Don't jump the gun with digital technology

Digital is here! More and more digital products are coming out, so they're bound to be a part of your facility soon. Digital products are replacing almost every analog aspect of radio facilities. Vinyl records have been virtually replaced by CDs, and other analog recording formats such as cassettes, are slowly being replaced by the digital cassette, DAT tape technology and the mini-disc. New digital technologies are being introduced to the broadcast market on a monthly basis. But when the dust settles, what will be the standard? Which companies will be in business? How long will you have technical support for the digital equipment in your facility? You wouldn't jump into a pool that wasn't filled with water, so don't jump the gun with digital technology.  Before you buy, plan ahead, research available equipment, talk to your engineer, program director and production director, then make your equipment purchases.

To take advantage of this new technology,  you'll have to retrain your staff

How well received will your new digital purchases be received by your staff? Analog gear such as reel to reel tape machines and cart machines have changed little in the past twenty years. Splicing and editing tape on a reel to reel tape machine is a relatively easy thing to teach, it doesn't require any special skills and the basics can be taught to almost anyone in a short period of time. Editing audio on a digital workstation doesn't require a razor blade or splicing tape, but to take advantage of this new technology, you'll have to retrain your staff. Some of your staff will catch on quickly, while others will be intimidated or disinterested and prefer to stay in the old analog studio environment.

It will be difficult to force everyone to use your new digital workstation

After your new digital production system has been installed, set up a training schedule by qualified personnel for all production and on-air staff. (Some manufacturers include on-site training with each workstation.). Set aside enough time to thoroughly go over all aspects of the system with each member of your production and air staff. Assign each person a project that can only be done on the digital production system. Because your facility will probably not go digital all at once, it will be difficult to force everyone to use your new digital workstation. People can be lazy and they will generally do what they are accustomed to. If you have the luxury of more than one production studio, you might consider closing down the "analog" studio on a temporary or even permanent basis. If the digital equipment is all that's available, you'd be surprised how quickly your staff will learn !

Teach only the basics, and leave the bells and whistles for later on

You've heard everyone say how powerful digital technology can be. Powerful can mean complicated, and complicated can cloud the issue of the efficiency that you are looking for in digital technology. Make things easy for your staff. Teach only the basics, and leave the bells and whistles for later on. If your staff can learn simple recording and cut and paste editing in a short period of time you'll be way ahead of the game.
 
How long will I be down if my system crashes?

Carts cost 4 to 6 bucks each. You stick 'em in the cart recorder and when done recording you put them in the air studio. Once in a while a cart gets lost or gets eaten by the machine. No surprises, you know what to expect. But now along comes digital,  "no more carts, no more cart machine maintenance, and quality second to none." So you jump onto the digital bandwagon. You load all of your commercials into your new digital storage system, the power company burps, the computer hard drive crashes and you're left with no way to playback your spots.
No digital storage system or a digital workstation is complete without a reliable way of backing up and restoring data (your commercials!). Ask questions before you buy any digital storage system, in fact, ask a lot of questions. Make sure you can get your commercial library back on the air in a very short period of time even with a major failure! There are many totally redundant systems available. Computer Concepts (CCS) use a distributed audio scheme that stores each commercial in the air studio as well as the production studio computer. If the air studio machine crashes, you simply move a few connectors and you're back in business.  Before you buy, just ask the question, " how long will I be down if my system crashes?"

Use your head, open your mouth and ask questions.

Digital is definitely a trade-off. New problems are replacing the old, but the new  technology and it's unlimited possibilities make digital audio very attractive. Use your head, open your mouth and ask questions, and don't settle for a digital storage system or digital workstation system unless you feel 100% confident. Be patient but firm with your staff, they will resist change. Your positive encouragement will go a long way.