OCTOBER 2022
THE LATEST NEWS FROM DYNAMIX
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During the American Revolution, patriot spies sent secret coded messages to each other through several means: newspaper advertisements, invisible ink or code words buried within innocent-looking letters, and even carefully arranged laundry on a clothes line. These messages that are in plain sight, but undetectable to the causal observer, are often mistakenly called subliminal messages. But they are in fact supraliminal messages - hidden in plain sight and detectable if one knows where to look.
There is a fine threshold between conscious and unconscious detection of stimuli. Subliminal stimuli is below the level of conscious detection, only affecting the subconscious. It can’t be recognized, even when deliberately searching for it. Subliminal messaging is often intentionally directed at the subconscious to elicit a response or action that a person wouldn’t normally do.
An example of subliminal stimuli can be found in my recording studios. We deliberately painted our walls a neutral gray so that any color would pop out. We carefully chose red chairs in our waiting area so that customers would immediately perceive a sense of energy and creativity.
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We then carried that theme to our control rooms with hanging red lamps over the producers’ desks. In our recording booths, we lined the back walls with cool blue lights, which elicits a calming effect for the talent. Almost every person that walks into a booth for the first time exhales contentedly and says “Wow,” or some other pleasing remark. Supraliminal messages we employ are reel-to-reels, artwork, and other elements that outwardly suggest we are a creative business.
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Subliminal stimuli is also found in soundtracks: Choosing major or minor musical keys to manipulate mood, matching instruments with character personas, using drones to build tension, layering animal sounds with man-made ones to personify machines, the list goes on. Sound designers are usually trying to, frankly, manipulate the listener. We like to think the listener is a blank slate when they begin the experience of a movie or song. By controlling their mood with sounds, we can either lead the listener down a false path so that an upcoming event will have more impact (think of a surprise scare in a horror film), or leading the listener down a single emotional path (think new age music or ASMR).
Supraliminal messaging (not subliminal messaging) can be found in advertising, crowd control, etc. For instance, flashing a frame or two of a bucket of popcorn or soft drink during a movie to entice a purchase at the snack counter. Softly spoken suggestions to not steal merchandise under background music in a store is another tactic. What researches have found is that supraliminal messaging can't necessarily jolt someone into doing something they aren't already considering, but it can influence an existing desire. A British experiment displayed German and French wines together that were similar in style and price. On alternating days the supermarket played French music and German music. On days that German music played, those wines increased in sales, and vice versa for the French wines.
Advertising and business seems to be the most enthusiastic about using subliminal and supraliminal messaging. But it has found its way into music. A few examples are often referenced. The Beatles intentionally used backmasking (a recording is played backwards to reveal forward-playing sound, like speech or music) in 1968’s “I’m So Tired” as a response to crazy fan theories that Paul McCartney died and had been replaced with a double. But Led Zeppelin fought off theories that “Stairway to Heaven,” when played backwards, exalted Satan. This YouTube video has words on screen to suggest what words Robert Plant might be singing when the song is played backwards.
I would argue that messages found by playing records backwards aren't subliminal or supraliminal messages, they're really Easter eggs. Humans just aren't particularly good at deciphering backwards speech unless highly trained. This is true of any art form that one must actively decode in order to find any real or perceived messages that may or may not be hidden. When subjective interpretation is involved, like in “Stairway to Heaven,” one’s emotional state and cultural influences must also be taken into consideration. I'm guessing many of the bands that purposefully put vague, quasi-demonic messages in their music were probably having a big laugh and enjoying all the buzz about it.
Sometimes hidden messages cross art forms. The Silent Hill horror media franchise recently released a teaser trailer that included a message that can only be decoded by viewing its audio spectrogram. This clever blend of sound and visual art had fans buzzing once it was discovered by an eagle-eared observer.
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Keeping with spooky themes, I tried my own spectrogram message in Sonny Rollins' "Friday the 13th".
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Artists, from filmmakers and painters, to writers, sculptors, architects, and musicians have been toying with us for eons.
- Michaelango hid the human brain in God's cloak in his Sistine Chapel masterpiece.
- Leonardo Da Vinci painted his initials in Mona Lisa's right eye.
