Probably the most famous radio in TV Land was the 8th castaway. Read More...

Tags: Radio, TV, Television

From the basic stethoscope to controlling brain waves, sound and medicine have been working together since caveman days. Read More...

Tags: medicine, doctor, stethoscope

Well I've done it. I said that someday I would write a book, and I have. I now know how rocky the road is for authors. Writing this book has to be the single most difficult thing I've done in my professional life. Producing a documentary comes a close second. At least in that, other people were saying the words. When writing a book, one must come up with all the words by yourself.

No artificial intelligence could write a book like this, because my profession is one of the most misunderstood. It's often thought we perform sleight of hand or use smoke and mirrors. I did my due diligence in trying to scare off anyone thinking seriously about a career in this grueling yet mesmerizing industry:

It’s a plea for you to look inside yourself and honestly assess your reasons for taking a path into this world of twiddling knobs and pushing buttons. Of course, it’s more than that, but a lot of people will view you as just that – a “button pusher.” You may also be regarded as an “audio nerd,” “gear head,” “DJ,” “audio dude,” “audio gal,” “one of the girls,” “one of the boys,” “You can’t stand there, I need to put a light there,” “You can’t stand there either,” or just “Hey you.” And if you command a little respect, you may be called “Ears,” or “sound guy/girl,” or “You can’t stand there,” or “Hey you.”

I do however, qualify our industry with some dignity:

Still want to be an audio engineer? Most of what an audio engineer does every day is solve problems, be creative, make clients happy, and go home at night with a sense of accomplishment. There are no awards for that, only rewards. How many people do you know that are truly happy in their job? I mean truly happy? Do they absolutely love what they do? Do they think about it when they’re not at work? Do they want to grow and be better? Do they put pride and accomplishment before money? Are they proud to say, “I did this”? If not, then they may just be button pushers, if you know what I mean. Happiness in your job does not come from where you work, or whom you work for. It comes from how you value yourself and your work.

But I knew from an early age what I wanted to do. I just didn't know how to get my foot in the door. When I was in high school (one of the target ages for this book), there were very few options to learn this craft. So I headed off into a different direction, eventually finding my way back onto the road I wanted to be on all along. I detail my circuitious route and lay out all the development opportunites available, with the hope of shortening the path for someone else:

Truthfully, most of my previous non-engineer experiences have guided me along the path to becoming an audio engineer, as farfetched as some of those may seem. Other experiences have helped me become a better engineer and producer. As you will find out, your path will probably be easier than mine because these days institutes of higher learning take this profession more seriously. Learning just the technical stuff will only get you so far in your job. You may not realize it now, but many of your life experiences and interests will be drawn upon as you create soundtracks, interact with artists, and build a career.

Once someone is working in this field, they need guidance on how to succeed, improve their skills, and advance professionally. I don't pull any punches on what is involved in my job:

To succeed in your new job, I don’t think I have to mention the obvious things about showing up on time, putting in your hours, etc. But in audio production, broadcast, theater, and other types of jobs where you, the audio engineer will work, the hours can be long and unpredictable. This just comes with the territory. So, if you’re a clock watcher, this profession isn’t for you.

I also give very detailed real-world examples of several large, time-intensive projects that I've worked on, breaking down the production crew, equipment, and timeline down to the minute. For example, I sum up what a day running live sound at a major college football game is like:

A typical football gameday engineering job is eight to nine hours. That’s pretty doable, and assuming there were no major problems, a fairly stress-free day. It’s still tiring because you’re around A LOT of people, are bombarded with A LOT of sound, and have to be on your toes 100% of the time. But it’s also very rewarding for several reasons. You get to apply your craft and see immediate results; you get to take part in something newsworthy; you get paid to watch a game; and you are usually around top notch professionals that are enjoying the day as much as you are. Once you get past the initial learning curve of doing a gig like this, you can have a lot of fun doing live sports.

