Use the Booth

There are decisions to be made in the studio about everything from copy to mix elements. Often it seems that the elegant solution evades us.


Next time you can't quite figure out how to make a sentence work or which way to say a phone number, look through the glass. You may find your talent gesticulating wildly and proving just how soundproof the booth is.


Your talent may be helpful in these situations for two very good reasons. First, he or she spends all day every day reading copy and probably has a couple of useful ideas. Second, and perhaps more important, your talent is more like your eventual audience than anybody else in the studio except the engineer. These two people don't know the subject as well as you and your clients do. That "ignorant perspective" can be a valuable tool.


Sometimes it's hard for a producer to allow others to make suggestions in a session. They may feel it threatens their position. Or that it would take too long to explain why the idea won't work. To be open-minded, though, allows you to use those suggestions almost as pre-release feedback. Think about it. If your talent and engineer can't follow your concept, how are Joe and Jane Audience going to manage?


When you're wrestling with a phrase or a word, keep the mic and the talkback open. Have the confidence to recognize a good solution when it comes along. Remember that everyone at the session has an interest in your success.