- Film director David Fincher placed Starbucks coffee cups in every Fight Club scene, and used the name Tyler Durden, Brad Pitt's character from that movie, in The Social Network.
- Steven Spielberg hid Star Wars' R2-D2 and C-3PO as heiroglyphs in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- One World Trade Center in New York is exactly 1,776 feet tall to the top mast, with the height of the building itself being 1,362 feet, the measurements of the original twin towers.
- The World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. has "Kilroy was here" graffiti, popular during the war, in two places.
- Washington, D.C. designer Pierre Charles L'Enfant placed the Capitol building exactly in the center of our capital.
For as long as there is art, there will be secret, subliminal, and supraliminal messages hidden within. The same can be said for business and advertising. Outside of direct manipulation, like online and social media companies do with our personal data, eliciting a response from a listener/viewer is always the goal. And when a secret door is found, it seems to bring a whole new meaning to that song, painting, poem, film, or building. I say, "Gyihmuck tihpeek!" (That's "Keep it coming!" backwards.)
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Dynamix Productions, Inc. is an audio production facility in the heart of thoroughbred horse country, Lexington, Kentucky. Some of the many audio services we provide are: sound-for-picture, corporate communications, advertising, narrations, audiobooks, podcasts, live broadcast, SourceConnect, ISDN, location and remote recording, restoration, and tape/LP to digital transfers.
Since our opening 19 years ago in 2003, we have won or been a part of nearly 100 awards; including more than 75 ADDY’s (American Advertising Federation), 10 Telly's, 2 Silver Microphones, 1 PRSA (Public Relations Society of America), an Eclipse Award, and an Emmy nomination.
Why do professionals from desktop producers to Fortune 50 companies choose Dynamix for the highest level of production? We Listen.
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- Audiobook recording for "Malison: Dragon Fury" by Jonathan Moeller, narrated by Brad Wills
- "Malison: Dragon Umbra," an audiobook by Jonathan Moeller, narrated by Brad Wills
- "Up Home" web/television series with Chef Ouita (Pony Boat Films, Lexington, KY)
- Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale & November Sales television campaigns (Studio 34)
- UK Football "For the Team" in-game stadium video soundtrack (Wrigley Media, Lexington, KY)
- "Block Talk" podcast for Ridley Block (Alltech, Nicholasville, KY)
- "AgFuture" podcasts for Alltech (Alltech, Nicholasville, KY)
- "Tales of American History" podcast with Cameron Sauers (Witness History Foundation, Lexington, KY)
- Political campaign spots (Grit Creative, Frankfort, KY)
- UK HealthCare radio campaign featuring UK football coach Mark Stoops (Team Cornett, Lexington, KY)
- Soundtracks for "Optra" and "Engineering Recruitment" videos (Lexmark, Lexington, KY)
- "Brilliance", an audiobook read by the author Dr. Jim Roach (Midway, KY)
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We are taking the COVID-19 pandemic seriously here at Dynamix Productions. We're taking safety measures recommended by health officials. We're currently allowing fully vaccinated people to work mask-free in our building as long as ALL people are fully vaccinated. Our producer desk and engineer seat is more than 6 feet away in each studio, and there is glass between the engineer and voice talent. We're still encouraging smaller groups here, but if all parties are fully vaccinated and agree, we can record up to two people at a time in our VO room A. For recording three people, we can put another person in our second VO booth and link them together via Zoom or Skype. We can also have two producers in our Control Room A as long as all parties are fully vaccinated and agree. We employ MERV-13 certified HEPA filters in our HVAC system. We sincerely wish that you and your families will stay safe and secure during these unusual times. For more on our new procedures and options for you, read this special statement.
-Neil Kesterson
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Dynamix Productions, and WEKU-FM, Eastern Kentucky University’s public radio station in Richmond, KY, partnered in 2018 to move primary production of the popular long-running radio program EASTERN STANDARD to the studios of Dynamix. The first program produced at Dynamix aired on July 19, 2018. By bringing the production to Lexington, producers have easier access to Central Kentucky business, healthcare, and education leaders, as well as local artists, entertainers, and other newsmakers. The move underlines WEKU’s commitment to providing the area’s most concise and in-depth coverage of news, issues, and ideas that directly affect Central Kentuckians.
