I have been finding editing really difficult. At first audition kept closing unexpectedly when I hadn't saved it. I managed to get the base of my acoustic portrait done however now am having trouble opening what I started and am really hoping I don't have to start again.
I'm also finding it difficult as I'm still very much a beginner when it comes to audition so it's hard to know what to do when editing some tricky parts.
Sunday, 30 November 2014
Musical Theatre Society Rehearsals
When recording the musical theatre society rehearsals. I had to use different equipment. This included the following:
Marantz PMD-661
Fish pole
AKG 414 Condensor Studio Microphone.
I had never used this type of microphone before but the technicians showed me how to set it so it was similar to the Sennheiser K6.
When I got to the building, they had already started rehearsing. The president of the society - Jake, asked me if I needed to adjust anyones seating so I was able to get a good recording but everyone was sat in a semi circle and putting myself and the microphone behind was great.
It was a quick and easy process unlike the last time and I have now got enough sound to start editing my acoustic portrait together.
Marantz PMD-661
Fish pole
AKG 414 Condensor Studio Microphone.
I had never used this type of microphone before but the technicians showed me how to set it so it was similar to the Sennheiser K6.
When I got to the building, they had already started rehearsing. The president of the society - Jake, asked me if I needed to adjust anyones seating so I was able to get a good recording but everyone was sat in a semi circle and putting myself and the microphone behind was great.
It was a quick and easy process unlike the last time and I have now got enough sound to start editing my acoustic portrait together.
How Recording Went
On Wednesday, I went to the Wycombe Swan to do my sound recordings for my acoustic portrait. I didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped.
When I got there, the duty manager was aware that I was arriving but had not been given any background information on my project and I didn't have the correct permission to record some of the things i'd hoped for. I wasn't able to record any rehearsals, live shows or sound checks. I was only allowed to record the foyer and the audience taking their seats at the start. This was quite disappointing as I'd set it up however the manager I had been emailing was not there that evening. I was still able to get a lot of sounds that I will be able to include such as announcements for the show.
As an alternative so I still have some live music, I have emailed the president of the Musical Theatre Society on campus and he has given me permission to record some of their rehearsals.
The mixture of the two places will be difficult to put together however I am lucky to be given this opportunity to record so I will make it work when editing.
When I got there, the duty manager was aware that I was arriving but had not been given any background information on my project and I didn't have the correct permission to record some of the things i'd hoped for. I wasn't able to record any rehearsals, live shows or sound checks. I was only allowed to record the foyer and the audience taking their seats at the start. This was quite disappointing as I'd set it up however the manager I had been emailing was not there that evening. I was still able to get a lot of sounds that I will be able to include such as announcements for the show.
As an alternative so I still have some live music, I have emailed the president of the Musical Theatre Society on campus and he has given me permission to record some of their rehearsals.
The mixture of the two places will be difficult to put together however I am lucky to be given this opportunity to record so I will make it work when editing.
Preparing
I must prepare before I visit the Wycombe Swan as I would like my recordings to go as smoothly as possible.
The equipment I have booked out for the week includes:
A Marantz PMD-661
Sennheiser K6 Kit
As mentioned before in this blog, I have been shown how to use this equipment and how to set it up properly.
The problems I thought I may face is mostly down to batteries. As I will be recording for 2 hours, I will need to make sure I have enough batteries to last me as in my experience they run out very quickly.
I also need to make sure I have good time management as there is only specific busy times. As I am taking public transport, I will make sure to catch the earlier bus so I am on time to set up all the equipment and introduce myself to the duty manager.
The equipment I have booked out for the week includes:
A Marantz PMD-661
Sennheiser K6 Kit
As mentioned before in this blog, I have been shown how to use this equipment and how to set it up properly.
The problems I thought I may face is mostly down to batteries. As I will be recording for 2 hours, I will need to make sure I have enough batteries to last me as in my experience they run out very quickly.
I also need to make sure I have good time management as there is only specific busy times. As I am taking public transport, I will make sure to catch the earlier bus so I am on time to set up all the equipment and introduce myself to the duty manager.
Planning my recordings
I have been emailing back and fourth with a manager from the 'Wycombe Swan Theatre' in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. This is my home town and I have been doing shows there since the age of 11. Due to being a member, it benefited me and the manager has agreed to let me record some of the sounds of the theatre including sound checks, auditorium sound when the audience are taking their seats and the foyer when the audience are ordering drinks and talking before the show.
In week 6, I am going home for a reading week and this is when I have organised to record most sounds for my acoustic portrait.
In week 6, I am going home for a reading week and this is when I have organised to record most sounds for my acoustic portrait.
Chris Watson - The Station
Last Tuesday I listened to Chris Watsons "The Station" to get some ideas for my acoustic portrait. I found the 30 minute session really interesting.
It starts with the train sounds and then people start to comment on the station itself. Watson talks about the different sounds he was able to hear and how varied they were throughout the different times of the day. What I like most is when he is speaking about a specific sound, it will be playing along in the background.
I will use this as inspiration when I start my recordings soon.
It starts with the train sounds and then people start to comment on the station itself. Watson talks about the different sounds he was able to hear and how varied they were throughout the different times of the day. What I like most is when he is speaking about a specific sound, it will be playing along in the background.
