Adobe Audition Podcast – Jamal Campbell (transcribed by Sonix)
Mike Russell: Hi, I'm Mike Russell from Music Radio Creative. Welcome to the Adobe Audition Podcast were I'm interviewing power users of Adobe Audition. We'll reminisce back to Cool Edit Pro and take you right up to date with Adobe Audition CC. If you'd like to learn about audio production – everything from vocal effects to radio imaging, commercial production to music mixing – join my next audio production course at mrc dot fm slash learn. That's mrc dot fm slash l e a r n, learn.
My guest on the show today is Jamal Campbell. He is a multi skilled operator at the national TV station here in the United Kingdom. Channel 5 most particularly working on the milkshake part of the Channel 5 output which of course is the kids TV stuff my kids of course at home love that.
Mike Russell: His main work is like editing the links that go in between all the programs. We'll obviously talk about that but there's more to it and I just want to say right now you know big Peppa Pig fence in this house. That's obviously a positive of Channel 5 Alpo but not only does Jammal do that but he's working on the Channel Five YouTube channel so all of the camerawork for that sound work the editing graphics. It really does live up to the description of his job which is a multi skilled operator of Channel 5 in addition to that Jammal has a B.A. from the University of Westminster in contemporary media practice and he is a one young world ambassador which helps leaders aged 18 to 30 in different countries. We might ask a little bit more about what exactly is involved in that. In particular I believe Jamal works on the podcast for One Young World so very busy person. Jamal It's a pleasure that you've taken the time out of the day and to have you here on this show.
Jamal Campbell: I'm really glad to be here. Thank you so much.
Mike Russell: Awesome. So let's get straight into it and I'd love to know Jamal how are you using Adobe Audition.
Jamal Campbell: So one of the big things that I do virgin before degradation is to edit podcasts. I produced a podcast that you mentioned in the intro for one world and currency producing another podcast. I can't say too much about it because as we launched yet. So that's one of them. One of the things I read you use audition for is to record of podcasts and also my day to day activities at milkshake clean up sound taking one of the taking the hams out because it doesn't really irritate me we hear homines in the background and trying to make sure that the music video and the music I use in the programs that we do on YouTube will go on social media as we integrate sound and has great music in its the right length of the track. So that's Muzi why I use addition to audition for music for about 4 years now and self-taught and watching tutorials online. So yeah that's why you audition for
Mike Russell: That's fantastic. So let's go to a little bit deeper into that so what was the your you're creating all the links on Channel 5 particularly during the milkshake out. So by links. Does that mean you were getting wood spoken by voice over artist who's sort of back announcing and introducing the next program. Coming up on Channel 5
Jamal Campbell: So Leval links is actually we have presenters and they're in the studio and we recall that in our studio down in the MTV shooters here in Camden. So we have our presenters that come in and we record of the links. We usually record over a week we would record over 150 links in two days which will go out for a week. So that's what we do two days a week so that's what the league says the links are just the presenters interacting with the kids showing the emails giving kids some thought I get with the kids a thumbs up. That's about the first thing that they've done and then the presenters introduce to Costin's. Coming up during the morning
Mike Russell: Amazing like you say in addition to that you're also editing pacar some bits like that. Is there much in terms of editing or noise reduction to do on those links that you're producing for Channel 5 or generally do you just kind of leave as he is maybe you add some EQM compression. I don't know do you do anything like that.
Jamal Campbell: We're pretty lucky. Usually it's if there is a problem this probably a pop or there's a bit of a sound I can take out an addition later on. So you don't have to do the links again but it's way we're very lucky that we've got really good presenters and we've got really good audio equipment so it's very rare that we have to change anything but if we do is usually the levels are too high and we bring them down but it's very rare that something happens. But if there is I'm like I'm quick come when I can fix it I'll just put in addition I can clean up and then we can send it off again
Mike Russell: That's interesting. And I'm know in this world so maybe you can answer this for me but I know certainly in the TV world there are a lot strict guidelines around loudness levels is not something you have to pay attention to.
Jamal Campbell: Yes so we're very lucky that we have engineers created a system for us that when we add it all the video links that we have I have to go to TV. It goes into this fold and actually checks all levels. So even if we have a very loud presents on the day we can make as long as we want bassoons be put into this folder. It actually compresses the levels downstairs or level and it's at the required audio levels to go out for TV. If it's if it's any louder than it will get rejected and we have to do it again. It's the same with when you are watching something on TV. The brightness also has to be checked as well. So you have to make sure that the brightness is that is just live or do as well yourself to bring the order levels because if it's too loud you could get into a bit of trouble. So I remember watching the TV program we are watching a TV program and it's really really nice levels. And they go to of advantage really loud so sometimes people do do that they do things through which is more allowed and I think that's it's always with adverts all the way to not as an anvil but with TV programs especially they are always at one level but then it goes with angry Musu Palao. So you know what we want to check at.
