Sound Elements Report

FOLEY EFFECTS: Foley effects are the reproduction of certain sound effects added to films. It is a technique of recording yourself using everyday objects to create certain sounds like rain, wind, thuds, etc. Here is an example of the production of foley sound:

In this video we can see the recording of foley taking place, with plungers used on sand to recreate the galloping sound of horses.

WILD TRACKS: Wild tracks are audio recordings that are intended to be synchronised into a film but recorded separately. Wild tracks are used on the set of the production, recording the audio of certain actions or movements as they can get an authentic, accurate sound. Here is an example:

In this video there are various sounds of weapons being heard. With one of the sounds being a bow and arrow, we can see that a separate audio recording of an arrow being shot to a target would've taken place and synchronised to the scene.

THEME MUSIC: Theme music is a soundtrack used to recognise a specific character entering a scene. It can also be used as a trigger for a specific type of scene shown. Here is an example:

In this video you will be able to recognise the iconic music for the character Captain Jack Sparrow. This music is used to elevate the scenes that are focused on the character's actions.

VOICE-OVERS: Voice overs is an audio recording of a character or narrator narrating over a scene in a film. They can be used for a character to break the fourth wall and speak directly to the audience, or as a narrator to story-tell. Here is an example:

In this example, the character Maleficent has a voice-over to introduce the storyline of the film to the audience. This helps give an idea to the viewers as to what might happen later.

SCRIPTED SPEECH: Scripted speech is the scripted dialogue that the characters of a film perform for a scene. However the script instructs them to say the line, they will project the emotions as so. Here is an example:

This particular scene in the Hereditary showcases the emotions, loss of control, as the mother projects all of her grief to her son. This clearly shows scripted speech as the characters are illustrating specific emotions and lines to capture the audience's attention.

Sound Elements Definition

Sound Format

Sound format is a file format which stores audio that is digital. It can be stored in computer systems, phones, anything thats is a digital device. There are various different file formats each made for different kinds of use, like for online distribution or for music/sound production. 

STORAGE

When storing audio files, you can save them on either one of hard drives, or digital drives. When producing sound, it is vital that you back the file up so you have another copy, incase of any damage or loss of the original file.

COMPRESSION

Compression is quite renowned in sound production/engineering. It is a dynamic process that reduces the dynamic range in an audio. 

SIZE VS QUALITY

LOSSY = Lossy is used to describe a file that is compressed. This means the sound quality i not up to high standard.

LOSSLESS = Lossless is used to describe a compressed file with the data still present instead of taken away, so there is no reduced sound quality but there is more space leftover in your device.

BIT RATES = Bit rates are the number of bits per second that can be transmitted from one digital network to another.

FILE SIZE = File size shows how big or small the file is on a device. This helps you keep track on how much storage has been taken from that file.

Production Journey

When I first began the production for my radio show I wanted to find out different ways to capture my recordings. This was by practicing creating different sounds such as walking through the park and triggering different noises to capture the shifting on the gravel to the brushing of leaves. As I had my phone on me at all times, I considered using the voice memo app and the phone's microphone to capture everything due to the convenience, and managed to create good, clear quality of sound.

When recording the various sounds, from dialogue to ambience, I wanted to make sure those were of my originality as I didn't want to get copyrighted. However for the rest of the sound effects I used non-copyrighted sound, imported from youtube to fill in the details of the radio show that bring in the atmosphere and settings more. I would've recorded the sounds myself however I could not find an available time, to which I resorted to the solution of YouTube, and when editing the radio show, it still felt realistic, so there were no problems.

When editing for my radio show on Final Cut Pro I wanted to edit the recordings to make sure the dialogue fit the different settings, like in the beginning of the show, since the characters were enclosed in a room there would be little to no reverb. Whereas, in the park I added slight reverb to make their voices have more of a bigger space and overall make the audience feel like they are there walking and listening with the characters' conversation.

When editing the sound effects for my radio I had to adjust the volume so it was a bit more lower than the dialogue. This is because the default volume was played too loudly over the dialogue, so by lowering it, I was able to make the effects suit the setting and faded them out to have a smooth transition to the next sounds.

