FOLDER MADNESS

Has your audio folder gotten unruly? Perhaps your OCD has just gone into over drive and you are compelled to organize the file mess residing in your folders. What to do! Organizing your files will take hours if not days. Well, let the Bag turn you onto a great utility app called..... The Big Mean Folder Machine. Get ready to rock your drives Ladies and Gents..... this puppy will will give a new meaning to "presto"! Just some of the things you can do with BMFM are:

Split Files into multiple folders
Merge files from different folders
Split files into multi-level folder hierarchies
Take files and split into batches
Create folders based on file name

We use it at the Bag to wrangle files into submission. Try it out and see if it works in your flow. This is a Mac only app, go ahead and make the switch.....you will thank us later.

Link:

http://www.publicspace.net/BigMeanFolderMachine/index.html

MUPPET BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

If you haven't seen this by now, do yourself a favor and czech it out. Good fun.

Muppet video link

DROP BOX

The process of transferring files from one computer to another is as commonplace as an Obama appearance on primetime TV these days. Often, we use FTP clients to transfer files from computer to computer via remote servers. Sometimes we put files on a thumb drive, give it to a colleague who then sticks it in their machine (and then loses it - later claiming they never got a thumb drive from you). Heck, we even use good ole email from time to time to get our files from A to B. But as you may have already guessed, we found an easier way to do this…free!
The app is called DROPBOX https://www.getdropbox.com/. This handy little freebie let’s you share files right from a folder on your desktop or any other location of your choosing. All you do is download the app on the computers you wish to share files on, setup an account with a username and password and you’re good to go. There’s no learning curve here. DROPBOX folders behave just as any other folder would on your computer, Mac or PC with one exception. Putting a file in a DROPBOX folder automatically synchronizes with any other DROPBOX folder on other computers with DROPBOX installed. If you want to use your iPhone to access a folder you can do that too http://www.getdropbox.com/iphoneapp. And if you’re laptop doesn’t show up at the baggage claim carousel and you need to make use of those internet bars (who uses those anyway?) you can log into your account and access your files online using your username and password. The only drawback we found is that there is no recycle bin for the DROPBOX folder. Changes made to files in a DROPBOX folder are destructible, meaning – if you edit the doc, there is no going back. More importantly, once a file is deleted it’s DELETED so be careful!
According to CNET http://www.cnet.com/, the software is safe, secure and a great way to backup files and work on projects from multiple workstations. It’s still in beta testing but we found this to be no problemo. We use it here at the Bag and have not had any complaints yet. Give it a try!

Adding Some Realism to Your Productions

Simply panning a characters voice in a promo is one way to create space, but using two microphones in a coincidental pair (also known as “XY”) and placing your characters in that space adds much more realism. The two microphones must be placed as closely together as possible by placing the capsule of one microphone on top of the other as in fig.1. To achieve a wider image position the mics as in fig.2. Ideally you would use a nice matched pair of mics with changeable mic patterns. Realistically if all you have is a couple of 58’s lying around, or two mismatched mics, don't sweat it, you’re not recording the London Symphony. Just try and match the levels between the two and it's all good. The better the levels are matched the more obvious the spatial differences will be. If you did have a pair of mics that you could change the pattern on a figure eight would give you the widest image and works well in a small room. Hyper cardioid is a tighter sound. If you are trying to achieve the sound of a large group and have only a few people you can make them sound like a larger group by doubling or tripling them and moving individuals around in the stereo field with each pass.

LICENSE KEEPER

Have you ever lost a serial number to a plug-in or software? How about adding insult to injury when the developer tells you you have to buy a new serial number/license to replace your lost one. We've heard that before; "well sir, you DID lose your serial number". Rummaging through countless registration cards, manuals, sticky notes, and ancient emails trying to find software info is way painful. We dislike pain enough to search out a handy utility that keeps all purchase information in one convenient place.

LicenseKeeper from outer level software has been a true benefit in maintaining and organizing software license information. Manage serial numbers, license files, receipts, purchase history, and registration information in a searchable solution. You can import and export information, print detailed reports, scan emails for serial numbers, and purchase history.

