Part I

POTENTIAL General Assessment

From my current perspective, the class shows significant promise, however it is extremely clear that there are specific challenges that need to be addressed for overall improvement.

I looked over the submissions of every pilot group member as well as a handful of those in the main class, totaling to about 30+ assignments. Although a majority of the students I reviewed were equipped with substantial recording equipment, a major problem lies in their lack of consideration for room acoustics and audio reflections. Numerous examples featured locations unfit for recording, and so resulted in either poor sound quality or unwanted noise. Raising awareness for the importance of proper recording environments is a must moving forward, in order to ensure that noise is kept to at least a minimum.

Another major second issue I observed was some students' refusal, or seeming refusal, to redoing or even reviewing their recordings. I noticed a couple recordings that could have been made significantly better if another take was made; it is difficult to believe that they listened to their own tape and decided that it was okay to keep unexpected and unintended sounds. Granted, it could also be possible that some were simply unaware of the disruptive inclusion of that audio, therefore it would be best to encourage peer review within the class to ensure that everyone can learn to identify mistakes and problems with their recordings.

Despite these issues however, I would like to reiterate that the class shows incredible potential. Specifically, the recordings that stood out to me were by Daphne Sarah Simo, Renzel Ivy Francisco & Jose Luizze Endona. I'll go more into depth on why these particular audio tracks are noteworthy in the critical section, but as a summary, they were able to demonstrate skill and know-how in various, yet differing, aspects of audio production.

Part II

CRITICAL

Student Critiques

Renzel Ivy Francisco

As I mentioned in the general assessment, Renzel's work is one out of three I consider to be the best among the class. My reasoning for this is the fact that I have little to no complains and have barely anything to critique about her recording.

Throughout the clip, the recording iis smooth and quiet, with zero background noise; this is accompanied by Renz's flat recording of her voice which is mixed really well. The treble, the mid tones and bass are all balanced, each tonality is given enough space to breathe and be heard. Honestly, the only issue I have with this clip is the plosives, which they themselves acknowledged in their write up; they also indicated that they were in the process of ordering a pop filter so that fixes that problem.

Overall, in terms of straight up clean audio, this is one of the best tracks among the submissions.

Katherine Jane Certeza

I chose Katherine's recording to demonstrate the middle-ground of the class. By that, I mean that I can say for certain that it is a good recording, but it needs work.

Specifically, my two main points of criticism for her work is the prominence of low frequencies as well as the presence of plosives and mouth sounds. She's using a Rode i-XY microphone, a pretty substantial, yet decently priced, stereo mic that can produce fairly decent recordings. From the reviews I've read, the mic struggles with low-volume sounds; in the context of her recording, I think this is the cause for why the bass slightly overtakes the higher frequencies within the recording. If she had raised her voice, it could have helped resolve this problem.

At the same time, it could have also worked towards aiding with lessening the plosives in the track. The best option is still to buy a pop filter, but I feel that she would be able to minimize the mouth noises by simply increasing the volume of her voice and moving the mic farther away from her. This would also help lessen the low frequencies through the audio concept of proximity, which states that the closer the source of sound is to the mic, the more bass is produced.

Aside from those, the only other problem is the background noise, which can be fixed through post-prod or by a better recording environment. Although, it is not as problematic as other instances of noise in the other assignment submissions, given that it does not take away or overpower the main focus of the track.

Cheester Blue Limpin

I admire their decision to tackle the difficult task of recording ASMR, espcially with a smartphone, but it has to be mentioned that this track has a ton of room for improvement.

The most obvious issue with the recording is the constant humming in the background, most likely from an air conditioner or the refrigerator. Regardless of the source, it takes away from the subject of interest significantly; cutting into the sounds that should be the main focus. On top of that, even in post, it would be difficult to filter this noise in a clean manner, since as I mentioned earlier, it blends and cuts into the audio of making coffee; doing so could unintentionally destroy the recording by removing necessary sounds. For a project like this, due to the nature of the audio they were recording, making sure the environment was free of unwanted noise was most important step.

