Sabo Sez: Processing is Important
By Walter Sabo
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Host, The Other Side of Midnight
WABC, New York / Red Apple Audio Networks
Robert Clotworthy is the narrator of “Ancient Aliens” and “The Curse of Oak Island Gold.” Robert appears regularly on my radio show, “The Other Side of Midnight,” to discuss aliens, UFOs and how the U.S. Government hides stuff! He is a world class story narrator.
Being geeks, I had to ask him about his work. Do you do the VO work from home, how much time do you have to prep, were you ever in radio? Answers: works in the studio, loves to interact with the director and tech. A one-hour show takes them two to voice. Nope, never in radio. Then we stepped into serious geekdom – what kind of mic do you use?
“We use four different mics,” depending on the scene and tone of the script. Clotworthy explained that the audio is so precise that the History Channel had a custom made Neuman just for him – about $8,000.
Certainly, that’s fascinating but then he told me a final fact about the audio procedures at the History Channel:
“You understand that when I do the show, they are recording off all four mics at the same time.” Today digital TV video simultaneously records off multiple cameras. The “Ancient Aliens” production staff records audio from multiple narrator mics and carefully matches audio with the right video.
I’ve had to sit with that for a while!
Radio’s audio challenge has evolved in the past decade. In the 60s radio and music were processed for tiny transistor radio speakers. The 70s introduced giant, on-the-floor speakers with woofers and tweeters.
Today we are heard in the car, earphones and ear pods. Has our processing evolved to those new stages?
Walter Sabo has been a C-Suite action partner for companies such as SiriusXM, Hearst, Press Broadcasting, Gannett, RKO General, and many other leading media outlets. His nightly show “The Other Side of Midnight” is heard on WABC, New York and the Red Apple Audio Network 1:00 am – 5:00 am. His syndicated show, “Sterling On Sunday,” from Talk Media Network, airs 10:00 pm-1:00 am ET, and is now in its 10th year of success. He can be reached by email at sabowalter@gmail.com. He can be phoned at 646-678-1110.
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