 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
| Home |
|
[The MUSIC Q’s] 1.
What
exactly is the “format” of SYF? 1.
What exactly is the “format” of SYF? This question
has been answered somewhat as the #4 general Q, so please review that
here first: What music does
the show feature? SYF
features bands like the Beatles, Phish,
Led Zeppelin, Allman Brothers Band, Pink
Floyd and so on… but it also includes
Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Beck and other such worthy newer material. We
FOCUS on deep trax, live cuts, and B-sides. We also feature local bands, jam bands, bootlegs
and rarities. So
what makes a song a SYF song? Just
like porno, you know it when you see it, (or in this case hear it). It could be rock or blues or jamming or progressive
or reggae or jazzy or Sinatra. The
requirement is that the song must have some kind of integrity, or SOUL, and therefore
it can’t be some new kids on the block crap.
This music will endure, because it’s based on artistic, not fiscal,
inspiration. As
of Jan’03 we have over 5000 songs in the computerized SYF library, and
we have no intention of slowing down; we want every good song ever recorded,
as long as it’s good enough for SYF. Continuing
on fresh now here: We are first and FOREMOST a "classic rock"
show. We FOCUS on live trax, jam bands,
b-sides, and basically the "lesser heard" stuff. That
is our shows primary mission. We mostly play stuff that doesn't get a lot
of exposure in this genre elsewhere. So basically we want to be
more like the "deep cuts" of classic rock; as opposed to say
the way the Bus is. We do NOT
like to draw lines in the sand or anything like that, but we have so
many new people all the time that its easy for the show to lose some
FOCUS, mostly b/c there aren't enough SYF veterans to train and indoctrinate
you all as to what SYF is about. This is further compounded by the broad range
of music we consider to be a part of SYF. Therefore
its important to know that the TWO MOST IMPORTANT CATEGORIES in the
computer for SYF are "SYF FORMAT" [a-k & l-z] and "SYF
JAM BANDS" The other categories are merely the interspersed "spice"
we like to throw in for diversity and the sake of keeping the sound
of the show fresh. The show
was founded on the artists contained in Format and Jam Bands, and those
are the CORE artists to SYF. It
is important that we remember what the foundation of the show is because
it is this foundation we base the rest of the show on, and it is this
foundation that the listener expects to get out of a SYF show. Furthermore,
KPS needs us to maintain a consistency in our “brand” so that kps
can use us to succeed, and count on us being what they promote us to
be, and also fulfill the role we serve in programming the overall kps
grid. 2.
How do I know what to play? FOCUS on
what SYF is about, on what our show is about. In practical
terms, it’s easy, you only have to follow
these rules of thumb: [first
rule of thumb] AT LEAST
HALF OF YOUR SHOW as the bare minimum should come from FORMAT and JAM
BANDS [second
rule of thumb] Play AT LEAST
ONE SONG from each of these categories EACH HOUR: SYF LOCAL
BANDS (Obviously,
you will play more than one song from SYF FORMAT A-K / L-Z and at least
one SYF JAM BANDS song via the first rule of thumb) [third
rule of thumb] Do NOT play
more than TWO "syf non-format"
songs in a row. This means
you shouldn’t play 3 songs out of the “syf
non-format” category back to back. And
really, you shouldn’t do 2 back to back, but it’s allowed, (although
frowned upon). IMPORTANT:
The rule above applies to ANY category or source that is NOT “Format
A-K [or] L-Z” or “SYF JAM BANDS” The reasoning
is that too much stuff has been getting played that is causing SYF to
lose its focus. Remember, SYF is a brand and the rules of thumb
are there so that the brand doesn’t lose its identity. Keep in mind, you aren't here to only play what YOU like. You
have an AUDIENCE and they like stuff you won't. Mix it up, play
Beatles even if you don't like em, b/c a
lot of people do. Play the "lesser heard" stuff but
throw in the occasional well known track to keep people locked in.
You want to program an alternative mix that is different enough to fit
our SYF mission, but isn't so different (and lesser known that) we only
appeal to a very narrow audience. However,
on the flip side, don't play too many damn hits. I don't ever want to hear free bird,
followed by baba o reilly,
followed by hey nineteen, followed by stairway to heaven, followed by
pinball wizard, followed by light my fire, etc… That isn't
to say you couldn't play those songs. The important point to grasp
here is in understanding the focus of SYF, the show itself, as a whole.
