textBOX
Our Current Issue
TMR’s Audio Contest
Poem of the Week
Tag Archives: audio competition
Ever Dream of Winning an Oscar?
Well, me too. Evidently, so does did Trent Reznor.
Trent Reznor fully grunged out.
No, not that Trent Reznor.
Reznor and Atticus Ross accept the Oscar for Best Original Score. Personally, I think he's more intimidating in a tuxedo.
That Trent Reznor. Reznor was a surprise winner to some, even with the success he had at the Golden Globes. Truthfully, the surprise is that someone so famous for transforming American industrial rock gained access to the clean-cut, elitist Oscar stage. You don’t need to be a film or music expert to find the differences between Reznor and, say, Randy Newman – winner of Best Original Song this year. You also don’t need to be an expert to see that Reznor absolutely deserved his Oscar. And the Ross-Reznor musical pairing isn’t finished making their mark on the film world. The duo is working with David Fincher on the score for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
So, here’s the question: did James Franco get stoned and host the Oscars? Just kidding – but I’m not the only one asking that question.
Seriously, let’s take a closer look at Reznor’s career. We all already know Nine Inch Nails and, whether industrial rock is your thing or not, I think we can admit that what he did was groundbreaking and took a lot of talent. So, how did he do it? The answer, at least for the band’s fifth album, Year Zero: with a laptop in hotel rooms after rocking out on tour. No, not everyone loved Year Zero, but then again it seems like it’s always hard to please Pitchfork. The larger point here, is that Reznor built this album on the go, on a laptop, mixing sounds and beats outside of a multi-million dollar studio.
When you’re sitting at home, mixing your audio for this year’s competition, just think, I am Trent Reznor. I mean, it gets me through my day.
TMR Podcast: Audio Winners Series: 2nd Place: "Women of Troy"
In this episode of our podcast, we present our second place winner for 2009, “Women of Troy,” a work which was produced as part of the “In Verse” recording project, created by Ted Genoways and Lu Olkowski. In its full, multimedia incarnation, “Women of Troy” features poet Susan B.A. Somers-Willett, photographer Brenda Ann Kenneally, and producer Lu Olkowski as they document the lives of working mothers in Troy, New York. This version consists of two poems that Somers-Willett wrote for the project, paired with field recordings and audio from recorded interviews.
You can also watch a different part of “Women at Troy,” with photography, below (via Vimeo):
In Verse: Women of Troy from InVerse on Vimeo.
TMR Podcast: Rachel Yoder, "The Thing at the Foot of the Bed" (2009 Finalist)
On this Missouri Review podcast, we present “The Thing at the Foot of the Bed” by Rachel Yoder, a finalist in our 2009 Audio Competition. Look for more audio winners throughout the month of March!
Listen here: .
Audio Competition Deadline Change
Even though it’s only our second year sponsoring this competition, we already have more entries in hand than the same time last year. Also, our 18th Annual Editors’ Prize Competition is booming. Because both competitions have nearly the same deadline, we’ve decided to move the Audio/Video deadline back to Dec. 1, 2008. This will give us more time to judge the competition once it closes. We would also like to make sure that university programs are aware of the competition since we have a “best student entry” award, which a September 15 deadline makes difficult.
You can find complete submission guidelines for both of our contests at http://www.missourireview.com/contest/
Thanks to everyone who has submitted already, and we look forward to hearing and watching submissions from the rest of you!
Lisa K. Buchanan reading on KQED's "The Writer's Block"
Lisa K. Buchanan, who was our first runner-up in the voice-only creative non-fiction category of our 2007 Audio Competition, can currently be heard on the KQED’s “The Writers’ Block” reading her winning entry to Opium Magazine’s 2007 “Bookmark Contest” in which authors had to submit a 250-word story that could be printed on a bookmark. You can listen to this episode of “The Writer’s Block” here.
You can also listen to Lisa’s winning entry in our audio competition on our podcast.
Look At All That Audio
As you know, the deadline for TMR’s audio contest is tomorrow. Early last week, I began to think about how to inspire people to submit to the contest. Working with audio from scratch, especially creating your own work, can be a daunting task. I was still stumped as the editor’s prize winning authors rolled into town this weekend. Then, during an in-studio interview (look for podcasts soon!), it hit me. Why not show you how we do audio? And here’s what I came up with:
We use Pro Tools LE for recording and editing all audio tracks.
After creating a new track, we adjust the gain to the appropriate level and begin recording.
We use a small, Whisper Room soundproof booth with a Neumann microphone and music stand.
A microphone outside the booth allows us to direct the reader during a recording.
Now, we edit. The cut, trim and mover tools are highlighted in blue in the upper left corner.
Finally, we transfer the file to iTunes to create an .mp3. That file is then uploaded to the digital issue for everyone to hear.
But you don’t need a professional studio to create your own work and submit. You can use software like Audacity or even iMovie and create great tracks, maybe even prize-winning tracks. Good luck and don’t forget to get your submissions in the mail by tomorrow. I can’t wait to hear all your great work.