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April 6, 2012 by mudhut

Can You Afford Paper?

There was a time in our history when paper was too expensive for the average writer. Paints and canvas were an indulgance for the rich; materials were simply too costly. It’s crazy to think that these items were for the elite, not the everyday artist.

Prior to the 1990’s, the equipment used in recording studios was so expensive that musicians were paying more than $100/hour to get the use of a facility that owned some of it. In fact, time was so expensive in the early days that only well capitalized record companies could afford to rent the studios for the musicians. The rate included the studio engineer who, by the way, most likely had a college degree in electrical engineering.

Video equipment followed the same plot line. Before the early 2000’s, Only TV stations and high-end independents with rates to match could afford the equipment necessary to produce professional looking videos.

Today, with a credit card and stops at a big box electronics retailer and a music store, you can take home enough equipment to do both jobs. Hey, pick up some paint and paper and you can be a writer and an artist too! I’m being facetious. The point is this; if you think that media communication is important enough to do it regularly, than you need to consider doing it yourself.

Ian Kanski from IMR Digital and I have discussed this many times. He believes that once technology can be placed directly into the hands of creative people, everything changes. The story teller, the artist, and the musician need no go-between. Once they understand the tools, they can begin presenting their vision.

Sometimes technology learning curves require patience and practice. Just because we can go buy a Fender Stratocaster at any music store doesn’t mean we’ll be Jimi Hendrix. So before we set up media production in that empty bedroom/cubicle by HR, there are a few questions that I usually ask my clients;

Do you have a creative person on your staff that would be interested in this type of role part time? Maybe they have media experience. Maybe they think it would be fun.
Do you have a digital media strategy that includes the need for professional final products? Hey, smart phones do a great job of taking pictures and capturing video. Audio is another story, but if short, regular FB posts are your objective, then good audio may not be necessary.
Is there a way that Mud-Hut Studios can help you set up your studio cube, train personnel, or even provide on-site production/examples for you? I am happy to work myself out of a job… I’m used to it!

March 4, 2012 by mudhut

Little House on the Scary. A Brief History.

How far back in time would we have to travel to find our families gathered around a fire? It would have been a near daily occurrence. fire had warmth, light and was basically the stove. As education became more common, male family members may have taken turns reading from the bible or borrowed novels by fire light. Eventually even the girls were allowed to go to school, and they participated. It’s not too hard to visualize this picture. If we haven’t been camping, we’ve certainly seen examples of early living in movies. Versions of this family gathering played for centuries around the globe and it certainly still exists today in much of the third world.

Urban homes began installing electricity in the early decades of the 20th century. The first radio broadcast was in 1920 and by 1922 there were 600 radio stations. While probably in the same room as the fire place (central heating didn’t become a common goal until the 1930’s), the radio caused the family to lean in together to hear the static, words, and music. The radio had replaced the fire as the central gathering point.

In the 1950’s the television replaced the hulking radios in the family room. We moved as a group from the dinner table to watch Gunsmoke. Whether we really liked the programming or not was irrelevent. The TV was the new fire and like the vacuum tube radio technology before it, you could even say it glowed…

Whether the family gatherings were mandatory or not could be argued, but it was probably punishment to be banished from them.

Today, If your family consistently eats together around a table, I congratulate you. If you move en masse to a family room, I envy you. If by chance you then regularly carry on meaningful conversations, I gape at you.

Everyone has their own TV; we can access the world from any room in our home via wireless link; and if you’re reading this, I guarantee that you have used electronics to communicate with another member of your household who was somewhere in the same living space.

Here’s the undeniable irony; We are more connected now than ever before. Despite the weirdness of texting someone in the same house, it doesn’t matter whether they’re even in the same state. It feels the same… like they’re under your roof. This is why anybody can do business with anybody. We’re all just settin’ ’round a bigger fire.

February 4, 2012 by mudhut

Digital Dog Years

The processor in the IPhone 4s is 100 times more powerful than the Intel 8088 CPU in the original IBM PC.

Yawn… Well of course it is. We’re old farm hands at technology change and that farm’s been bringin’ in a personal computing crop for 30 years. I get it.