Mike Russell: That's cool that's such an interesting piece of information particularly for anyone listening now who doesn't work in TV but you know knows that loudness levels exist and it's good that you have some kind of system built by your engineers that does a lot of that leveling out for you. So now I'm curious to dig into audio production advice you've received over the years as you've been learning Adobe Audition and you've been editing like you say podcast yourself. Can you maybe summarize one of the best bits of audio production advice you've ever received.
Jamal Campbell: I know this sounds really cliche but as always learn from your mistakes. But we all tell someone and then we are telling someone that you've made a mistake. Always make sure you have a solution. So it's always great. It's we always know that something happens you don't recall the sound or you've done in production and this hissing in the back of something has happened. I always like learn from that mistake. Also tell the person that I've made this mistake. But this is the solution. If you just told them that that's the a mistake they can get a little bit worried and they don't know what they're going to do. As you go into the if you tell the producer or the person you're working with or the interviewee or someone like that the interviewer always let them know that this is the problem. But I have a solution and that kind of calms the situation so know what your problem is learn from the mistake but tell them what the Prometa makes you have a solution.
Mike Russell: So super helpful and such a good idea because it's easy to say this is the source it all so much. I don't know what it is like find Al all the information is out there. Absolutely right. Yeah rather than a problem have a solution ready especially when you're working in a fast environment like TV or radio or any kind of media like that where it kind of needs to have been done yesterday. So yeah definitely. So let me let me look at some of the projects you worked on Jim. You've worked on. I'm sure some really interesting projects some challenging stuff. There's probably really cool stuff that you want to get up to as well. But let's start off with the challenging stuff. Can you maybe tell me about a challenging project you've worked on as a producer.
Jamal Campbell: I think the more shy stuff that I've ever worked on was my podcast. When we started the podcast. This was about four years ago. I know I knew a podcast was I didn't know how to produce one and I just woke up one my as I'm going to produce a podcast. How do I do it. And it was probably the most challenging things I ever expected because I'm so used to work with video and I didn't know that audio is completely different you have to get the right mix you have to get the right equipment. You have to know who's at it. How do I talk to someone on the Internet. So there was so much studying and so much trying to find resources to try and make sure that this podcast and it's so amazing because when I first read the podcasts the charity didn't know about it which is a good thing because I've always led on the premise of if you want someone to work with you twice the Alpheus up and when they see it they'll get on board. So that's how I slice aside a podcast of my own. I slide into being people and I was really good quality and the charity I should go in contact with me and say we like the podcast Wake's changed naming call it the one who will support us. So that's a start. So that was challenging like I'm a Bible my soundboard for the first time and I turned on audition was like This is a complete different worlds me what am I doing. I kept going on a. I continued to study. I could teach you look at different tutorials and I tried to could use a podcast so that was my challenging moment was pretty simple. I don't know why I decided to do that. I'm going to do it. I've committed to it now. I bought equipment I bought loads of Mikes I'm gonna do it and yeah it's yeah.
Mike Russell: I really like that story and you're right yeah it's definitely more work than it seems like for instance now we're making a 30 minute show together but do you find usually like recording for 30 minutes. That's the easy bit it's the stuff you do afterwards all the post-production and write ups that take longer than the 30 minutes
Jamal Campbell: Yeah it does. It's weird because when I did the pictures I did it have a TV and because I was the only technical one on the team. It was like I was so excited because you do all the recordings you took with a 45 minute sometimes up talking for about an hour. When it's cold it's just so much really good content and then it's like oh no I have to just laugh so much. But then you start letting it go away and you start to was good for me because the first time I was presenting something and leading a conversation. So I actually taught me as I was editing and listening to myself back OK I'm doing too many. So there's a lots of silence and I'm not saying I think I'm ready but the next question. So I actually taught me how to become a bad presenter before the interview interview. Over the over the years I did the podcast and it was it is challenging. It was Vaishali at the beginning especially when you're listening to your voice for the first time because you think you saw a certain way but when you get your headphones on you're listening to yourself back and I do not sound like that but you actually do. But yeah.
