Who listens to SUBLIME? Meet earblowing Eric Romanowski!
Eric is the latest addition to our Imaging Roster. Justin send me his audio for consideration and I loved the mixture of great writing and nice production techniques. I think you all can learn a lot from Buffalo’s finest Eric, who also was so kind to share screen caps, tricks and somre really powerful audio. Go Bills!
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1. Which production system do you use and why?
Adobe Audition, mainly because I hate change and it was the closest thing to Cool Edit Pro! (I heart Peter Quistgard) It has gotten me this far, so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
2. What are your favorite plugIns? What is the perfect VO chain?
A woman never tells! Heeeeey wait a minute…
I mostly use the very popular LI-Ultramaximizer (Waves) and the Exciter – 4 Band Warmth & Loud Brickwall (Izotope) depending on the station format and voice talent. In Audition, I’ll use the Soft Limit EQ too.
3. How do you schedule your work?
I basically just prioritize it in the order it comes in, unless of course one of my PDs comes in and says “WE NEED THIS ON THE AIR ASAP!!!!” That’s always fun!
4. What do you love about working on your own compared to being the head of imaging for WNVZ, WVKL, WPTE, & WWDE… ?
Being a freelance producer is nice because I can do it from the comfort of my own home (in my jammies if I feel so inclined) and no one will EVER know. Well, until now of course.
But nothing compares to being a part of a team at a radio station cluster! Entercom Norfolk has been great to me. I work for great PDs who trust my “Imaging Instincts” (writing/producing) and I get to produce some of the biggest and best voices in the biz (Brian Lee, Dr. Dave & Stacie Bartro). That in itself makes my job that much easier. Being a part of the chaos to get a piece of Imaging on the airs in less than 2 minutes (in addition to all the immature behavior that goes on too) is great! Now if they were to enforce a dress code against t-shirts, jeans, and Chucks, this answer might change.
5. What is the best protools or production trick anybody should know?
Keep it simple stupid. Don London’s (Operation Manager) favorite saying. It’s not so much a production trick as it is a philosophy. I try to keep the production as simple as I can, but still hip/cool, without over-producing it with all the crazy FXs/EQs listeners don’t really care about.
6. How do you get inspired and what do you use as source of creativity?
I get inspired listening to other great Imaging guys. I won’t mention any names because I’d like you to hire me, not them, but they help push me to be the best Imaging Director I can be.
Other great (obvious) source of creativity is other big market stations (Z100, KIIS, KROQ, LITE FM, etc) TV commercials (I just shipped my pants!!), and bouncing ideas off of other radio people.
7. Who were your radio production idols, who influenced your work as
a producer?
I went into radio, like everyone else, wanting to be a jock. When I realized that wasn’t my calling, I knew I had to master another avenue of radio, and FAST! So when I worked at 106.7 Kiss FM (WKGS) & 95.1 The Nerve (WNVE) in Rochester, NY, (RIP) Joe Lomanaco (the Production Director) and DZL (WKGS) afternoons), were nice enough to show me what Imaging was all about. I was blown away!! For that, I am forever grateful. From there, Drew Patterson was the first Imaging guy I really reached out to. He held the position at WRXL before I took it over when he left for 105.7 The Point. He taught me a lot. Besides that, AJ (David Bilger), Brian Mack, Steve Sykes, Nick Daley, Eric Chase, & Dave Foxx are all guys I look up to. I just pestered them day in and day out for feedback and tips on how to be great like them. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for them taking the time to teach me the ropes.
8. What would be your 3 key advices for a youngster?
– Ask questions – and then when you’re done asking those questions, ask MORE questions! That’s the only way you’re going to learn. Get feedback from pros in the business and ALWAYS ask that they don’t sugarcoat it. That’s the only way to get better. Always hearing “sounds great” gives you nothing to strive for.
– Strive for Excellence – (That my friends is what we in the biz call a segue) There’s thousands of Joe Schmos producing Imaging throughout the country, but if you don’t strive to be the greatest, what are you aiming for? Constantly hone your craft and reinvent yourself. Try new things. Don’t be scared to fail.
– Persevere – Radio is not for those who don’t have an incredible passion for the business. Most of us got rejection letter after rejection letter when applying for our first job. It’s tough, and if you don’t have that drive to succeed, you’ll end up working a 9-5 office job where you have to like be professional, and act mature, and actually dress nice…ahhhhh, I can’t talk about it anymore.
More info about Eric:
I’m from Buffalo, NY (Go Bills!) and started out in radio at Clear Channel Rochester as a Board Op/Overnight for WHAM/WHTK and a producer/assistant Imaging Director for WKGS/WNVE. From there, I got my first full time gig at WRXL in Richmond, VA, running Elliot in The Morning (DC101) and producing Imaging. (Thank You Casey Krukowski!) Spent a couple years there and then made my way down to Virginia Beach to work for Entercom where I’ve been since ’08 (and I’m not leaving….sorry.) It’s been an awesome ride so far and I’m so happy to be doing what I love to do!
Be sure to check out my website www.earblowingaudio.com and be my Twitter friend @earblowingaudio.
Thanks to Eric for sharing his tips and expirience with us! And don’t forget to check out more of his imaging at soundcloud!
