A Noob's Take on Audio

It is now halfway through the term, and I can honestly say that this has been the most challenging course I have taken so far. At the start of the class, I had zero knowledge or experience when it came to audio production and equipment. Sure, I could recognize a microphone or a mixer when I saw one, but I would not be able to tell the difference between types or how they worked. That said, I find it interesting to learn that even in audio production, just like in visual arts, there must be a concept behind every aspect. It is not just sound, it is art. 

Talking about Assignment 1, I feel like I am being too ambitious of the initial plan that I have thought about. As someone who is not musically inclined, doing cover music, especially one that requires musical arrangement,  is too much to handle. I need to learn the software while understanding the workflow of music production. With that in mind, I think I will be shifting to another direction, which is just to use pre-recorded music and focus more on the production side, which are editing, mixing, and perhaps adding simple layers to get a better understanding of how audio elements interact. This approach seems more feasible given my current skill level and time constraint.

So far, the topics that I was able to read through make more sense now. Initially, I was totally lost when reading through different types of microphones, and now, I have a brief understanding of the difference and which event should fit in. Before this course, I wouldn’t even know that these terms existed, and the importance of possessing the right equipment.

Even placement of the mic really matters, just like what I did during the webcam activity. This activity was also an eye-opener for me in terms of the quality of the audio with and without an external microphone. Prior to this course, I am using an application called “Dolby On” to record my voice over for presentations. Looking back, I realized that if I had known proper audio equipment, I could have produced much better results. This is probably the main reason why professionals invest in audio equipment and pay attention to details like mic placement and room treatment.

Speaking of audio equipment, one of my close friends, who will sing the song for the final project, was able to test the mic and audio interface. Even though I was not able to connect it to an external speaker, he had a great time monitoring his voice through the earphones. He thought that it is a way to do karaoke even in the middle of the night without disturbing the neighbors. This made me realize the potential of home recording, even in small spaces.

Also, I understand  the differences between acoustic treatment and sound proofing. Acoustic treatment was just introduced to me by this course. Before this course, I thought that sound proofing was the only way to isolate the sound.  Unconsciously, I had begun treating my small space by using curtains and furniture. Although this is not a professional setup, I think I am on the right track. 

I recently visited a friend who lives nearby. Since he and I normally work at night I went straight to his place after my work was done. It was around 3 in the morning and everyone was still asleep. Before I went inside, I had no idea that he was playing music through a loud speaker, that was when I realized that his place was sound proofed. Although it was not intentional, I guess the thickness of the walls made it sound proof. I was amazed that even loud music was playing from an external speaker, there was barely any hint of sound outside his apartment. I felt like I was in a party place with a very loud sound coming from a large set of speakers and my eardrums were getting pounded. That experience made me visualize what proper sound isolation can do, both in music production and neighborly peace. 

It is also interesting to read through some of my classmates’ final projects. There are a lot of ideas. A few are experimenting with field recordings, mixing ambient sounds while doing voice acting. And some are doing music covers. Reading through their plans made me realize that there is really no right or wrong in this course, it is about exploring and gaining hands-on- experience of how it feels to be in an audio production.

While this course pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way, I still want to challenge myself to learn and gain practical experience in mixing and audio editing. Even if I am not planning to become a music producer, these are valuable skills that I can use in my future personal and academic projects. I am also looking forward to experiencing post-production techniques such as applying reverb, adjusting volume balance, and reducing background noise.