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Making Music Fun: An Interview with Nick Morrison – Part 2

June 15, 2022 by Jodi Krangle

“People don’t forget that stuff. They remember people that blow their minds. They won’t necessarily remember the music, people won’t remember the thing that you did, but they’ll remember the way that you made them feel, whether that’s by your actions or by the actual emotion that you’ve imparted to them via your music, or your sound, or whatever it happens to be.” — Nick Morrison

This episode’s the second half of my interview with bestselling author, professional musician, teacher, session artist, and composer Nick Morrison, as we talk about the process of turning imagery and emotion into sound, the importance of networking and building relationships, and about the most valuable advice he has to offer about navigating a freelance career in the digital age.

As always, if you have any questions for my guest, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes. If you have questions for me, just visit www.audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find all sorts of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter (on the www.audiobrandingpodcast.com webpage) will let you know when the new podcasts are available.

Making it More Purple

As the second half begins, Nick and I talk about some of his memorable experiences with building an audio brand, including one particularly tricky suggestion. “His last note,” Nick recalls, “and this drove me crazy, was ‘can you make it sound more purple?” He reveals the answer to that mysterious request and we discuss a study, linked below, that showed how it’s audio, not video, that plays the biggest role in making or breaking a viewer’s experience. “Once you get better,” he explains as we talk about advances in audio technology, “you can’t go back with audio. There’s something in the human ear that, if you hear poor quality audio, it immediately turns off your brain and you stop listening.”

Always Say Yes

We also look at the role networking and building a positive reputation in the industry can play, and how online resources such as Taxi.com can help. “Places like that can get you a lot further, faster,” he says, “than just trying to put your stuff on one of the numerous websites that are just a repository of the world’s garbage. And that sounds harsh, but it’s like a needle in a haystack.” He also tells us his approach to forging lasting relationships with clients who are just starting out. “If I have a job offer or an opportunity that comes up, as long as it doesn’t hurt me financially or embarrass myself or my family in some way, shape, or form, I will say yes. Say yes to as much as you can.”

The World at Our Fingertips

Nick also offers advice on navigating the financial aspects of freelance audio based on his own experiences as a musician, and we talk about his bestselling, and unorthodox, instructional books on playing the guitar. “One of the biggest problems that I find,” he explains, “is that music is taught the same way as it was written down in the late 1700s.” Our interview concludes with Nick’s advice to anyone who’s looking to follow their dreams and make a living online. “We’ve got the internet and the world at our fingertips. There is no need to box yourself in and say ‘I am only this.’”

Episode Summary

The importance of sound in building a mood and creating a positive impression
Meeting the challenge of online networking and building client relationships
Financial tips about audio revenue and royalty income
How Nick’s working to bring music training into the 21^st century

Connect with the Guest

Nick’s Morrison Media Website: https://morrisonmediagroup.com/
Nick’s Guitar Dojo Website along with a free copy of Nick’s book Essential Chords and Scales for Guitar for new email list subscribers: https://guitardojo.ca/
Follow Nick Morrison on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theguitardojo/
Connect with Nick Morrison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jnmorrison/
Follow Nick Morrison on Twitter: https://twitter.com/samuraifingers/
Subscribe to Nick Morrison on YouTube: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theguitardojo
Nick’s book Guitar Fretboard Memory Magic: Painlessly Memorize All the Notes on Your Neck Forever for Instant Recall: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T43569M/
Nick’s book Basic Music Theory for Guitarists: The Plain English Guide for Beginner to Intermediate Guitar Players: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BGN8Z4S/
Audio Engineering Society’s study “The Influence of Video Quality on Perceived Audio Quality and Vice Versa” (the study itself is behind a paywall, but the abstract can be read for free): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/243786211_The_influence_of_video_quality_on_perceived_audio_quality_and_vice_versa/

Stay tuned next week for the second half of the interview as we discuss a surprising study about how much of a difference sound makes, advice on everything from building a professional network to borrowing against royalties, and some of Nick’s latest books and upcoming projects.

Get your complimentary mini e-book and learn how to create your personalized and branded audio branding strategy with my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy.

Do you need a voice talent for your next project? Visit my voice-over website to find out more about how my voice can help you with your audio brand. You can also subscribe to the Audio Branding Podcast on YouTube to watch the show’s latest episodes.

