Sonic Design // Task 3
11.10.23 - 11.11.23 (Week 7 - Week 11)
Emelyne How Sok Hing (0352938)
Bachelor of Design (Hons) Creative Media
Sonic Design // Task 3
Lectures
Week 7:
We learned how to eliminate background noise from a soundtrack, particularly when the background sounds are unclear or distracting.
Noise reduction steps:
- Capture print first
- Then do noise reduction (process)
Compression steps:
- Go to Amplitude
- Then Dynamics and press auto gate.
- Adjust the threshold to match the frequency of the unwanted sound (breathing)
Instructions
Week 8:
Audio Storytelling
We're tasked with selecting a popular fairy-tale story of our choice and creating an audiobook. This project goes beyond just imagining the sound elements – we'll need to record our voices with appropriate acting, and incorporate sound effects to elevate the storytelling experience. Think of it like producing a radio show.
Week 9:
Before proceeding to this task, we practiced making radio commercials in an audio recording studio. Our lecturer showed us how to use professional tools, and we had the chance to try it ourselves. After recording our parts, we were asked to adjust things like the EQ and so on to get a sense of what our audio storytelling should sound like.
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| Figure 1.0 Editing progress, 29th October 2023 |
Voice before editing (Radio commercial)
Figure 1.1 Voice before editing, 29th October 2023
Voice after editing (Radio commercial)
I only used a portion of the recording as we were instructed. I adjusted the EQ, normalizer, noise reduction, and worked with dynamics, including auto gate and compressor.
Figure 1.2 Voice after editing, 29th October 2023
After considering which fairytale to choose, I searched the internet for existing storybooks and collected some lines in my Google document. I decided to work on 'How to Train Your Dragon' because it's one of my favorite movies.
Link of Storyline:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16U3lFi7WZbxJabBOqqDMiHvkf2wzRsqMbsZxOCBA9wI/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16U3lFi7WZbxJabBOqqDMiHvkf2wzRsqMbsZxOCBA9wI/edit?usp=sharing
The next step was searching for images to include in the video. After that, I recorded the necessary audio.
Images used in for the video
I gathered the right images by utilising the website "animation screencaps" and then took screenshots of the suitable ones for the video.
Here's the link for the images that I have used:
Week 10:
Audio Editing Process
I recorded the story on my phone's voice recorder in my room. It was quite challenging and time consuming because there were a lot of background noises, and I had to redo the recordings several times.
After recording, I began editing, and it turned out to be quite an experience. Initially, I thought recording each sentence separately was a good idea, but it didn't work well when I tried to put them together. I ended up re-recording everything in one go before proceeding with the editing process.
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Figure 1.3 Process, 5th November 2023 |
After that, I started to remove the noise by using the capture noise print and then removing them one by one or sometimes I would remove all at once.
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| Figure 1.4 Process, 5th November 2023 |
After reducing background noise, I experimented with various effects like DeClicker, De-Esser, DeReverb, Pitch Shift, as well as adjusting the compressor and EQ. It involved a lot of trial and error to achieve the desired clear sound.
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Figure 1.5 Process, 5th November 2023 |
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Figure 1.6 Process, 5th November 2023 |
Week 11:
After receiving feedback from my lecturer, I re-recorded everything, this time under a blanket. It turned out to be a good idea, reducing a lot of noise and reverb. Despite getting a bit too hot after recording once or twice, I proceeded with editing. My lecturer suggested not removing as much noise as before, explaining that some noises share frequencies with my voice, affecting pronunciation and audio quality. This time, I edited noise individually, opting to reduce it instead of removing it completely. I kept the effects simpler, mainly using capture noise print, DeEsser, compressor, EQ, and DeClicker. I also adjusted audio levels in certain parts to avoid sounding too loud or unpleasant.
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After reducing most of the background noise, I also attempted to decrease the volume of certain audio sections that sounded excessively high or loud compared to the rest.
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| Figure 1.9 Process, 11th November 2023 |
Final Audio Storytelling
I exported the sound as a WAV file and then posted the video on YouTube. Here's the link to the audio file only:
Here's the link to the final video:
Figure 2.0 Final Audio Storytelling, 11th November 2023
Feedbacks
Week 11:
- Consider re-recording the audio with a blanket around you to minimize background noise. Editing to reduce noise tends to impact pronunciation and sound quality negatively.
- Use a De-Esser for 's' sounds, but if they are minor, you can simply decrease the volume.
Reflections
Week 9 - 11:
This assignment was both enjoyable and challenging since we couldn't use a professional audio recording room. Voice acting posed difficulties, as I aimed to minimize unwanted noises like loud breaths or harsh 'S' sounds and maintain varied voice intonation. Dealing with a noisy room added to the challenge. Editing out these noises was a new experience, and I took care to be meticulous, experimenting with different tools and effects based on the situation. Despite the occasional struggle, this exercise was fun and taught me a lot about sound editing. The newly acquired skills will be beneficial for my final project.
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