A Quick Update

In Assignment 1, I mentioned that I was kind of thinking of doing a book chapter reading or a podcast. But then I decided to do a podcast instead. I also mentioned that the topic I planned was something to do with our course or something that BAMS students can relate to. Well, I think some of my classmates can still relate to the topic, but I tweaked it a little so it became more general.

The podcast ended up focusing on life in general. Matters about adulting, uncertainties, and the risks we take while trying to figure things out. I shared my own experiences, like shifting from engineering to multimedia studies and moving out to live independently, which sort of made the topic more personal than what I originally planned for it to be relatable. Well, I think some of my classmates can still relate to it. Then, to balance it, I invited some friends to be part of the podcast so there would be different perspectives on the discussion.

Timeline

It’s very obvious that the timeline is the biggest thing I wasn’t able to follow. We actually had a 2-week event production, and the series of workloads affected my schedule. That’s why I wasn’t able to do what I planned, stretching the planning part up to the third week of August.

Now, for the script, originally I was planning to do a solo podcast. I drafted a script, but then I had the idea of inviting some guests for the podcast. That’s why I created an outline instead, listed a couple of questions for us to discuss, and just decided to be spontaneous. However, I really had a hard time chunking it into a 5-minute piece. That’s when I had the idea that instead of summarizing the whole discussion we had, why not combine my first idea and our group discussion?

It actually reminded me of the podcast style by Gio Puyat of Kwentong Creatives, where he is sort of like a host and then just inserts the interviews he had with his guests. This means there is a narration ongoing and the interview will just be inserted along. The given extension for the submission allowed me to write a script and do another voice recording so I could do what I had in mind.

The Set-up

Equipment

For this project, I mainly used three pieces of equipment. The Zoom H4n Pro served as my main recorder, which gave me flexibility for both solo and group recordings. For the group setup, I connected a Sennheiser MKE 600 boom microphone through XLR to the Zoom and used it as a handheld mic so my guests could take turns speaking. Lastly, I used wired earphones for monitoring the audio in real time.

Group Recording Set-up

For the setup, I kind of adjusted what I originally planned. I mentioned on Assignment 1 that I was planning to use a Zoom H4n Pro for the voice recording. However, since I invited some friends to guest, I don’t think it would be enough. That’s when I used an external microphone for the Zoom, it was actually a boom mic connected through an XLR, and we used it as a handheld microphone. So the setup was like anyone who wanted to speak would have to hold the microphone.

I actually ran some tests and connected a wired headset to the Zoom, and when I listened to it, it sounded pretty decent, well I thought it did. Not until I went to edit the audio. I admit, that’s on me. I actually failed to do a proper audio test for the group recording. I relied solely on what I heard through the headset connected to the Zoom recorder.

There was actually a lot of noise, especially from the AC, and I think that’s what affected the audio the most. That was another factor why I decided to do another solo voice recording and just use some clips from our group discussion.

This is an example of the raw audio file recorded as a group:

Honestly, I really thought it sounded decent when I listened to the recording through the headset from the Zoom, but I didn’t check it on my audio editor.

That’s why I just tried to clean it up as much as I could, using what I could find on the internet. And here is the edited audio file:

Although you could still hear the background noise whenever the guest was speaking, but I think it sounded much better than the raw file especially during the parts when no one was talking, which is when you could really notice how loud the background noise was.

Now, in case it could help, here is the link to a tutorial on how I tried to clean it up:

Solo Voiceover Set-up

On the other hand, for the solo voiceover, I only used the Zoom recorder and tried to run some audio tests. During post-production, I made very minimal edits, mostly just cutting out the unnecessary parts, and I didn’t encounter as many problems as I did with the group recording. My setup was in an enclosed room to minimize outside noise, and I think the mattress also helped reduce echoes and audio bounce. Well, it’s not as acoustically engineered as a professional studio, but it kinda helped. As you can see, the Zoom recorder was mounted on a tripod and connected to wired earphones.

DAW: Adobe Audition

For my DAW, I still used Adobe Audition as planned. Since I did a podcast, there weren’t that many tracks I used. On my timeline, what I had on the top layer was my voiceover, then below it was the group discussion recording, and on the third layer, I just added some music for the intro and outro. I wanted to keep it simple just like the usual podcasts.

Since this is a podcast, the post-production part mainly consisted of cutting clips and combining audio recordings. I encountered a problem with our group recording because the raw file wasn’t as clean as I expected it to be. For my solo voiceover, I didn’t do much editing compared to the group audio I just applied a dereverb effect to make it sound cleaner.

Another issue was that both of my audio recordings actually sounded low in volume. When I was monitoring through the Zoom, it sounded loud enough, but in post it came out quieter. That’s something I had to work around during editing, and I think that's what also affected the group audio since increasing the volume amplified the background noise even more. Well, this should have come from proper audio level testing in the first place, and not just relying on what I heard through monitoring.

Final Output

The final output is a five-minute podcast that combines my solo narration with short clips from a group discussion. The topic focuses on life in general and uncertainties, blending my personal experiences with the perspectives of my friends to create a simple yet relatable reflection on figuring life out.

Reflection

Looking back at the whole process, I’d say it was far from perfect, but it was definitely a learning experience. From planning, writing the script, inviting guests, recording, and finally editing, each step had its own challenges. The timeline was something I really struggled with. I planned early, but other responsibilities and workloads stretched my schedule longer than expected. Still, I was able to adjust and rework my approach so I could finish the project the way I imagined it.

The recording part also made me realize how important setup and testing really are. I thought the group audio was fine when I monitored it live, but I had some issues during post-prod. That pushed me to troubleshoot, clean it up as much as I could, and then record a clearer solo narration to balance it out. It wasn’t easy, but I tried to put the pieces together as much as I could.

Overall, the podcast became more than just an assignment, it felt like a mix of rant, reflection, and open space. I shared my own struggles with adulting and invited friends to share theirs, and somehow it all came together into something real. I may not have figured everything out, both in podcasting and in life, but maybe that’s the point. It’s all part of the process.

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