Sometimes it’s best to start with the problem, not the idea. This idea came about after months of testing, researching and experimenting. The problem I was looking to solve was “How can I watch TV shows on the go, without having to look at a screen”. This came about because of Foxtel Binge talk that they were after a podcast. I thought all the traditional ideas were weak and had no ‘point of difference’ worthy of such a high profile brand.

If you were try to describe it, it’s like taking an episode of a TV show, but then turning it into an audio book, but keeping all the original Hollywood actors lines from the TV show.
Have a listen and you’ll hear what I mean.

Risqué Ideas, brave execution. A montage of a variety of campaigns and works that at the time pushed what was possible and what was acceptable.

Beat-Shiting in radio production. It was always frowned upon to slow down songs into other songs, but I made it work. This is also an example of adding/removing musical elements that we just weren’t able to do prior to this moment. This is also some of the first radio production that focused in on influencer grabs and reviews of the particular artists.

SONIC BRANDING

It’s not just music, it’s not just sound effects and it’s not just sound design - it’s marrying all three to make something special.
Currently on the ABC there are 3 ABC News Themes. I own one of those. It spans Radio and all audio online content.

TEACHING AUDIO

I Love the puzzle of bridging the gap between what I know and what someone doesn’t know, but wishes to. Sound is very allusive, ghost like so it’s hard to explain to people certain aspects. I’ve done many video tutorials to help people understand many areas. Here’s a video example and a document attempting to tell you everything that I do in a regular job.

Audio Production Sequence of Events

A day in the life at medium rare

Step 1 – Firstly, we analyse the goal, what we have to work with and determine what we need. If the instructions are clear and we have already done this kind of project before, it doesn't take us too long. If that is not the case, we spend most of the time planning the direction for the project because the wrong direction will be a waste of time for everyone involved. It’s not a waste when it helps us grow and use that information to be better in the future (learning through failure). We might research "sound-a-likes" to learn what works for them and if there's time, deeply get to know the culture of the target audience and the people who commissioned the work. 

Step 2 – The next step is the technical structure. Suppose it's a big project; a lot of the work will need to be set up beforehand to get the most out of the software and workflow. Imagine the setup to be almost like formulas on a spreadsheet. This effort increases if we know we will have to be flexible and make changes in the future. Other things are also a matter of consideration, like if other team members will need to work directly in the session or if we need to process in a way for others to use the isolated parts of the work later.

Step 3 – After that, it is data source and audio clean-up work. These two points are in the same step as some choices might be made for us based on the quality or usability.

Data sourcing is finding and researching files, and actionable information, filling in the blanks of what we do not have yet but will need to for the project.

Audio clean-up work used to be minimal when everything came from the same studio, but this has become an essential step because so much is made remotely now. If we can't get higher quality, we go for higher clarity (intelligibility). Sometimes we're asked to save the impossible. Audio clean-up and repair is incredibly difficult to do even with all the expensive tools that we use. The more problem layers we have, the harder it is to fix any of them. Like a doctor prescribing medication for three ailments simultaneously, they might need another two to treat the side effects of the original three. Now make sure those five don't medically clash and then prescribe more to eradicate the new combo of side effects - and down the rabbit hole we go. That's audio repair more often than not.

Step 4 – Then we have essential audio cutting, the work everyone else thinks is Step 1. Parts of Steps 4 and 6 sometimes get swapped around. If it's a regular project with lots of experienced talent, we may do Step 6 first or have it half set up from a previous session if it's consistent. Step 4 is the basic chopping - the loose assembly of items. This is where we factor in time restraints and product duration to see what problems we might face ahead of time.

If we have identified anything we’ve missed in the previous steps, we would go back to address those and act accordingly. 

After the essential chopping, we go to Step 4B. 

Step 4B - If required, we would render the audio for transcription, or have a demo version for other stakeholders who need this ahead of time to do their job. 

Step 5 – The next task is more precise audio cutting. If there are scripts or notes to follow along, this is when we'd do split-screen, keeping in mind notes, timecode and noticing any errors or forming questions. Step 5 is writing notes for ourselves to help answer questions and problems that will come during the rest of the creation process.

Step 6 – We follow the motto, "Write with your heart, edit with your head". Our projects are all about feelings, and this includes the "sound" itself. The aim is to find sonic harmony that is great on a conscious level and profound on an unconscious level. This can take a long time for a new project. We continue to do micro clean-ups on audio repair during this step, which were too specific in the earlier efforts. 

If we have the same people using the same equipment in the same way, this part 6 can be quite short, and we even add it earlier up the chain (see Step 4). But unfortunately, in modern times, it is rarely that way. So we need to start from a blank page again to accommodate the variables. We can compare this to a cooking metaphor for better understanding: If you make a chicken dinner with 10 ingredients, can you make it again a week later with only 7? Or different ingredients substituted? You can make it equal, but it will be different.

Step 7 – Part two of "Write with your heart, edit with your head". We're in editing mode, looking for things that do not quite work. These could be filler words, strange things that are not technically wrong but take away from the experience we are hoping for and cuts that add conciseness.

