In January 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began warning of an impending shortage in the availability of certain drugs. These included cancer-fighting drugs, asthma medications and drugs often administered in the emergency room. To help patients and doctors track the availability of the drugs, the FDA set up a website where companies voluntarily update the status of drug availability. Scroll through the list and you will soon see that the most common reason given for drugs shortages is “manufacturing delay”. However, no other reason is given. Show In truth, manufacturing delay can point to one of many things that are the fault of the company, the machinery or drug regulations. Here are some of the most common reasons behind the manufacturing delay excuse. Plant Relocation/RenovationWhen the company decides to upgrade the plant or relocate it, the manufacturing processes must cease in order to safely complete the move. The product scheduling depends on how well the move was planned and how many delays there are in getting the plant setup once again. Considerable delays in getting the plant up and running can lead to significant shortages in the products available for sale. ContaminationIn any industry, contamination in the product requires testing, inspection, diagnosis, repair of the problem and then more testing before the plant goes back online. This process can take days and even months, depending on the type and extent of the contamination. While the plant is fixing the problem, however, drug supplies will be halted for safety reasons of course. Types of contamination can include dust, lubrication and metal shavings from the machinery, bad chemical mixes, or ingredients tainted by chemicals that do not belong in the drug recipe. Machinery IssuesThe complexity of the drug’s manufacturing can add to the problems behind creating and shipping the drugs. Some of these complex processes require extensive lead time, making a machinery problem the cause of an unavoidable shortage. Lead times vary from a few weeks to several months. Companies take great pains to manipulate schedules and inventory to ensure that all orders are filled. They also work to ensure that all preventive maintenance tasks are properly performed, keeping the machines in tip-top shape. Doing so is the best way to avoid a shortage in the drug supply. A good example is the cytarabine injection. The cancer-fighting drug used in chemotherapy treatments had its supply affected by manufacturing issues. The drug went on back order with the company scrambling to release doses as they came off the assembly line, bypassing the schedule. Despite the increase in production after the problems were corrected, a shortage in the amount of the chemo drug was still plaguing cancer patients and their physicians for months after the initial problem. Material AvailabilityWhen the company can’t get the drug it needs to fill the orders and create the product, no manufacturing occurs. According to the FDA, this problem anti-seizure drug magnesium sulfate in the injection form. The companies ran out of the components for the drug, causing the productive to grind to a halt as material orders trickled in. the company announced the problem in early spring but had hoped to get production back up and running—after months of little to no drug availability. The demand for the drug doesn’t cease in the meantime. Demand IncreasesOne of the most abundant causes of drug shortages is the increased demand for the products. Medical science has advanced so that it is possible to treat many illnesses that were once fatal o debilitating. The downside of that is the exponential growth in demand for the drugs. Manufacturing companies try but have difficulty keeping up. The FDA found that many of the drugs on its shortage list were there because the drug supply did not come close to meeting drug demand. Companies can do their best to avoid shortages through preventive maintenance on the machinery, self-inspection against contamination and crisis protocols in place in case of emergency. However, the lead time needed between production initiation and delivery is one thing that must change in order to overcome the problem of manufacturing delays in drug shortages. Eagle Technologies Group is an industry leader in the design and installation of factory automation systems worldwide. Cover image via
Delay is widely considered an excellent tool for music production and sound design. But how does it work? Is there more than one type of delay? When and where do we use delay most effectively? Can we alter the delay to our specific preference? These may be questions you have when you first encounter this effect. This article will take you through the basics and explain its functions and uses. So how does Delay work?Delay is a time-based audio effect that takes an audio track and plays back delayed duplicates to create echoes. In modern-day technology, the creation of digital delay enables us to play around with various parameters that can create amazing effects. Both in the music and filmmaking space delay is important to grasp. It can bring a video project to life in a new way by adding another layer to your film’s soundscape. You’ll definitely need to use a delay plugin if you’re trying to create an echo in your scene. Delay can also add more texture to your musical compositions. Origins of DelayMusic production and sound design have come a long way in technological development. Not every music producer can record a guitar solo in a giant cave, so they had to think of innovative ways to bring delay to the studio. Image via Sashatigar.The effect of delay came as early as the 1940s from tape loops. The magnetic tape used to record music or sound would be cut end to end, creating a loop, then put back on the tape recorder, resulting in hearing loops of the cut segment. The Beatles were one of the pioneers of delay, and to this day, you can virtually find a hold on every Digital Audio Workstation as one of the primary audio effects. Types of Delay and their FunctionsDelay has a variety of variables we can explore. However, you use three staple types of delay in music and sound design. Each has a different character