Secondly, although I'm guessing this was mainly due to an equipment issue, it is still worth noting that the microphone they were using created this strange echo that made it sound like they were in a tunnel; producing high frequency reverb that made parts of the recording unpleasant to listen to. I doubt it was the result of room reflections, granted that could also still be a factor, but the effect was distinct from the usual audio reflection echo one would hear in, let's say, a bathroom.

They did say in their behind-the-scenes that they could not rerecord as not to waste coffee (understandable), however I feel that could helped significantly so they would have had a frame of reference. Normally, I would say that it would be best to find a different subject to capture as a result of equipment limitations, but there are ways to better this recording through careful considerations. If they intend to recreate this, I would suggest they (1) record somewhere else, one with less noise and less echo, and (2) make sure the sounds they're producing are fuller and more deliberate by increasing the volume of the sounds through their actions; this way, it could be understood by a listener that this is the act of making coffee.

Daphne Sarah Simo

Daphne's introduction is one of the best recordings in the class. It is incredibly clean and with very minor issues that could easily be fixed through post-prod or even just a quick rerecording.

The first thing I noticed in the recording was that there was little to no background noise in the clip. Her decision to record in her closet was very wise, and showed that she considered acoustics when it comes to her recordings. Secondly, her voice is very balanced, the tonalities of her delivery remains at a crisp flat volume throughout the recording.

However, as good as this track is, there are still some issues with it. Particularly, my biggest gripe with it is the subtle clicking sound that can be heard as she speaks. I agree with her assessment is that it is probably "saliva" noises, though I am curious why the DIY pop filter sock was unable to prevent it from getting picked up. I am also wondering if this could easily be fixed by speaking slightly away from the microphone, similar to how one can prevent plosives. Another issue I have, though to a lesser extreme, is how quiet she is, I have to bump up my volume to double the usual setting. But that could easily be fixed by increasing the gain in post-production.

Despite those problems, I still think this is one of the better recordings and it would be interesting to utilize post-production techniques on this track to see it improve.

Jose Luizze Endona

Jose is undoubtedly one of the more experienced audio producers in the class, and because of this, it wasn't much of a surprise that he had one of the best recordings. In particular, he had one of the best male audio clips among the class.

The only real issue with the recording is the background noise, which is honestly incredibly faint relative to other assignment submissions; and because of this, I share his sentiment that it could easily be recetified through post-prod. The noise and the subject audio are separated well enough that a simple noise reduction filter through audacity would do the trick.

Aside from that, the quality of his mic is close to perfect in my opinion. The mixing, which features just the right amount of bass without interfering with the treble or the midtones, making his voice sound complete and with a presence. This balance is ideal for a deep male voice, creating the professional sound I was looking for.

I hope to see a version of this recording in a better recording environment that features well-padded walls and boasts superior acoustics.

Part III

Self Assessment IDENTITY

Relative to the rest of the class, I consider my output to be fairly substantial. If I were to gauge my skill compared to my peers, I would say that I'm slightly above average. My keen considerations for both minimizing unwanted sounds and effectively using my equipment has allowed me to at least get a handle on on the basics of audio production — but I still have a lot more to learn.

Upon reviewing my work, I noticed room for improvement. I need to seriously enhance my audio mixing skills, as there was an excess of bass in some parts of my vocal recording. While I relied on past experiences and experimentation, I now understand the importance of studying proper audio mixing techniques to achieve better results in the future. Additionally, I encountered challenges with pops and plosives during recording; to rectify this, I've recognized the necessity of buying a pop filter, or to figure out a way to DIY it.

During the second recording, focused on foley and sound effects, I faced limitations due to using a microphone designed primarily for capturing voices. This is not necessarily something i can work on through learning, at least without purchasing better equipment, but it did examplify the idea of using specific equipment for contextual situations.

Moving forward, I am committed to honing my audio production skills. I aim to study audio mixing techniques to achieve a more balanced sound in my recordings. I am enthusiastic about continuing to learn and refine my skills as an audio producer. Through dedication and a commitment to the craft, I strive to produce engaging auditary experiences in my future creative endavours — ensuring that the sounds capture my sonic vision.

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