MMS 172:
Pre-Production Plan

To give a little bit of background...

This will be my second time taking up MMS 172. I wasn't able to finish the entire coursework the first time around, although I did manage to submit a pre-production plan and finished writing the script I was supposed to record. And then all hell broke loose (but that's a story for another day :P). For a few weeks, I contemplated between executing my abandoned project plan and doing something entirely new.

My problem before was going all in or nothing, which I admit has been a chronic problem of mine for a while now. So I decided to simplify my previous plan while still maintaining its essence, sending some of the messages I initially wanted to send, and practicing some of the techniques I initially wanted to practice. This way, I won't have any regrets. I do have a backup pre-production plan in case I get ahead of myself so I'm ready for any setbacks.

Project Concept Statement

A simple project. A typical day-in-my-life audio log.

But my days are anything but typical. Most days I stay in bed hating myself for not doing anything, internally screaming at myself to get up, do something, start the day---yada yada yada. This will still be similar to my previous project plan, which was about anxiety and sensory overload with transitional sounds that snap the speaker back to reality. I will be following a similar format but a bit more focused on executive dysfunction.

The video on the right will serve as my main reference for this project. The overlapping voice tracks is a somewhat accurate representation of what I go through and as someone who aims to reimagine this in an individual academic project, I like the fact that there's not much voice acting required because this is what I fear the most in audio production.

One different thing I will do is recording noises that sound normal and then once the speaker gets more and more in their head, the noises will build up and progressively sound more intense and overwhelming. The "intense" sounds will be achieved through mixing and editing. The overlapping voice tracks will differ slightly from one another as to not cause too much disarray. Some tracks will sound like a whisper, some will sound normal, some will have a different tone, etc.

To achieve the minimum of four tracks, I will be recording the speaker's voice and a minimum of three sound effects. There is a possibility that these tracks won't be enough to achieve the vision that I want. If this happens, I will resort to using background music to further amplify the impact of the final recording.

This scene from Ginny and Georgia (Season 3, Episode 9) where Max is struggling to focus on one thing only is also a good reference. She continues to talk while moving around the room, making a bunch of random sounds that help intensify the story.

Here is a clip from Bojack Horseman (Season 4, Episode 6), where Bojack is unable to release himself from his intrusive thoughts. This is a good example from a technical standpoint. I like that some of the sounds interrupt his thoughts for a second before he moves on to another yapping session.

Project Plan

Timetable

Figure 1. GANTT Chart

★ The preparation period includes scriptwriting and preparation of production materials (software, hardware, recording room). There will be a lot of testing involved in this phase. Physical testing includes figuring out what time is best to record, soundtreating my recording room, potentially buying additional paraphernilia (perhaps a shock mount because my desk is wobbly and squeaky), and more. Digital testing includes installing and testing different software applications for audio recording and mixing.

Scriptwriting will be easy; however, I am challenging myself to make the sound effects intentional and transitional. Since the story will include a lot of yapping, I want to have a seamless transition in between rambles, which will be the sound effects I will be creating. I don't want to be lazy and just randomly add noises, I want them to stylistically complement the audio and the story so I have to approach this methodically.

★ The practicing period is essentially just repetitive dry run sessions to make sure that little to no problems will be encountered during the actual recording session. I will also be requiring myself to practice speaking every day so I can get used to my own voice. I am deeply insecure about my voice and my manner of speaking so practicing will definitely be the key here. Not to be perfect but just to get familiar and comfortable with myself. Also I want to set expectations so I can adjust the script accordingly based on rhythm and readability.

★ Recording, mixing, and publishing are self-explanatory. I do have experience in editing so I'm not worrying much about this part. The recording part, however, will be consuming. I am already expecting the worst even though I will do my absolute best to keep my script simple. The stability of this phase will rely heavily on the practicing phase because I will have to test how far I have to be from the mic, how quiet I should speak, etc etc.

Something I will do throughout the entire production: asking for feedback from my peers and keep making revisions to ensure that I produce the best output I can.

Logistics

The following are subject to change depending on the results of preparation period:

Software: Audacity has been installed on my computer for several years now. I haven't been able to use it professionally yet. It's just there. I'm planning on using this to record and edit my tracks but if I find a better software I might change things up.
Recording room: My own room is connected to my sister's room which doesn't allow much privacy because she's either sleeping and I don't want to disturb her or she's typing away in her mechanical keyboard and has her electric fan on high speed. My PC setup is also literally next to my bedroom door and there's a small window a few steps away from it. Not the best option for a recording room.

My second option would be using my parents' bedroom which has better acoustics because it is situated at the far end of the floor. The only issue I can think of is that I have to move my ENTIRE setup, including my desk. I will be researching ways to further improve the acoustics of the final recording room and will be applying them for my recording sessions. One to two weeks should be enough to prepare and practice to ensure a smoother flow of production.

My tentative recording area looks like this. Not ideal.

Equipment

★ Digital Audio Workstation: AMD Ryzen 7-based Windows PC

★ Editing Software: Audacity

★ Microphone: Maono AU-PM461TR

★ Headphones: Fantech Sonata MH90

Signal Flow

I will be using my Maono AU-PM461TR which is attached to a boom arm and a pop filter. I do not own any audio interface so my DAW will immediately process my recording. I will be using my 3-year old Fantech Sonata MH90 which has a few problems but nothing serious that will disrupt my recording and mixing process.

Figure 2. Signal Inflow

Figure 3. Signal Outflow

Problems I'm expecting to face

★ The noise in our neighborhood
I don't live in a noisy neighborhood which is a good thing BUT sometimes chaos ensues at the most random times. It gets annoying because the noise is often unexpected and inconsistent, which makes it hard to set a specific time to record because I never know when someone will disrupt the silence in our street.

★ The embarrassing amount of attempts I need to get by just to get that perfect take
Perfection is a curse! I need to keep reminding myself that while I do need to do a great job in this project, this will be my first time in actually dabbling in audio production (I do not consider last year an official attempt). I can't be perfect the first time around. I need to get by with what I have and what I know and learn to make peace with that. There is always room for growth.

★ Auditory overload = messy if not done right
My project is a bit tricky because one of my subthemes is auditory overload which, since I'm not a professional, can get really messy if I don't do it right. I need to make sure that my individual tracks sound as clean as possible. Every "messy" part of the final recording will have to be added only during the mixing phase.

so, not to be sappy or anything, but I truly need to be kind and patient to myself so I could gain enough patience to get through this audio production project <3 here's to a fruitful production!

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