Notice the word "focus." While we have a broad slate
of songs to make selections from, the show still strives to serve its
"focus." Remember,
if it can be heard on other stations, especially in The show
is like a gumbo stew, and you as the chef must prepare it, mix it up,
and add the spices to it. You
want just the right mix of all different ingredients, and a bit of your
own spit, because that’s what makes a good Gumbo. fyi,
you can play stuff in the STAGING categories, as long as you are sure
they are free of NAQ (Not Air Quality, aka
"fuck, shit" etc…) just be aware that they probably
aren’t EOM'd yet, (something y'all need to learn how to do), so
therefore you might have to manually fade them off in the player software. I want you
guys to suggest music to add to the computer, and bring in CDs you want
ripped in. Please circulate your suggestions on the list.
Send them to us at: LION-SYF@psu.edu OR post them to the SYF message board. Songs are
judged on an individual basis by the SYF staffhead. It’s an imperfect
science, but more or less all the songs fit together. It’s quite an accomplishment considering the
range of ultra heavy hard rock to light folk tunes. It’s important
to note that the songs are not picked or turned down based on if the
SYF staffhead “likes” them.
They are picked on if they fit the show, on if they serve the
mission of the show. Here are
some example "core" artists of SYF: (you'd
find all these guys in the physical CD books) Beatles Led
Zep Doors Who Rolling Stones Hendrix Pink Floyd Phish Grateful (here
are some that SHOULD be in the books) CSN+Y David
we also have a "non-format" black book
which has artists who are part of SYF but not "core" to the
format (SYF's
"non-format") nirvana smashing pumpkins beastie boys (and
don't forget fri/sat OTGF which is funky
manly) however, even though we apparently have a really broad
range of music we'll play, we also have a very STRICT policy against
certain types of music. examples of
bands we never want on SYF, (b/c they don't fit us at all) are: counting crows (i'm sure there's others i've
blocked out) then there's stuff that shouldn't be played 97%
of the time, but who have one or two good tracks: most solo Phil Collins (yes,
there are certain tracks by all the above bands which are exceptions
to the rule, but you will find them either in the computer, or clear
em w/the staffhead first) Some bands
are very frustrating, b/c they’ll have some great stuff, and some terrible
stuff. Def Leppard is a
perfect example. While “pour
some sugar on me, rocket, or armageddon
it” should never, ever be played on SYF under any circumstances in any
version; who could deny “bringin’ on the heartbreak” or “photograph” to SYF airwaves? The lesson is, do not think a song is SYF allowed
just b/c the band has some other songs in there, it CAN be falsely leading. We don't
want to stifle anyone, but SYF needs to have a sonic image in the audience’s
head, so that when a listener tunes in, they know what they're gonna
get more or less. KPS needs SYF to maintain consistency in our
format in order to succeed. kps
wants to appeal to, AND retain listeners by providing an alternative
(and far better) form of the classic rock-ish
genre to the public; but even though we are much more broad, we are
still a show that needs to maintain CONSISTENCY IN ITS IMAGING; or in
other words its general sound and content. If it can
be heard on other stations, especially in You need
to realize that you can NOT just play anything you want. Sure,
everything can be tweaked, but if your view of SYF does not conform
with what’s above, then this is NOT the show that you should be DJing.
The show has evolved since it began, but it hasn't fundamentally changed,
and nor should it. It’s a great and needed format in State College as
it's described above, and kps has seen
fit to feature us prominently in the schedule, so it can further its
own success as a station overall. Our time slot is both an honor
and a privilege. But also it’s a reflection of the judgment of
the officers that the station needs SYF to operate the way it always
has, (more or less); which again is the way described above, in order
to retain its grid space and help kps overall. The staffhead is open to anyone’s feedback on these points,
or general discussion about our collective format. but
the show is what it is; and what it is, isn't too far anyway from what
is described above. 5.
How is the library maintained? This brings
me to the next major question; which is use of the KPS computers for
our song library. First off,
here is the current list of categories as you'd see on the touch screen
or in the prod software: SYF Format
a-k/l-z (SY1 & SY2) Other categories
can be suggested, and there are others there right now, that are meant
to serve certain maintenance purposes.
Everything from SY9 and above AND INCLUDING SY9 is NOT meant
for on-air use. Only those songs in SY1-SY8 are cleared for airplay. You'll notice
there is no automation category. This
is b/c automation plays out of all our categories SY1-SY8. When you
rip in a CD, be sure to obtain the CD info first.
If it can’t find it, you’ll have to manually enter the CD info
yourself after ripping it in. Be
sure to edit in ALBUM INFO as well as artist and song title info. However,
there is more to building the library then simply ripping the CDs into
the computer. EVERY SONG needs an "End Of [song] Marker"
[EOM] placed inside it. This is a technical and somewhat tedious,
although simple, task. This is why
SY9, (or other staging categories) exist. The purpose
therefore of SY9 (or other staging categories) is to allow a DJ to rip
songs into the computer that they feel are appropriate for SYF.