The reason we should stop right where we stand in the middle of the field during harvest time is this: When was the last time you burst through the front door with a new piece of technology and exclaimed, “It’s twice as fast as my old machine, and only cost half as much!” Has it been two years? Five years? More? We don’t talk about hardware technology advancement any more. We talk about applications. We’re concerned about what we DO with our new toys. This represents a MAJOR shift in focus. Think about what first time users (aren’t many around any more) say when they show you their new smart phone… “I can do email, Facebook, Twitter, text, watch video, TAKE video, scan bar codes, get recipes, Skype, and… I can even make phone calls.”

We don’t mention “the Internet” anymore. We can do ANYTHING we want to with music. Well… you get the picture (and don’t forget to take that picture and share it with your phone). Our lives are now broken down into to two categories…Things that CAN be done on our smart phone, and things that CANNOT be done on our smart phone.

Here’s the thing. The introduction of the original IPhone (which arguably ushered in this era) was a minute ago in 2007. What makes this so important is that it’s more than good ol’ advancing technology; we are witnessing CULTURAL change. The way in which we consume information has changed. Has your business kept pace?

January 20, 2012 by mudhut

Recording Drums… Part Three

There are hundreds of dissertations on this subject around the web. Many written by people far more qualified than I. However, since I’ve recorded 400+ different kits over the years, and customer satisfaction has generally been high… This is Part Three.

I Usually… One: Take a wide-ish band at 500Hz and cut it aggresively on the toms. This is the boxy tone that nobody misses.

I Usually… Two: That pesky energy node you’ll probably get on the toms at 200Hz isn’t going to go away unless you spend a month tuning… forget about it. Set a narrow band on the eq and try to notch it out either while recording or while mixing later.

I Usually… Three: Cut 100Hz or so on the kick drum. I know…I know… that’s the frequency that some people will tell you to boost, but it pushes to much energy into the compressor. You don’t have to get crazy, but as you drop this freq, you’ll hear some awesome sub tones that seem to expand the size of the kick. You’ll also have to make a wide, gentle boost some place in the upper midrange to show the slap of the beater. If you hear a weird “clacking”, “beeping” or other unnatural sound, figure out the frequency and… notch it. I don’t usually boost any low frequency on the kick unless genre=metal then I’ll boost 44Hz a tiny bit with a more severe 100Hz cut.

I Usually… Four: Put some level of compression on all individual drums. Very light on the toms, a little more on the snare, and quite a bit on the kick. Yes, we’re shaping the tone, but we’re really looking for some level of consistency in volume across the kit.

Oh Crap! Too much cymbal: They’re in everything and if that weren’t bad enough they’re flanging because of the phase differences at each mic making the drums virtually unlistenable. Let’s figure out why.

The room is usually the number one culprit. The cyms just seem to multiply everytime they’re struck. You’ll have to deaden the room or move the kit to a larger space.
Mic placement is usually the next bad guy. Solo each mic to find the trouble maker(s) and make adjustments in the way they’re placed. Crashes eat up tom mics and the ride is almost always facing the capsule of the snare mic. I’ve rubber banded pieces of foam to the sides of mics to help with this. but asking the drummer to either move his cymbals or change the way he/she plays may be the only way out. Depending on your situation, you may have to remove the offending cyms and have the drummer play them as overdubs. I’ve not done this, but it was common back in the day…
Make sure your overhead mics are in the best possible position to capture a balanced drum vs cymbal performance and as the drummer plays make sure that you sweep from pan to center (mono) to listen for phasing. Correct accordingly.
I’ve found that almost all drum tracks have too much cymbal in the tom mics. I just mute the tracks in between tom strikes.

The Snare: Don’t over compress! Make sure you can hear enough snare band. Need more snare in the mix and pushing the volume doesn’t really help? Build a reverb that does it. There are tons of plugins that let you set early reflections, tune the verb, and simulate natural rooms and environments. These can/will make your snare as big as you want it without sounding too reverb-y.

I don’t consider myself an expert, just someone who’s had the remarkable opportunity to mic a lot of drum kits. twenty years from now, there may not be many engineers around who will have recorded more than 10 kits. Music has changed. Anybody who’s used sample/replace software knows… but if you have a real band and a real drummer, who wants to hear real drums, mic’ing is easy… Part One. or Part Two.

December 19, 2011 by mudhut

Recording Drums…Part Two

There was a session several years ago when the band had finished recording all of the basic tracks and were starting to overdub guitar parts when one of the band members asked, “Where did (the drummer) go?” None of us had seen him since the last trip to his car after tear-down…it had been at least a half hour. It turns out that he had packed his car and quit the band. He drove three hours back home without saying goodbye thinking he was saving the band the messiness of quiting before he had recorded with them… Probably not the right call…

No Worries One: Really cheap tom mics are fine. You’re only going to use them to augment the overheads and bring attack, body, and increased volume to the toms anyway. That sounded surprisingly like a shampoo ad.

