running order. Usually there is a check near the end of each side to make sure there is enough time for the last item. Jjingles are inserted at the required points. The presenter is given a cue to continue at the end of the jingle. At the end of side one the presenter closes the tape with the standard instructions and the signature tune is brought up underneath. It is than played at normal level for a few more seconds and faded out. We do not go right to the end of the tape because the master tape can be slightly longer than the copy tapes, so we aim to finish at the 45 minute mark. When the music fades out we stop the tape at that point and turn the master cassette over for side two. The procedure for side two is the same, except that the master tape is started and the signature tune is faded up immediately. This time we can go nearly to the end of the tape, leaving only ten seconds to allow for leader tapes. However some news teams do not have a full 90 minutes of material so it is necessary to stop before the end. If the engineer has timed it right the end of the signature tune can be played quietly underneath the valedictory remarks and then at normal level to its conclusion. Throughout the tape the engineer must monitor the recording level using his headphones and the level meters on the mixer and recorder. The recorder is equipped with a limiter but this should be used as a safety device and not as a level control or compressor. We use three-head machines which means that the recorded signal can be monitored off-tape at intervals, and routinely just after starting to record. The engineer must also listen for faults such as a microphone cell running down or a reader muffling his or her microphone with a sleeve. If there is a loud noise such as an aircraft going overhead the engineer may need to stop the recording and go back. If a restart is necessary the engineer will cue up the tape at the beginning of a sentence and then give a cue to the reader to begin. Sometimes the last item is too long and the tape runs out. If this happens the item can be left out, shortened or replaced with a shorter item, and after the valedictory announcements the tape must be erased to the end to remove the abortive recording. Finally, when the session is complete the master tape is wound fully to the end, put back in its library case and then into a plastic wallet for delivery to the copying team. The microphones are switched off and all the equipment is disconnected and returned to its cases.
To be continued...So far we have only covered half the story. In Part 2 we look at how we copy the tapes, get them out to listeners and log them back in again. Finally we must not overlook the other vital aspects of running the Association - fund raising, attracting new listeners and volunteers, and keeping in touch with everyone. See Sound Advice for some tips on sound recording.
|
HOME - ABOUT US - CONTACT - WHAT'S NEW - LINKS
Last updated 20th January, 2008