The operation of LicenseKeeper is straight forward and intuitive. Put and end to the panic and headache (pictured right) when searching for that lost serial number.

http://outerlevel.com/licensekeeper

MUSICAL GIBLETS

Who put Thanksgiving so close to Halloween? We’re still burping up the leftover Kit-Kat’s we had for breakfast. Pilgrims, sheesh, what WERE they thinking?

Doing some last minute Thanksgiving production?

Here’s our unique list of songs to help get your creative skull marbles rolling.
If anything, maybe the list will get you in the mood for gorging on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, pumpkin pie…oh yeah…and giving thanks and stuff while dealing with dysfunctional family issues.

Adam Sandler - Thanksgiving Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z27FKwupds


Dee Dee Sharp – Mashed Potato Time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQBKpV9emKc

The Original Schnickelfritz Band (1942) - Turkey in the Straw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsnZxfkkoKQ

Ol Turkey Buzzard (Yeah it’s about Vultures and Gold..we know…Turkey Buzzard sounds cool though)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRA3SrkqDSE

Ol Turkey Buzzard (On Letterman, weird, funny, okay then.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBpzTcW5qIg&feature=related

Lemon Demon – Pumpkin Pie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VVKx8AcYHs

The Plastic Ono Band (John Lennon) – Cold Turkey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARDnJLkzq_M

Billy Talent did a version of Cold Turkey… we thank you Canada for BT.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfrsaI70X5Y

Bob Hope and Shirley Ross – Thanks for the Memory
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwqB2vhrtLE

Bob Marley – Give Thanks and Praises
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=668613672836639134#

Bonnie Raitt – I Thank You
http://popup.lala.com/popup/360569449467837986

Johnny Cash – Thanks A Lot
http://popup.lala.com/popup/937030227622711074

Get your sentimental mojo on via Josh Groban.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2M0GQOgYGg

John Mellencamp – Thank You
http://popup.lala.com/popup/432908518535527148

Alanis Morrisette – Thank U
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1lmw3_alanis-morissette-thank-u_music

ABBA (from Mamma Mia soundtrack) - Thank You For the Music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8e9VOG1yk8

Ray Davies – Thanksgiving Day
http://www.amazon.com/Thanksgiving-Day-Ray-Davies/dp/B000BTJCPY

Dido – Thank You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1CjbcqhGyU

Sly and The Family Stone – Family Affair
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xyx71_sly-the-family-stone-family-affair_music

The Ramones – We’re a Happy Family
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPxA7XIGHkQ&feature=related

Sister Sledge – We are Family
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSDh94eQTAk

GAIN STRUCTURE

Setting up a good gain structure is one of the most important aspects of insuring
a distortion free and open sounding production. If you overload at any gain point
(where you can increase or decrease volume such as a compressor or eq) you’ll carry that through the chain. An example of poor gain structure is when a mixers master volume is sitting near the bottom and all of the individual faders are crammed to the top. The master buss level may look normal, but there’s very little or no headroom as well as no clarity or dynamic range.
Keep your eyes on the master buss from the beginning and as you add new elements make adjustments. Your master fader should remain at zero. If your mix is beginning to look hot pull all individual faders down equally. (you could ensure this by grouping them momentarily, or if your DAW has a Trim plugin as Pro Tools does you could insert it before the limiter on the Master Buss and drop the level) Do not rely on the buss limiter to fix everything. In fact don’t engage the buss limiter at all until your mix is almost done. The harder you hit it the more limiting will kick in and diminish the dynamic range. Especially if you are using already produced and mastered music material in your promos. Usually these tracks have already been subjected to the “Loudness War” and adding more limiting to them will induce a “crunchy” sound. Better to adjust the individual elements so that your buss limiter is just tightening up the sound and preventing any overages as opposed to sucking all of the life and dynamic range out of your masterpiece. You could set up a separate buss that has all the elements that haven’t been squashed like your VO, drops & sound design and then feed that to the master buss or use light to moderate compression on each individual track then engage the buss limiter just as a trim.

THE HORROR OF CREATIVITY

Being creative often means going against the grain and taking a risk that what you're doing may not be popular or accepted. In a promo, that can blow up in your face but, with a Halloween costume, the only risk is possible public embarrassment.