Please leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review or a spoken review so others can find the show on their favorite podcast player!

This interview episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco.

Making Music Fun: An Interview with Nick Morrison – Part 1

June 8, 2022 by Jodi Krangle

“One of my Berklee professors, one of my favorite things that has stayed with me from my time there, said ‘you know, Nick, a bad day playing music is still better than a good day doing just about anything else.'” — Nick Morrison

This episode’s guest is an Amazon #1 bestselling author and a professional musician, composer, teacher, voice actor, YouTube creator, actor, and a music and media consultant from Calgary Alberta. He’s toured throughout the United States, Canada, and Japan as a guitarist, worked as a session musician, and as a writer and composer for Warner Bros, Universal Studios, Sony, MTV, ABC, NBC, HGTV, and HBO, among others. He was educated at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where he studied guitar performance and music business management.

In 2021 he began writing guitar instructional books and continues to bring his love of the instrument to as many people around the world as possible. His name is Nick Morrison, and our discussion runs the gamut from music, to sound design, to audio branding and everything in between.

Getting into Sound

We start things off with a look back at Nick’s earliest impressions of sound, and he tells us about his mother’s lifelong love of music and his happy memories of growing up in a musical family. He talks about the surprising influence the original Super Mario Bros. had on his lifelong career and how it inspired him from an early age to devote himself to music. “It was at that point that I really decided,” he tells us, “that I was like ‘I’m going to do something with music.’ I didn’t have the vocabulary then to know specifically what I wanted to do, but I knew that I wanted to get into sound.”

The Cat and the Piano

“A cat can jump on a piano,” Nick jokes as we talk about his early music lessons, from the violin to the piano to his first guitar, “and it’ll sound good.” He tells us about the unique musical challenges and rewards that each instrument offers and how he’s come to embrace his role as a teacher and focuses now on helping people who might be returning to their love of music after a long career elsewhere. “What can I give to those students,” he says, describing his approach to teaching new musicians, “that in those fifteen minutes they can get the most out of the time they have with their instrument as possible?”

Making Music Online

We also take a look at remote learning, online groups, and how our post-COVID shift to virtual lessons and meetings has changed the musical landscape. “I can’t think of a single industry,” Nick says, “that doesn’t have at least some computer animation or computer modeling or computer monitoring or computer connectivity to keep us in touch and to help us with our jobs.” He gives us a few examples, such as how his Guitar Dojo Facebook group works to make learning about music fun for its members and listeners alike. “My mission statement,” as he puts it, “is to make music fun again.”

With Music and Sound

The conversation turns to some of the old computers we grew up with, and how MIDI controllers and digital sampling have transformed the creative process. We talk about some of the television and advertising themes he most admires, and about how licensed compositions compare to life on the musical road. “I’d rather be playing guitar,” he says, “writing music, talking about guitar, teaching guitar, composing music… something to do with music and sound and the thing that I love.”

Episode Summary

Nick’s memories of sound and experiences with video game music
How different instruments can result in different creative approaches
Nick’s focus as a guitar instructor on helping students reconnect to music
Teaching and performing music in the age of virtual learning
The blurry lines between modern commercial and creative music

Connect with the Guest

Get your complimentary mini e-book and learn how to create your personalized and branded audio branding strategy with my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy.

Please leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review or a spoken review so others can find the show on their favorite podcast player!

This interview episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco.

In The Clubhouse: The Power of Audio Branding – Part 2

February 16, 2022 by Jodi Krangle

“Doing audio branding very often has similarities to coaching. It’s always a change management process and it’s also iterative, so it’s almost repeating the same procedures a couple of times until you get closer and closer to something that everybody agrees is ‘okay, that’s the goal.’ And by the way, goals are the most important thing. If it’s not clear where you want to go, what you need, and why you are doing this, if you just follow the next hype and say we need a sound logo just like our competitor, then you’re lost, then you’re just wasting time and money.” — Cornelius Ringe

This week continues our Clubhouse discussion as Lauri Domnick, Jeanna Isham, Steve Keller, Shez Merha, Jack Monson, and Cornelius Ringe lead a variety of questions and comments.