I also talk about film set and recording session etiquette, working with clients, producers, talent, and working for yourself. I discuss creativity, what it is, how to identify its elements and apply them, and how to get out of a creative rut:

But when I hit a creative wall, I try to turn my world around and upside down 180-degrees. Go take a walk, run, or bike ride. Listen to music you wouldn’t normally have in your collection. Go to a museum or art gallery. Go watch a game, or even play a sport. Go on a photography hike and try to take pictures of just one subject, like merging lines or scenes with red. Meditate, practice yoga, or exercise. Go see a play or stand-up comedian. Play with the studio dog or cat if you’re fortunate to have one. The whole idea is to hit RESET and get completely away from your project and your working environment.

I try not to get too technical in my book, there are plenty of books on how to push buttons out there. But I do cover some basic engineering and recording concepts that I feel will make a young engineer a little less green behind the ears. I also have a section on audio engineering tricks I've learned over my four decades in the business. I tried to put myself back in my size 11 shoes I wore in my early 20s (good thing they don't use pants in this metaphor), and address some of the basic questions I had, like:

Starting a recording session
Managing the space in your soundscape
Building a better mix
Creating layers in your mix
Divide and conquer: time and project management

I close out the book with 34 of my all-things-sound articles featured here in "A Sound Education" over the years, including:

"The Birth of Recording"
"When Recording Writes the Music"
"The Lasting Legacy of Bell Labs"
"Analog Rules!"
"Audio Letters to Home"
"Requiem of the Bells"

If you know of someone that is looking to get into the audio industry, or is just curious about the magic that goes on behind the curtain, this book will push the right button. The eBook version is available now at the online retailers below.

•Paperback version, 585 pages
•eBook version

More on our web site here.

Reimagining performances in centuries-old spaces. Read More...

Tags: History, acoustics, Reverb, baroque, Recording

Noise Pollution Solutions Read More...

Tags: Noise reduction, Noise, Noise Pollution, Silence

Arthur Haddy may not a household name, but his achievements are. Haddy is considered by many to be the "father of hi-fi." He may single-handedly be responsible for some of the greatest consumer audio advancements of the late 20th century: High-fidelity recordings, Stereo LPs, and Cassette Dolby noise reduction. Read More...

Tags: LP, Record, Recording, History, Cassette, dolby, Noise reduction

During the American Revolution, patriot spies sent secret coded messages to each other through several means: newspaper advertisements, invisible ink or code words buried within innocent-looking letters, and even carefully arranged laundry on a clothes line. These messages that are in plain sight, but undetectable to the causal observer, are often mistakenly called subliminal messages. But they are in fact supraliminal messages - hidden in plain sight and detectable if one knows where to look.

There is a fine threshold between conscious and unconscious detection of stimuli. Subliminal stimuli is below the level of conscious detection, only affecting the subconscious. It can’t be recognized, even when deliberately searching for it. Subliminal messaging is often intentionally directed at the subconscious to elicit a response or action that a person wouldn’t normally do.

An example of subliminal stimuli can be found in my recording studios. We deliberately painted our walls a neutral gray so that any color would pop out. We carefully chose red chairs in our waiting area so that customers would immediately perceive a sense of energy and creativity.



We then carried that theme to our control rooms with hanging red lamps over the producers’ desks. In our recording booths, we lined the back walls with cool blue lights, which elicits a calming effect for the talent. Almost every person that walks into a booth for the first time exhales contentedly and says “Wow,” or some other pleasing remark. Supraliminal messages we employ are reel-to-reels, artwork, and other elements that outwardly suggest we are a creative business.



Subliminal stimuli is also found in soundtracks: Choosing major or minor musical keys to manipulate mood, matching instruments with character personas, using drones to build tension, layering animal sounds with man-made ones to personify machines, the list goes on. Sound designers are usually trying to, frankly, manipulate the listener. We like to think the listener is a blank slate when they begin the experience of a movie or song. By controlling their mood with sounds, we can either lead the listener down a false path so that an upcoming event will have more impact (think of a surprise scare in a horror film), or leading the listener down a single emotional path (think new age music or ASMR).

