Radio drama has been a huge part of Filipino media. Every morning, DZRH is heard all throughout public markets. I asked the vendors, who have become my friends since I am their suki, how much they appreciate these types of broadcasts. They often just say they enjoy it as a quiet form of entertainment while selling their products. Their radios, now looking old, kept playing in the background amid the ambiance of the market. The old ladies say it is intriguing at times—a typical Filipino drama. It is just a side street talipapa, which becomes lively from their simple entertainment.
My neighborhood is composed of old people, with houses literally from the Spanish Era that are being kept alive and active. It is also nearby a small chapel, which sometimes broadcasts the radio in the morning for the old people to listen to before their morning prayers. I grew up here and also grew up listening to the radio. I remember well having that small Nokia phone, listening to the radio when there was a brownout, especially during typhoons. It was 2013 when Typhoon Yolanda also hit Metro Manila, radio was our only source of entertainment. Riding buses, UV Express vans, or even jeepneys, there's always a radio playing. Sometimes I think how petty some of the characters are.
Creating such a drama is quite an interesting project for me, as I never imagined I would produce such an audio project, given that I have no experience in it. I did a lot of research, of course, on the topic and theme of the radio drama. Having a lack of experience does not mean I wouldn't do my best; I did my greatest to study the technical aspects of radio drama aside from scriptwriting and voice acting. That is how "Alkansyang Anak" was born.
Image 1. The Talipapa ( Yes, the people on this image are the same people I somehow interviewed. And yes, they contain some chismis around our neighborhood. )
I spent my time listening to some Radio Drama while studying or creating other activities to other production courses. One of publicly available on YouTube is May Pangako Ang Bukas by DZRH. I also watched some clips on TikTok from their Voice actors, which I remember seeing it on Facebook reels before this trimester started. There's also one from MMK episode entitled Slot Machine with a mother who had a chronic addiction to gambling. Also, there are the stories of Carlos Yulo, Sarah Geronimo, and that one famous streamer. Reddit also helped me developing the short narrative story, with multiple stories shared about their narcissistic parents.
It took me two weeks to finish and arrange the scripts, which still underwent multiple revisions even while I was recording. I somehow managed to follow the timeline for practice, and God knows how much I struggled during the recording phase.
When I was recording my own lines, my dear neighbors—the same people I ranted about in my midterm blog—suddenly started their speakers again just as I was about to begin. I had already recorded all the foley before that. I was so pissed that I decided not to continue recording the voice acting that night, as the music was too audible on the microphone.
The week I was supposed to re-record was full of tragedies in my academic, extracurricular, and personal life, one of which was the death of our friend. Because of this, I was a week late on my intended timeline.
Recording
As for the voice talents, I had my boyfriend, Roel Edrick Overa, as the radio anchor. I did the voice for Pia, and for some final help, my friend and classmate, Alyssa Ocampo, lent her hand at the last minute to play the mother. Coincidentally, my boyfriend is enrolled into an broadcasting subject, which helped us further to train our voices, practice, and perform with techniques. ( Yes, I also voiced the kid )
Since my neighbor was quite noisy, we re-recorded Pia's and the narrator's lines at my boyfriend's house in a makeshift studio. Initially, we were supposed to record it individually, but because of the loud background noise and differences in our recording devices, we decided to re-record it all together for a better result. Meanwhile, Aly or the mother recorded her lines in her own home.
Recording Foleys
Bag Shake - Shaking the zipper handle dangle
Mahjong Tiles - Hitting the billiard keychain to another acrylic keychain
Mouse Click - Mouse
Door - Closet door
Footsteps - My own footsteps on concrete floor
The Slap - Slapping my own thighs
Pre-recorded
Live Ambience
Tricycle - A tricycle ride on the way to the makeshift studio
As for the signal flow, it still remains as what I planned. Used the same hardware and softwares as seen on the Image 3 and 4.
Image 2. Project Timeline
Image 3. Logistics and tracklist
Image 4. Signal Flow
I watched multiple tutorials on YouTube on how to properly use Audacity. I specified my searches to include topics like how to remove background noise and how to make the audio even better. I ended up with seven tracks, and I used specific names and colors to easily identify each one.
Image 5. Screenshot from DAW
Image 6. Tracks Identification
Upper Purple Track - All Narrator Voice Line
Green Track - Character's Voice Line ( Pia and her Mother )
Blue Track - Sound effects from Pre-recorded and Foleys
Lower Purple Track - Background Music ( Pre-recorded )
How did I made the audio clear?
Noise Removal
On Audacity, select a blank part where the noise could be heard. In my case, I always record audio 3 seconds headstart.
Effects ➡️ Noise Removal and Repair ➡️ Noise Reduction ➡️ Get Noise Profile
Do not panic after that method, since I panicked at first but upon checking the comment section, it will really just close the window
Now select the whole audio, then back to Effects ➡️ Noise Removal and Repair ➡️Noise Reduction, but this time, click okay. If you want to listen to it first, click "Preview." I did not change anything in the given settings.
Clearer Audio
I followed instructions from YouTube here, and most of them just have the same setting.
Effects ➡️ EQ and Filters ➡️ Filter Curve EQ
You can use the picture on the right for reference. You just have to click on the graph and drag those points to the designated places.
Telephone Effect
It is on the same setting on Filter Curve EQ
Presets & Settings ➡️ Factory Settings ➡️ Telephone
There are also different effects that you can experiment with. However, since my script only has one part with a video call, I added that single effect to the mother's part, as the story is mostly from Pia's point of view.
On the embedded audio to the right, the first section after the bell is the original audio, while the second part, after the second bell, is the enhanced version, which was created using the same technique I mentioned. (It is a bit loud).
Sometimes, some noise remains, so what I did was repeat the noise removal process to clean it up further.
For the background music, I simply used the envelope tool to fade it in and out, as Audacity's built-in fade settings are not adjustable. I also created the effect of footsteps and a tricycle approaching and leaving by adjusting the volume using amplification. Additionally, I increased the bass for the slap sound to give it a more sudden impact for the listeners. The whole composition was supposed to be longer too, like almost 6 minutes or so. For that, I trimmed down some parts of the dialogue to make it just around 5 minutes.
Speaking of listeners, I tested the audio quality on both speakers and headphones to check if it was good to hear. My first upload was a bit too loud, so I adjusted all the tracks using the Amplifier tool. After that, I tested it once again until I was satisfied.
Image 7. The Noise Reduction Window
Image 8. The Filter Curve Window
As for my first time, I quite enjoyed this radio drama. Beyond being a fulfilling project, it also shed light on the many cases of people in the same situation as the one I had written about. This work is dedicated to those breadwinners who deserve to live freely, unburdened by the narcissism of their parents.
It is a harsh reality, believe me, I know people ( relative ) who are facing the same situation as Pia. Through Alkansyang Anak, I hope to validate their pain and spark a conversation that can lead to healing and freedom. I believe that this project has shown me how powerful audio can be as a medium to shed light on our society's most painful realities. The injustice of seeing hard-earned money fall into the hands of those who misuse it is a profound pain, whether it is personal income being taken by a narcissist or public funds being stolen through corruption.
Ps. Update about my loud neighbors, they had received their first warning from the Barangay Police.