A Trustworthy Sound

The second half begins as our panel reveals what questions they ask clients to learn who they are from an audio perspective. Jeanna tells us about her work with REI and how she used natural sounds to focus their outdoor branding, while Lauri discusses the challenge of turning more abstract concepts like trustworthiness into something we can hear and recognize. Shez focuses on better aligning the audio to the company’s brand, and Jack switches things around with a simple question that can have surprisingly candid and helpful answers: “if you and I were going to take a road trip,” he asks clients, “what three artists would you want to have?”

The Voice of the Brand

Steve takes a different, more psychological approach to learning more about a client’s potential sonic profile, one that sparks a discussion about the archetypes of sound, what the brand might be like if it were a person. “If the brand were to talk to you,” he asks, “what would the brand’s voice sound like? Is it male, is it female, is it neither of those? If the brand was going to give you a playlist, what would be on their Pandora playlist?”

The Soundtrack of Your Life

Cornelius offers a thought-provoking reply as he talks instead about focusing on the language of sound, a language that’s often unfamiliar to his clients, and helping them find the right words to consider the question and develop their own answers. Alex joins in to note that clients don’t always have a good answer, particularly in the business world where opinions and priorities can clash; as Steve puts it, “the work is fraught with the need for

diplomacy.” Cheryl, a podcaster and voice talent, takes the stage with a question she always likes to ask: if there was a soundtrack to your life, what would be on it and why? The answers, she notes, are often surprising, and always revealing.

Episode Summary

Looking at company brands from an audio perspective
Considering brands and sounds as archetypes
Learning the language of both sound and business
Listening to the soundtrack of your life

Get your complimentary mini e-book and learn how to create your personalized and branded audio branding strategy with my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy.

Please leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review or a spoken review so others can find the show on their favorite podcast player!

This interview episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco.

Connect with the Panelists:

Jeanna Isham’s website: https://www.dreamrproductions.com/

Shez Merha’s website: https://the194group.com/

Cornelius Ringe’s website: https://www.wesound.de/en/

Steve Keller’s website: https://www.sxmmedia.com/

Connect with Lauri Domnic on LinkedIn: https://fi.linkedin.com/in/lauridomnick

Jack Monson’s website: https://www.socialgeekradio.com/

The Power of Sound club on Clubhouse: https://www.clubhouse.com/club/the-power-of-sound

In The Clubhouse: The Power of Audio Branding – Part 1

February 9, 2022 by Jodi Krangle

“So it’s really no surprise that, you know, it’s back in the driver’s seat now, when everyone is really fighting and yearning for how to capture attention, even a little bit of attention, from an exhausted and overwhelmed and overstimulated population base globally. So I think it applies itself to media, to what you’re eating, in a restaurant experience, a shopping experience, really across the entire 360, or integrated marketing, if you want to speak like a marketer, that whole kind of overarching back row strategy from everywhere your brand is going to live. There are likely ways to embed audio into those instances in a meaningful way without adding more ‘noise’ to the world.” — Shez Mehra

For those of you who don’t know, I host regular weekly Clubhouse rooms on Wednesdays at 2 PM Eastern Time. We talk about all sorts of things related to sound, including voiceovers, public speaking, podcasting, music, and, of course, audio branding. We also cover things like Voice AI, Sound in Social Media, and even Audio NFTs. This particular recording, made with the permission of everyone who participated, is from a Clubhouse room called The Power of Audio Branding in my Power of Sound club. We had a number of stellar panelists, including Jeanna Isham, Shez Merha, Cornelius Ringe and Steve Keller, all of whom have also been guests on this podcast with episodes all their own. Lauri Domnick, from Bauer Media in Finland, and Jack Monson, from Social Geek Radio, also joined us.

The audio is presented as it was heard in the moment, so it won’t be perfect, and there’s a bit of a lag, so sometimes it might sound like people are taking a while to respond while other times it sounds like I’m talking over them. That isn’t how it sounded at the time, and hopefully won’t be too distracting for you as you listen. But this discussion should give you a good look at the fascinating world of audio branding from many different perspectives, and at why it’s a topic and discipline that’s becoming more important all the time. I also want to thank everyone that came up on stage to join in, ask questions, and make comments. Your participation made this discussion even better. The lesson is clear: if you aren’t paying attention to the sound of your brand, you’ll ultimately be missing out.

