When I first enrolled in the course, worries about the equipment emerged. Because unlike MMS 173 where I know I can borrow a camera from someone or just use my phone's camera, the initial impression I had was that we would be required to use those things that DJs use, and I have no idea where to get one of those. But contrary to my concern, it was not like that at all. I admit that reading the course name, Audio in Multimedia, intimidated me at first, because I have never worked on something beyond just overlaying audios in video editing—my knowledge, and hence my confidence, about the subject were far lacking. But as I continued to learn and work on my audio project, my uncertainty vanished.
Midway through the course, I learned about a lot of things that I did not know prior. I learned that audio production stretches beyond just sound itself. The equipment, environment, and the condition with how you record sound all influences how the audio would turn out. I learned this the hard way in the mixing phase of doing my project. The vocal tracks I recorded all had saliva popping noises, which was a major distraction especially with the type of audio product I was making where the dialogue is the main track for listening. Recording bad audios in the initial stages really punished me during post-production.
I mentioned in my mid-point blog that audio mixing was something that I found both interesting and daunting, especially due to my lack of experience with this type of production. Reflecting back on it, I wasn't wrong. It was not easy but it also really was an interesting and enjoyable experience for me. Add to that the fact that I was finally able to achieve and do something that I was just only thinking about—voice acting.
Voice acting was something that I really wanted to do and this project served as a motivation and purpose for me to do it. Recording the voice lines for the demon lord and vocal expressions for the hero was truly fun for me. I got to utilize my expressive nature and apply, or rather imitate, what I see voice actors do in shows and videos that I watch. Something that I'm guilty about is that both characters in my story were heavily influenced by the anime style of speaking and exclaiming. And I will not apologize for it, because Japanese VAs were the main reason my interest in voice acting started in the first place.
Diving into the project with zero experience in producing and voice acting was something that I was really nervous about. But after actually doing it, my nervousness receded and was replaced with excitement. Hearing the story that I have envisioned in my mind for my audio drama start to take form really got me hopeful with the result, I had high expectations at the time. And listening to the final output, I can confidently say that I have lived up to those expectations—not perfectly, but still within reach. Although it could just be me talking since I don't really have enough knowledge to say except that I judge based on what sounds nice to me. I did listen to some of my classmates' works, and comparing my work to theirs, I'd like to say that my standing is right in the middle. Not bad but not the best either. And that, for my first time, is good enough an achievement to make me happy.
My experience in working on this project will probably push me to create another audio drama. Now equipped with starting level experience and familiarity with the process and what I'm doing, I'd probably do a better job at it than the first time. Audio production wasn't really in my scope of interest as a BAMS student and practitioner, but after this course, I might just go out of my way to learn more just so I could make even better audio dramas. For now, I have no clear plans to achieve that, but I do know that I had fun doing it and would like to do it again and be better at it.
This course didn't just taught me a new skill with how to work with sound, but presented me with another interest that may develop into a new hobby. I stated with hesitation, limited tools, and lacking equipment, now I leave with a newfound interest, curiosity, and a finished work that I am proud of. I have always limited myself in the visual aspect of multimedia, but my horizons have now expanded and I would like to explore much more of this new ground.
Looking back at the hopes I set in my self-introduction, I think I actually surpassed them. At first, I just wanted to get through the course without embarrassing myself since audio was far from my strength. But instead of just getting through, I ended up enjoying the journey and discovering something new about myself. In the big picture of my BAMS studies, this course reminded me that multimedia is not just about visuals—it’s about combining all senses to tell a story more effectively. Even if I don’t pursue audio production professionally, I now have the confidence and skill to integrate better sound design into my projects. And if I do decide to continue exploring voice acting or audio dramas, this course will be the starting point of that journey.
13 Sep 2025