Radio Edit / Censor techniques and insights!

[coyotekells]

I'd like to hear people's thoughts -- especially studio tips on actually doing censoring and real-life stories about troubles with radio/tv censor requirements.

Here's some stuff to get this (important) thread started.

Unless you're straight college radio/underground, reversing words is over. It sounds lame with only occasional exceptions for "shit".

Dropping words completely is pretty common, but I don't care for it. There's 2 reasons to do it: lazy, or the track is so heavily censored (see: 50 cent) that it would be ridiculous sounding to give each word special treatment.

What do you think about recording 2 versions .. sometimes just a word is punched, sometimes the verse is re-written (Lil Wayne's - Leather So Soft.. wtf??)

Rap is one thing, but R&B is another -- without lyric replacement, it's much more difficult to censor without drawing unnecessary attention to that spot (where it otherwise flowed very nicely before and you didn't think twice). This is my current problem which inspired this thread!

Some ways to censor these days that often are done well is the replacement with sound fx, or the turntable power-off effect.

Do you guys notice a lot more scrutiny on independent artists getting commercial spins vs. big boys that people wouldn't say no to? Seems this way to me.

At what stage of a song do you do the edits? Seems like it would be late (like post mixing) because for something like turntable power-down effect to be on a word, you'd want to effect the whole acapella (already stacked/layered and effected.. since most rap these days has at least 2 stacks.. even if it's well done can't be detected)

Do you sometimes like the radio edit better?
I prefer the radio hook for Ghostface & Ne-Yo's "Back Like That".. the wording seems so much natural (dude vs. n*gga)

Direct questions:

What software is most efficient/flexible for doing the turntable power-off effect on various vocal chunks in a mix. I've had to use TurtablePro I think it was called (freeware . I'm using Logic, so there's less shareware in this field available than on Windows). Would Serato hold greater advatanges? I guess something for PT would be best, because you could edit the audio AS style -- rather than loading a "sound snippet" to VSTi then putting that part on a MIDI track.

What are some sound fx you associate with certain words, etc. (and do you think replacing '****' etc with a female moan won't help and indie artist get airplay.. or does it count? I know it has worked for some mainstream folks). Also, anyone who listens to radio enough to suggest various "clean" songs that weren't clean for us all to use as examples? I know some groups like Black Eyed Peas put some good work in on creatively "cleaning" their songs.

While writing this post, I decided to just attach the song I need to clean and get any suggestions. Right now, 2 commercial stations said they'd be glad to ad it but it needs to be cleaned for them to get it by their PD. A third station has added it to their Canadian content hour, but won't give it further push until it's cleaned.

Word in question? "shit". And used as if it were the word "something" or "stuff". Lol.
Removing the word sounds lame. Reversing the word sounds lame. I think I will added a "shhhh" effect, but haven't tried.
Also, no one's mentioned anything about the the rap verse (no swearing) but there's lyrics like "she's fit to nail".. is that going to hinder the song?

Please take a listen if you got a minute and offer any advice.

[coyotekells]

Another thing I always wanted to know from someone who actually knew...

So words are sensed from the video...

And the rapper is (you guessed it) rapping in the video. Has that ever been a problem that you visually see his lips say bitch, ****, n****, whatever -- even though the word is removed?

Should the video performance and/or editing be done in a way to avoid the rapper saying those words on the screen (even tho they can't be heard)?

[coyotekells]

An answer to my own question. Vari-Fi (in PT) is probably the most efficient way to do the 'turntable power-off'

[illynoise]

I remember Bizzy Bone was the first to show me that you should to a adlib track of SHHz and OOhz and whatever else so you could use those as your fill ins.

Back in the day, I developed a trick where you would use automation on the word before the muted word and put delay on that word to fill it up. That worked seemless. To me the turntable trick is getting played out. MC's just need to realize when they got a hit song and write a clean version to it!!!!!

[coyotekells]

^I agree with all points.. the delay trick is a good idea (not for my current track tho). The slow-down is definitely played.. used as a crutch.
Funny you mention Bizzy, I'm opening for Bone Thugs in a couple weeks.. Bizzy is of course bizzy smoking crack right now tho :/

[smoke]

Originally Posted by St. Kelly

Bizzy is of course bizzy smoking crack right now tho :/

who isn't?

[beat you down]

i like the way stuff was censored in the 90's...
replacing words with scratches, stabs and all sorts of samples.

[Jidis]

Originally Posted by beat you down

i like the way stuff was censored in the 90's...
replacing words with scratches, stabs and all sorts of samples.

I did too (ala Wu-Tang). It's funny, I caught Taxi Driver on a censored cable channel a while back and a bunch of the cusswords were masked by horns and traffic noise like that. It was much less distracting than when they try to make them say dumb crap that doesn't sound right.

[illynoise]

Originally Posted by beat you down

i like the way stuff was censored in the 90's...
replacing words with scratches, stabs and all sorts of samples.

Yeah, but it doesn't seem like there was so much, at least in the early 90's.

When I used to do edits back then, I was using Turtle Beach stuff and edits took a lot longer to do, so the automated muting was really the only good alternative!

[drethe5th]

Originally Posted by St. Kelly

Another thing I always wanted to know from someone who actually knew...

So words are sensed from the video...

And the rapper is (you guessed it) rapping in the video. Has that ever been a problem that you visually see his lips say bitch, ****, n****, whatever -- even though the word is removed?

Should the video performance and/or editing be done in a way to avoid the rapper saying those words on the screen (even tho they can't be heard)?

some stations depending on time of day will blurr the lips of certain words. Ive seen it on BET plenty.

Also I personally know where I want to take a song when I hear the track. Therefore, if I think its going to be a club joint or should be something played on radio I try not to even write initialy with bad language keeping all "radio words" in mind or I write an alternate version. I rarley ever drop out or reverse words.

Ultimatley if you are on a tight budget and doing things your self its better not to curse or use banned words

2 reasons:
One- you have to spend more money in the studio recording new clean words or editing out bad ones.
Two- if you end up in a place or someone else ends up in a place with only one copy of your CD and want to throw it in, lets say a car show or the fair or a holiday gathering at home or for work at some ball room whatever - you miss out on a chance to be heard if that person does not have a clean copy. Russel Simmons could be walking by at that moment and not hear you because you couldnt be played. You can think "oh ill just press up clean copies" but again you can tbe every where all the time.

Better to stay ready, then to need to get ready

[HoPMiX]

I highlight the entire arrangement..
and copy it down the time line.. so teh edited version starts at like 5 minutes..
that way i dont have to deal with virtual tracks/playlist whatever..
then. i have the artist go in and change the shit he can with punches..
if its just too crazy... varifi.. and a lil creativity.. but when im workign with people these days i tell em man your gonna save yourself time and money if you think clean from the jump.. and it def makes you stand out as an artist. nothign i hate more than a person who cant write.. that just leans on MF a n bombs for a whole song
WACK