If you have any questions for the panelists, you’re welcome to reach out through the links in these show notes. If you have questions for me, just visit www.audiobrandingpodcast.com where you’ll find all sorts of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter (on the www.audiobrandingpodcast.com webpage) will let you know when the new podcasts are available.

What is Audio Branding?

We start off the discussion with a look at just what audio branding means for each of our panelists, and what makes it such a powerful marketing tool. Jeanna explains the subtle difference between audio and sonic branding while Lauri talks about its potential for stirring our deepest memories and feelings. Jack joins the conversation and agrees about the power of audio impressions. “There’s something more magical about audio memories stimulating something from the back of your mind, from earlier in life, childhood, whatever, there’s something more powerful about audio than anything visual.”

Filling the Gaps

Shez joins the group and talks about the insights his career as a DJ and musician have given him about the power of sound and how often it’s neglected in the business world. “It could be a song,” as he puts it, “it could be your mother’s voice, it could be the narrator from a show that you grew up on. There are so many ways in which we as human beings just inherently connect with sounds and audio.” Steve and Cornelius arrive and offer their perspectives on the untapped potential of audio branding. “Audio branding for me also is about filling the gap in brand communication,” Cornelius says. “There’s a huge gap in the potential of brand communication, and that is audio.”

Sounds in the Brain

Alex, a researcher for Massive Music who specializes in neuroscience, takes the stage first to point out how intrinsic sound is to the human brain. As he explains, “I think that what’s so powerful about music and branding, is that it’s subconscious, it’s innate response to how our brains process sound on a level that can’t be reached by other sensory

modalities.” Brad follows up to ask Jeanna about sonic branding, and how it goes beyond licensed music and jingles to the very heart of a company’s sound, from the quality of a smart speaker to the pitch and tone of a phone prompt.

Musical Motivation

Joe, a voice-over artist and singer, takes the stage next and reminds us all of the classic three-note jingle “By Mennan,” noting how effectively it breaks the established wisdom of commercial audio to make a memorable impression. “I find it fascinating,” he says, “that it’s a marriage of art and science to be able to twist people’s neurons so that this earworm gets in there.” Jack and Jeanna point out that a successful audio brand motivates its audience, compelling us to take action, and Shelley, a fellow singer and voice actor, points out the very visible changes in brain activity that occur when we react to audio cues, whether it’s a catchy melody or a familiar voice.

Episode Summary

Jeanna and Lauri describe the evocative power of sound
Jack and Shez share their perspective on audio branding
Steve and Cornelius discuss marketing gaps
Alex and Brad take the stage with opening questions
Joe and Shelley follow up with branding insights

Next week the Clubhouse chat continues as our guests talk about how sound can promote particular themes, the challenge of expressing identity through audio, and how taking a more personal approach to sound can help clients better appreciate sonic branding.

Get your complimentary mini e-book and learn how to create your personalized and branded audio branding strategy with my Top Five Tips for Implementing an Intentional Audio Strategy.

Please leave the Audio Branding Podcast a written review or a spoken review so others can find the show on their favorite podcast player!

This interview episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco.

Connect with the Panelists:

Jeanna Isham’s website: https://www.dreamrproductions.com/

Shez Merha’s website: https://the194group.com/

Cornelius Ringe’s website: https://www.wesound.de/en/

Steve Keller’s website: https://www.sxmmedia.com/

Connect with Lauri Domnic on LinkedIn: https://fi.linkedin.com/in/lauridomnick

Jack Monson’s website: https://www.socialgeekradio.com/

The Power of Sound club on Clubhouse: https://www.clubhouse.com/club/the-power-of-sound

Interview with Brand & Marketing Motivator, Corey Dissin – Part 2

April 15, 2020 by Jodi Krangle

In the second part of my interview with Corey Dissin, we discussed the three elements to every spot and how to build a successful audio brand for audio talent.

