LO2: Technology and Process (M2) notes

DJ meaning- Disc Jockey
What does the a radio DJ do-

1. Play music
2. Interviews/ Speak to audience
3. Present the show 

Analog to digital

Before 1980

Analogue:

• Traditionally radio production was all about analogue.
• 8 track tapes of vinals
• Manually queued up
• Need to be organised and physically have them ready
• Storage problems
• Time consuming
• Can't play all music

Pre recorded packages, idents (Jingle for the radio station), trailers, adverts etc. would have been recorded using analogue tape and then spliced (cutting the tape physically to edit). This is very time consuming.

1980

CD- Compact Disc:

• Easier and quicker
• Cost effective, can hold more songs with less waste
• Sound quality is better

1990

Mini Disk:

• Multifunctional device
• Record and edit on one device

21st century 

Computer digital tech:

• CD's still sometimes used however radio music is stored on 'Play Servers' a catalogue of music
• Line up songs without being time consuming
• DJ's now just have to search by genre and artist to 

Digital mixing desks

• Control mic volume
• Call ins
• Mix music, fade in of songs
• DJ have an easier job

High quality digital music formats such as WAV and FLAC are used for digital broadcasts.

Non- linear editing packages such as Pro-tools, Adobe Audition or Soundbooth, and Cubase are used to edit recorded programs, packages, idents, adverts, stings. etc

Computers

• Play server
• DJs control there own desk so they can feel 
• script contains facts about the arists and radio content
• Digital Cartwall  to manually play premade jingles or effects
• Producers and productors can help the presenter research
• Running order is a script
• Use computers to interact with their audience via social media

Roll of a dj in the didital age is pretty much the same

Scheduling a playlist

• list of 50 songs every Wednesday
• 3 groups of songs: A, B, C
• C being the least in rotation
• Never hear the same song more then once in an hour
• 4-6 weeks have access to unreleased songs 
• B list 8-15 plays a week
• A list gets 15-25. These songs represent the brand of the show
• Plan scheduling to play the songs at different times of the week
• Radio 1 has 4 major music genre, Rock (Guitar), Urban (hip hop), Dance (house music),Pop
• 40% has to be from English artists
• Computer generated scheduling that produces can personally edit.

Audience Interactivity

Digital technology advanced interactivity with audiences through social networking:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Websites
• Text
• Email