TWiRT 717 - Home Studio Tech Update with George Whittam

Listen fast, because George Whittam reveals a LOT of gold nuggets of useful audio capture and production information in this episode of TWiRT. Just look at the long list of Show Notes below!  George is the engineer to the Voice Over stars, and the rest of the voice talent world, too.   We engineers can learn a lot from George’s tireless efforts to help voice talent get the most from their equipment and studios, and modify or build new spaces when needed. Check out George’s advice, then follow him on other podcasts and his website to dig into solid audio engineering advice.

Show Notes:
Centrance PASport - Voiceover Actor's Audio Interface with dual USB interfaces
George highly recommends the Apollo Twin family of audio interfaces
George is a fan of the very solid Earthworks Audio ETHOS mic
The R0DE NT1 mic is also popular among George’s clients
The Austrian Audio OC818 mic boasts an impressive lineage and design heritage
Source-Connect is a longtime favorite remote audio connection software among VO artists
ipDTL is another favorite software service for remote audio connections
And Cleanfeed.net is an industry standard for remote audio production
George highly recommends Twisted Wave audio editor, now for Windows, too - and even offers a free training seminar on Twisted Wave setup and use.

Guest:
George Whittam - Owner a GeorgeThe.Tech - Consultant at Tri-Booth, Co-host VOBS.TV and Pro Audio Suite Podcast

Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting

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TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the HD Digital Radio Test Drive
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.

 
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TWiRT 716 - Engineering for Jazz at WFSK with Rick Durham

TWiRT is on location at a Nashville radio station - Jazzy 88, WFSK-FM.  Rick Durham is a provider of managed IT services in Middle Tennessee.  He’s also the engineer for WFSK-FM. WFSK is preparing for their annual fundraising event, where they broadcast live from the parking lot and take drive through donations while interviewing numerous Nashville dignitaries and music artists.  We also spend a few minutes with Sharon Kay, WFSK’s General Manager, and Xuam (X-Man) Lawson, WFSK’s Program Director.  We discuss some engineering and how WFSK is keeping up with an Audio over IP audio plant. We also discuss the engineer’s role in keeping the jazz playing and the public affairs programming on the air, too.

Show Notes:
WFSK-FM - Jazzy 88 - Nashville’s Jazz Station at Fisk University
Jazzy 88’s annual radiothon fundraiser
WFSK-FM is at Fisk University, a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee.
Headline: Sharon Kay to be Inducted into Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame
What’s the 411 with Sharon Kay

Guests:
Rick Durham - Owner at Diversified Electronics Service and Engineer at WFSK-FM
Sharon Kay - General Manager at WFSK-FM
Xuam (X-Man) Lawson - Program Director at WFSK-FM

Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook

TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the HD Digital Radio Test Drive
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.

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TWiRT 716 - Engineering for Jazz at WFSK with Rick Durham

TWiRT 715 - I Started at KFI and Worked My Way Down with Lee Melton

Lee Melton is one of those semi-crazy radio guys that we know and love. And many of us wanted to BE that guy! Lee’s career started at KFI, Los Angeles, and he’s been at about 25 radio stations, even building a couple in Southeast Texas.  Some have called him “The Kind of Radio Trade-Outs” while many others called him a friendly and fun voice on the radio.  Lee’s radio recollections inspire plenty of banter with Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack. And Chris reveals his encounter with Paul McCartney! It's an hour of radio stories and fun, with a little engineering talk sprinkled in.

Show Notes:
Lee’s Facebook page is a good place to connect.
Chris Tarr mentioned a new Valcom AM whip antenna for one of his radio stations.

Guest:
Lee Melton - Legendary Radio Guy

Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook

TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the HD Digital Radio Test Drive
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.

 
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TWiRT 715 - I Started at KFI and Worked My Way Down with Lee Melton

TWiRT 714 - Building the Studios We Always Wanted! with Bill Jackson

Sometimes we originate a TWiRT episode from a newly-built radio studio.  Today, however, we’re visiting beautiful studios that are under construction.  Bill Jackson works with K-Love, a nationwide Christian radio group. He’s in charge of the design and build-out of a couple dozen radio studios, podcast rooms, edit, and news booths.  Bill is absolutely maximizing Audio over IP technology throughout. Let’s take a “cook’s tour” of a couple large studios, plus look at a data closet and the broadcast portion of the restricted-access data center.

Show Notes:
Cisco Media over IP - At–a-Glance - Explainer page from Cisco
K-Love studios use the Axia Quasar family of AoIP audio mixing consoles
Bill Jackson mentioned the Angry Audio Mic Tally Gadget and the Headphone Gizmo
Wikipedia article on Room Acoustics

Guest:
Bill Jackson - Chief Microphone Plugger-inner K-LOVE & Air1 Media Networks

Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook

TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the HD Digital Radio Test Drive
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.

 
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TWiRT 714 - Building the Studios We Always Wanted! with Bill Jackson

TWiRT 713 - ABIP is a Radio Station’s Best Friend with Tom Ray

The Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program (ABIP) was created around 1989 to aid the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in making sure all broadcast operations are in compliance and to help stations understand the rules in a one-on-one setting. In the beginning, the ABIP inspectors were retired FCC engineers. As the program began to expand around the country, other engineers were recruited and trained by regional FCC inspectors. ABIP inspectors have long used a basic Self Inspection Checklist that became woefully out of date. Tom Ray, working with other committee members at the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) has rewritten and greatly expanded these checklists for AM, FM, and TV stations. ABIP inspections are an excellent tool for broadcasters to assure compliance with FCC Rules, and do so in a friendly, non-adversarial encounter. 

Show Notes:
Society of Broadcast Engineers Releases Broadcast Station Self-Inspection Guides
SBE Self-Inspection Guides Download (must be an SBE member to download)
Description of the ABIP program from the Alabama Broadcasters Association (PDF)
Stay on the Good Side of the FCC - Radio World article

Guest:
Tom Ray - President of Tom Ray Consulting

Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook

TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the HD Digital Radio Test Drive
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.

 
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TWiRT 713 - ABIP is a Radio Station’s Best Friend with Tom Ray