AUDIO BOOKS
Audio book recording is a billion dollar a year industry, yet many recording studios that attempt to master this art form are only mildly successful at best. Obviously, the professional quality of the “reader” is critical, but often times it’s the director’s and the engineer’s input that keeps the talent focused and brings about the emotion and passion that produces the desired outcome.
Not only do we provide the talent with a comfortable, stress-free experience, but we provide most every service related to audio book production; recording, editing and mastering. You may also decide to be the reader yourself!
Whether you have audio that simply needs editing or other post production services, or if you require a start-to-finish audio book recording, Sound JAR studio will ensure that your audio book will truly be a “work of art.”
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THE SONG SCULPTOR
The Sound JAR produces unique songs for special occasions, or that “Special Someone”.
Your job is to supply us with information on the person or event you would like the song written about. It can be happy, sad, serious or anything you want it to be. You can also choose the style of music whether it's Rock, Country, Blues, Smooth Jazz, Ballad, you name it! You may already have written the words to the song yourself, and would just like us to create the melody and music. That is ok too! Birthdays, Anniversaries, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Retirement, Christmas or whatever occasion, we will make your vision of the song come to life!
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ANALOG TAPE
We at the JAR primarily use Pro Tools software along with individual preamps which enhance whatever instrument or vocals tracks being recorded. We also have Analog tape machines available which will bring a tremendous amount of warmth to either your tracks or final mix. The Tascam 388 machine allows us to even add analog EQ directly to tape.
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VOICEOVERS
Where are the voice over jobs? Just listen to the world around you.
They're everywhere. If you produce a professional quality demo, and are marketing it in a professional manner, some of the jobs will come to you. But if you nurture your contacts and proactively look for work, you’ll do much, much better.
Focus on one or two genres, whatever is the strongest match of your strength with an active market. It "positions" you in the minds of your prospects. Although it might be tempting to pursue everything conceivable, even cartoon voice over jobs, stick with what you do best. You'll be seen as more distinctive, more the "go-to person" for the genres you excel in. Employers will think of you first for those voice over jobs.
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MIXING AND MASTERING
Mixing and mastering are parts of the recording process that confuse a lot of people.
If you're recording an album that you plan to sell, a good mixing and mastering job is a must. If you're recording a demo, you might be able to get away without mastering. Here's the difference:
Mixing - Mixing is basically tinkering with everything you have recorded to complete your songs. You'll do things like drop in effects, adjust fader, EQ your tracks and so on. Think of mixing as putting the puzzle together. You're putting together the parts of what you have recorded, making sure everything hangs together right, and putting some finishing touches on things. When you're done mixing your songs, you should pleased with the way the song sounds and feel confident that you don't need to add anything musically.
Mastering - Mastering is adding sparkle and shine to your music. In a very basic sense, when you master your album, you're making sure that song one doesn't blow out the speakers while song two is barely audible - in other words, you want the levels of the songs to be similar and you want a general sense of cohesiveness to your recording.
Does that explanation of mastering sound a little vague? That's because it is. Apart from correcting obvious differences in volume for each song, mastering is an incredibly subjective process. In some ways, when it comes to mastering, you either have the golden touch or you don't. For this reason, although there are programs that will help you master your recording yourself, paying to have it done professionally is a good investment if you plan on releasing your recording.
If you're planning on using your recording for a demo, mastering is not an absolute must. Mixing, on the other hand, is something that is a must, and you can be confident that Sound JAR studio will be sending you home with a polished and professional mix!