No Worries Two: Remove all of the damping, tune and reapply moon gels cut in half. Full gels kill too much area. If you have to, use two halves in different spots. Drum Gum is also really effective. I actually use little frogs that I bought at a party store which are made out of the same stuff. Part Three. or back to Part One.

November 19, 2011 by mudhut

Recording Drums… Part One

After recording and mixing a session one day, a band member asked, “What did you do to the drums?” His wording surprised me. I thought they sounded pretty good. “Umm, what do you mean?” I asked. His reply; “Well, they sound so good… So natural… What did you do to them? The last studio I was in spent two hours on the snare drum alone, and we didn’t record anything the first day of the session because we worked on the drums the entire day. You just threw some mics up, turned a couple of knobs and said, ‘OK, now guitar.’ Do you have a secret processor or something?”

I do not. I have no secrets of any kind, and I have never substituted a drum sound using sample-replace software. It just seems so unfair to the drummer. Hey, guitar player, I don’t like the tone of your amp; let’s replace you and your little dog too.

There are a couple of things that I’ve done over the years that have given clients consistent results.

I present these with the humility of someone who has been in situations where nothing really worked and despite my best efforts the drums didn’t sound like they should have.

Assumption One: The drummer can play. He/she actually strikes the drums with authority and confidence. Touch drummers do not record well. You really have to be on your game when recording a jazz oriented player who strikes lightly.

Assumption Two: The drums aren’t complete garbage. I tracked a kit once that was cobbled together from three different below average drum sets. However, the top heads weren’t dented and he hadn’t removed the bottom heads (important). Once we removed all of the duct tape and retuned, they recorded fine. I am partial to maple shells, though. They just seem so focused.

Assumption Three: You have some idea how a kit is supposed to sound, and you aren’t afraid to help the drummer tune it.

Good Idea One: Two heads are better than one. You can’t fake this. There’s a reason that drums have two heads. The kick drum can be the exception, however. If it has a hole, put the mic inside the drum, and you’re in business. Otherwise remove the front head. If you’re going for a flabby/indie/70’s sound you may have to keep it and mic from outside the front.

Good Idea Two: Get two good overhead mics. They are your drum sound. I’ve used different ones over the years, and I found that I liked affordable, natural sounding microphones. I settled on ADK Area-51’s. Properly placed, you can shut off all of the other mics except the kick and hear the real drum sound. If you’ve been searching for overheads, I highly recommend you audition these. You won’t need a hihat mic either. I’ve never used one. Part Two.

October 16, 2011 by mudhut

Media for Non-Profit Organizations

Traditionally Non-Profit organizations produced media (video) for one-time events like galas, fundraisers, TV campaigns, or other similar situations. These “movies” were expensive, Video firms set up booths at Non-Con (I just made that up) and quoted some pretty hefty five figure numbers. There was an entire sub-industry of production companies that traveled around making these films. Unfortunately, the productions generally didn’t have an ROI that made them popular. They were often shown only at a single event or a few other fundraising meetings. The last time most Non-Profit organizations updated their media was when the director said, “Our VHS machine broke, so we need a new video on DVD”. Whether the organization sent home a VHS or DVD is irrelevant, the only machine it probably saw was the crusher inside of a garbage truck.

Ironically, the stories of hope that these agencies can tell are boundless. I simply can’t think of another industry that offers so many opportunities to document improvements in people’s lives.

Here are a few thoughts…

Predictable funding to Non-Profits is dangerously low.
The need for alternative capital sources is undeniable.
The complexity and needs of clients are at an all time high.
Delivery Platforms are abundant and free.

It’s never been more important for Non-Profits to market themselves and it’s never been cheaper. The Non-Profit agencies should be producing regular content for two very important reasons.

It validates their importance in the community.
It offers evidence to the ever-more-important independent revenue source, that funding this organization offers more benefit (See? We even document our impact).

Whenever I present these concepts to my clients, I say, “Don’t run back to the office and put social media on the agenda for the staff meeting next week. Put it on the agenda and never take it off.” At a minimum, do short web-cam updates once a month…or simple depictions of industry statistics.