The woman pictured right resisted the temptation to dress as Obama or Miley Cyrus and clearly went outside the box. We feel this works on many levels. Hazaaaaaah!

FLASH GRABBER

The flickering behemoth in the living room is being replaced by much smaller flickering boxes that now command our obedience. More people each day prefer to get their vid fix online.
Sites like Youtube, Metacafe, Google Videos , AOL, and even TMZ are fast becoming a central source of entertainment and an integral part of our national psyche. As far as radio content is concerned, grabbing audio from these sites has become as important and topical (if not, more so) than TV and film. But getting the audio from the web has been a time consuming and resource hogging process until recently.
Typically, you'd have to tie up your daw interface to get the job done and you'd be doing it in real time. This really messes with your A.D.D. tendencies since you can't multi-task as much. No worries because now there's a more efficient and time saving way to grab the audio. As most of the video streaming online these days is flash based, there is no better way to go than a good flash video grabber. With a flash downloader grabber in your pocket, you can go to the site you want, start downloading the videos you need and continue working on other audio projects. Then, when all your video is downloaded, you can cull, collate and edit your audio efficiently and when time permits without the hassle of buffering and slow internet speeds. There's more great news. Most of the good apps are free!
As with most freeware, there is a lot to chose from. We’ve narrowed it down some of the better apps here.
For Windows –
• Orbits Getit - This downloader works great and integrates well with your browser (works on both Explorer and Firefox). You can right click the video and download that way or use the clickable “Get It” that pops up over the video you are watching and save the vid to a folder of your choice. This one can download in large batches, allowing you to jump from one vid to the next like a locust. Yes, it’s free.
• FlashCatch - A simple to use app, this one puts a drop down in your browser. When you go to a video, simply chose the vid from the drop down and the video starts to download. The only drawback is you have to have a separate player to play the vid. VLC , is a good muliti format player app for this and one that you should probably have anyway. Both FlashCatch and VLC are free aps.
• Flash Video Downloader Youtube - This is one has a nice interface and supports MOV, MP4 and AVI formats. The download process is fast and easyFlash Video Downloader YouTube offers a convenient and comfortable interface for downloading videos from the Internet. Despite its name, the program supports a number of formats, including MOV, MP4, and AVI. This app costs $4.95 after 15 days of trial
For Mac –
• Flash Video Downloader - This free Mac downloader is simple, super easy and allows for batch downloads. Simply copy and paste the url of the vids you want and the app does the rest. SWF, FLV Player and Quicktime are all capable of playing back the downloaded vid.

• YouTube Downloader http://download.cnet.com/Free-YouTube-Downloader/3000-2194_4-192611.html - It’s free, allows for multiple (batch) downloading and even let’s you extract the file names from the sites. Works with Mac and Windows

COMPRESSOR CHARACTER

You hear the word character kicked around in compressor discussions but, what does it really mean? It probably varies from person to person. For this post, we'd like to zero in on one important aspect of character which is the eq slant that many compressors possess.

Most compressor choices you make are accompanied by a default eq choice of which you may not be aware. The info we're talking about is generally not found in gear and plug-in manuals. It's the stuff of pub chatter. While word of mouth is useful, you have to use your own ears before making final decisions. It's worth your time to take something you know well, like your own voice, and run it through various compressors, taking note of differences. Using a variety of program material is important too.

As usual, there are no absolutes. Not every comp delivers magic and with some, the effect is subtle. Of course, there are also occaisons where you don't want extra color and some products do well with that. In the hardware world, the LA 3A from Universal Audio is known for it's transparency so, for level control without much added character, that may be a good choice. Many people say similar things about the Waves Renaissance compressor plug.

Getting back to those with some extra voodoo. You won't hear people say that a particular comp adds a specific amount of eq at a certain frequency. It's a feel. It's more likely you'll hear someone say that a certain unit adds something nice on the top end or is smoother on midrange freqs. Some producers reserve certain comps for specific applications because of their character. This one is for drums, this one is great on vocals etc.

So, choose wisely when building your stable of compressors. Unless you're loaded with cash and drunk on absinthe.

THE PROOF IS IN THE PROMO

Brown Bag makes imaging sound great. Although we've been doing it for
years, we're never above earning our reputation. With that in mind we make the following offer. If you're eligible to use Brown Bag and have a trial membership to any service,
we'll produce a sample radio promo with your voice over. Let us show you how great your station can sound with Brown Bag Imaging.

