When I’m not wowing the world with my rock n’ roll prowess, you might find me creating websites for high-profile law firms and tech startups. You might also find me editing the weekly Swarfcast podcast, a task that charmed me shortly after I began it 77 episodes ago.
Hosted by the affable Noah Graff, the program is “a bold, creative, and unorthodox attempt to bring the drama and magic of the machining and manufacturing world to listeners who appreciate something informative and fun.” There is indeed a lot of talk about machining that will go over the head of the industrial illiterati, but the real mojo at work here is the colorful life stories, shrewd management strategies, and clever efficiency tips humming beneath the buzz and whirr of your 1-3/4″ multi-spindle Wickmans and Tornos Swiss ST26’s.
In a recent episode, Noah interviewed Gabriele Oettingen, professor of psychology at NYU and author of the book “Rethinking Positive Thinking: the Science of Motivation.” Gabriele studied the effects of positive thinking, and found that in many cases, it actually inhibits people from reaching their goals. Give it a listen!
On most Tuesday nights, I’ll get a text from Noah letting me know the files are ready in Google Drive. Usually there are two sound files: one of the host, and one of the guest. I open the raw files up in an Adobe Audition template I created that already has the theme music, intros & outros, and advertising. I’ll follow Noah’s edit list and end up with about 30 minutes of program. That’s where the fun begins.
I grab a cup of coffee, put on my Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones, and go to work cutting out long pauses, Skype artifacts, lip smacks, and the occasional ambient interruption. Sometimes a guest will fumble over their words a little bit. No worries, guest! I’m here to cut, paste, and fade your words into order, making you into a seasoned orator.
I use a DeNoise plugin to take out any hiss, then add a little EQ to bring cohesion to all the different parts. Since Noah is using a nice mic, his tracks are always more dynamic than his guests who are most often using Skype or some other VOIP technology. For this, I’ll compress Noah’s track a little bit so the dynamic range is in the same ballpark as the guest’s. I also have a compressor on the master bus to tighten up the whole program, and give it a traditional radio aesthetic.
Swarfcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or anywhere else you find great content. Tune in, and we’ll see you next week!
