Third Place Audio

John Cross’s Class–March 28th, 2012

thirdplaceaudio — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:04:29 +0000

Hi All,

John asked if I would say a few words about building the audio portion of a Soundslides production–from recording interviews, to logging tape, to finding free music online. The resources below will help structure the talk.

Voices from the Valley–For a few Samples…
Sample Interview Schedule (shown in class)
Creating Interview Questions
Using the Marantz Recorders
Doing Audio Interviews (from radio diaries)
Logging Tape
Editing Audio
Tips for Soundslides
Possible music for use in Soundlides

Producing Your Audio Stories

thirdplaceaudio — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:32:02 +0000

Hi All,

Below I offer a list of things that should be done and/or explored as you work on your final audio projects.

1) Think hard about the goal of your final story–what are you trying to accomplish, what story are you telling, etc. The story might change as you begin conducting interviews and collecting sounds, but you should have a flexible plan in mind as you begin working in the field.

2) Ask yourself this question: What have been some of your favorite things from other audio works (sounds used, narration, style of presentation, etc.) and how might these features play a role in your project.

3) Learn about the art of conducting audio interviews before you begin conducting interviews.

4) Think about how and what kinds of sounds you will record in addition to the interviews you conduct.

5) Make a detailed recording log of your interviews and sounds

6) Create a broad oultine/script for you story (samples shown and discussed in class). Your outline/script should be flexible but offer direction.

These sources might be of some value as you work on your outline and script.

7) Write and record narration if you will have it in the story

8) Edit the final story using Audacity or, if you have your own laptop, you may wish to use a trial copy of Hindenburg Journalist

Audio Doc. Skill Three–Logging Tape

thirdplaceaudio — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:31:16 +0000

Hi All,

Once you’ve recorded a lot of sounds, your next task is to effectively “log” your tape. Here’s a sample recording log and a few tips.

A log is not a transcript, but you should write down as much as possible. My general rule is that I listen to the entire recording and type as I’m listening. I try not to start and go back.
Be sure to make ample comments in your log using bold or all caps–things like “GREAT STUFF” or “VIVID DETAIL HERE….”
Be sure to clearly indicate times in your log…you want to be able to go right back into your recording and select the content you want for your story.
There will be an urge to only listen to part of your tape–except in rare cases, try to listen to everything you’ve recorded.
As your listening and logging, think about possible scenes in your story and where content might go in your story (for example, such and such comment might work great for an introduction, etc.)
When you’re done with your log, print out and begin trying to structure your story. Go back and listen to tape as needed to see if it sounds as you remember and will work well.
Log sounds as well as voices. For example, “1:00–crowd noise…” 1:15–you hear nice “how are you doing” in crowd noise.” That sort of thing.
One way to log tape is to use itunes, as it allows you to see the time of your recording. Another is to try the free program Express Scribe

Audio Doc. Skill Two–Recording Sounds (from events, rooms, etc.)

thirdplaceaudio — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:27:26 +0000

Hi All,

The sounds you collect for your piece will make it special. Try to record “action” in your environments. You want sounds of “life happening” within the location you’re recording.

Tips for getting good sound…

1) Record a lot of sound. Most say you will use about 2% of what you record. Keep the recorder going.

2) Get close to what you record. In general, try to get close to the action. This may require you knelling down beside a table, getting close to the stage, putting the mic right next to a TV playing in the room, etc.

3) Record at -6 db. Keep an eye on those numbers in front of the machine. Try for -6 (note…on the new machines -6 looks like 6) Anything in the red will not work for your project. It is best to be a little low (in the green) than a little high (in the red). Try not to be adjusting the sound levels all the time…some sounds will be louder, some more quiet, that’s ok.

4) Do a “sound survey” of the room/event right away. What are the cool sounds making up this place. Think about everything from people greeting one another as they walk the door, to welcome messages from a speaker, to background music, etc.

5) When possible, record one sound at a time. This is not always possible, but sometimes you can record one sound at a time. For example, you might wish to record the background conversation in a room. Record this separately and place it on its own track. If you want to conduct an interview interview with a person who is part of the group, ask the person to go with you to a quiet place and ask your question. You can mix the sounds together later in editing if you would like.

6) Work together. Really help one another identify and record sounds. Some of you will hear things others will not–help one another with that sound survey.

7) Be sure to record at least a few minutes of just general room sound. Stand somewhere where it sounds good in the headphones and hold up the mic to get a few minutes of background sound. It’s likely to get a few of these kinds of tracks recorded.

8) Be sure your team is quiet during the recording. Lots of good recordings are ruined by hearing the person doing the recording.