EVIL INSPIRATION

It’s that spooky time of year, and you need some popular music for Halloween production. We thought about making our own list of Halloween favorites for you, then realized that we are either:

1) Not good at making lists
2) Afraid of making scary lists
3) Not fond of other lists and end up cherry picking from them anyway.
4) Lazy
5) Aware that we are actually quite good at making lists. Please note above items.

Anyway, back to the point. Instead of giving you our own personal Halloween music preferences, maybe we can save you from some search engine typing cramps. Check out the quick links below, and maybe it will speed along your production with some song inspiration. If this just ends up distracting you from your current imaging deadline, you only have yourself to blame. I’m mean, what are you doing here reading our blog anyway? Get back to work. Oh, wait…was I just talking to myself there. I think I was. I better get back to work. Thank you, me.

TOP HALLOWEEN SONG LINKS:

http://www.ez-tracks.com/top-40-Halloween-songs.html

http://www.popculturemadness.com/Music/Halloween-Music.html

http://scrapbooksalive.com/top-100-halloween-song-suggestions/

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/406101/ten_best_halloween_party_songs_from.html?cat=7

http://www.aolradioblog.com/2009/09/16/10-best-halloween-songs/

http://thetikioasis.com/2007/10/09/20-best-halloween-songs/

http://top40.about.com/od/top10lists/tp/halloweensongs.htm

http://classicrock.about.com/od/recommendationsandreviews/tp/somewhat_scary.htm

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/390636/top_10_creepy_pop_and_rock_songs_for.html?cat=33

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/424094/the_best_halloween_rock_music_pop_songs.html?cat=33

http://blogcritics.org/music/article/ten-halloween-songs-that-arent-as/

http://hardrockhideout.com/2007/10/29/top-ten-metal-songs-for-halloween/

http://rayvanhornjr.blogspot.com/2007/10/halloween-hoardesfest-ten-metal-songs.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2213089/top_10_halloween_songs_metal_and_industrial.html?cat=33

WATERWORLD

That coffe colored liquid crawling through the hallway is water from a busted sprinkler main. Since it almost never rains in southern California, we don't often think about flooding as a hazard. Only one of our studios had some minor water damage so, we're calling ourselves lucky.

Is your studio ready for an unexpected flood? Is all your gear up off the floor? What about power strips? Mounting power strips on your work desk is a great idea to keep 'em high and dry.

GOSSIP SITES

There are plenty of choices out there when it comes to gossip sites. Sites like Eonline, Perez Hilton and TMZ all have great late breaking content as well as archived material. But if you’re looking for content that's a little less mainstream yet relevant, try these sites.

OMG - offers extensive gossip content and features a dedicated video section along with photos, written news and a blog. The video section highlights some of the most recent celeb stories including current and past American Idol contestants and the like. They have a great keyword map on the right that allows you to quickly click on videos OMG considers to be “Hot Topic”.

Pop Eater is similar to OMG in that they specialize in all the latest gossip from the biggest stars of today (people like Katy Perry, the cast of Twilight, Brad Pitt etc.). Popeater has an easy and visually comfortable site that mixes news stories, pictures and videos.

Star Pulse takes things a step further and breaks down their video category into music, television and movie sub-sections. Each sub-section contains a boatload of vids, all with deep and thorough coverage of their title subject. The music category for example will cover big stories and events like the latest Michael Jackson developments as well as small stories like Girls In Bikinis and the Human Synthesizer (what?). Anyway, it’s worth a visit if you want a big choice of quick and easy gossip news with videos.

The Smoking Gun does not offer any recent gossip news but if you’re looking for something with a vintage flair to spice up your imaging then this is the place to be. They feature archive footage from some of the biggest celebs and stories of the old days. The video section will show things that back in the day may have been scandalous, controversial, compelling or at least interesting. The audio has a that great old sound and the site is easy to navigate, making your audio foraging experience very easy.

