Sound Engineer Kills Presidential Hopeful

emediawire.com ^

[chance33_98]

“Sound Engineer Kills Presidential Hopeful”

"The implosion of Howard Dean as a Presidential hopeful, the furor over John Kerry's remarks, and the many slips by President Bush are a result of poor audio management on the speaking platform." Top International Media Consultant tells Washington reporters.

“The implosion of Howard Dean can be directly traced to poor audio management, as can John Kerry’s disastrous remarks over crooked Republicans” explained Alan Simpson, the International Media Consultant, to reporters and communications professionals in Washington, DC.

“The use of refined audio from a noise canceling microphone, without mixing the crowd noise for atmosphere, created the impression of Dean as a screaming madman. Had the audio been mixed correctly it would have shown him trying to be heard over an enthusiastic, cheering crowd. The effect of the cheering supporters was lost, in fact turned against the candidate by the selective filtering of the audio given to the media.”

“John Kerry on the other hand did not bother to check and switch off his lapel microphone, before starting to pull it off and hand to an aide. A procedure even a rookie speaker should follow. This goof was about crooked Republicans, heaven knows what the next one will be about. Audio is the least understood skill in the politicians, and corporate executive’s media training package. They are groomed in what to wear, how to move their hands and head, but few know one microphone from another.”

Alan Simpson is best known for developing new television network concepts, but has over twenty five years coached and advised leading executives, politicians, and diplomats on “Getting the Message Across”. With a fully equipped broadcast studio he has the facilities to demonstrate to audiences many different cameras and microphones. No stranger to public speaking, he has testified to the US Congress, US Senate and spoken at the United Nations on five occasions, as well as keynoting major conferences. He has worked in over 65 countries, including surveying and advising 125 US Embassies and Consulates for the Reagan Administration.

In response to questions he added that, with the number of high profile court cases going against key executives, and corporations, many companies are desperately seeking ways to create more effective news briefing procedures, and improved coaching of key corporate officers. "When the media circus begins it's too late to think about audio feeds, lighting and signal routing."

[ovrtaxt]

I've been to plenty of concerts where the sound man murdered the opening act.

[billorites]

Say it, don't spray it!

[A. Morgan]

It's from excuse to another with these liberals... a never ending saga.

[DustyMoment]

"The implosion of Howard Dean as a Presidential hopeful, the furor over John Kerry's remarks, and the many slips by President Bush are a result of poor audio management on the speaking platform."

Sooooo, if I understand this idiot's comments correctly, none of these candidates actually said (or screamed) any of these things, the audio engineer manufactured them.

If these people didn't say them, there wouldn't have been any political fallout as the result.

IDIOT!!

[MarkL]

That's right... It's never the whacky ideas that doom these people. It's the fault of the sound engineers!

Mark

[guitfiddlist]

I guess they'll next be working on an idiot-remark-canceling microphone - in which case John Frog Kerry will only be heard through written text.

[Paradox]

Dean never stood a chance, the media was waiting for ANYTHING to take the man down.

[baltodog]

I get enough of this when I'm trying to mic my #2 hi-tom...

The solution the soundman cames up with is always the same, whether it be Kerry, Dean, or a REMO CS 14" Black-Dot...apply duct tape!!!

[WL-law]

Reminds me of a skit on Letterman's show, many years ago:

A movie reviewer who doubled as a home repair specialist was reviewing "The Verdict", starring Paul Newman.

In every scene the reviewer focused on the lack of storm windows, poor placement of the heating ducts, overly high ceilings, etc. Finally, a scene with Paul Newman, drunk, before a jury: the reviewer says: "We think that the reason his character drank so much was that he was cold all the time."

[spodefly]

Speaking as someone who has been an audio engineer for literally thousands of industrial presentations, from corporate conferences to rock concerts to political rallys, all I can say in response to this article is, "Huh?"

[capt. norm]

This happened in the 60's when I was directing a local tv midday talk show. It was hosted by a walking ego who loved herself so much that she would often speak of herself in the third person.

We had a ten minute video-taped segment in the middle of the show and while it was on the air, I noticed in one of the camera monitors, the hostess was making a horrible face. One of the crew must have just told her something she did not want to hear.

I was totally unable to resist temptation and punched up the camera with her nasty expression on it right over the taped sewing segment that was airing. It's audio continued uninterrupted but it was her grimmace that filled the screen in a tight shot (close-up).

It wasn't until a week or so later that the fallout from it came back to haunt me. But nobody could keep a straight face while telling me I shouldn't have done it.

[Normal4me]

Damn evil Republican sound engineers! ;-)

[ontos-on]

Thanks for your post re: letterman and the spoof of the review of the film the Verdict. It was really funny.

[VadeRetro]

Nice theory, but the tide had already turned on Dean by then. He had unexpectedly lost Iowa on that night after campaigning there for practically two years.

[Tijeras_Slim]

So, which sound engineer goofed and replaced booing with "generalized crowd noise" buring Hillary's intro at the concert for FDNY and NYPD?

[baltodog]

CRACK!!! BOOM!!! BAM!!!!

How was that?

[Skywarner]

Any chance we can get the sound engineer to do a Kerry campaign event???

[tkathy]

It's the ABB crowd (always blame Bush), never ever accept responsibility for your remarks. Kerry should not have said it.