For the general assessment, I could listen to 15 recordings to get a feel for how my course mate's setups sounded and the kind of sound quality they were able to produce. There was quite a wide range of recordings in terms of quality in the recordings I could listen to. Some recordings sounded like they could be from a phone call. In contrast, some course mates' recordings could have been professionally produced podcasts. It was interesting to see that the majority actually had recording equipment to some extent. Those only using their phones and maybe some earphones were the minority of the recordings I listened to. That surprised me as I did not expect people to really have recording devices like a microphone on hand. Some of the 5 sample recordings I will also be doing deeper into in the second part will also be able to show the difference in quality with the different recording setups. In general, every recording I listened to was easily understandable and clear. I do not believe that there is any recording that I listened to that is too far from the rest because even if the quality disparity had a range, I find that the range was more so separating the recordings that were of high quality. In contrast, the low- to mid-quality recordings were pretty closely matched and, I believe, easily improvable. Surprisingly, I did not encounter as much background noise as I thought I would, which may be due to my only being able to visit and listen to 15 portfolios. I was lucky to pick those with better equipment. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality my course mates were able to provide, and I really look forward to seeing everyone's future work.
Also, it was quite amusing seeing how many people had the same idea as me to use their keyboards for their second coding and the amount of guitar strumming I encountered.
The following 5 recordings by Trishna Mislang, Kate Villanueva, Yujin Ibasco, Via Baltao, and Hannah Coralde were randomly chosen and evaluated based on the learnings from unit 1. All recordings chosen were the first clip of assignment 1a.
Trishna Mislang
Trishna's recording was slightly soft, although still clearly understandable. Her voice was pleasing to the ear and soothing; some would say it was even suitable for ASMR. There were no noticeable background noises, and the quality of the recording was very commendable. Trishna was able to make use of additional recording equipment such as her Maono Portable microphone, which I believe aided in the quality of her recording. The only improvement I could see is maybe recording with a little more distance from her microphone, as breathing and other sounds could be heard in her recording. Overall, the recording was good and is on the higher end of the quality spectrum compared to the other 14 recordings I have listened to.
Kate Villanueva
Kate's recording was a little loud and made me jump a bit as I listened to the recording with headphones. Her voice, although clear and understandable, was slightly harsh and almost phone-call-like. The recording did not have the clarity that some of the other recordings had, which would cause me to place this on the lower spectrum of recordings. Although Kate made use of additional recording equipment, such as her USB microphone and sound card, I did not find it comparable to the other recording I had listened to, which also made use of additional microphones, as it was not as pleasing to the ear. That being said, there is no noticeable background sound d, which is very commendable, and I was still able to understand everything she said in her recording.
Yujin Ibasco
Yujin's recording was very clear and pleasing to the ear. He clearly made use of additional recording devices, such as his Maono microphone and FL Studio 21, which enhanced the quality of his recording. The volume is just right, and the recording is straightforward to understand. I did not hear any background noise, although a slight buzzing sound was noticeable when you would start or stop the recording. Everything aside, the recording was of a higher quality than the recording I listened to. Although it may still be improved, I found it to be very good already.
Via Baltao
Via's recording was a little softer compared to the others I was able to listen to, although since I upped my volume, it has been clear and easy to understand. She made use of a Samsume USB microphone, which eventually helped make her recording quality fall on the higher end of recording quality. The voice was very soothing, and the volume was very even, making the listening experience enjoyable. There was no noticeable or even minuscule back ground noise, making this one of the best recordings I could listen to.
Hannah Coralde
Hannah's recording was clear and understandable. Although old, recorded with the use of her cellphone and a wired earbud headset, the recording is comparable to the recording of those who made use of additional recording devices such as microphones. Her voice was pleasing to the ear, although there were some spikes in volume, which could have been caused by having the microphone too near her face. Aside from a slight buzzing that could be easily edited out, I did not hear much or any noticeable background noise. Although done with simple devices, Hannah's recording is comparable to the higher-quality recordings that I have listened to and might even be better than some of the recordings that used other devices.
Initially, I was content with my recording. However, upon reviewing my coursemates' work and listening to a variety of recordings, I've developed a more discerning ear. This process has highlighted numerous areas for improvement in my own work, demonstrating my active engagement and growth in the course.
For Clip 1, the volume of my recording is definitely too loud, and it gave me a jumpscare when I listened back to it for the first time since submitting Assignment 1a. I was also too close to the microphone, making it so that my breaths were quite loud, which created a bit of a sharp sound every few words. Although the clip is still very clear and understandable, I think those minor adjustments could have significantly improved the quality of the recording. I believe the recording lies in the middle of the pack in terms of quality, based on the other recordings I was able to listen to. There was little to no background noise that could be heard, which was something short of a miracle because my other siblings were in the room during the time of the recording and were only giving me a few minutes of silence to accomplish the recording before they started watching their videos and continued their games which were quite loud.
For Clip 2, the volume was a little soft, as the opposite of the problems from Clip 1 occurred. The microphone was too far away, making the keyboard sound quite soft. In the latter half of the recording, you can hear the typing becoming more deliberate to be heard better, as I noticed it was pretty soft. Due to this, the recording may have sounded muffled in the beginning. It can be improved by being mindful of the microphone placement and distance from the subject. However, recording the keyboard sounds was fun as I felt like I had my own ASMR channel, especially as someone who loves the sounds of mechanical keyboards.