you can hear in the initial echo and in the delay trails. Tape DelayThis came from the origins of delay from using magnetic tape. The effect worked by a tape recording sound, then being fed through playback head shortly after, which would create the delayed effect. However, the units used for this did make it challenging to manage. With the effect being so expensive (thus highly inaccessible to creatives) and sensitive to mechanical damage, it wasn’t always the most suitable option. The good news is that today most DAWs have a built-in tape delay effect, and also pedals you can use when playing music live. The type of sound it creates has a warm and lo-fi quality, which will become more distorted. However, this can cause precision problems regarding pitch and noise. If you want a distorted vintage-sounding delay, tape delay is the one for you! Analog DelayBorn out of necessity, this is the more portable version of tape delay, as guitarists wanted that same quality of tape delay but with the ability to carry it around. The mechanics behind analog delay differ as they utilize a “Bucket Brigade” circuit. Within the circuit are capacitors. These take a sample of the original signal and pass it along to the next capacitor, similar to what an actual bucket brigade does with water. The results are similar to tape delay but with a much darker sound. The delays were shorter, making them more suitable for “slapback” delays. This is due to the signal passing through a low pass filter to keep the sound quality. The circuit samples the voltage, which isn’t an accurate representation of the original sound—so the quality is a bit more filtered. This is similar to digital sampling, but rather than sampling the bits, it uses voltage. Digital DelayMore commonly used today, digital delay arose in the 1970s through the 1980s and was considered the cleanest delay. Digital delay started as an outboard unit, then went to pedals used by guitarists. It uses digital signal processing electronics—unlike tape and analog, which use magnetic tape and voltage, both of which can cause precision problems in the delay. Not only is today’s digital delay more widely accessible, but it also has more parameters that producers can adjust to explore further sounds and effects. Parameters and Other Delay TechniquesThe parameters within delay can be adjusted to fit your needs. Whether you would like a longer-lasting delay, a very subtle and fast delay, or a darker-sounding delay, these parameters will enable you to achieve your desired sound. Delay Time is the given time between each repetition of the echo. On most Digital Audio Workstations, you’ll find the option to either sync/not sync the delay. The sync is measured by note value (e.g., 8th or 16th), so the delay is rhythmically in time with the tempo of the track. Not sync is measured in milliseconds, providing more flexibility. This also allows your echoes to sound a bit more ambiguous, which is great for use in sound design for soundscapes. Image via Sashatigar.Feedback controls how many repeats are played after the original sound. Setting the feedback at 100% will enable the repetitions to be just as loud as the original and not die away. Anything lower than 100% means the delays will get quieter until silence. The lower the percentage, the faster it falls to silence with each echo. Dry/Wet controls the balance of the original signal and the effect signal. This is usually 50% for each, so there’s an equal balance. Setting the wet signal to a higher percentage allows the echo to be more prominent. Check out this video, where Johnny explains it better than we ever could. He tests delay effects used on electric guitars and explains some of the parameters and what they sound like. It’s pretty amazing how slightly altering the parameters can really change the character! Other delay techniques that are also worth exploring include:
You can further the rhythmic side to delay by adding delay to the delay feed. Changing the delay times for the additional feed can create very cool polyrhythmic delays. This type of modulation is more suited for music production; it may not be as effective in dialogue scenes unless you want to add some otherworldly effects to your shot. Delay in Music Production and Sound DesignDelay is heard in most of today’s music. The echoes could be super distinct for a burst of energy or really subtle to add some ambiance. Delay is heavily used on electric guitars and vocals to provide more character. In sound design, delay can replicate a certain space. You may have a scene that is shot in a large space that has the possibility to create echoes. In post-production, you can add delay to the dialogue, or specific sound effects to add realism to the space you are visually showing. Delay can also create tension or fear. A great place to add a delay effect are moments where the listener hears thunder. The delay can be very subtle; however, this adds extra darkness to the sound. Or, if you have a shot of dark industrial scenery you may want some mechanical sound effects for some ambiance. Using it on vocals, e.g., breathing can be super effective. If you have a character where the sound of their breathing is amplified, try to add some delay to their breathing as this adds another layer. This adds a shuddering effect on the breathing, making those scarier moments more unsettling. The double-tracking delay would be the most suitable for these scenarios. Here’s an example of a film soundtrack composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir for Chernobyl. The percussive sounds heard at the beginning have some delay, giving us the sense of space in the scenery. This is complemented by the low, swelling drone. Now you know a bit more about this very cool and versatile audio effect. Next time you’re listening to music or watching a film, see if you can point out any moments of delay. And, if you’re an aspiring music producer, filmmaker, or sound designer, record some sounds and have a little play with the delay parameters. You’ll be amazed by the different sound worlds you can achieve, but most importantly, have fun with it! Feature image via Sashatigar. Want more in depth audio information? Check out these articles! |