9) It’s important enough to say twice–record lots of stuff. Always good to have too much “tape” instead of too little.

10) Be respectful, but don’t be afraid to be intrusive. Always ask for permission, but don’t be afraid to move close to the action, whatever that action might be.

11) Spend time in the place…really good sounds don’t always happen right away. If you’re recording an event, get to the event early. Even things like “test, test, test” can sound good as you construct your story.

Audio Doc. Skill One–Recording Interviews

thirdplaceaudio — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:17:20 +0000

Hello All,

Good interviews don’t happen just by chance. They require both a great deal of planning and spontaneity. The resources and tips below should help you conduct the best interviews possible for your projects.

Interviewing handout–distributed in class
General interviewing tips from Radio Diaries
General handout on writing good questions (notice the different kinds of questions here–getting stories, getting “flavors,” etc.
Great questions from Storycorps (these do not apply directly to your project, but some of the questions could be modified to fit your needs…for example, instead of asking”what are you most proud of in life, you might ask “what are you most proud of with this program?”)

The above items relate mostly to formal interviews you will conduct with specific individuals connected to your project (the director of the program, etc.). Nearly all of you will also want to record roughly 10 brief interviews with individuals part of the group, using the facility, etc. Basically, you’ll approach people and ask them two or three brief questions (e.g., “what makes this event special for the community?” or “how do you feel about being part of _________?”).

The link below relates to video, but provides helpful tips for conducting quick informal interviews.

Conducting Vox Pops (short, informal “person on the street” interviews)

Listening Journal Week Five–Week of Feb. 27th (2012)

thirdplaceaudio — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:28:43 +0000

Hi All,

This week I’d like you to listen to a story from a documentary series called Travels With Mike. Please give the overview of the project a quick read and then write a journal entry on one of the audio stories found on the website. You’ll find the stories listed in the “listen to the documentaries” section on the website. They are identified by place (Sag Harbor, Fargo, etc…you should listen to one)

Here’s a little info about John Steinbeck’s book Travels With Charlie on which the above radio series is based.

Please remember that each week you are to write about two audio pieces. I assign one (as I’ve done above) and the other can come from any audio documentary source highlighted on this blog or discussed in your book Recording Culture. As discussed in class, do not use Storycorps stories for this assignment.

Please also remember to see D2L or your handout for the writing assignment that goes along with the listening.

Listening Journal Week Four–Week of Feb. 20th (2012)

thirdplaceaudio — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:14:46 +0000

Hi All,

This week I’d like you to listen to a story from Minnesota Public Radio’s Youth Radio Series. Please do not listen to a story you’ve already heard (either in class or somewhere else).

Please also remember to see D2L or your handout for the writing assignment that goes along with the listening.

Listening Journal Week Three–Week of Feb. 13th

thirdplaceaudio — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:50:09 +0000

Hello All,

This week I ask that you listen to an episode of public radio’s This American Life. Episodes are typically one hour long and contain several stories within an episode (please listen to the entire episode). As you may know, This American Life is quite popular and entertaining–select any episode you find of interest. Just be sure the episode features audio documentary work–almost all episodes feature the kind of work we’re studying this semester, but every so often the episode features recordings of storytellers talking with a large audience instead of audio documentary work. If the episode you select features one “act” with a person performing to a large audience, that’s no problem. But if the episode features only individuals performing to an audience, then please select another episode.

Click here to learn more about This American Life before listening…

Please also remember to see D2L or your handout for the writing assignment that goes along with the listening.

Listening Journal Week Two (Week of Feb. 6th, 2012)

thirdplaceaudio — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:43:43 +0000

Hello All,

This week I ask you to visit the Radio Dairies website. Spend a little time surfing around looking at the unique work they do. Then select one story from the portraits section of the website for your listening journal (that is, listen to one story from the portraits section and write a review of that story…please do not review any we’ve already listened to in class).

Please also remember to see D2L or your handout for the writing assignment that goes along with the listening.

Listening Journal Week One–Week of January 30th, 2012

thirdplaceaudio — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:20:17 +0000

Hello All,

The listening journal assignment was passed out in class and is available on D2L. This week I ask you to listen to the award-winning audio documentary, Ghetto Life 101.

As the assignment sheet makes clear, the second piece you listen to each week can come from any audio documentary source highlighted on this blog or discussed in your book.

One suggestion for this week’s listening would be to find one more audio documentary available on the Soundportraits website. A personal favorite is The Sunshine Hotel but do feel free to select whatever you find of interest.

Please do remember to see D2L or your handout for the writing assignment that goes along with the listening.