MMS 172 Assignment 1b: Knowing Where I'm At (Part 2)

After scanning through about 45 online portfolios, it was evident that the quality of recordings each one has greatly varies. Some recordings were on par with mine, while others highly impressed me as if they were used to recording audio for a long time. However, I think most of the class, including myself, needs a lot of work/improvement. That said, since these recordings were done prior to the lessons on concepts and techniques, I can understand the mediocre quality and lack of technicalities. Now that we are delving more into the lessons, we hopefully might see more improvement in the class.

Even though I believe many of us need to improve, there were definitely standouts amongst the class. Out of all the portfolios I was able to listen to, I found the audio recordings by Isaac Arellano, Erin Cadayona, and Johan Dolendo impressive (their recordings were some of the ones chosen for the evaluation-of-work part of this assignment). Although they might not be on par with the faculty-in-charge or some of the professional podcasters I regularly listen to like Colin and Samir (The Colin and Samir Show), Amir Blumenfeld and Jake Hurwitz (If I Were You), and The TryGuys (The TryPod), I still believe that the quality of their recordings is better than most of the class. This is most probably due to the recording equipment they use. 

Overall, I think most of us still need improvement when it comes to producing audio that are considered “great and professional-sounding”. There is an obvious lack of skill and a gap in quality for the majority, and I believe the lessons that will be provided in this class will help us immensely. I would also like to add that in general, it's more of the lack of proper equipment that hinders people from achieving quality work in their recordings. As I have read most of the class introductions, it seems like people are eager to learn and their enthusiasm for audio in general is present, which is why I think my classmates and I will learn better as we come into this trimester. 

This audio recording is clean since I can hardly hear any background noise. It can also be considered bright and crisp since it has clear, airy, and well-defined high-end frequencies. This adds sharpness and detail to the audio. Isaac used a USB LCS Microphone which seems like a condenser microphone and condenser microphones are good for capturing clean, high-fidelity recordings. He also recorded it in a quiet environment so that helped with the clean recording. 

This audio recording is still clean but I can hear slight noise in the background and a static sound. I’m not sure if it is a self-noise from the dynamic microphone, but it is not loud and distracting which makes it seem natural. Via is using a Samson Q2U USB XLR Dynamic microphone which is known to be a versatile and all-rounder microphone, also good for recording vocals. In her recording, I could hear a little bit of the “kuh” and “puh” plosives that create unwanted popping or thumping sounds produced by air hitting the microphone. This might be because she is recording too close to the microphone. 

This recording is clean in the sense that I can barely hear any background noise which is great. However, I could also hear the plosives similar to Via’s but on a much grander scale. I could hear the “tuh”, “duh”, “buh”, etc. popping sounds hitting the microphone. It seems like she is also recording it too close to the microphone. She could eliminate these sounds by fixing her microphone placement or using a pop filter. She could also practice her enunciation and breath control when recording. In post-production, she could use some de-essers to reduce plosives and other sibilant sounds (“s” sounds). Nonetheless, it is still a clean recording probably because of her Maono USB XLR PD100X Dynamic microphone. 

This recording is also clean since I can barely hear any background noise. Similar to Isaac’s, it can be considered bright and crisp since it has clear and well-defined high-end frequencies which add sharpness and detail to the audio. This is brought by her Audio-Technica AT2020 USB+ cardioid condenser microphone. Sometimes, I can also hear a bit of sibilance “h” sounds, a high-frequency emphasis. Similar to the solutions/tips I mentioned in Shaira’s evaluation, she can also apply those to create cleaner, professional-sounding recordings.

This recording is also clean with minimal background noise. It sounds natural and detailed, with rich and clear sounds. I could hear some chicken noises at the end part and maybe he could fix his enunciation and breath control to minimize breathing sounds, but overall, I think his TP-wired condenser microphone captured a clean and clear recording.

As I visit through the online portfolios and listen to their recordings, I would rate myself (relative to the rest of the class) 3 out of 5. I’m not exactly a beginner when it comes to recording since I’ve been recording music since I was in high school. I particularly enjoy stacking harmonies in my music so I’ve used audio software like Logic Pro and Audacity. However, I think the quality of my introduction audio is less than that of some of my classmates due to my equipment. My recording captured a lot of background noise since I used a Zoom field recorder which technically is known for outdoor settings—capturing all kinds of sounds in a wider setting. I believe this is the reason why my recording captured a lot of background noise so I might try to use another microphone for this kind of activity. OR I might just be spouting nonsense right now since I’m not really knowledgeable about the technicalities of different microphones. Nevertheless, I would rate myself an average for what I was able to produce in the activity. I would like to believe that I am not relatively behind compared to the rest of the class. With proper equipment, techniques, and skills, I would be able to improve my recordings. 

As for my continued improvement, especially throughout the duration of this class, I would learn more about the concepts and theories of audio to further widen my understanding of what and why I am creating. As for the how of my creation, I would enhance my technical skills through learning the techniques and methods that will be taught in this course. I will also self-learn from different tutorials and resources available online so that I don't become too dependent on the faculty-in-charge. After all, we have different equipment and setups so some of our learnings should cater to our personal needs. I would also try my best to be active in the forums—contributing to the discussions and doing as many listening exercises as I can to improve my critical and analytical listening skills. Finally, I would continue to make recordings of audio whenever I can to document my improvement along the way.