September 16, 2011 by mudhut

The Battle of Rap

CJ Anderson (ChronicLz) has recorded so many songs here that neither of us can remember them all. Among the things that make him unique is that he is nationally recognized in the world of “Rap Battles”.

Wait… a music genre that morphed into a competition!? Outside of the more mundane fiddle contests and battles of the bands, I can’t think of anything that even touches this in terms of a quantum change in entertainment. This is unique.

When I first heard about this art form, I was clueless/skeptical to say the least. After watching some of these battles on YouTube, I now believe… (WARNING: Explicit Lyrics, Urban Attitude, etc.). FYI, I have seen NOTHING in my twenty years in the entertainment industry that compares to it. There are world leagues associated with this art form.

Two competitors (usually from different geographic locations) with only tenuous social media knowledge of each other go into a ring. They have written several rounds of verbal abuse for their opponent and use these words as weapons. Nothing is off limits. If they find out that their opponent’s mother died of cancer, they will use it. Knocking the opponent out (making them freeze or lose lucidity) is the objective. There are unbiased judges that render decisions, but the fights are posted online for thousands to judge after-the-fact.

While Mud-Hut has done hundreds and hundreds of Hip-Hop tracks over the years, ChronicLz is the only client to compete in world ranked Rap Battles while continuing to produce his own music. In 2009, at CJ’s suggestion, Mud-Hut hosted a battle that included Real Deal, (an internationally ranked battler and MC) and many other participants and fans.

Whether or not you like Hip-Hop, is irrelevant. If you like “extremely different”, this artform is worthy of a one-time exploration. It’s crazy.

Again…(WARNING: Explicit Lyrics, Urban Attitude, etc.)

August 14, 2011 by mudhut

Of Sound Mind

People will watch YouTube videos of terrible quality on palm sized screens as long as they can understand what’s being said… but put an HD video on a large screen TV with poor sound and they quickly lose interest. While the visual is sometimes self-explanatory, the audio completes the communication.

Many articles have been written about the relationship between audio, the brain, and memory including, Music, Memory, and Emotion (Lutz Jänke, Journal of Biology 2008, 7:21). or Involuntary Memory (Wikipedia contributors, “Involuntary memory,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (accessed January 14, 2013).

While media doesn’t necessarily start with the audio, it finishes it. Remove the music soundtrack from a movie and the scene is empty. The closest thing to a time machine I’ve ever experienced is hearing a long forgotten song. Music becomes the soundtrack to our life. So, audio is kind of important. Quality audio is our commitment.

and with that… cue the crickets…

July 15, 2011 by mudhut

Developing a Marketing Script

Mining Content

Mud-Hut Studios is often called upon to help describe an organization’s competitive advantage (See our other articles about Content Mining). Script writing is important, but delivering the message in an accessible manner is often challenging. Over the years, I’ve come to utilize the following concepts

Begin by listing one or two features of your product(s) that sets you apart from your competition. Define what advantage(s) the audience should see as a result. Ex. “Our product’s simple design makes your busy day less complicated”

If you feel that your organization has special advantages for your customers, list these as well. Many companies have large and diverse product lines. Features like “manufacturing quality” apply to the entire catalog. Maybe your company’s organization and structure translates into better customer service for your clients.

These cross product advantages are called distinctive competence and should probably be broken into their own chapter(s).

The entire script is written around these feature/advantage points. Of course, you may feel that your product(s) have many strong suits, but your target audience will appreciate your brevity. Break your script outline into chapters like the following.

Concepts for the Introduction

Who is the spokesperson, and why are they qualified to speak?

Acknowledge your audience and thank them for taking the time to listen.

Who are you and what do you produce?

What are you planning to present to the audience?

Body

Our product features and advantages are…

Our company’s distinctive competence is…

Keep the information simple, and clear. Could graphics help? Could a customer testimonial help? How about photos or other visuals?

Closing

What has the client learned today?

What can they do to take immediate advantage of your offerings?

Other

Consider maintaining consistent branding throughout the campaign.

Some companies like to keep their logo or a message in the lower third.

Intro and/or outro graphics or slogan splash can be used as book ends to your message.

Rather than a long production, do three or four short messages, put them on YouTube and link them to another platform like Facebook or your website.

By the way, it is my experience that asking subjects to recite a script is often counter productive. It sounds too rehearsed and comes off as forced. Let your speakers ad lib the high points of an outline. The more natural the read seems; the more honesty it portrays.

Check out examples of our work on our YouTube Channel.