Today I finished the timing cue sheet for the soundscape. This included going through the piece second by second and writing a description, script and recording information about the whole piece. I have then uploaded the soundscape MP3 track, timing sheet, personal reflective summary and blog URL to blackboard.
Curtis Gilthorpe – Final Report
I have worked as part of a team for the last 12 weeks to create a soundscape. I have learnt how to use new software such as Adobe Audition and Pro-Tools, I did not know how to use them that well but now I feel more comfortable with them.
Recording Process
- For the recording process we booked out a zoom, as well as two microphones to go with it as well. We only used the zoom, but I think that it did the job well, we used it for the entire recording process. Before we started this project, I hadn’t used a zoom before, however I had used a similar microphone before, so it was not difficult to get used to.
- We used two microphones, one was the 414 and the other being a hyper-cardioid one. We used the 414 just to record sounds so that were of good quality and we used the hyper-cardioid mic to get closer up sounds, such as the heartbeat and the tap dripping (although we didn’t put it in.) If we did this again I think that we should try to use a larger range of microphones so that we could get better quality sounds and more unique ones.
Adobe Audition
- I had no experience before this project with Adobe Audition, so I found the software a bit confusing to use at first. I had used similar software before though so, I quickly adjusted to it.
- The software makes it easy to cut down clips and make multiple tracks to put them in order, it does however become a bit difficult to move them about. However the software does make it easy to edit down single clip files. I think I did okay with Audition, maybe with more time I may have become a bit more fluent with using and know what I could have done to improve the overall project.
Pro-tools
- I had no experience, apart from in other projects at the same time with pro tools. It felt good to actually get some work to actually manipulate and add effects to, so that I could get a better idea for myself of what all of the features and effects do.
- The actual process when it came down to editing the software was mostly trial and error, as we weren’t too sure what all of the effects and plug-ins did, so it took time to get the desired effect however I think we achieved it.
Teamwork
- Working as part of a team made it so that we all had roles and responsibilities, as well as making sure we all we able to add to the process of recording and mixing it together.
- As a whole I think that we worked well as a team, we all listened to each other, didn’t argue and respected each other.
Charlie Macrae – Final Report
Over the past few weeks I have gained a lot of knowledge about the process of creating a soundscape/experimental sound. I have learnt techniques about how I should record certain sounds and I have also learnt how to use Adobe Audition and Pro-Tools a lot more efficiently than I have been able to previously.
What I Learnt During The Recording Process:
– When recording the audio for our soundscape I booked out the zoom and two microphones. The zoom was an extremely versatile piece of equipment and was what we used for the majority of the recordings. Before this project I had very little experience with the zoom but as we recorded with it, I got to grips with it very quickly.
– The microphones that we used were very useful at getting different sounds the 414 that we used was good at getting a clear sound and was useful for getting sounds that would pan from left to right.
– The hyper-cardioid microphone we used was great at getting close up sounds, such as heartbeats and vibrations.
With more experience with different microphones I believe we would of been able to get an even higher quality of sounds for the final piece.
What I Learnt About Adobe Audition:
– I had quite a lot of experience with adobe audition prior to this project so editing on the software was relatively easy after a while. I had a good idea about how i was going to cut up the audio files and as a team we knew what order we were going to put them in.
– The program is very good when using it to cut down audio clips in to usable chunks as well as being able to create multiple tracks to place the clips in order. I believe if we had to assemble the piece in pro-tools it would of been a lot more difficult as pro tools does not have a separate window for editing the clips.
– I believe that I can quite efficiently use Adobe Audition now and if I were to have more practice with the software I think I would be able to use more of its features within my work to improve the final product.
What I Learnt About Pro-tools:
– I had very little experience with pro tools prior to this project so getting hands on with the software really gave me an opportunity to extend my knowledge of how to use its features.
– Adding effects and EQ’ing the audio was relatively easy although it took us some time to get the effects that we wanted due to not knowing all of the available plug-ins that we could use, after a while we got to terms with the plug-ins after a lot of trial and error.
Working As A Team:
– Being part of a team on a project like this was very useful as it allowed us to separate jobs and all take turns with the recording and mixing. Without a team it would of made the whole process a lot less enjoyable as well as taking a lot longer.
– We all shared common goals for this project which was useful as it meant the final product was something that we were all happy with and there was no arguing.
Lots of Effects – Finally Finished
Now that all of the editing has been done on Audition it is time to take the .WAV over to Pro-tools to add effects and create the final piece. We started off by splitting all parts of the soundscape up in to separate tracks, we did this because we need to add different effects to each of the sections and it was more simple than creating an auxiliary track. We kept the first part of the soundscape the same and unedited due to it being real life and not yet in the nightmare. Once we got to the lecturer speaking we attempted to muffle the sound but whatever effect we used it just sounded wrong so we decided to just fade her voice slowly leading to falling asleep. Once the nightmare begins there is a continuing ambience that we created by hitting a metal pole and recording the vibrations. Each section contains a different recorded sound and has been edited to make it sound ominous and as if it is in a larger space than it actually was. The nightmare ends on a large explosion like sound to signify waking up and then it goes to the person breathing heavily with a raised heartbeat.
We had to make some edits to the storyline due to time constraints, for example we originally wanted the nightmare to start in the lecture and then the person walks home but we couldn’t fit it in to the time frame we had so we had the person start in an unknown location.
All in all the final piece sounds good and gives the listener a sense of fear during the nightmare scene due to the rapid change from reality. It has been fun working on the project and we have all gained valuable knowledge of how the recording process works for experimental sound and also we have a better understanding of the software used for audio editing.
All Coming Together
The process of cutting all of the audio clip in to usable junks has been completed and today we worked on putting all of the audio files in a logical order on the multi-track view on Adobe Audition. Luckily we got all of the clips in to the correct places and the unedited soundscape was completed. The process of fitting all of the files in to the space of 2 minutes was difficult due to the amount of clips that we started with. Next time we meet up (on the 15th) we shall be editing the soundscape and adding various effects to the audio.