Mike Russell: Definitely. No that's really cool and really good that it works out for you and it became the one young world ambassador podcast did you find that you got a lot of good feedback. Was it is it worth the effort.
Jamal Campbell: Yeah it did. So the first year that we started off which is about three four years ago when I did the podcast I will with the success of it. I actually went to the next segments so every year when you had a summit in different countries. So the first time I went to Dublin and that's when they got the idea to do a podcast and then the following year I ended up taking the podcast to Bangkok. I've never been to Bangkok before the charity paid for me to go and I interviewed all the people around in the summer so I got to interview people like John Landow who was the producer of Abatur Professor Muhammad Yunus who is the founder of the creator of microloans and it was an amazing experience to interview all these people and to interview them the new ambassadors that were coming on who the new ambassadors were coming to the event and listening to their stories and talking to them and interviewing them. And it was amazing like seeing Araf from behind the scenes of high figures run and talking to some different people and seeing so many different celebrities and ambassadors and listening to their stories. It was amazing. So me and all the hard work really did pay off because I'm now really I work I do more media stuff for the charity. Now I've got friends there as well. It's I mean they bought these projects and I and I helped them out whenever I can. So it really it me putting all the hard work and studying and get all the equipment and pushing myself to make sure it was a good part because it actually helped me along the line and I have really great really great working for the charity as well.
Mike Russell: And you've nailed one of the biggest benefits I think of podcasting and that's that it simply opens doors for you and gives you new opportunities you never would have imagined would exist like the opportunities to travel they own two opportunities to speak. But yeah like you mentioned getting the opportunity to interview some really cool people. That's one of the reasons I love doing this too is like you you get the chance to have a 30 minute chat with someone that otherwise might be just too busy to do it. Because honestly it's a benefit to the interviewee. It just gives you that opportunity so yeah very good summary on Puhl casting so. Okay. Challenging project covered. What about one cool thing that you'd really like to work on. Maybe you haven't even told anyone about yet. Back to the interview in a moment but if you want to in my perfect audio create set up head over to MRC dot fm slash when
Jamal Campbell: So one thing the one thing that I really like to work on is this youtube channel called Daksha. It's about basically these young adults who have discussions about topics in the communities that's happening around the world. I listen to a few times and I think they have some really great topics but they are audio and sometimes you really really bad. And I'm just like I really wish I could get contact with them is like Listen I work in the industry I'd love to just clean up oil audio will actually just teach them how to produce better audio because I always thought people like you can have great visuals and everything will be great but if your audio is bad no one's gonna listen to it. You can have really all right visuals but if your audio is amazing people actually listen to it because people forget that you have headphones on sometimes when you listen to this thing and we have headphones on you can hear every little bit of audio that is being produced out on that program. So that's probably one of the programs secretly like to work with behind the scenes and just teach them or even just help them with the audio. But it's a really great program. That's one thing I relate to I called
Mike Russell: Either way you never know. Now you put it out there that might happen. And yeah really good especially if you know you're passionate about the program and you have got a skill that you can bring to it. That's brilliant. So let's say Okay let's let's go back in time a bit to the much younger Jammal and let's find out how you really got started on this path. Now for you obviously you work in all facets of media in TV production. A lot of online media as well. But obviously I can tell just talking to you now that audio is a big passion of yours. And that must've started back in your childhood so perhaps maybe you've got one memory around audio that really makes you smile and anything at all you can think of.
Jamal Campbell: Yeah it definitely would be my turntables and vinyl records. So I slide listening to music when a really young age although very lucky I did. My mom bought me this turntable as she play so I could still stay in the house and not do anything bad. And when she was in the house and stuff like that. And I remember my father's vinyl and I remember putting on sets and I just hear that crackling sound. And before the music starts and stuff like that Zozo my memory is always and sometimes it will even about the music it's just that load of cattle in the background they can hear when the Divinyls playing I still love that I do love that technology has moved on and we do have MP freeze and stuff like that but nothing can be vinyl and I think that's my last memories of all the years just having a vinyl a turntable and listening to the music play through that it just fascinated me like how does this plastic thing produce such amazing music. It would be a
Mike Russell: He's really good. And then you write is about the the crackle and also kind of your piece of vinyl over time as it deteriorated and got scratches it became your unique piece of vinyl didn't it so that clicks were in the same places and the scratches and sometimes you get scratched that was so bad it would just go bad BAP BAP and just repeat the same things. Yeah I know what you mean and you know it's definitely OK to miss that kind of stuff. The same with cassette tape. So were you. And again all of the little things that would happen there and the rewinds and the sort of crunches that can sometimes happen. And now I find it really funny when you open Adobe Audition and you can get third party plug ins. I think there's one from isotope called isotope vinyl and it actually generates the sound of a vinyl warping and moving and crackling and is like yeah you can bring that back now if you missed it.
