My Podcast

Below is what I learned from what I read for my Audio and Visual Design class and some of the examples which inspired me to make my podcast.

My Podcast:

This was an interesting project to create. I really liked interviewing and talking to the girls I had on and I thought it was an interesting topic. I edited it in Audition which was slightly challenging for me because I had never used Audition before and I wanted to take on a new challenge. I used my phone’s microphone to record the audio because I have had success with using it in the past, but this time it was a little more difficult to edit the interview portion because everyone’s audio was slightly different. I think my audio came out a little weird if I’m being honest because I couldn’t quite get the levels right but other than that I had a great time making this!

In chapter 8 of The Bare Bones, Schroeppel discusses sound waves and how to effectively capture sounds for any sort of project that includes audio. There are three different kinds of microphones that capture sounds different. Lavalier microphones are best used in sit down interview kind of situations because it can isolate one voice in a small area. It gets difficult when your subject is wearing loud clothing because if the mic moves during the interview, there will be static. A shotgun mic captures all the sound in the direction it’s pointed. This can be advantageous and also disadvantageous. Sounds that you want to capture can be muddled by background noise and it can pick up too many outside sounds if there’s a lot going on in the direction of your subject. The hand mike is one of the easiest to use in interviews because the user has almost complete control over where it’s pointed and how much sound it picks up. He also discussed using different audio devices to pick up different sounds in your scene. If there’s certain background noise you want to add to your audio that’s not coming in clearly, re record that background noise so you have better flexibility when editing the audio. He also advises rerecording any wild effects like car doors slamming or doors opening to get a crisper and cleaner audio in the final product. Lastly, he discusses voice slating and keeping a sound log so it’s easier to keep track of the good takes and sound you have. This makes the final editing process a little easier and more organized.

In the article, “7 Secrets for Getting Pro-Sounding Vocals on Home Recordings,” Gaetani gave some great tips for how to make a podcast in the comfort of your own home. Some of his tips included getting comfortable in the space you will be recording in, recording in a neutral and dry room without a lot of reflections and reverberated sounds, using pillows and blankets to make the room more soundproof, positioning your mic and pop filter correctly and doing several takes to make sure you have the best sound for your podcast. He also advised to be careful with your vocal editing, that is, make sure your focus on the performance and not on the pitch. It’s important to use the parts of audio that have personality as well as are said well.

In the article, “Sound Advice: Editing Audio for Video,” Robertson discusses some of the very basics of audio and video editing for rookies. He explains that A-roll is a phrase that indicates the primary footage in a video. B-roll is supplementary footage that could or could not be used in a finished product. B-roll is more of filler pieces to help reinforce the topic of the video. The same applies for audio. He explains the snip and clip method of preparing video for audio and making sure the video is how you want it before you put in any audio transitions and adjustments. If you can’t make the audio line up with the video, adding some background music under your video could help. He advises to look for jump cuts and to make sure your pictures and audio is exactly how you want it.

Some of my favorite scenes:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

This is one of my favorite scenes and the first one that came to mind when I was thinking of examples. Between the music and the sound effects, this scene holds such deep emotion because it conveys how tough times must be if McGonagall is deploying soldiers she never thought she would have to use. I thought the music did a perfect job capturing such a wide array of emotions this scene is trying to portray.

Almost Famous

This is probably one of my favorite scenes. Almost Famous is by far one of my favorite movies and the way music brought together this band who was previously fighting shows the impact and power of songs and music. I really liked the way the actors’ voices were threaded in with the sound to make it smoother and like there wasn’t any sort of gap between the audio and video.

Chasing Mavericks:

This is also one of my favorite movies. It takes place where I grew up and this scene as actually filmed at one of my favorite beaches. The incorporation of the narration, music and waves made me cry the first time I saw it and makes it even more emotional knowing that this was all based on a true story.