Looking back at this course, I can say I’ve come a long way, from being intimidated by audio production to actually building a simple podcast setup, well sort of. At first, I couldn’t decide if I should do a book chapter reading or a podcast, and I got really interested in the idea of using foley. But in the end, I leaned more toward podcasting since it felt more doable with what I have, and at the same time, still personal and meaningful. Along the way, I also became more aware of small things like sibilance, acoustics, and monitoring, which I used to ignore but now I realize they matter a lot, especially checking audio levels, which I failed to do with my recordings. More than the technical stuff, this project gave me confidence somehow. Even if I’m not musically inclined, I realized audio production is also about storytelling, clarity, and intention. I learned to just work with what’s available, ask the right questions, and reflect on the process honestly.

Moving forward, I want to explore more advanced editing in Adobe Audition, improve how I use my voice, and maybe one day try out foley again. But for now, I’m kinda proud of finishing the project and the things I learned from it. It reminded me that learning something new always starts small, and every sound really does tell a story.

I still can’t get over the listening exercise of Scarborough Fair/Canticle by Simon & Garfunkel. The counterpoint style really fascinated me, the way two melodies run independently but still blend together perfectly. It just shows how good they were with their craft. Again, I’m not a musically inclined person, so mostly I rely only on what I hear and how it sounds to me, and the given listening exercise stood out to me.

In my midpoint blog, I even asked if there’s a Filipino counterpart in OPM that uses the same style. I tried searching, but it’s either not that common or maybe I just didn’t know exactly what counts as polyphony. Then I came across this band called Halina and their song “Kung Nandito Ka Lang Sana.” I don’t really know the artists, but when I listened to their song, it gave me that same counterpoint feel. I can’t explain the timing or the composition in technical terms, but I felt like they achieved something similar to Simon & Garfunkel. I don’t even know how to put the feeling into words, but it was just music to my ears when I first heard it.

I’ll attach the YouTube link here, and you can check the time from 2:29–3:00.

Since I’ve worked in festival production, I’ve had the chance to work with the technical team and see musical directors do their thing. But honestly, I didn’t really appreciate their craft that much before. I’ve also joined different festivals in the Philippines, and I never paid close attention to the festival theme songs. Well, not totally, since I actually enjoy listening to them, but taking this course made me realize their importance.

Their songs may differ depending on the region, but they always carry that festive style, fast-paced, upbeat, and designed to make people dance, especially in street dancing. And even if they’re just festival theme songs, they create that Filipino identity. Now I see them differently, not just as background music, but as something that represents culture and the community. I think it’s pretty much like the effect that the Wonder Woman movie soundtrack brings, or hero movies in general. You would immediately notice and correlate where the music is being used, and in this case, it’s for festivals.

I actually attached some festival theme songs from different places, and you would notice their similarities perhaps in style, and since they are usually used for street dances, the beat is more suited for choreography. As you can see, it contains chants and the message about the community, specifically the festival they are celebrating.

This course gave me the chance to explore audio production in ways I never expected. At first, I thought I wouldn’t appreciate it much since I’m not musically inclined person and I don’t even know how to critique music properly. Well, I actually had a hard time, but I’m trying and it really opened my eyes. I got to understand not just the technical side like signal flow, but also the artistic side, like polyphonic textures and the realization of how festival songs could be a good listening exercise as well.

The listening exercises especially helped me see how music creates emotion. Just like in movies, sometimes we don’t even notice it, but it’s intentional and it changes how we feel about a scene. I think about the Wonder Woman movie, where the soundtrack gives that strong psychological impression.

Overall, this course made me realize that audio isn’t just about sound alone, it’s about emotion, identity, storytelling and being intentional as well. I may not able to perform that well in this course, but for me it was an eye-opening experience that gave me a deeper appreciation of sound as both craft and an art.