For this assignment, I have decided that I am going to create a work already culminated and inspired by my final project: A day in my life a-log, narrating what I would ideally do in a day as a full-time BAMS student at UPOU. So to speak, my Assignment #3 is somewhat a byproduct of my final project, where my script for this assignment is just a synthesis of the project. Admittedly, my recording for this conceptual plan started first in this assignment, so this is a great stepping stone for me, as I was able to explore and learn more about the DAW I have chosen to work with (Tracktion Waveform). Considering also that it was a meticulous interface in hindsight. 

Going straight to the point, the tracks I have chosen to implement in this assignment are as follows:

1. My own voice

2. Foley elements

• Alarm sound (from phone)

• Keyboard typing sound

• 3-in-1 coffee sachet shaking

• Water pouring

3. Stock audio

• Ice clanking in a bottle

• Background music (BGM)

Concerning my recordings on the DAW, I have downloaded a free VST plugin, specifically the MCompressor by MeldaProduction, where I have chosen the Noise Gate preset to cancel the minor background noises in my dry recordings. Crowdsourcing this plugin from YouTube, it was easy to maneuver it as the notch was needed to situate to the left until little to no noise could be heard. However, I still didn't go all the way out, as doing it caused some static noise to arise. So, I left some little allowance, which had a tradeoff of very little noise but majorly less noticeable than before.  

Other than that, I took advantage of the compressor to balance out my sound dynamics and amped all voice tracks to around 3 decibels, ensuring a uniform and consistent voice throughout the recording. It was a trial and error, but really, I tried to "play" with them as much to see the nuances of each control. 

See screenshots below:

Foley Elements

For the tracks above, some of them had common denominators where I had to amplify their gains, in order for me to hear the sound of foleys. A good example would be the water pouring, as the dynamics were pretty low on the dry recording. I removed my pop filter while recording all of them, to ensure that all sounds created by the foley are registered to the microphone. 

Other than that, the main feature I was religiously using for almost all of the tracks is the crossfade and edge fade, as this greatly helped to make every track have a seamless transition from one another, amidst the piecemeal recordings I have compiled in the DAW. 

Pre-recorded Tracks

As I find it hard to record the sounds above, I tried to look for stock audio that I can use and will fit the overall vibe of the narration.

As mentioned earlier, I mainly used the compressor, equalizer, and noise gate, to ensure the dynamics, clarity, and consistency of my audio tracks. Adjusting the dynamics was important for tracks that I recorded either too quiet or too loud, yet I still prioritized the recording session more so that I would be able to lessen any changes in the production part. Basically, I tried to maintain a proper voice level upon recording and a precise distance every time from the microphone, which made mixing a lot easier and a lot more cohesive to hear, to bear things with optimism. I didn't have to tweak anything in depth on the case of the foley elements, as surprisingly, they sounded good as is, even if there were background noises present, as they were not much captured in the main audio output. 

Output-wise, I am actually proud of myself that I was able to create decent work. Production-wise, I know that I still need to do profound research on the complexities and technicalities of the DAW I am using, especially since it's on the harder side of navigation. I am saying this because although I was able to figure out the interface of the DAW on how I want things to go, I was figuring this out by playing and clicking mostly random buttons as if I were balancing a chemical equation to find the right fit. I think there is nothing wrong with that as this helps us build our curiosity, but next time, I want to step forward where I would become more intentional in going things through the facets of the software and the foundations of audio itself, to know exactly what I will be tweaking and what not. Emphasizing this will allow me to finish my final project a lot easier and with more chances of improving my work. Furthermore, I personally think that it was a good choice for me to do this assignment in relation to the final project, as this solidified my expectations more, and strengthened key plans on what I plan to do to make my output even better.