We might also go off script and take some liberties to help with the flow to improve what we're trying to communicate. At this stage, the micro becomes even more micro (removing an "um"), and the macro becomes even more macro (consistent volume and space across thirty minutes).

Step 8 – The next step is mixing. If it's just voice, we've already been doing this in the previous steps, but if there are layers, then that is when we step up our work. Sometimes it's as simple as a stereo music track, but other times its 40 tracks of multiple stems of many pieces of music, sound design, sound effects, ambience, supplementary voices and then finding the relationship between them all. The more items to mix, the more complex and longer it takes to do a respectable job.

Step 9 – Mastering. The glue that holds it all together. We consider the ways people will be listening and in what kinds of environments. We then 'fix' the sound to suit those needs. Decisions are made about "loudness" and "character" (like what colour grading is to a film). A mastering job can make or break the reception and perception of a piece. People can't necessarily hear the difference, but they can feel the difference. Mastering is difficult, especially for first-time projects. Another layer of difficulty is when we need to run off stems or versions to accommodate different people and/or platforms. This step is when file formatting occurs.

Step 10 – We focus on revisions—obvious stuff like producer thoughts, legal concerns, client preferences and addressing errors. The most time-consuming part of this process is the experimentation with the "sliding scale" or "trade-off slider". A journey of discovery; "having more of this means less of that" or "what if XYZ" or "what about we try this...". Many third parties have strong feelings but sometimes struggle to articulate what they want. Sound is elusive, so much of this stage is trying to translate the difference between what they say they want and what they actually want. The more experience people have, the faster this process is.

Repeat this step until it is officially approved.

Step 11 – Our last task is assisting with the steps beyond what we make. This could be anything from audiograms and promotions to distribution and tech specs. We help others interact with our work data directly and indirectly.

Although each step above is in chronological order, it is quite common to transition backwards and forwards during a project as variables arise and new information is presented.

Bonus Steps

Variables which are activated when necessary. These steps are not linear.

Bonus Step 1 – This step is mostly swapping previous steps and moving quickly between them. This also includes "trial and error" because not all steps get the desired results in the shortest possible time. Sometimes we must struggle through the outcome, and other times we are forced to deal with the least-worst option. We call these "attempts", and a series of attempts lead to a destination. There is never a clear line between surrendering and perseverance, which is why this step can take so long.

Bonus Step 2 – We passionately believe in knowing all our tools. We have thousands of expensive micro pieces of software known as plugins. Experienced audio producers who have a more extensive selection can increase their work quality, accuracy, and speed. However, it takes much investment of money and time to get the most of the tools. Depending on the project, we may have to do additional research to get a current plugin to perform in a unique way or even buy a new one to do a job we need. 

Sometimes we do this because it'll save much time over the course of many projects, and sometimes we do this because there is no other way. (And we know this because of all the research we did). We never stop learning. There is always another tool and more of what we can get out of our current arsenal.

Bonus Step 3 – Brainstorm lightning bolts of ideas. A clever idea can change everything. As Don Draper explains, "Just think about it. Deeply. Then forget it. And an idea will jump up in your face."

As we live, we think about our problems deeply, our random thoughts and connections come and go. Then it comes to us - like an electric whisper, we take that spark and light a fire. Sometimes it fizzles out, sometimes it starts a bush fire, but most of the time, it just keeps us "warm" for the duration of that project, which is all we need most of the time.

Bonus Step 4 – Keep solid communication between the inner and outer circle. We all have this in our jobs. Audio is extra weird because it's less tangible. I and others have quit jobs because of how big the divide is between the translation of the audio world (inner circle) and the regular person world (outer circle). So much time goes into the craft of bridging this divide. To sum, "people don't hear the difference, but they feel the difference". These feelings are like ghosts.

Outer circle struggle to explain their struggles. The things people notice are different to what is essential.

For example: have you seen a picture of the Mona Lisa? Yes, you can picture her clearly. But, can you remember what the background is? Same kind of question: What colours are the letters in Google? Guess now without looking…

The beauty of these questions is, you can find the answer with an internet search. But audio-wise, even when you point out the metaphorical background, we can't agree. People still struggle, which makes them feel uneasy. It is not their fault, but it does make talking through things particularly challenging. 

The point of the Mona Lisa question is, "just because you didn't notice it, doesn't mean it doesn't matter".

It is our job to know, make it matter and then help people feel at ease, convincing them that even though they do not know the background of the Mona Lisa, trust us, we painted it, and it is the best option or the least-worst option.

Bonus Step 5 – Admin. Because: #whitecollar

This is what we do. Many parts are not fun, but they are important and facilitate the fun parts. Many people who work in this field may have different approaches or different orders. The smaller the job, the more space in our “working memory” to do many of these steps simultaneously. The larger the job with more people involved, the more important structure and order is to get the job done well.

Thanks for making it to the end!

Written by Sam Phelps