After finishing editing the radio, I was able to export the video as an MP4, with the audio format as AAC. This audio file is of better quality to MP3, which creates better listening for the audience. 

Radio Final Edit

 

Audio Assets

 

Sound Formats

Sound Format

Sound format is a file format which stores audio that is digital. It can be stored in computer systems, phones, anything thats is a digital device. There are various different file formats each made for different kinds of use, like for online distribution or for music/sound production. 

The file formats are: MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, WMA

MP3: A popular file format, except it is quite a small, compressed file and not very good quality. However, it is the most used and this file is convenient for storing music on smartphones and other cellular devices. 

WAV: The standard format in which all CDs are encoded. The format has great sound quality but it isn't a compressed file, meaning huge file sizes. Additionally, the support for the artist information is quite bad. 

AAC: This is Apples alternative to MP3 files. It stands for `Advanced Audio Coding’ and is used for Apple streaming. It is compressed but sounds better than usual files. 

FLAC: The compressed format supports hi-res sample rates and takes up half the space of WAV. It is royalty-free and is used for downloading hi-res albums and storing them. However, it is not supported by Apple.

OGG: The full name for this file is `Ogg Vorbis‘. It is an open source alternative to MP3 and AAC. This file would be used on streaming platforms like Spotify. 

WMA: WMA is a file used for Windows Media Player. It has great compatibility will most Windows multimedia players and editing software. However, it is only limited to Windows devices and software, so it is not compatible with cross-platforming.

STORAGE

When storing audio files, you can save them on either one of hard drives, or digital drives. When producing sound, it is vital that you back the file up so you have another copy, incase of any damage or loss of the original file.

USB/Flash drive: USB is a pice of hardware that can attach to various digital devices. It is commonly used for storage and data backup, or simply transferring files from one device to another. An advantage for this is that since it is a hardware, it is easily portable. However you can run a risk of losing it physically, or you may need to purchase a new one since they hold a limited amount of memory/storage.

Hard Drive: A hard drive is a hardware component that is shaped as a disk. It holds up storage digitally, like documents, music, images, etc. An advantage of a hard drive is that they can hold tremendous amount of storage, however there is a risk of the hard drive failing, if damaged.

Cloud Backup: Cloud backup is an online, digital backup service which performs the process of backing up data to servers. When you back up your data to a cloud you are essentially storing a copy of that data. An advantage of cloud backup is that you don't need to invest in hardware-based storage devices, however since  they are utilised by third-parties, there can be a risk of data theft.

COMPRESSION

Compression is quite renowned in sound production/engineering. It is a dynamic process that reduces the dynamic range in an audio. 

Dynamic range compression is compression which levels out the volume in an audio. If there are loud parts and soft parts, by enabling the compression you are amplifying the soft parts and reducing the loud ones so they are on the same level.

Upwards Compression: Focuses on amplifying the softer, quieter sounds that fall below a certain threshold.

Downwards Compression: Focuses on reducing the volume of loud sounds that surpass above a certain threshold. This helps with certain loud sounds peaking, preventing distortion.

SIZE VS QUALITY

LOSSY = Lossy is used to describe a file that is compressed. This means the sound quality i not up to high standard.

LOSSLESS = Lossless is used to describe a compressed file with the data still present instead of taken away, so there is no reduced sound quality but there is more space leftover in your device.

BIT RATES = Bit rates are the number of bits per second that can be transmitted from one digital network to another.

FILE SIZE = File size shows how big or small the file is on a device. This helps you keep track on how much storage has been taken from that file.

Considerations

 When putting all the files together at school to edit them, I will be using the iMacs provided by the media department. This means when exporting the radio programme I will need to use the MP3 file format. This is because MP3 is a versatile file format and is easy to carry and transfer to any device. 

When looking at where I will store the files, I will be saving everything to my cloud backup service on the mac. This is so whenever I login from any other mac, the files will be there incase my original mac is not available at the time of use. Since I organised everything into assigned folders, this will make it easier for me to find everything as it will all be in the same place.

With the use of compression, I will be lightly using it as al the sounds shouldn't be on the same level due to foley sounds being used and such. Therefore the type of compression I will be using is downwards compression. This is so any loud sound going beyond the threshold will be brought back down, reducing the dynamic range.