9 Jan 2013

Hestia ...takes a wee breather

So, I eventually managed to cobble together a whole hour of me talking about Tarot year cards for 2013 for half a dozen of the radio station's volunteer presenters.

But it took hours of work.

Honestly?  It took DAYS of work.

I had so much to say that I had to write it all down because if I just spoke about the card, I ended up wittering on for ages - and then forgetting to mention something really important.  Then getting a bit sweary.  Then tearful.  Then just bloody grumpy.

That's the 3 main stages of Garage Band Incompetence right there.

I ended up with pages and pages of hand-written notes (pencil) to refer to.

Then I accidentally deleted all the music.

Then I decided that I didn't want one particular bit of music and removed it.  Only to discover that in doing so I'd accidentally deleted all the music again.

Then I did something tricky - and accidental - with the mouse and a whole bit chunk of it went into a loop.  It took aaaaages to sort it out.  That bit got quite weepy and violent in turns.

Temper length: about *this* long. That's short.

Inconvenient happenings whilst recording:

1  forgetting that I had facebook open and all the little ping sounds of incoming messages were recorded to the show.

2  the phone ringing while I was recording.

3  Sonshine battering in to the room to tell me all about his day at school while I was recording.  He now tells me that I need a red light.  Outside the bedroom.  There was guffawing from Tartarus.

4  Tartarus came home.  Not exactly unexpected, but damned inconvenient.  He didn't bring me a present back from Israel even though he knows that I LONG to go there and eat myself into a coma.  I was grumpy.

5  I had to endure Tartarus hoovering while I was recording.   Temper length:  the thickness of a gnat's pubic hair......

6  Vocal ineptitude - getting half-way through saying something and coughing.  Or sneezing.  Or banging the microphone.  Or making the chair squeak like a particularly tense fart.  Or swearing.  Mainly swearing.  I look at The Jeremy Vine Show now with renewed respect, lemme tell you.  This is quite tricky to do.  And very tricky indeed to do well.

But it was completed and handed in.

I couldn't sleep on Sunday night worrying whether I had maybe got too personal with the Year cards for the presenters (given that I don't even know them, that is highly unlikely).

I couldn't bring myself to listen to the actual show on the Monday because, well, you know...... it was ME doing the talking and I would just have sat with my cardigan pulled over my head wailing at the horror of my poor diction and vocal ticks - how often do YOU think that you say - erm, um, so, or well?!  I say them ALL THE TIME!!!!!  I make Boris Johnston sound like Mr Suave.

I waited for the complaints to arrive (this is me, the world's number one worrier, remember) and lo!  a couple of kind facebook comments arrived.....then a couple of private comments on the facebook page - complementary!  Relief slowly began to unclench my bowels.

When I ventured in to the studio to collect my usb stick, the guys in charge were very kind and positive and suggested that I work on the recording volume of the vocals (the music was fine).  They also said, actually, that someone had commented that the music choices were GOOD!  Also that someone wanted the show on CD!!!!!

And so, clutching my little USB stick, I came home and started work on the next show immediately.

And that is where I am at the moment - working on next week's show.

And that's why I'm here:

Hestia will be taking a little holiday - just for a couple of weeks - until I get a bit more confident with the recording.  But I'll be back.

So please don't leave me.......  *sad puppy dog eyes*

11 comments:

  1. Congratulations ! Have a cupcake ...or three :D

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  2. well done....you're off an running........good luck!!x

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  3. Ah, we'd never leave you! And hey, you're sure to be back :) Good luck with the recording, hope it becomes less sweary and teary with practice ;)

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  4. This is so exciting! There will come a time when you can get a show off in record time ... and not even think about the learning curve! Kudos on taking on this really cool project! :)

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  5. Hurrah! I am very proud!

    Recording, and using recording equipment, is difficult. If you had a hour show, you did beautifully. Good luck with the next one!

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  6. An hour! That's a long time. Well done indeed. Now the next step is to take the pillow off your head and listen to your own show back. I've done a couple of radio shows and it's excruciating hearing how you talk, but correcting the worst of it is the only way to improve. Good luck with the next one.

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  7. Wow - it sounds like you are doing well to be honest - and I'm hoping it will get easier. Good luck!

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  8. And why don't I know about this interesting development. Fingertips are tapping...

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  9. Congratulations.
    It's a rite of passage really. We all get shocked at the sound of our recorded voice. Somehow it's totally different to how we imagine we sound. I remember when I first did a phone interview on radio. I was as tense as hell. The prior planning didn't help as, when the call from the station came through and I had to talk and to be interviewed, things went wrong. I couldn't read my notes (my own bloody handwriting). Phones rang (land-line and cellphone). The dog wanted to come in and nearly battered down the door. I needed a pee. Hell! This was all at 7.30AM on a Saturday.
    Sounds like you did really well.

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  10. I listened to it folks so don't believe a word. She was wonderful.

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