In his article for Podcasting News, Podcast Imaging: The Sign On Your Front Door, audio designer and producer Ed LaComb writes about creating an “audio image” for your podcast. He describes audio imaging this way…
“Simply put, audio imaging is the “fancy sign” that hangs out in front of your business. If your business is audio, then that sign is a highly (or at least creatively) produced show introduction, some “sweepers” which introduce other elements within the show, or transition from one topic to the next, and perhaps even a show outro.”
What are “sweepers”? Sweepers are little bits of audio that are used to direct attention towards what’s coming next. They are attention-getters. You hear these all the time in broadcast. Radio stations use them to transition to commercials or special announcements and your local TV news broadcast uses them to transition between stories. Sweepers and other audio imaging elements: whooshes, hits, washes, stingers, stabs (they’re named for their sound), all contribute as production tools used to guide listeners towards your next feature.
As a podcast producer you could create connections between your topics or your guests by utilizing these small audio transitions. Choose sounds that fit with your show’s intent or “image”.
As LaComb says in his article, “Properly designed and produced, audio imaging can attract listeners to your podcast…and when used creatively throughout your podcast, it can keep them listening from beginning to end.”
UniqueTracks has a full line of audio imaging products. You can download individual sound elements or purchase the entire audio imaging CD collection.
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