Hosted by network news veteran Tom Martin, EASTERN STANDARD is a public affairs program that covers a broad range of topics of interest to Kentuckians. Resources for topics include WEKU’s reporting partner, the Ohio Valley ReSource, a partnership with seven public media outlets across three states; the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting; and National Public Radio. EASTERN STANDARD can be heard Thursdays at 11:00 AM / 8:00 PM and Sundays at 6:00 PM on 88.9 WEKU-FM, and online at www.esweku.org.
Did you miss the live show? Listen online.
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TELEVISION PROGRAMS PRODUCED AT DYNAMIX
SCOTT'S VACATION HOUSE RULES on HGTV
Scott turns problem properties into profit in his new series, Scott’s Vacation House Rules. With years of smart real estate investing and renovation experience, Scott and his secret design weapon, Debra Salmoni, unlock the rental potential of even the most uninspired properties. Finding and transforming tired, dated, and rundown spaces into unique and buzz-worthy Canadian cottage hotspots, the series proves that any dream property is always within reach if you follow Scott’s Vacation House Rules.
THE WHITE LOTUS on HBO
A social satire set at an exclusive Hawaiian resort, the series follows the vacations of various hotel guests over the span of a week as they relax and rejuvenate in paradise. But with each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travelers, the hotel’s cheerful employees, and the idyllic locale itself.
SECRET CELEBRITY RENOVATION on CBS
A new one-hour series that gives celebrities in sports, music and entertainment the chance to gift a surprise home renovation to a meaningful person who helped guide them to success. Hosted by Nischelle Turner (ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT), SECRET CELEBRITY RENOVATION provides stars with a hands-on opportunity to show their gratitude to someone who has had a significant impact on their life’s journey by helping to realize the renovation of their dreams. Those participating in making these heartfelt gifts include Emmy® and GRAMMY® Award-winning singer and choreographer Paula Abdul; award-winning singer-songwriter Lauren Alaina; Emmy®-winning actor and comedian Wayne Brady (LET’S MAKE A DEAL); NFL MVP and CBS sports analyst Boomer Esiason; GRAMMY®-winning artist Eve; Emmy®-nominated actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson; SURVIVOR winner “Boston” Rob Mariano; NBA All-Star Chris Paul; GRAMMY®-winning singer, songwriter and actor Anthony Ramos; and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith. The series also features the design team of home improvement contractor and television personality Jason Cameron (“Man Cave,” “While You Were Out”) and interior designer Sabrina Soto (“Design Star,” “Trading Spaces”).
ESCAPE TO THE CHATEAU on HGTV
Lieutenant colonel Dick Strawbridge and his partner Angel Adoree trade their English apartment for a dilapidated, 19th-century French chateau. The pair work to restore, renovate and redecorate the estate into a fairytale castle for their upcoming wedding.
YOU LIVE IN WHAT? INTERNATIONAL on HGTV
Architect George Clarke is on a mission to find inspiration for his outrageous, space-age concept house. His journey takes him around the world to meet the visionary people who build and live in some of the most unusual homes ever seen.
COUNTRY COUNTDOWN on The Circle Network
PODCASTS PRODUCED AT DYNAMIX
Vote Worthy helps to inform voters about the issues and challenges surrounding the 2020 General Election.
The Cancer Crisis in Appalachia"
Compelling stories from the next generation of leaders in the fight against cancer in Appalachia.
From UK's Markey Cancer Center.
"Tales of American History" with Kent Masterson Brown
"The Tyler Gossett Podcast"
GoFundMe podcast "Todd Oldfield and Wendall Gill: A Community Comes Together"
"Embedded" podcast from NPR
Al Cross in a series of podcasts about Mitch McConnell
AUDIOBOOKS PRODUCED AT DYNAMIX
  
     
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
OTHER PROJECTS PRODUCED AT DYNAMIX
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OUR MAILING ADDRESS IS:
Dynamix Productions, Inc.
333 N Ashland Ave, Ste 120
Lexington, KY 40502
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