The first and best musical instrument is the human voice. No other instrument can approach the flexibility, nuance and range of emotional expression of a voice raised in song. Singing, in fact, may predate language.

Before the development of singing, there were no melodies – there were no musical instruments to create them with! So, singing must have begun with simple chants. Over the millennia, the chants naturally developed into primitive songs with words and simple, repeatable melodies. As language grew in sophistication and religious practices began to develop, special songs were created for religious ceremonies. In time, basic folksongs gradually emerged. These served both as a form of entertainment and a means of disseminating the events of the times. Now, after thousands of years, musical forms for voice range from Gregorian chants of the 9th and 10th centuries to grand opera – and everything in between.

The first singers simply made sounds to express their feelings. Then, as melodies became more complex, some began to pay more attention to exactly how they produced the sounds they made. This led to the development of specific techniques such as breath control, enunciation, phrasing, dynamics and vibrato. The use of the voice in music had become a combined art and science with different cultures developing their own standards. The French, for example, used an extremely rapid vibrato as demonstrated so well by Edith Piaf. South African singer Miriam Makeba sang in a language called Xosa that included making a clicking sound with the tongue while singing.

In the early performing arts in America, most popular singers demonstrated some degree of formal training and used good vocal technique. We find excellent examples in old-time Vaudeville entertainers such as Al Jolson and Ethel Merman who had wide musical range and the necessary power to perform without microphones.

Then, in 1930, the introduction of the microphone and electronic sound reinforcement made it possible for performers to sing more softly, creating a more intimate sound with a greater range of emotional expression. This new technical advance provided career opportunities for smooth singers such as Rudy Vallee, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby and Jo Stafford who became intensely popular on radio, in person and through record sales.

Technical proficiency in vocal work prevailed into the 1950s when the introduction of Rock and Roll began to make technique irrelevant as thousands of untrained vocalists began singing professionally. One performer developed a career by not singing at all but screaming the lyrics instead. In spite of that, the most beautiful sounds I’ve ever heard have been human voices. Current favorites include Josh Groban, Renée Fleming, Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion

What a pleasure it was to work

with an original recording of country  music the way it was played before guitar pickups, electric basses and synthesizers. This was the country music I remembered from childhood – natural and unaffected.  Three clear voices in close harmony, two acoustic guitars and a harmonica – all captured by a single microphone. The music was so pure that it made my eyes water with pleasure. It made me remember my first coffeehouses – the small rooms with no microphones, just lung power and earnest young voices singing out, expressing their feelings through both traditional and original songs. Oh, how I miss those times!

Now, there’s so much technology used in the recording industry that what we hear on radio, CD or from downloads is actually an artificial product – much of it can’t be reproduced live on stage. Sometimes the old ways were better. For good examples of acoustic music, see Ken Burns’ documentary on country music.

The original video was a live recording of a noted vocalist in the final performance of a long and lustrous career.

My assignment was to isolate the audio from the video, then remove all commentary so that the individual songs could then be recorded to audio CD. Seemed simple enough. Right?

Almost. Extraneous sounds such as audience applause and other noises tended to mask exactly where each song began and ended. So, I improvised. With a little computer magic – and a lot of careful listening – I was able to overlap and blend the songs in such a way that the overall disk would play through as a continuous performance while still allowing access to individual tracks.

Archival copies of client materials are generally kept on file for ten years. Some having special importance may be kept longer.

One example is a vinyl album of a church group produced here more than thirty years ago. They called their group the Altar Egos, and they sounded just fine. I kept a copy of the album.

Fifteen years ago when I received a request for a CD of the album, it was a straightforward process to digitize the record and produce an audio CD.

Next, I took high-res digital photos of both album cover and back and reduced them to jpegs in the proper size. After a little jiggling, they could then be inserted into the original template I developed for CD covers. Finally, after printing, scoring and trimming, they could be inserted into the CD case to complete the assignment.

This year, someone asked for a copy of the CD. That was easily done from the archival copy of both the music and the printed matter.

Client materials are generally not retained for more than ten years. In this case I’m glad I made an exception.

A client in Hawaii sent me a CD of his trombone solos and asked that I copy one single track to compact disk.

It was a beautiful rendition of a haunting Irish ballad played with a closing note so long that I laughed with pleasure. How did he develop such unusual lung power? By running four miles every day.

The recorded messages on her voicemail had reached the end of the system’s allotted retention time and were about to be deleted by the phone company. The content of those messages was of critical importance and needed to be preserved. Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it?

As the phone had no earphone jack for a direct connection, we resorted to the old-fashioned approach. When held to the ear, a cellular telephone has more than enough volume to be heard clearly. When used with a microphone, however, the results were less than satisfying due to the difficulty of hearing and responding to the automated prompts for playing the messages. What to do?

Relying on my trusted associates, Deception and Skullduggery, I arranged a second monitor system equipped with earphones. This allowed keeping the phone placed at the microphone while the client could comfortably respond to the prompts. The result was a good, strong recording that could then be edited.

First, because the messages were all at different volumes, the levels were all optimized for consistency,

Then the automated prompts were carefully removed, leaving the messages free and clear to be stored on disk and flash drive.

The final result was a permanent recording of a series of personal messages that have special meaning to the client. Will they be played every day? Probably not. Most often, just having them provides comfort.

As of this writing, author Jim McCusker’s new novel, The Edge, is coming along nicely with chapters 1 through 9 safely put to bed.

