Evaluation - Technology

A series of technology has been crucially important not only to recording and editing my radio but also creating a blog, where I have been able to show the details of my research and planning and my evaluation. I have used a variety of software and hardware throughout my AS coursework. The technology has helped me achieve things I didn't think were possible.

Blogger is the software I have used to create a blog, it has meant I can keep a record of my research and planning tasks, with links, images, sound clips and even videos of the planning process, to help bring the information in a format easy to follow. Blogger helped me keep my AS coursework on track and organised.

Soundcloud was another important software, as it allowed me to upload all my audio files before pasting the embeded code into blogger, enabling me to show my sound clips on posts.

While researching and listening to existing radio stations Tunein was helpful, it allowed me to record extract from radio stations then come back to them, so I could listen to them carefully and analyse them.

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This was helpful when I had to listen to 3 radio station news bulletins at the same time on the same day (to see if the news stories were the same). Recording the news bulletin allowed me to go back and listen carefully to each news story and analyse them. This made it easier for me when it came to scripting my own news stories and getting the content, tone of the presenter right.
For the local stations I used BBC iplayer. This was helpful as it let me listen to a radio show, days after it aired.

To record my actors I used the Shure SM58 microphone, I used the mixing desk (mackie 802-BLC) to alter volume levels during both recording and editing. There was only one microphone, so I had to record each part secretly, later editing them together.

On the one hand  it was annoying, as it meant the recording time was longer. On the other hand it meant I had more control over each voice I recorded, making the editing process easier and quicker, as cutting out mistakes and pauses was less of a hassle. While recording I labelled each file carefully, then putting them into different element folders (such as Jingles, News and Adverts) making easier later on to find the file I need. When I had finished recording I made a file of finished elements, so that when I came to putting it all together it would be a simple process that won't take to much time.

The software I used to edit my radio show is Adobe Audition 1.5. It allowed me to add a series effects and certain voices. It also made it possible to layer sounds on multi-track so that I could control the timing of more complicated clips with layers such as adverts, jingles and some sections of my news bulletins.

While recording it was inevitable that the actors would make mistakes (such as stuttering, repeating or reading the script in a tone that wasn't right for the character they were playing. This software Meant that rather than recording things again, every time there was a mistake I could just edit out any mistakes pauses or gaps. This significantly reduced the recording time and meant I had a greater level of control. Below is the first recording of Luisa as a student protesting, with mistakes, repeats and stumbling over words. The second clip is Luisa voice after I have edited out all the mistakes, pauses and gaps. The technology has meant I didn't have to ask Luisa to re-record after making a slight mistake.






When listening to existing radio stations for research, I noticed another popular convention (phone calls, either used in adverts or audiences calling in for an interview or soundbite). I wanted to recreate this convention in my advert for Swift Cabs (a local cab company). I was able to take the recording of Jon's voice and changes the settings on the equaliser, I also lowered the bass and treble, to make the advert and phone call sound more authentic.
Here below is a version of the advert before and after I edited it.





Adobe Audition allowed me to layer different sound clips on the multitrack, so that I could record things separately, them mix the parts together. An excellent example of this is my news segment, which is made up of a number of different parts, including the news presenter (Jade), a series of voxpops and soundbites and the show Jingle. Below are clips of all the parts that made up the news before they were edited and put together and a clip of the final news segment, where the parts are edited together.











I added effects to almost every separate section of my radio, including the jingles, adverts, correspondent, voxpops and soundbites. Below is a clip of a student protester before I added the sound effects and a clip of when I had added the sound effects. I used a number of different sound effects including Hight Street in a town, Main road, city traffic and general chanting, these sound effects help make my news sound more authentic. I also used the equaliser to distinguish that Rahul (student protester) was recorded outside.





To make my radio sound more authentic there were three steps. The first being recording, with the mistakes and pauses. The second is using Adobe Audition to take out the pauses, mistake, stutters and repeats. The final step is adding the sound effects and compression. Here below are clips of the tree steps.