Corey and I also talked about:

How a voice talent is not a voice talent (yes, that caught me off guard, too!)
The difference between the types of voices that would be used in, for example, a horror movie trailer versus those that would be used in a Disney movie trailer
The demand for audio content and how podcasting has risen in popularity
What Rudy Gaskins meant when he said, “Branding is both a noun and a verb.”
How, for most voice talent, there’s more to the brand than just their voice
The only difference between social media, broadcast television, a movie theater, the radio, and a streaming service
How reading copy is a skill for voice talent—not their profession
Why some people need to fire themselves
Some of the topics Corey covers in his Go Get It podcast and One More Round podcast
How social media is like being Pete Rose and George Foreman
The importance of making 99 enemies in sales
The long shelf life of podcasts and other aspects that make podcasting so powerful
What Corey has been up to lately and the feedback he’s gotten so far

You can find more on Corey Dissin at http://www.coreydissin.com . You can also find his Go Get It podcast at https://coreydissin.com/podcast and his One More Round podcast at https://coreydissin.com/one-more-round .

This episode was very skillfully made to sound beautiful by the talented Humberto Franco (http://www.humbertofranco.com/).

Would you consider reviewing the Audio Branding Podcast? If so, here’s the Apple Podcast link: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/audio-branding/id1489042453 And if you like what you hear (and read!) – please do share it with anyone you think might be interested. Thanks so much!

And if you’re interested in crafting an audio brand for your business, why not check out my FREE Audio Branding Worksheet?

Take A Photo or Live In The Moment?

September 4, 2019 by Jodi Krangle

Take A Photo or Live In The Moment?

Our world is a very visual one. Especially now. Facebook gives priority to video created on their own platform (Facebook Live) and LInkedIn is getting into that more and more. Instagram is all ABOUT pictures – and one does say a thousand words. Twitter is bite-sized, yes – but still very visual. A post that has an attached photo is likely to get a lot more attention (unless you already have a huge audience). There’s a LOT of noise out there these days. And a lot of it is in photo format.

Now, I’m not here to judge folks for their photo taking habits (though selfies are STILL kind of a mystery to me …) But when we’re so busy getting the perfect photo for Facebook or Instagram, are we really living in the moment? Are we experiencing where we are instead of worrying about preserving it for “fans” on social media?

It’s so much easier to take a photograph now than it ever has been. We all have a camera in our pocket. And it’s basically a mini computer. I’ll admit it. I feel like I’ve lost my left arm if I forget my cell phone when I go out. I’m just as guilty as everyone else when it comes to being addicted to my tech. But precisely because it’s so easy to take a picture now, do we really value those pictures? Do we plan them? Do we try to show people how we see the world with our photographs, rather than simply trying to show the world how popular we are?

What would happen if you couldn’t just snap a picture on your phone and immediately share it on social media in digital format? What would happen if you had to spend money and time to get those photos developed? It wasn’t so long ago now, that that was the case. And when photographs were a precious commodity that told the story of people’s lives sparingly, those little glimpses were valued. Now? Are they valued? Photos are so commonplace that we hardly give them a second glance. There are of course, exceptions to every rule. But have a look right now on your social media feeds and tell me what you see? Yes, there are some who have a really good eye for the perfect composition of an interesting photograph (I know several really talented photographers, in fact. I’m looking at you, Irina, Seshu & Doug). But more often what you see, is people taking pictures of themselves.

I recently ran across this particular segment on the BBC, about a photographer named Levi Bettwieser, founder and film technician of the Rescued Film Project, who is on a mission to preserve photos taken by actual cameras on film rolls and abandoned, for whatever reason. In the case of one of his projects, the person taking them simply couldn’t afford the cost of printing them. And considering it was twelve hundred rolls of film, that’s not too surprising. But “Paul”, this photographer from the 50’s, preserved them as best he could. Because he felt they were important. And he cared about his subject matter – mostly his family.

What struck me the most about this short video segment, was how preserving these photographs made Mr. Bettwieser feel about taking pictures today. He says, “... We used to take pictures when they meant something. But now we flood our lives with taking pictures of moments so that we can share them with others and so that we can get likes.” and “Someone who only had nine pictures wanted to remember that one moment – and so I’d rather be in the moment and actually feel the experience then spend time trying to capture it and maybe miss out on the experience.”

So by spending all your time taking photos, are you missing out on the experience?

Just something to think about.

Here’s a link to the video segment I mention above (click on the photo below) – and also to an Outlook podcast called “Why I Rescue Old Rolls Of Film” – where he expands on the subject of his photo preservation experiences.

Oh – and just for giggles, check out this comedy routine. Pretty spot on, huh?

Jodi Krangle

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