I will use this as inspiration when I start my recordings soon.
Monday, 10 November 2014
90 Second Interview Practice
In week 7, we looked at interview techniques, normalisation of voices and practicing interviews for when we come to do our own for the project.
Below I have attached Holly and I's interview where we have looked at the snapchat scandal. She asked me a simple open answered question which was good as I was able to have a long answer.
I then used the editing processes to normalise our voices as well as taking the 'Ums' and 'ahs' out.
SNAPCHAT INTERVIEW
Below I have attached Holly and I's interview where we have looked at the snapchat scandal. She asked me a simple open answered question which was good as I was able to have a long answer.
I then used the editing processes to normalise our voices as well as taking the 'Ums' and 'ahs' out.
SNAPCHAT INTERVIEW
Hilegard Westerkamp Presentation
Two classmates did a presentation on Hilegard Westerkamp and I found it fascinating due to the contribution she has to sound.
Westerkamp was a German lady who moved to Canada. She studied sound theory, piano and flue and this is where her love for sound began.
Before she revolutionised soundscapes, she started a degree in music then became a professor at the College she studied.
In Vancouver, Westerkamp performed her first soundwalk and from this she developed her work. She also founded Vancouver Radio Station where she was able to broadcast her soundscapes/walks. Although her work now is only used for background music, Westerkamp had such an impact on sound especially as it was unusual for women to be involved with sound at this point in time.
I found this presentation insightful due to the involvement I have had doing sound walks in the last few weeks and it was interesting to find out how they were originally developed.
Westerkamp was a German lady who moved to Canada. She studied sound theory, piano and flue and this is where her love for sound began.
Before she revolutionised soundscapes, she started a degree in music then became a professor at the College she studied.
In Vancouver, Westerkamp performed her first soundwalk and from this she developed her work. She also founded Vancouver Radio Station where she was able to broadcast her soundscapes/walks. Although her work now is only used for background music, Westerkamp had such an impact on sound especially as it was unusual for women to be involved with sound at this point in time.
I found this presentation insightful due to the involvement I have had doing sound walks in the last few weeks and it was interesting to find out how they were originally developed.
"The Perfect Voice"
Does the 'perfect voice' exist?
There are radiogenic voices which are usually deep and smooth - for example, as my previous post discussed - the male southern Irish accent is the most popular.
However due to editing processes, the 'perfect voice' can not exist. It normalizes the voice as well as making it sound more smooth so for the listeners, it isn't 'annoying' or hard to listen to.
When doing my interview, I will also be using these skills on Adobe Audition.
Session Four
In Session four we discussed the readings "On-Air: Methods and Meanings of Radio" Martin Shingler & Cindy Wieringa, Arnold, 1998, "The Conversation" Coppola 1974, and "Sound and Narrative" David Sonenschein 2001.
We also looked at interviews and editing processes.
One of the main interests I found when talking about the readings was that radio imitates natural speech to make it sound as if it is a spontaneous conversation when in fact it is scripted. When listening to the radio I still believe that it is improvised even now learning it is not. Due it being a blind medium, it is hard to imagine someone reading off a script when the conversation seems to flow naturally.
I also learnt about voices on the radio:
Accents
Statisically, the southern Irish accent is most popular when it comes to radio due to the warm tones of the voice and the least popular is the Birmingham accent.
Gender
It didn't surprise me to find out that womens voices aren't used on the radio as much as men and when radio was first coming about it was completely abnormal for a woman to be involved with radio.
This is due to womens voices supposedly coming across with this hysterical tone which people would relate to gossip. Even to this day women are encouraged to deepen their voice.
Mindmap for Interview
Below I have attached ideas for my Interview. As it is a three minute interview, I would like to conduct one that is interesting with someone that has a lot to say however I do not want to be rushed. On my mind map you are able to see my 4 main ideas and the types of questions I would be looking at. I will develop my ideas further and soon decide.
I also must consider access. Although interviewing a police officer would be interesting, I would have to careful of my questions due to privacy and ethics but it would also be harder to set up an interview compared to a local mum.
I also must consider access. Although interviewing a police officer would be interesting, I would have to careful of my questions due to privacy and ethics but it would also be harder to set up an interview compared to a local mum.
(CLICK TO ENLARGE)
Mindmap for Acoustic Portrait
Below I have attached my mind map from a previous week.
I went through all places that I thought could be interesting and then thought about the types of noises each venue would have. This helped me with my planning because it was then clear to see what ideas were stronger.
(CLICK TO ENLARGE)
Session Three - Settings
As we had already looked at the Marantz recorder, I was familiar however in session 3 we were able to learn a little bit more about the presets.
Below I have listed my notes from the session:
Imput: Mic/Line - This is so we could plug in the different microphones rather than using the internal recorder which isn't as high quality.
Rec Format - PCM 24 or 16
Rec Channel - Mono
Sample Rate - 48k
Level Control - ALC (We could have used Manual if need be but ALC was better when recording in one certain place)
Mic Atten - 0.DB
Low Cut - On if it's a windy day
High Cut - On if there are high pitch noises around (e.g in a factory)
All of these presets will be really helpful for when I do my own acoustic portrait.
All of these presets will be really helpful for when I do my own acoustic portrait.
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