I. My Initial Thoughts
At the start of this course, I was initially intimidated because I'm not that good with audio mixing and the only experience I have is with Audacity, the free software that almost everyone knows, yet I still find its UI a little confusing, but when I started learning about this course and how I can make my recordings sound better, I instantly felt a relief, because when I started understanding the practices I can do to ensure that I have good audio, it makes me more confident to try and experiment with my passion projects, especially now that I am able to record on a good microphone, before I would only record my songs on my iPad.
I always had this question in my mind: "Will I ever be able to provide an output that is in good quality?" Of course, I always had my doubts, but I wanted to stay positive until I actually get my hands on the creation of my project. I really believed that my efforts will not be wasted if I will try my best.
I was actually expecting to learn how to magically make our voice sound like a professional singer here without actually having the talent... hehe kidding aside! Learning about the technicalities of audio really makes me wonder about how many songs could've actually become a sensation if only they were recorded in a way that surely enhances and showcases the different tracks. I enjoyed the listening exercises because I get to dive myself in different songs and the genres are just so diverse, it's like exposure therapy but for my ears! LOL. I also learn a lot from my classmates and my professor, the input they deliver on the forums help me understand and know the things that I didn't hear or notice the first time. I'd love to quote what Prof. Al mentioned on one of his replies pertaining to a song played on The Witcher 3 game: Sound design is not meant to chase realism, it is to capture the perception of an audience. Which made so much sense especially if you're an aspiring filmmaker; you don't just let your audience watch and listen, you include them as a part of your craft.
II. Hmm, What Do I think?
When I checked the discussion forum where project plans are laid out, I noticed that many students decided to take on the challenge of creating a podcast. A lot of ideas were presented so uniquely and some of them made me think: Wow! That actually sounds so fun and interesting. I can't wait to see how that goes out for them. A lot of us are beginners in this area of study, but a handful of them seems to actually know what they're doing already. It's nice because they openly share their comments and insights by replying, I really find that as thoughtful. When I also checked their project plans in their Assignment 1, I noticed that most of the days in their time-table are reserved for recording, personally I did the same because I figured that I will definitely be needing time for that. I believe my classmates are able to be able to deliver but only if they sticked with the time-table they created as these things cannot be rushed, well... maybe it could, but I guess that's quite impossible for a beginner like me.
III. Thoughts Moving Forward
I'm both excited and anxious for the weeks to come, is that valid? Hmm, I guess so. I'm not necessarily having mixed feelings about myself and my potential in this course, but I am mostly feeling excited but anxious about whether I'd get them done the same way that I envisioned them in my head. I have a lot of experience with playing musical instruments, but never really about mixing them. I also haven't played in a band so I don't really know what it's like to work with other musical instruments playing before you. But one thing is for sure, I am passionate about music and I am willing to take the challenge. I really decided to go with a recorded original song because I know it is me stepping out of my comfort zone, I figured it's nice for me to push more effort into my songs more than what I usually do before.
Can I still change what I wrote in the first sentence? I'm feeling less anxious now, because I'm feeling more hopeful!