For editing, we use an interesting and useful process. Jim sends me each new chapter as an email that I convert to a Word file and keep as a reference.

Then, working from a copy, I review the entire chapter and add a few minor suggestions. Finally, I make a third version incorporating all of the suggestions.

On completion, all three versions are sent back to Jim as hard copy. A few days later, we review the chapter by phone and decide which suggestions to include and which to discard. It’s Jim’s story, so it has to be told in his words.

It’s an exciting story! In an earlier chapter, I read about two large trucks mysteriously arriving and parking behind the lead character’s workplace. No explanation has been offered as to their contents or purpose and Jim won’t tell me. “Wait for it,” he says. When finished, The Edge will be a story worth reading!

In the meantime you might enjoy Atlantic City Nights in either print or audiobook format – narration by yours truly. All of Jim’s books are available on Amazon.

After more than forty years of writing educational and promotional material, I’ve finally turned my hand to fiction and created a tale of romance.

Harry’s Adventure is the story of a shy man finding true love by adopting an entirely new social philosophy. Initial reviews have been most encouraging. For your own autographed copy, please contact me the old-fashioned way: 610-647-4341.

Q: How do I get started as a writer?

A:  What do you want to write about?

You’d be surprised at how many can’t answer that question. They have a vague and amorphous impression of what a writer’s life might be like – but have no specific topic or theme in mind. If you have a particular viewpoint to express or story to tell, you can be a writer.

From your original idea, there are generally two ways of creating your original work. Science fiction writer Walt Trizna writes each new story by hand, then types it into a computer for editing. You may find it more efficient to work directly with your computer. For more info, call me.

What additional services would you like to see added at King Street Recording Company? Reply to:

No one is a “self-made” man or woman. Our accomplishments, our successes are achieved by standing on the shoulders of others. For that reason, I never forget my roots – those who have helped me along the way.

In my 60-plus years in the performing arts I’ve worked in coffeehouses, clubs, concert halls, festivals, television, on stage as an actor and in the studio as narrator and voiceover artist. None of this would have been possible without the kind and patient efforts of my friend, mentor and former singing partner, Clay Hart, who taught me how to use my voice properly.

Although Clay is gone now, having recently succumbed to a long-term illness, his fond memory will be with me always. His shoulders were broad, and support me still. Whose shoulders do you stand on?

Open-reel, cassette and micro cassette tapes

Original disk recordings

Videotapes

Photographs, 35 mm slides, documents, letters, awards, etc.

Precision splicing

Replacement audio and video cassette shells

Demos for singers, songwriters and musicians

Complete albums of either original or cover songs

Narrative for educational and promotional video

Audiobooks

Radio commercials

Narrative for TV commercials

Poetry

Voice recordings for meditation, relaxation and pain management

Music-and-information-on-hold for business telephone systems

Pre-recorded eulogies

Original Articles

Books

Advertising materials for small business

University application letters

Poetry

Song lyrics

Business presentations

Seminars and training programs

Speeches

Newsletters

Posters

Effective business card design

Concerts based on The Best of the Coffeehouse Era from 1960 to 1975

Professional one-man shows with voice, guitar, fresh arrangements and original humor. See www.emmetrobinson.com

     Where to place those stubborn fingers – and why

Breath control

Phrasing

Vocal accuracy

Vibrato

Range expansion

Tone and expression

Musical arrangement made simple

Verbal presentation skills – the power of the spoken word

Stagecraft 101 – what to do after the announcer says your name

Getting your butterflies to fly in formation

         What products or services to offer

         Location X 3

         Marketing and advertising: letting the world know your value

         Sales made easy, simple – and profitable!

         How to keep your customers forever

Career Change – finding a new employer who deserves you.

Well, that’s pretty much what goes on up here at “King Street Recording Company World Headquarters.” (was that a little over the top?)

What’s next? I expect you to tell me. Everything listed above was the result of someone’s inquiry or request. If you don’t see what you need here, please ask.

You just might get it!

Chief Executive Poobah-in-Charge

King Street Recording Company World Headquarters (Oh, really?)

How to Stay Motivated (3 pages)

Differentness (2 pages)

Slimming Down and Shaping Up (9 pages)

Why Can’t You Be the One I Really Wanted? (3 pages)

Starting Over (2 pages each)                                            

     Volume 1 What happened to my job?

     Volume 2  Fireproof

     Volume 3  Fond Memories

     Volume 4  Great Expectations

     Volume 5  Time Moves on

Cheated (5 pages)

Tips (2 pages)

Stagecraft (2 pages)

That Was Then, This Is Now (4 pages)

Balance Your Business and Boost Your Profits (2 pages)

Six Reasons to Cut Back on Your Advertising (3 pages)

Amazing Scientific Discovery! (2 pages)

How to Work a Business Card Exchange (2 pages)

Are You Running Your Business Backwards? (4 pages)

Hello? (2 pages)

How to Run a Health Club – Into the Ground! (4 pages)

You Can’t Shake Hands on the Internet (3 pages)

Leadership Made Simple (3 pages)

Cheap (5 pages)

Reborn Again (19 page science-fiction love story)

     The poignant story of how true love can survive through reincarnation

Harry’s Great Adventure (39 page novella)

Getting on Top (An alarming 31 page editorial)

Order your printed copies from:

King Street Recording Company

P.O. Box 402

Malvern, PA  19355

610-647-4341