Not all that long ago the expression was, “It’s the economy, stupid”

Fair to say that, of late, that expression has been turned on its head: “It’s the Stupid Economy”

With budgets thinning, everyone seems to be looking for more creative, wise, efficient, and, well… let’s just be honest and throw the word out there, – “frugal” ways of getting things done.  All while maintaining, of course, the same results (or better) than before.

Indeed.  Welcome to The New Economy, where being in the black is the new black.

The nice thing about such a situation is that it can fuel the fires of creative problem solving.

So, it got us thinking.

For years, the best way to record voiceover talent from out-of-town, or make local talent available to markets outside the Twin Cities was through an ISDN Digital Patch.  And, while that’s still the case in most situations, we’ve explored some new options, updated some old ones, and are now utilizing them both for those who need to be more cost conscious.

We recently upgraded our phone patch capabilities to a digital hybrid box from JK Audio.  Each of our studio suites now has the new Inkeeper PBX interface, which allows for much better call clarity and talent comfort during sessions where the client or writer needs to listen in over the phone.

Just call in, direct, and we’ll post the the full resolution takes for you on our FTP.  Simple.

And if you need to hear your session in higher fidelity, we also have the option of listening in via Source Elements‘ Source Live plugin.  This plugin allows us to stream audio from our Pro Tools session over the internet to any number of listeners anywhere in the world (provided they have an internet connection).  The quality is pretty similar to that of an mp3 and offers everyone on the other end the ability to monitor takes more accurately or better hear how a mix is coming together.  And, although the sound is not instantaneous like with an ISDN Digital Patch -  the five second delay will certainly save you more than a few nickels on the invoice of your next TV, radio or interactive project.