Project 2: Digital Audio

Images of the audio clips from Adobe Audition

The image on the left is with the vocal track selected so the effects can be seen. The image on the right is with the background track selected so those effects can be seen.

Introduction and Learning Objective

My final project is to have a collection of media that can be used as part of our training and resources for online faculty as they design their courses for ease of use and navigation, while aligning with the Quality Matters rubric. The purpose of this audio file is to guide the listener through the homepage image created in Project 1 and highlight the essential elements of an effective homepage that we would like for faculty to include in their courses at St Charles Community College. We do not mandate a design or force the use of an institutional template; but we will be implementing Quality Matters internal peer reviews in Fall 2019, and this is one of the steps in introducing some guidelines and ideas to faculty along with Quality Matter, Canvas, and online best practices training.

Learning Objective:

After reviewing the audio file, the listener will be able to identify the essential elements of an effective homepage.

Licensing

The two audio files used in this project are the following.

1. An original audio file of my voice recorded with Adobe Audition to highlight the essential elements of a course homepage
2. Background music is Acoustic Breeze from Bensound - Licensing "Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music”

Techniques

Background music

• Chorus effect
• Surround Reverb
• Started the background music before the voice-over and ended it just after voice track ends
• When voice-over begins, background volume decreases, then background music fades out after voice track ends

Voice

• Vocal Enhancer effect - Female
• Automatic Pitch Correction
• Adaptive Noise Reduction (tried to offset some "pops," though the level never reached the red"
• Speech Volume Leveler (again, trying to offset "pops")
• DeEsser
• Studio Reverb with custom settings to give the vocal a little softer edge
• Edited out vocal "stumbles" and errors
• Edited out breath sounds between phrases

Reflection

Other than the fact that I really don't like to hear my own voice, I enjoyed this assignment. My undergraduate degree was in Business Administration with a concentration in Music Business, and I had several classes in the studio. I enjoyed working with audio recording. This is completely different as far as equipment, but it felt kind of familiar once I had audio files to work with in Adobe Audition. My biggest challenge was getting the information I wanted to fit into 90 seconds or less. That was harder than I had planned. I recorded my voice-over multiple times and edited and re-edited my script to try to get under that cap without cutting out too much information. When I posted my draft to the peer review discussion post, I thought I was pushing the envelope with time but hoped I was ok with being just a few seconds over. After reading the feedback I received, I realized that I was telling myself what I wanted to hear, and I really needed to go back and record the voice track one last time with a final edit of the content to eliminate all but just the most important information. I found the peer review process very valuable with this project.

When listening back, I immediately realized how much and how loudly I breathed between sentences/phrases, and I wanted to edit those breath sounds out. I was able to do that, but I had to be careful to also leave enough time between words that it didn't sound like I wasn't breathing or pausing at all. As I was recording, I decided that I would just re-read a section if I stumbled or messed up words or phrasing, and then later I would edit that section out and keep the good section. Initially, my voice track was much longer because I had a few sections that I read twice, but once I removed the ones I had "flubbed," I had a clean version of the voice track. When I re-read a section, I would make sure to pause a few seconds so that I gave myself enough time to clip that out of the track and still have a good pace when it was edited.

I also learned that effects are both fun and dangerous. Just like you can really distort an image with effects, you can distort an audio track with effects, but it normally isn't as useful when you layer those effects with audio. It is a little like getting really excited about finger paints and having paint up to your elbows before you know it. You have to clean up and start over, and this time temper the enthusiasm and excitement with some common sense and taste (for lack of a better description).

All Project Files Located on Google Drive for Review

Click any file below to see the original file used in this project.