What You Need To Succeed: Software

This post is a very basic. When buying a computer ensure it can run one of these two programs: Adobe Audition or Avid's Pro Tools. 

Personally, I use Adobe Audition. Every station I have worked at has used this software. It is also the software we use at NSCC in Radio and Television Arts. This program is easy to use to start and has tonnes of features to learn to master over time. I really think you can jump right in with Audition. 

Give it a try: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=audition

I also have Pro Tools, I do not find it as user friendly. But, I know people who love it. In producers message board it is very popular. I intend on learning it, but I have been pumping out work in Audition for my final project, hopefully once I am finished school I will update this section with a more insightful view of Pro Tools. 

Check it out: http://www.avid.com/US/products/family/pro-tools

Garageband is what I learned to produce on. This is what I learned on before radio school. It was a good way to learn, just fooling around on my Mac. But, it really doesn't produce the best audio. It is worth it to make the investment. If you are a radio student, your school may have a license key you can buy to save hundred of dollars. I recommend investing while you are at school, many students leave school without it (relying on an employer buying the product for them) and have to pay the full price for the software once in industry. 

What You Need To Succeed: Space

It goes without saying that you are going to need a computer to survive in the radio world. It is difficult to work from home, do show prep and communicate with the world if you solely use a computer at work. Smartphones are extremely useful for show prep and instant communication, if you do not plan on doing home production work or recording than you may be fine with just a smartphone. 


Personally, I have my desktop computer (iMac) synced with my smartphone (iPhone) and I read my prep on the air from my tablet (iPad). I still use the prep computer for a few things but I store all my prep on a App called 'Evernote'. I use the web-platform as well when I need to print things. My prep can be entered on all of my devices and syncs all the latest information. I am sure you could use Google Docs as well, I really enjoy Evernote (I will write another blog specifically in the future to tell you all about the wonder that is Evernote).

On top of your computer you are going to need space. The next blog will give you more specifics about computing, this is about portable memory. 

You need an external harddrive. No questions asked. Your going to be producing LOTS of content and saving high-quality audio takes up a lot of space. An external harddrive is handy, think of it as your archive. Use it for backing up your work and also a digital portfolio of all of your work. Keep it updated and carry it with you so that at any given time you can show your work off to a potential employer or client. Make sure you start your external harddrive off right! Utilize file management skills to keep everything you place on it organized. I will write a note about file management in an upcoming blog. I recommend getting an external harddrive with at least one-terabyte of space. 



A memory stick is also a must. Use this to share your work. You can drop it off with you demo files and a resume at a local radio station, loan it to a peer or fellow student for a collaboration, fill it and give it to a mentor to listen to. Use your memory stick as your everyday storage. Take completed files and archive them on the harddrive. It is sad when you have only lost a couple gigs of work, it is heartbreaking when you loose all of your work. Using a memory stick also ensures a little more selectivity to what you initially show people its content, If you only want someone to see a specific pieces of your work this is a better way to present it. I have seen so many people plug there external devices into a computer for presentations or in front of an instructor and have inappropriate content pop up. That can be really, really embarrassing  Keep at least a memory stick for work related use. I recommend a four to eight gigabytes memory stick. 




Ensure you have a copy on your main work station or computer and on the external harddrive, I even upload my best work to SoundCloud. SoundCloud is an amazing resource for people in the radio industry to stream their work. I will have a future blog about SoundCloud, but check it out. It is easy to use! 

What You Need To Succeed: Headphones

There are some key items Radio Students need to produce industry quality work. The first item you need is a pair of over-the-ear headphones. Don't go to the dollar store, get a nice pair of headphones. Over-the-ear headphones are trendy right now, so it is pretty easy to find them. Ensure you get a pair that are broadcast quality, some headphones are designed with heavier bass features for listening to music. Sennheiser headphones were the broadcast standard, but with advances in technologies most brands now have a suitable pair for broadcast. 

Personally, I use Sony headphones. I have had two pairs and I really like them. My Sony headphones fold, but most people I know have bigger sets that they carry in boxes or cases. 

You will also need a headphone jack for most headphones. This will convert the small jack to a larger on that will fit into the radio consoles. Buy three, nothing is worse than losing one when you need it. 

Prices for the jacks vary, I have paid $10 for one before and $4 for one before. I recommend shopping around online for them to find the store with the best price. 

Check your newly acquired headphones, you want them to be able to convert from the small to the large jack and vice versa. You may also have to edit on a standard computer which requires the smaller end. Watch out for buying headphones that solely have the large end, they are harder to convert. 

It All Begins With The "Why?"

I think before you get into any industry you need to think of the 'why' behind you start a job. Do you love the industry? Is this your dream job? What do you want to accomplish? Basically, why is all of this important to you. Write it down. If you are in a program like mine you will find yourself looking at your "Why Statement" over and over again on frustrating days. 

Write it down and keep it close, I have mine at the front of my planner. Here are some examples why I love the radio/media industry.

I have been a HUGE radio fan since I was a little girl. 

I sat in my kitchen late at night trying to find the special spot that picked up Radio Disney from The United States on my radio. 

I had cassette tapes upon cassette tapes of taped radio music with station ids and branding that I listened to over and over.

I was my mothers anchor for many of her big radio contest wins, I am pretty sure our local radio station's phone number was the second one I ever learned. It is forever engrained in my brain. 

I love the creative elements of radio, the possibilites are endless.

And, I think it can be the most direct, personal, effective means of getting information and broadcasting. 

Before you invest in podcasting equipment, a home studio or starting an expensive post secondary program ask yourself these questions. I have known people who started out with a bang and then fizzled off and others who were solely interested in one element of radio. This blog will attempt to help you be a rounded Radio Student, because if you are going to pursue a radio career there are more things you need to know than how to speak. Adversely, there is more to radio than producing all the time too.

Hello There!

Welcome to my new blog chronicling the lessons I have learned as a Radio Student. Some of these lessons can be applied to other media platforms, but in these posts I will mostly be drawing from my experiences in the RTA (Radio and Television Arts) Program at Nova Scotia Community College. 

I am going to try to make this blog as accessible to those who are learning through other programs and even just learning at home. 

The radio world is fast paced. The oldest broadcast industry is on the brink of breaking into a whole new age, subscribe to my posts for valuable information about the ever-evolving world of media.