VIRAL CANADIANS

This video is awesome. It was shot in one take by students at the University of Quebec at Montreal. We're linking to it because it makes you wanna pull an all-nighter and do something hugely creative.

viral canadian vid

UNREADABLE DEATH METAL BAND LOGOS

We humbly admit we didn't get any of these. Perhaps your ability to decipher the unreadable is better than ours. Czech it out.

METALSUCKS

MIC/PREAMP QUICK TIP

This doesn't get talked about much but, the input impedance of your preamp should be 10 times the output impedance of your mic. So, a mic with an output impedance of 50 ohms would go well with an input impedance of 500. A good match usually means the best performance but, of course, your mileage may vary.

Higher end preamps often include switchable input impedance to the get the best out of a variety of mics.

ZIP A MONTH

We're streamlining our website. You'll no longer see the archive/update category. We're replacing it with custom tools that let you grab any month's worth of audio from any publishing year. A video is worth a thousand words so, check out this tutorial. For the large version, in glorious HD go to youtube.

TAPESTOP EFFECT

Have you ever tried to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without peanut butter? We haven’t done any extensive studies, but we suspect it can’t be done.

Similarly, we believe it might be nearly impossible to create radio imaging that does not use the infamous sound of the “tape stop effect”. Slowing audio down to a complete stop, or it’s opposite, speeding up to normal from a complete stop.

Rather than spending huge amounts of time having to transfer audio to an old analog deck to create this effect, there are many audio plug-in options out there, some are expensive, and some are cheap. Thus we present our list for the “economical challenged” producer.



PRO TOOLS:

Vari-Fi, one of the plug-ins included in the free Di-Fi bundle that is included with Digidesign’s Pro Tools software. It is very basic, fast and sounds great.
http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?navid=115&itemid=1009

WINDOWS:

PITCH BENDER, the super handy plug-in that comes with Adobe Audition, let’s you draw custom pitch curves on a time graph. This is should be standard in every DAW on every platform.

TAPESTOP, is a free and very simple, VST only effect that is recommended on many online forums.
http://www.kvraudio.com/get/826.html


GLITCH, on the other hand is a crazy sounding plug-in, with tape stopping as only one of it’s many audio mangling options.
http://illformed.org/plugins/glitch/




MAC:
TURNTABLIST, is one of several cool plugin’s from the minds over at Smartelectronix . You have to load samples into the Turntablist plugin and trigger the sounds from a keyboard or other midi controller, so it can be a bit clunky to learn at first. The results after learning this plugin can be very inspiring when you combine live playback at various pitches while spinning knobs on the interface.
http://destroyfx.smartelectronix.com/audiounits.html

EFFECTRIX, is not a free AU plugin, but since GLITCH is VST only on PC we have to mention this option. Tapestop is not it’s best feature though. Stuttering and mangling audio quickly is really what it does best.
http://www.sugar-bytes.de/content/products/Effectrix/index.php

SPEED FADES, is a new tool that is built into the FLEX TIME features in LOGIC 9. Suffice to say, a couple of Logic geeks we know are excited.
http://www.apple.com/logicstudio/whats-new/#flex-time

RETAIL RADIO HUNT

Since we're big radio fans at The Bag, we like to have radios almost everywhere in our daily lives. One of us recently discovered the need to have a portable radio to drag around the yard or garage for projects. The need was simple, a cheap, light, easy to carry AM/FM radio with no bells and whistles that takes minimal batteries. So it was off to the local major chain stores. Should take about five minutes right?

Not so simple. There are all kinds of mutations on the shelves, even a model or two still with cassette and/or cd but nothing plain and simple. That made us flash on a mental image of hand held transistor radios. These were the standard device that so many radio people grew up listening to under the pillow immediately after their parents called lights out. With only 9volts of power and one band (AM of course) you could listen to stations skipping off the atmosphere from hundreds of miles away. The web kinda does that for you now but, it's not quite the same in the garage. You don't want your laptop out there since you'll be flinging paint, oil and hot snowboard wax around. That seven dollar transistor radio, however, took a beating, went everywhere and seemed to last forever.

Those radios of old are literally still going as we discovered with a couple of cool websites. Check out http://www.transistor.org/ (Sarah's Transistor Radios) or http://www.8-track-shack.com/ . The vintage radios there are a total gas. When is someone going to make a laptop for 7 dollars that lasts forever?