KCRK RADIO

Give Your Studio a 'Home' (Continued)

9/30/2019

 
Now, in addition to making your broadcast area a comfortable place for you to do your show daily (or whenever), you need a place to put your computer(s) and monitor(s).  
I noted in an earlier post, I had been using at least five types of computers and then i was able to slim that down to a laptop with a dual monitor setup, a microphone, headset, etc.  Your personal preferences come into play here.  Will you use just a table?  If so, it should be about 5 feet long and about 3 feet deep, to fit a normal setup, like I mentioned, probably best with two monitors.  I preferred to elevate them, so you may want to leave room for a shelf of some sort.  That way you can put the monitors up, and still save a  bit of space with the pc/laptop in front of that setup.

I started my first show in my bedroom, using just my wife's recondition desk that she used to store her cosmetics, make-up mirror, etc.  I had to rearrange things a bit, but it worked.

Now, like most folks, my house has most rooms carpeted.  And the chair in front of the broadcast area, can be a bit dicey when trying to stay mobile, even when in the middle of a broadcast, one, tends to move about, and that chair can get stuck.  The other half has a shop in our basement where she stands a lot during the day.  

She has mats that are easier to stand on all days.  I recommend a small plastic mat that goes under the chair you are using.
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Give Your Studio a 'Home'

9/28/2019

 
 I believe it is vitally important that you literally give your home studio, an actual 'home', a location that is reserved for your daily broadcasts, and yes, even a place to conduct business with, perhaps, clients, interviewees, etc.

It does not have to be elaborate.  My studio area is maybe a bit more than a average size room, but it is a room that is all decked out in typical living space.  There is no separation between the normal day to day feel of the home, and the actual studio effect I am looking for, more on that later.

Just as an example, if you decided to video cast your broadcast for fun or for keeps, so to speak,  the background while vid casting your broadcast, is something that is very important, in fact, it's important that your surroundings, vidcast or not, are ones that set you off from the rest of the house or business behind you.

I have seen many vid casts, and whether it is something as basic and well-known as the folks doing youtube video reactions, or a newscast/podcast of someone more professional, and what is going on in the background can be very distracting if it isn't handled right.

And, by handled right, I mean there should be some sort of separation between you, and the location you are in, unless you are primarily going for that homey touch like you are having a fireside chat.  You can make your broadcast area comfy for yourself and make your area still look professional with the right decor, whether it be furniture, artwork, and general ambiance.
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​As far as I am concerned, I prefer a background that either reflects what I am speaking about, or makes it look more like a radio station, or even a sound booth.  For me, and perhaps for you, it needs to set you apart so that even if you have no one viewing, you can go to the place that is setoff from your current house, or business, and where you can sit down in front of the microphone and concentrate on the broadcast.

I would recommend some sort of folding room divider.  It doesnt have to be elaborate.  In fact, there are easy plans for make dividers out of pvc pipe and cloth or blankets, all over the internet.  But you can also buy a basic one as well.  However, be aware, the prices can be crazy.  See examples below, and my gosh, dont forget to get a decent ergonomic chair, you are going to be spending a lot of time sitting.
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Vid Casting On Air

9/28/2019

 
Contemplating doing a live vid feed while you are doing a live broadcast?  It's intriguing and it can give your audience/listeners an inside look at what you are doing and why you love doing it.
That being said, you have to remember that you can use either the cam built into your pc (most have one now) or a little usb pluggable vid cam.
I have one similar to this:
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It has some nice features, and even though it's 720 dpi, it has the auto focus, which comes in handy.  When you are broadcasting and looking at the cam, you dont always stay in one position, twisting, turning, gesturing....it's a good feeling knowing that what you are sending out is pretty smooth, and Logitech is a top brand.
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There are other types that are 1080 dpi, such as this one, and i have something similar as well, plus, if you want, use a little tripod like you see below, if you dont want to worry about having to clip your cam.  The tripod setup allows you to move the cam around and find just the right spot to give your listening audience, your 'best side'
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Handling Broadcasting Jitters

9/22/2019

 
Even though I have loved being a dj in school when i was younger, and have done speeches in front of people and groups, there is still that nervousness that will pop up time to time.
Hell, even in my own life outside of broadcasting, i sometimes have the jitters and need calming down.
Ive tried meditation, cbd oil, breathing exercises, and all have worked in some small way or another.
I have seen quite a bit of success by coming to the conclusion that if you know something , and know it well, as with anything in life, you can bring it out to others very successfully.

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Live Broadcasting with Airtime Pro

9/21/2019

 
Live broadcasting....yeah, that's the ticket, that is why we are doing this in the first place, isn't it?
You cant just plug a mic into the pc running whatever software, you need a piece of interfacing software to transmit the broadcast signal out over the internet to the listener.
I use BUTT (Broadcast Using This Tool), just remember to use version 0.1.13 as the newer versions have compatibility issues with Airtime Pro (Not sure if this is true with other software packages)
Anyway, I will go more into detail about configuration issues, but it is pretty simple.
One thing to remember is that when you are going live, you need to press the 'play' button on the BUTT software screen, this will start the connection, but, there is at least a ten second delay from the time you press that button to the time the music will stop, and allow your live broadcast feed.   When you are done you press the stop button and the music or whatever you are following up your live broadcast with, will resume in about the 5 seconds as well.  
You can experiment for yourself and press the 'play' button and count to see when the music fades out/stops in your headset and then you begin your live show.


