REVIEW: PROCEDURES FOR PRODUCING AUDIO Planning Plan Audio - Define target audience - Brainstorm write down/sketch ideas - Coordinate location needs - Coordinate equipment needs Technical Preparation HANDOUT 205.02 Review Scriptwriting - Reason for the script o Commercial What is the product? o Entertainment (movie, music, play, sports) What is the story? o Information/educational - What needs to be conveyed? o News What happened? o PSA What is the message? - Write the script Select Equipment (equipment considerations) - Location Where will the microphones be used? - Type of audio recording people, vocals, instruments? - Computer/software - Type of microphones o Is it loud and crowded? - cardioid o Is the audio source far way? shotgun/hypercardioid o Are there many audio sources to capture simultaneously? omnidirectional o Do the microphones need to be unseen? - visibility - Types of cables/connections o XLR o RCA o Mini o ¼ Page 1
HANDOUT 205.02 Review Creating - Audio board/mixer - Speakers Create Digital Audio - Record Audio o Connect proper equipment (microphone, audio boards, hard drive, MIDI) o Check audio levels adjust as necessary o Record each person/instrument on a separate channel (if possible) o Make sure levels do not over modulate (distortion) o Begin recording and cue the talent - Edit Audio o After recording, save o Import any additional files needed o Cut, splice, trim, edit and assemble as necessary o Add effects (only if they do not detract from message) o Add background music o Adjust each track s sound level as needed o Save Distributing Prepare for Distribution - Export (determine the file format needed) - Determine distribution (CD, DVD, Internet download/streaming) Page 2
Basic Concepts
Top 8 Tips for Better Audio Recording: Use a quality microphone Monitor the sound Limit background noises Maintain a consistent environment Turn off the music Record background sound Watch out for wind Add it later
Top Tip #1 Use a Quality Microphone: Microphones that are built into camcorders are generally low quality no matter how expensive the camcorder Whenever possible, use external microphones away from the camera in order to optimize sound and record less noise coming from the camera
Top Tip #2 Monitor the Sound: Look on your camera and check for an audio jack If there is an audio jack, plug in a pair of headphones and use them while you are recording If you do this, you will hear the sound that the camera records exactly how it records so that you know whether or not you need to find a way to improve the technology that you are using to record your audio
Top Tip #3 Limit Background Noises: You want to limit the amount of background noises that you pick up on the recorder for two reasons it can make for difficult editing later and it can be too much of a distraction during the recording Turn off fans, loud technology, radios, televisions, close windows, and go to a place that is not crowded with other people to get good quality recordings
Top Tip #4 Maintain a Consistent Environment: The more you control the recording environment, the better quality audio you can record When you maintain a consistent environment and procedures, you re better able to match the audio quality in all of your recordings Consistency is quality
Top Tip #5 Turn Off the Music: If there is music playing in the background, turn it off in order to avoid background noises so your audio will have better quality Leaving it on will make it difficult to edit later and will make it difficult to hear what you are actually recording If you want music in with your audio, you can always add the music in later after you record your intended audio
Top Tip #6 Record Background Sound: Think about the environment that you are recording your audio If you are intending to record your audio, for example, in a city setting, record the audio separate from the background city noise so you can control how loud the city noises are in the background of your audio Just make sure that the background noise matches the other audio in your recording
Top Tip #7 Watch Out for Wind: Recording in an outdoor setting creates all sorts of different challenges, one of them being the natural noises of the outdoors Wind can be a large noise disturbance while you are recording. It will completely muffle out all audio because it will go right into the microphone You can buy a wind protector or just a sock!
Top Tip #8 Add it Later: Remember: you can always add sound later to your initial recording, whether that be environmental noises, sound effects, or music If you choose to record narration, wait until you are in a much quieter space
Digital Audio Software Basic Concepts
Possible Software Choices: Wavosaur Audacity Adobe Soundbooth Adobe Audition Goldwave Wavepad
Wavosaur Free Audio Editor: Free sound editor, audio editor, wav editor software Used for editing, processing, and recording sounds, wav, and mp3 files Supports VST plugins, ASIO driver, multichannel wav files, and real time effect processing For Windows 98, Windows XP, and Windows Vista
Wavosaur Free Audio Editor: Multiple document interface Includes features like trim/crop, channel convert, normalize level, fade in/fade out, zoom in/zoom out Vocal removal Loads of wav, mp3, aif, aiff, ogg vorbis, raw binary, au/snd,adpcm Dialogic vox, and more formats
Wavosour (cont.): http://www.wavosaur.com/
Audacity: A free, open source software for recording and editing sounds For Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux Record live audio, convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs, edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, Wav, or aiff sound files
Audacity (cont.): Cut, copy, splice or mix sounds Change speed or pitch of recording Dub over existing tracks Lots of importing and exporting capabilities Remove static, hiss, hum, or other constant background noises
Audacity (cont.): http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Adobe Soundbooth (a part of Adobe Production Suite 5): A software program that allows you to create and edit audio Improved multi-track editing Royalty-free sound effects Task-based audio editing Fast audio cleanup
Adobe Soundbooth: MP3 compression preview One-click edits Automatic removal of low rumble One-click optimization of voice-over tracks Looping tools Elimination of clicks and pops One-click mastering of mixed audio
Adobe Soundbooth (cont.): http://www.adobe.com/products/soundbooth/
Adobe Audition 3: A part of Adobe Production Suite 5 Recording, mixing, editing, and mastering audio Waveform editing tools Editing options for grouped clips VST plug-in manager Batch saving of multiple audio files
Adobe Audition 3: Ability to duplicate tracks Improved I/O meter display ASIO, VST, DirectX, and ReWire support More than 50 audio effects and DSP tools Surround encoder Real-time monitoring
Adobe Audition 3 (cont.): http://www.adobe.com/products/audition/
Goldwave: A free professional digital audio editor that is capable of performing, processing, restoration, enhancements, and conversions Play all your favorite songs Record any source your computer supports Edit audio with all the basic commands
Goldwave (cont.): Perform dozens of different audio effects Re-master old vinyl or tape recordings Analyze audio with frequency and amplitude visuals Includes a collection of powerful tools to edit your audio into the most professional quality Process an unlimited number of files in various formats
Goldwave (cont.): http://www.goldwave.com/
Wavepad: Professional audio and music editor For Windows and Mac OS X Record and edit music, voice, and other audio recordings Cut, copy, and paste parts of recordings Add effects like echo, amplification and noise reduction Wav, mp3, vox, gsm, wma, real audio, au, aif, flac, ogg files
Wavepad (cont.): Silence, autotrim, amplify, normalize, equalize, envelope, reverb, reverse, and more effects available Integrated VST plug-in Free sound effect and music library Speech synthesis (text-to-speech) capabilities Includes a CD ripper
Wavepad (cont.): http://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/index.html