FrontPage >> Tips >> Tips for producers
This is a collection of tips for producers.
Signing up for time
10/1/05
The production studios and other facilities are available by sign-up.
That time will be yours, unless you're late and someone else jumps in, or the studio must go on the air (usually the Blue Studio) or is needed to do Kabaret engineering (Green Studio).
PRODUCTION STUDIOS
Only KGNU volunteers who have completed a training class may use a production studio.
The Gray studio is exclusively for news and public affairs.
(Presently, the Green studio is under-utilized and the Blue Studio is over-utilized.) You reserve time by signing-up on the sign-up sheet outside the studio you want (or call the station and ask someone to do it for you).
Don't sign up for more time than you need (max: 3 hours).
Certain slots are pre-reserved on the forms.
To make changes to those pre-reservations, please leave a note in the engineering box.
Some of those slots are used on alternate weeks: check with the staff to see if that time is available on a given week.
If you aren't going to use a slot you reserved, please mark it as free (or call the station and ask someone to do it for you).
If there's no sign-up sheet for the date you want, ask a staff person to print more sheets (the program to do so is in the Hallway Computer).
In the meanwhile, put a note on the clipboard with the time you want.
KABARET
DO sign-up for the Kabaret whenever you want to use it (live or recorded music, a panel, a video shoot...).
The sign-up sheet is just outside E.C.s office.
ISDN
The sign-up sheet is by the ISDN interface (Zephyr) in the Tech Room.
Remember to also sign-up for a studio.
GNU ROOM
The sign-up sheet is on the refrigerator, in the kitchen.
Small lights
3/18/03
The turntable lights turn on automatically.
In the Red studio they turn on when either turntable is on.
In the Blue studio they turn on when you lift the cover of the "coffin".
Please keep them off when not in use, as the bulbs don't last long and are hard to replace.
The light bulbs in the On / Off buttons of the boards don't last long.
Let me know if they need to be replaced.
To save the life of the bulbs in the "ON AIR" signs, please turn off all mikes when not in use.
That's particularly a problem in the Gray studio.
Phone interview systems
3/16/03
KGNU has 2 systems for phone interviews: the call-in phone and the silver phone.
CALL-IN PHONE (442-4242)
Available in Red (live call-in) and in Blue
Versatile, but harder to use
Easily allows two callers, each with his/her own volume control
Shared between Red and Blue (only one studio can use it at a time)
Can receive calls
Has 4 dedicated phone lines SILVER PHONE
Available in Green, Gray and Blue
Very easy to use
Allows only one caller at a time
It's hard for the caller to call you
Each production studio has its own independent silver phone, however...
Only 2 phone lines are shared by the 3 silver phones and the HotLine, first come first served.
If 2 of them are in use, the other 2 won't get a dial tone.
WHICH SYSTEM?
Which one should I use to record a phone interview?
Use the call-in system (442-4242) in the Blue Studio only if: ....
you need to have 2 callers at once, or ....
you want the caller to call you, or ....
you're training students in its use, or ....
you can't get a dial tone on a silver phone (both lines are busy).
Else, please use the silver phone, in any production studio.
BE CONSIDERATE
When using the call-in system in Blue, please be considerate of the on air person's needs:
Ask the on-air person first if you can use it
Switch it to the Blue Studio
Remember to switch it back to the Red Studio as soon as you're done
Naming Audio Files
10/1/05
When making an audio file that you want someone else to play in the WaveCart computer, please follow these guidelines. This is not to be conformists, but to make people's lives easier, and make the dumb computer happy.
Use only letters, numbers, underscore characters and dashes. For example: DarkCloud_Promo.wav
Spaces are not recommended, but they do work; use upper- and lower-case letters for legibility.
DO NOT USE SLASHES, PERIODS (dots), commas, colons, question marks, parenthesis, and other special characters.
Make sure that the file name ends with ".wav" (or ".mp3", if that's what it is). CoolEdit does that for you automatically. That dot must be the one and only one in the name.
If it can help avoid confusion, include indication if it's a promo, a theme or a program.For example: DarkCloud_Promo.wav DarkCloud_Theme.wav DarkCloud-03-05.wav
If an audio file is meant to be played on a particular date (program, features), or up to a particular date (promos, events), end its name with a code for that date. Use this format: "-mm-dd", where "mm" is the month, and "dd" is the day. For example: DarkCloud-03-05.wav (note that I used zeros to make them 2 digits long)
Do use dashes.
Do not use slashes.
You can show the year, but I sugeest you don't as it adds to much
Using this format for dates is important because:
it's an easy to read format (a '/' would be better than '-', but it's illegal)
Consistency helps other people read the play date
It prevents people from playing your spot after the fact
It helps people clean-up old audio files from WaveCart
The WaveCart computer will use it to know if and when it's time to move or delete a file.
If an audio file is a ongoing promo for a show that happens once a week, start its name with a day-of-the-week code. For example: 1-Mon-CounterSpin_Promo.wav, 2-Tue-AlanWatts_Promo.wav, 3-Wed-DarkCloud_Promo.wav (The numbers keep the days of the week in the correct order.) * Use digits to distinguish similar audio files.
For example: DarkCloud_Promo1.wav DarkCloud_Promo2.wav
When naming your audio file, think of the person who is going to want to play it.
If you're going to have the Mayor on Connections, don't name it "WillToor.wav" which means a lot to you but nothing to me.
Name it "Connections_Promo-03-07.wav".
(In a later tip-of -the-day, I'll tell you how to add extra info to an audio file, other than in its title.)
WaveCart folders
2/28/03
Promos in WaveCart are divided into two folders:
SPECIALS: - dated promos for a special show that will occur on a particular date.
If you do a show, please do check-out this folder.
ONGOING: - un-dated promos for an ongoing show.
Programs in WaveCart are divided into these folders:
FEATURES: shorter than 15 minutes, such as Dark Cloud
PROGRAMS: longer than 15 minutes, such as Free Speech Radio News
CYAN: satellite feeds, such as the BBC (this is a temporary situation)