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What Do You Upload for Your Listeners??

9/21/2019

 


Ok, so if you have whatever software setup to broadcast (remember, i use Airtime Pro) with, outside of your own recording, like podcasting i mentioned in my previous post, you are going to need music.
Now, of course, you can take a chance and upload copyrighted material, but unless you have the licensing to do that, you are taking a chance legally, but I have heard some stations getting away with it.
Personally, I found that local bands and musicians love to have their music promoted on your station, and they are pretty quick to send it to you in mp3 format, which is what most software packages for broadcasting are the most compatible with for airtime.
But, there is only so much local fare, and you are going to need something outside of your podcasts and local music.   I found that the best place to get FREE music, i.e., ROYALTY FREE MUSIC, is at this site, they have an easy to use system and menu showing all sorts of genres:
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/charts/all
I use this site and it is constantly updated, thousands and thousands of songs, instrumentals, etc.  Go check it out now.

If you want something a bit more professional sounding, places like amazon have royalty free music selections available for sale, so they may sound a bit cleaner and sharper, but frankly, i am not sure if you can tell the difference.  Here are some selections below:
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AudiobooksNow - Digital Audiobooks for Less
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Just More Thoughts on Podcasting with Air Time Pro

9/21/2019

 
I mentioned on my previous post how during the course of my first broadcast live, that it went over so well, and it led to further live broadcasts (let's face it, anyone can run a station if you just let the software robot play tune after tune) and part of the joy it gave me and my listeners, was that it inspired me to do a few podcasts.
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 Airtime Pro allows you to do podcasts, through their software, but i found one day as i was sitting with some time off from work, i just thought why not, grabbed my laptop, and just used the simple Windows recorder app, and proceeded to speak for an hour (all my podcasts are an hour minimum), recorded it, saved it, then uploaded it as any other item into the Airtime Pro dashboard of trax, (see pic below left) and set it up to play that evening at 8pm, as I wasnt going to be available live.  And it worked perfect.

Now that method may not give you studio quality, but you can always check out this item on Amazon that allows you to use a Tascam mini podcast studio you see below.....it looks pretty decent.  Maybe try my way first and see if you like it, if not, give this a whirl.
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My First Night Broadcast 9/20/2018

9/20/2019

 
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Last September 20th, 2018, was the first night i did my first live broadcast using the Air Time Pro software.
It was a one hour show, where i talked about my local neighborhood, having grown up there, and at my age, at that time, 56, had been all over the country and the world, and had moved back and was living in a house just one block from where I grew up.
Originally, I had planned on only a fifteen minute show, but i then got rolling and the memories of my childhood poured out, so I broke the show down into four fifteen minute segments.
I have included this pic showing that i used a series of different laptops, etc....so that i could monitor facebook, where the home page for my station was going to be used to monitor the live chat, and the others were used to watch the different screens from air time pro's dashboard, i.e., the current playlist, as well as the show calendar to monitor my time before the end of the show etc.  
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Eventually, i settled on a two monitor setup so that i could go ahead and get rid of some of the clutter.  This came in handy for recording podcasts (yes, you can do that with Airtime Pro as well).
I used a standard two large monitor setup, but I am intrigued about using the newer laptop monitor attachment setup.      
I must say, after the excitement of the first show wore off, i was beat, the rush was gone and it was time to hit the sack......rest for another day, another show.

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First Steps in Airtime Pro

9/14/2019

 
So, as i said in a previous entry, for using Airtime Pro, all you need is a laptop/desktop and a microphone, either a usb standard mic, or, as i prefer, a headset with a builtin microphone.
​If you check the airtime pro website, they have a FAQ section, but just to let you know, it takes a few minutes to setup, and you can take it from there and build your station.
When you go to the airtime pro site, you login and and fill in specific info regarding your station:
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Once you fill in whatever username, password, language, you begin to create your account for your station.   You will receive an email from airtime once your station is ready.
When it is ready, you login to your station/domain, i.e., it will be whatever name you created at .airtimepro/login.
From this point on, you will see an interface that allows you to upload music trax, or whatever type of recording you are going to use, talk, or music, as well as set up your dj's, if you have more than just yourself.
The interface is pretty easy to use, and reminds me of my mp3 players where you simply pick and choose what trax, upload and you are on your way.  More details to come.


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How KCRK Radio Started...(Hint:  Therapy Comes in Many Forms)

9/13/2019

 
Ive always loved doing broadcasting, college DJ with my own show, etc.  I was hooked.  KCRK started because I wanted to start expressing myself again. 
 
Life does indeed, have a way of screwing you over if you are not careful.  I was not careful.  Problems in my life and my relationship with my wife of 27 years, began to show signs of strain and a divorce being discussed.

I had toyed with the idea of opening my own station using the Airtime Pro​ software and signed up, as all it takes is one computer, and some headphone microphone., or a regular usb microphone. 

​  I had both and signed up for the free trial.

I found the setup to be easy and i was literally on the air within a few hours after some fine tuning
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    Frank Tomasic

    A daily journey of recovery through music and talk..

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