Week 4 Blog Assignment: Audacity
Having just begun to read and learn about Audacity, I was more than pleased to see how much the program simplifies the podcast creation process. At first glance, the opening window for Audacity is not intimidating, as you will see many of the usual, familiar, icons (such as record, rewind, stop, play, etc.) For those of you unfamiliar with the program, here is a screen shot of what it looks like:
The menu bar makes importing audio files very simple, where you can then alter and edit the said clip. While I have written my outline with my partner for our podcast assignment, we have not actually began the recording process, but we feel very comfortable with what we need to do to get there.
In general, I do not have very much experience with podcasts, as one of my only examples would be online podcasts provided by previous professors. However, I plan on looking at examples before creating my own. I have heard great things about TEDtalks, and have listened to a few myself so I found a database/spreadsheet that provides a list for easily navigating a wide array of possible podcasts.
One issue that I foresee for my own personal podcast is settling with a tone. I am worried I will approach it either too seriously, coming across as boring and unenthusiastic, or I will try to be funny and come across as completely cheesy. I am sure I will see areas for improvement regardless, but hopefully I manage to at least come across natural.
For this class, in conjunction with our projects, there is the over-arching assignment of creating a portfolio, that is tied in with the current programs we are learning about. Obviously this week it was Audacity and I was actually really glad that I came to class with a overview of the program from researching it beforehand. I utilized a University website for this (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire) as it was very much geared towards students and seemed user friendly.
So far I have mostly focused on an overview of Audacity and Podcasts in general, but there is so much more that goes into it once you have created the content! Not only will the timing of the audio clips be time consuming (especially if you have multiple overlapping tracks) but editing the raw audio clips exactly how you want them will prove to be a challenge. Today in my class we briefly discussed the possible sound effects you can apply simply by clicking the effect tab at the top of the window, but the possibilities extend beyond that.
From class we learned about some free and fun resources available to us for acquiring additional sound effects (such as a shutting door) and for finding music that you can use without having to worry about compatibility or fair-use. First there is http://freemusicbeds.com/, where you will find easily accessible music, though it will be slightly more limited. Having browsed the site myself, I do not see anything that I personally feel compelled to use but I am sure it will be of great help for other people in my class.
Secondly, for purely searching sound effects, there is http://www.pacdv.com/sounds/index.html, where the sound of applause or a film projector are only a click away. This will be a site that I am more likely to return to, as sometimes the subtle effects or ambiance can make a big difference when you are simply listening to something. I feel like most potential listeners are more experienced and used to watching tv and following along visually in addition to listening and sometimes that is not always an easy transition, so it's important to be as captivating as possible.
These sites make the editing process easier but they do not come with complete tutorials, so for a refresher on how to edit sounds and import, I found this video to be helpful.
Sources Retrieved from:
http://blog.ted.com/2010/06/17/audio_podcasts/
http://freemusicbeds.com
http://www.pacdv.com/sounds/index.html
http://www.uwec.edu/help/Audacity/basics.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rQr5YVNqI0
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