Jamal Campbell: Best way because I remember when we had cassettes so like if you didn't want to kill your battery you would be the reason why. But I you get a big pen and I used to rewind my tapes like that just I wouldn't waste the batteries because I just went and listened to my music over time. So that was fun.
Mike Russell: So that's the timesaver yen having to turn the cassettes over off to one side and do the same with vinyl flipping it over. Do you ever do any. Do you ever try scratching out know the decks you had designed for that but did you ever try it.
Jamal Campbell: I didn't know bye bye that I loved my my vinyl so much. I just wanted to listen to the music and just leave it alone. I just when it's a play I never use a scratch like and do I know my vinyl
Mike Russell: If you had to pick one single feature that could be something you use every day or it could be something completely different. You don't use that much but when you use it you really like it. So what would you say is your favorite feature. Out of all of them in Adobe Audition Have you had to pick just one
Jamal Campbell: Would have to be when I explain because I know what it's called the remix. And basically what it does is when you when you have a track so you know when you get like an interview you want to put music on it and you know your enemy is maybe five minutes long we've got three minute music track and you have to try and loop it. And you have to duplicate and duplicate duplicate. Mitchell the loops are correct. It used to frustrate me because that adds more time to edit process to try and get this one track you know trying to stretch out of five minutes and it's only three minutes. But there's this thing on a Dolby that I just let me randomly on YouTube was this remix. Basically when you go into the properties have an industry mix thing and you enable an audition to remix the track and then you can actually keep a time of how long you want that music track to be and it automatically puts the loops in for you. So if you go into the last five minutes you get the track UTL Odesza Adobe edition you want it for five minutes actually stretch out for five minutes and automatically put all the nukes and you can actually see the lines where they put the loops in and everything. It's an amazing man made into a maze of nearly all the time when he has to edit my YouTube videos and put music on and about that. My thing my edit process will be longer than it is now. Definitely the remix Maybell is probably the best thing I've ever seen because I do have to loop my music trucks ever again.
Mike Russell: Oh definitely. I'm really glad you mentioned that as well because you know a lot of people when I asked them about their favorite features they usually go with the established stuff the stuff has been there forever. Like you know spectral frequency display or something like that. But remix like you say is relatively new features only been around I think a couple of years in the Adobe Audition CC package and it's just yeah. Like you say is fantastic it saves you time. Remix is all by itself and from what I understand under the hood it's doing loads of analysis there are on the track. Have you ever put a track in yet that it hasn't managed to automatically remix to the right time or does it usually usually cracka
Jamal Campbell: Crx I've never had a foot move enough. I've never had an I Detroit was gone. No I can't do it today or something like that. Every time I put a track. And I like I enable the remakes. I say I want it for this amount of time it does exactly two I mean it to me. It's amazing. I think that's the best thing you notice it. It's amazing. It saves so much time you have to let you. Because if you didn't have that you have to go see the Premier you take the tracking of the loop and copy and paste and copy and paste and make sure it sounds all right and fade in and out so that you don't have the skippers of about an hour. It's amazing. It's an amazing amazing thing that about
Mike Russell: And certainly if you're working Vremya you might not get the added bang on so you get Clake or something. It doesn't sound right. So it's pretty it's a timesaver. And like you say you can either you can take a three minute track and make it five minutes of video or interview is that long or if you like if you got three minute track and you want to make it like a 30 second promo or something you can do it the other way as well. So yeah Adobe Audition remakes is brilliant. So what about some workflows that you've got or timesaving should cause anything amazing you can talk about that you do regularly inside audition that might help others who are listening.