They should then send an email to the SYF staffhead
saying they ripped stuff into staging. However,
the DJ is ALSO responsible for placing their own
EOMs into the songs. So, tracks
need to be: 1.
ripped
in 2.
EOM’d 3.
renamed properly to SYF S.O.P. (SOP=Standard
Operating Procedure) The EOM should
be close to the end of the song, well into the fade. We like to hear fades on SYF, but not silence.
Be conservative with EOM placement, don’t put it too soon, error on the side of it
being too late. Also, be sure
to mark whether or not the track has a “cold” stop or a “fade.” This is marked near where the EOM is. What will
then happen is that the SYF staffhead will
review the song and then decide if it’s appropriate for SYF. If
it’s not appropriate, it will be deleted, BUT the person who ripped
it in will be notified of that. If it is appropriate it will
then xfer to the appropriate category. This allows automation
to only play songs with EOMs in them and DJs to only play properly marked
songs; while at the same time it allows DJs to rip stuff in (for later
review) anytime they please. ANY SONG
RIPPED INTO ANY SYF CATEGORY OTHER THAN SY9 (or another specific staging
category) WILL BE SUMMARILY AND IMMEDIATELY DELETED. Do not rip
songs into the computer unless you are POSITIVE you are ripping them
into SY9 or your own staging category. (SY9=SYF Staging)
PLEASE GET THIS RIGHT!!! (We print out the song listing and amount
of tracks) One last
note, SY3 is bands like ABB, Grateful Dead, Moe, and Phish.
SY6 is for any song that has a source OTHER than "store bought,"
(or clones of store bought), CDs. So please, PLEASE label
any songs with irregular sources so they can be put in that category. You should label the song with its source in
parenthesis in the title of the song. The only
exception to that rule is any tracks of local bands. MP3s or Non-CD
tracks of Local Bands would still go into SY4 regardless, (but would
still have their source labeled on them). If anyone
has any questions or comments, please feel free to email LION-SYF@psu.edu
with them. 6.
What are the naming conventions SYF uses? SYF has moved
into the digital era. As of Feb’03
we have over 5000 songs in our online library.
All these songs are available via a touch screen to the DJ. However,
as this huge amount of songs has grown by leaps and bounds, it has become
more and more important to label correctly each track so that a DJ knows
what exactly they’re going to play, and so that future SYF staffheads
can effectively maintain the computerized database of our music. These rules
are continually evolving and changing, keep checking back for modifications. Conventions: a. last name first for normal single names:
b. “The”
is at the end or not at all: c. if a track is “Live” it is placed in parenthesis
in the song title: All along
the Watchtower (LIVE) d. if a track has a different source from a store
bought CD, or a clone of a store bought CD, the source is placed in
parenthesis in the song title: All along
the Watchtower (MP3) or
(Vinyl) or (Cass) etc… e. both c and d above might apply to the same
song: All along
the Watchtower (LIVE,
MP3) f. box sets are noted in the ARTIST name field: Doors, The (BOX SET) If there
isn’t enough space, an abbreviation is used: GD (So Many
Roads) (for
the Grateful Dead) Try to make
it as close alphabetically as possible so they align next to each other. If the band has multiple box sets, or might
eventually have multiple sets, name the box set. g. LIVE CDs
are noted in the artist name field for those artists like Hendrix or
the Who, who have large unwieldy catalogs. Who, The (The Kids are Alright LIVE) If there
isn’t enough space, use an abbreviation, and / or cut out the “The.” h. On occasion,
there are exceptions to these rules.
Bob Seger has two live albums in
there, and that’s all he’ll ever have.
Why would anyone want studio Seger?
The only two albums we’ll ever have are these two live ones. Just mark the song titles as live and move on. i. After you’ve ripped a CD in, check to be sure
the Album name field has been filled in.
If its empty, enter the info in. If you are having trouble identifying the CD
or track names, use Winamp to do so. If you run
into any confusing issues, or if you are unsure about anything, ask
your staffhead to help out. They
are there to help. Better to
ask a Q then to mess up the cataloging of the SYF library. 7.
Is there an inventory list that can
perused? Yes, check
the link named “Inventory” at the SYF site.
That part of the site is being worked on and is updated often,
so keep checking back. It is important
to try to be aware of the “song energy” of each track. There are about 4 levels, easy going folkish, pop, rock, and hard rock. Try not to
go from Joni Mitchell to White Zombie.
Have a more transitional flow.
Put CCR in between for instance. Also, use
liners and sweepers to help make energy level transitions. If you are
following another format, like Indie500, play something a little more
indie-ish, or an instrumental.
Yes, SYF should be announced as the show that’s on, but try to
make the sonic change of format less noticeable to the listener.
If they aren’t “shocked” by the switch, they are less likely
to change it. Likewise,
try to help the transition into the next show.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