Supraliminal messaging (not subliminal messaging) can be found in advertising, crowd control, etc. For instance, flashing a frame or two of a bucket of popcorn or soft drink during a movie to entice a purchase at the snack counter. Softly spoken suggestions to not steal merchandise under background music in a store is another tactic. What researches have found is that supraliminal messaging can't necessarily jolt someone into doing something they aren't already considering, but it can influence an existing desire. A British experiment displayed German and French wines together that were similar in style and price. On alternating days the supermarket played French music and German music. On days that German music played, those wines increased in sales, and vice versa for the French wines.

Advertising and business seems to be the most enthusiastic about using subliminal and supraliminal messaging. But it has found its way into music. A few examples are often referenced. The Beatles intentionally used backmasking (a recording is played backwards to reveal forward-playing sound, like speech or music) in 1968’s “I’m So Tired” as a response to crazy fan theories that Paul McCartney died and had been replaced with a double. But Led Zeppelin fought off theories that “Stairway to Heaven,” when played backwards, exalted Satan. This YouTube video has words on screen to suggest what words Robert Plant might be singing when the song is played backwards.

I would argue that messages found by playing records backwards aren't subliminal or supraliminal messages, they're really Easter eggs. Humans just aren't particularly good at deciphering backwards speech unless highly trained. This is true of any art form that one must actively decode in order to find any real or perceived messages that may or may not be hidden. When subjective interpretation is involved, like in “Stairway to Heaven,” one’s emotional state and cultural influences must also be taken into consideration. I'm guessing many of the bands that purposefully put vague, quasi-demonic messages in their music were probably having a big laugh and enjoying all the buzz about it.

Sometimes hidden messages cross art forms. The Silent Hill horror media franchise recently released a teaser trailer that included a message that can only be decoded by viewing its audio spectrogram. This clever blend of sound and visual art had fans buzzing once it was discovered by an eagle-eared observer.

SILENT-HILL-TOWNFALL-TRAILER-SECRET-MSG-1-e1666533090145
Keeping with spooky themes, I tried my own spectrogram message in Sonny Rollins' "Friday the 13th".



Artists, from filmmakers and painters, to writers, sculptors, architects, and musicians have been toying with us for eons.

• Michaelango hid the human brain in God's cloak in his Sistine Chapel masterpiece.
• Leonardo Da Vinci painted his initials in Mona Lisa's right eye.
• Film director David Fincher placed Starbucks coffee cups in every Fight Club scene, and used the name Tyler Durden, Brad Pitt's character from that movie, in The Social Network.
• Steven Spielberg hid Star Wars' R2-D2 and C-3PO as heiroglyphs in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• One World Trade Center in New York is exactly 1,776 feet tall to the top mast, with the height of the building itself being 1,362 feet, the measurements of the original twin towers.
• The World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. has "Kilroy was here" graffiti, popular during the war, in two places.
• Washington, D.C. designer Pierre Charles L'Enfant placed the Capitol building exactly in the center of our capital.

For as long as there is art, there will be secret, subliminal, and supraliminal messages hidden within. The same can be said for business and advertising. Outside of direct manipulation, like online and social media companies do with our personal data, eliciting a response from a listener/viewer is always the goal. And when a secret door is found, it seems to bring a whole new meaning to that song, painting, poem, film, or building. I say, "Gyihmuck tihpeek!" (That's "Keep it coming!" backwards.)

Tags: subliminal, supraliminal, Secret messages, Backmasking, The Beatles, Led Zepelin

The Golden Age for horror films was the 1930s, and not coincidentally when movies with sound began. Read More...

Tags: Vampire, Horror, Dracula, Bela Lugosi, Frankenstein, Silent film, Talkies, mummy, Creepy

Farm

Today's farm is not at all like your grandfather's farm. It's a high-stakes business for farmers who expect high-yields. And what's driving up those yields? Technology. Since the Newcomen steam engine of the late 1700s, the agriculture industry has been progressively adopting new technology and science to feed the world. And now high-tech farming is getting even more high-tech. Farmers are using exciting new sound technologies and practices to coax more out of their crops, keep their livestock happy, and keep themselves safe. Read More...

Tags: Farm, Agriculture, Farming, Livestock, SmartHome, ioT