Assignment 2

MMS 172 - Assignment 2

Pre-production

Project concept

It took me a while to decide what I wanted to do for the final project, I originally wanted to do a podcast, especially since I always listen to podcast audios whenever I drive to and from work. But since summer break just started, and I am trying to limit my 12-year-old son’s screen time, I thought that it would be a good idea to ask him to record an audio book reading with me.

It didn’t take me a long time to think of the book I wanted us to read. When I decided that I wanted to bring Alexandre with me on this journey, I already knew I wanted to do “Life on the Refrigerator Door” by Alice Kuipers. It is a novel consisting of note exchanges between a mother and her daughter and gives the reader a glimpse of how a modern parent-child relationship works before the Digital Age.

Project idea consultation

Here comes the tricky part: the novel stars a mother and her daughter. Being a budding teenager that he is, he wanted to change the characters, so he doesn’t have to play a girl’s role. So, I made use of the ‘Preliminary Project Discussions’ forum to confirm if it’s okay to change female characters to male – to which Sir Al responded with a yes. Since I wanted this project to be something I enjoy doing, I challenged myself to write again. When I was in high school, I used to spend time writing short stories and posting it online for others to read. I remember coming home every day after school eager to write my next draft. Like much of my hobbies back then, life got in the way which eventually made me stop writing. To add more flavour to the original story, I asked Alexandre if he’s open to contribute to writing the script. He was a bit hesitant at first – he felt that he’s not ready to take on a big role, but he got excited knowing that he can add his touch to the character he’ll be reading.

The Material

Inspired by the “Life on the Refrigerator Door” by Alice Kuipers, I want the story to show the highlights of a modern-parent child relationship in the Digital Age. Although the short story is still in the works (which I will discuss in my project plan below), my goal is to have a little bit of ourselves, and our story engrave within its pages. In a way, I want this output to be more than just a requirement to pass the course, but something that I can have as a keepsake and listen to years from now.

Project Plan

Pre-production:

This step begins with conceptualising what I wanted to do for the final project, including seeking approval on my project concept. Since I opted to write an original, finalising the story, and putting together the script would take up most of the pre-production phase. I also allotted time for me to test and prepare my equipment making sure that I optimise it to perform at its highest capacity which I will be doing while we do our table reading. The test recording will help me identify which parts need foleys and/or instrumental music.

Recording:

Recording would commence once the story is finalised, and we have done at least three takes on the table read. Apart from recording the vocals, we will also record original foleys that we can incorporate to the audio to give it more life. My partner also agreed to perform an instrumental background music which I want to record and incorporate to the narrations if needed. We are still looking for a proper equipment he can use, so we can record it real-time, but if we can’t find one, we’ll opt to do it by using musical typings in Logic Pro.

Post-production:

This phase starts with mixing all recorded audios and ensure that they remain balanced and cohesive throughout. Once I am satisfied with how all audios are blended, I will move on to the final stage of audio production called the mastering phase where I will be adding final touches and enhancing the overall sound so I can prepare it for the next stage.

Publishing:

After mastering, I will render the final audio and upload it on my SoundCloud account and submit it to the portal on the 27th of August.

Logistics

Equipment and Software

Similar with other activities in the course, I will be using my Shure MV7+ dynamic cardioid microphone which comes with a pop filter. Like most unidirectional microphones, this microphone absorbs as much sound coming directly to it, while tuning out other noises. To help with this, a pop filter is already included to minimise as much noise as possible. I am still thinking if I will be investing in an audio interface (as the microphone alone shed a couple of zeros from my savings), so for now I’ll make use of Motiv Mix app as my digital audio interface to simplify my workflow.

I will be recording using my iPad Pro 12 since it doesn’t emit fan noise when handling heavy apps, which I think the app will be. To incorporate all recordings in one, I will be utilising Logic Pro on my iMac. Like other activities, I will be using my trusted Shure SRH840A professional studio headphones for the output since it allows me to listen to the actual sound of the recording without auto-adjusting it to sound better than it is.

Make-shift Studio

Studio and Recording Techniques

I opted to make the necessary adjustments to my make-shift studio through the application of room acoustics to see how it fairs with my initial recordings. Since I don’t have an extra bookcase in the house, I opted to stack books on the table particularly on the sides of the mic to minimise the sound reflections. So far these are all the books I have that’s not stored – I will test the sound quality and add and/or remove books as needed.

When I performed the sound meter trial in this room, I noticed that there’s a slight humming on the other side of the wall, which is where the back of the mic will be pointing, although cardioid polar pattern will minimise sound absorption from the back and side of the microphone, I want to eliminate it altogether (if possible) by hanging a duvet so it’s an inch of the wall to minimise the noise coming from the outside while also allowing sound to be absorbed by the fabric and reflected back to the wall.

To ensure the best possible recording outcome, we have scheduled our test and actual recording sessions at night so there’s less chances of interruptions and unwanted noise coming from other rooms in the house. During the test recording/table reading sessions, I will test multiple microphone placements, so we know which placement works best when there are two people using one microphone.

Signal Flow

The chart below explains the signal inflow and outflow using the hardware and software equipment I will be using for the final project.