Jamal Campbell: Oh yeah the pops it's the forgotten the name the tool. But there is just a stay razor too. And basically I'm going to I'm going to miss them and now actually let this from your YouTube channel. So all the stuff that I've learned over the years because I was and I was self-taught I've actually listened to some of the projects they've done on YouTube and I was going to say your YouTube channel. And your audio stuff has helped me so much. Thank you so much for having me. The YouTube channel has been amazing and we're
Mike Russell: Well that's really cool of you thank you. Thanks
Jamal Campbell: And one of the things that I remember which we taught them how to remove pops and I think was that you raised it to how you can gently take a apart or if you hear something in the background the razor too I think you turn the audio to this to the heatmap is kind of like a heat thing when it goes orange. Yeah. And he you see where the pop is and if you just gently put the razor to of that it takes up a pop it takes out some you don't want to hear. So I think that's one of the shortcuts I love to use that he raises to just to get out there or pop or that sound they don't one that's in the area or click Yeah that's the astronomy when you want to use
Mike Russell: Live as it pops and clicks over something you're probably contending with fairly regularly. I would say when you know using the links for Channel 5 in between the shows and like you say yeah you can even pull up the the looks like a big big heatmap with reds and yellows and purples spectral frequency display and then you just grab that tool and you just rub over and it doesn't even delete the audience it doesn't even like remove the whole bit of audio. You just literally scrubbing out a certain part of the frequency which is enough to get rid of the sound you want to eliminate. So yeah really really good work flow but you're using that pretty regularly. What about resources and perhaps some of your your favorite audio gear when you're creating audio. Have you got anything you'd recommend microphones headphones mixing desks any any brands or bits and bobs you use perhaps something specific to TV I don't know what have you got
Jamal Campbell: So one of them. I've got two pieces of equipment that is really good so my zoom like zoom might h for and I believe is I think yeah is the a four and that is an amazing piece of equipment. So he's got two mikes at the front and they contend all the go from 90 to 120 degrees and that school circuits they can plug in external mikes on and that you can actually you can plug in that thing about three extend or Mikes which is really really cool you can actually record straight instruments onto it. It's an amazing piece of equipment I've to take everywhere every time I do my own productions. I always record audio separately I never record into the camera onto always record everything. Any audio that's on my camera is always a backup. Why zoom back is always why record audio. There is one thing I really find irritating which is that you have to pressed record twice before it recalls the thing. I have crossed it once and the light just keeps flashing and it has a record of the things you just have to remember to press its whites. So I've actually got a little sticker on it as they press the buds wise but it is an amazing piece of equipment.
Jamal Campbell: I took it everywhere. Yeah that's what I used to shoot. That's what I shoot. That's what I used to record my first podcasts when I was travelling with when you want to do podcasts. I would do call them that. And then the second piece of equipment is the road Mike. I say any run Mike they get is always amazing. And when I when we did well we did record our first podcasts in Bangkok. I had so many different people working with me. I gave them a road Mike and I gave them a connection to connect to the phone so she could just interview people with a roadmap connected directly into the phone which I think is an amazing thing to have a really good quality. Mike it's your phone to call people on your cause. Same for your audio isn't that great. People will listen to it. So having a rolling Mike and have any cable that can connect to whatever phone what was an iPhone or an Android phone whatever as it will automatically just record it and it sounds amazing thing so any road Mike and the Zoom's for an amazing
Mike Russell: So you have a portable recording like you say podcasting on the move you plenty of that to really good suggestions. So well this has been a fantastic conversation and as you know there are probably people listening right now who are young they're aspiring audio produces or media producers or online content creators they want to get into the industry and they're looking for advice. So Jamal what would be your advice to a young an aspiring producer who's looking to get into this industry
Jamal Campbell: Never stop studying because the media industry is always changing. There's always new technology coming out so try and keep up with the trends of technology. Doesn't mean you have to buy it but just know that it's there and whether there is a problem. You need a solution. You know that there are technologies out there that can help you solve a problem or to create products. Always key always study. Always know what the new trends are. Try to invest in your own software and equipment and always try and produce always makes you have a great portfolio. There's so much out there like housein you can easily buy a mike and connect it to your phone and start recording a podcast. There are so many different ways to record and film stuff even if it is just with your phone. Like start doing small stuff like that always try and create your own content. Never stop. Just keep continue create your own content makes you have a great portfolio and always keep studying.
Mike Russell: Or Jamal thank you so much for joining me. And just for anyone listening right now who would like to to look you up. What is the best place to look to find you online.
Jamal Campbell: Defeat me on Instagram is Jammal on Instagram is Jake Kendall one on Twitter. It's just a 1 gig and if anyone wants to email me it's J. Kendall Campbell Aguinaldo km
Mike Russell: All right that's fantastic. Well thank you so much for joining me really appreciate. Really appreciate it and had a good chance.
Jamal Campbell: Thank you so much for having me.
Mike Russell: That concludes this episode would you like an extra chance to win the awesome audio gear giveaway. Subscribe and review this podcast. Then melody tells the podcast at MRC Dotts FM for an extra entry into the awesome Oleo giveaway. Good luck.
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