Assignment #2: Pre-production

Overview

I plan to do the script of what I do in a day from scratch for my final output. I want to optimally cap my time limit to around 5 minutes, as I have mentioned in my project statement, because I feel like the 3-minute minimum mark would not entirely capture the general essence of what I want to say in my piece. But I am still curious to see how things will go once I do my script and recording to see if my surmise will be proven wrong. For the audio tracks, I would honestly say that I still have not planned what foley elements I plan to add, except for my own voice track, as I have yet to create my script. Although this is the case, I still have prepped myself with the needed equipment and objectives so that the only thing I profoundly need to focus on is my script, and tweaking of my recordings in my DAW. 

Logistics

Production area

I usually do my recordings in my room where my PC and other equipment tend to sit.  For this project, I plan to switch locations and momentarily improvise the set-up in my relative's rental space where no one is currently residing yet. I plan to record in this location because there is little to no ambient noise and closing the windows would make it sound isolated even more.  It is a 36 sqm fully-furnished unit with wood flooring, and a kitchen countertop/table that I can use as work surface for recording. The only downside I see is how the countertop is made of marble, which can be an underlying factor for the sounds to bounce off through reflection, with another factor of the hard cement wall just adjacent to it. In this case, I plan to bring my 70x30 cm mouse pad, or even better things I could find, in hopes that the sound reflection will be lessened from the table, and maybe a soft cotton pillow placed just beside the adjacent wall.  After all recording has been done, I plan to edit all my soundtracks in my DAW software in my current home set-up, as the rental space I use is for merely recording purposes only. 

Equipment

As I have mentioned previously, I have not written the poem/piece yet for my script. The foley elements and other recorded sounds aside from my vocals are just tentative, or those that I plan to include. These are all subject to change and it will be concluded later on for the final project. Below are the equipment I plan to use:

Hardware:

• Microphones:

  • Maono AU-PM461TR USB condenser microphone

  • iPhone 11 built-in microphone

  • Wired Apple earphones

• Speakers:

  • Logitech H390 USB headset (Home setup)

  • Baseus Encok DO2 Pro headset (Portable recording setup)

Software:

• Digital Audio Workstation (DAW):

• Tracktion Waveform (Free)

Location:

• AMD AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650G PC rig (Home setup)

• Asus X507UA Intel i3 laptop (Portable recording setup)

Sounds (All tentative):

• Brewing coffee

• Keyboard typing

• Writing with a pen

• Flipping pages

• Ambient sounds

The list of sounds mentioned above can still be revised where I could remove some of the potential sounds, but definitely additions or changes to the sounds that I currently have in mind will be made. The variety of the speakers and the device I am working with gives me an option in case one of the equipment will not suddenly work, in hopes that it will not, and convenience in any case that I will change my location for the recordings—if the rental is deemed unoccupied. Additionally, the wired earphones or my built-in phone microphone remained an option, in such cases where I need to record any ambient sounds and it is impossible to bring my microphone to such places. As for the preference of my DAW, I have little to no knowledge of how they work, and I am aware that the one I chose is not one of the simplest, so I want to challenge myself and try to discover and learn new things about it throughout the process, and hopefully learn more than a thing or two. This will serve as an experience for me. I will try my best to make things work; although if ever things seem to get rough, I'll try to opt for the easier ones, hehe.  

Signal Flow

I have made up my mind that the microphone I will use is my Maono AU-PM461TR USB condenser microphone, and my soon-to-check-out online boom arm and pop filter. But like what was said, in case the conditions are not fit enough to record the other soundtracks with the condenser microphone, the Apple earphones and built-in microphone of my phone will remain an option. The same goes for my signal outflow. My Logitech headset is what I will use in my home set-up, since it is, by default, what's connected to my PC.  

Time Table

For my timetable, I plan to focus more on the recording and mixing process which is why I have significantly allotted enough time for it—4 weeks. It is also expected that some timelines will overlap as I may start initially working on the next process in my GANTT chart, in order to maximize my time for quality check and revising my work for the submission. Ensuring that my timetable will be strictly followed will allow me to submit the best quality work I aim for my final project. 

References:

1. Riley, B. (2017, April 17). Four things on a college student’s mind. University of Northern Colorado. https://www.unco.edu/college-bound-colorado/four-things-college-students-mind.aspx