Audio for TV & Radio

[Bouncing Account needs new email address]

Hello All,
I am a Singer and Songwriter, etc. for a small orchestra and we are trying to bring our Video production in-house. I have been on the musical side of things for 15 years and have always left video and production up to the pro’s, but in my current position it would be great for me to take it on. We have a Final Cut Pro (Mac) but I’m finding the learning curve on FCP to be steep. What I need is suggestions for what the right software is for low-budget TV & Radio production. Is there anything out there with “click & add” filters, effects, etc. to get good looking commercials easily? We like “cheesey” bells and whistles. (we do a lot of work for auto dealers) Should I stick with FCP, maybe find some plug-ins, etc? Is there a quintessential book and/or DVD/CD to help me learn the software? Most of what I’m finding on FCP is for music video prod. not car commercials.

AND I hope I’m making MYSELF clear…

🙂

[Duffer Schultz]

You can probably do most of what you want within Final Cut, or if you have FCP Studio, Soundtrack. Even Garageband has some fun features and is very easy to use. As for learning curve — well, just jump in and start playing around. It will take a bit of time to figure out some of the basics — there are plenty of tutorials running around the web to get you started, and forums like this for specific questions. There’s really no substitute for spending time in front of the computer, with the manual or a book open, and digging in. Just make sure you have a decent set of monitor speakers, and that your system is set up properly (probably the number one mistake among FCP users).