Evaluation - technologies
Throughout the whole process of creating my radio show and developing my research and planning I used a large range of different technologies. The technologies I used have been significant in enabling me to produce work to my highest standard. Although some of the technology was slightly complicated, I managed to quickly understand how to use it all. The high variety of different software and hardwares lead me to my ideas and creativity. Since first creating my Blogger account, gradually I found it a lot easier to insert hyperlinks, audio and images.
Blogger
Blogger is what I have used to complete my research and planning, along with my evaluations. For instance, It has allowed me to complete my tasks, write about them, include images, links, videos, music as well as acting as the template to my final radio show. Within my evaluation, I have been able to link certain blog posts, to help me refer back to my previous work. Moreover, there is a very clear layout and has been made extremely accessible to use.
Below is the tool on Blogger which enables you to include links to other pages. I used this frequently in my research and planning, and a lot throughout my evaluations as well
In addition to Blogger, Soundcloud is another technology which I often used. I have created my own account and used it to upload all of my audio files.
Below are some of my audio files which I have uploaded onto my Soundcloud:
After uploading these files onto my Soundcloud, I embedded them into Blogger, to include in my research and planning.
Another benefit of using Soundcloud, is that it has enabled me to include examples when I am completing my evaluations for technology, audience and representations.
An important part of my research and planning involved me listening to three radio stations which were all broadcasted at the same time and on the same day. I did this in order to see if they included similar stories and the same conventions.
Below are my blog posts for this:
In order to listen to and record these three existing radio stations, along with others further into my research and planning, I used the Tunein Radio app. This was very useful in allowing me to complete this task as it is a very reachable app, which was easy to use. Tunein allow enables users to re listen to radio shows, which don't offer listen again on their offical websites.
After recording the different radio extracts, from this app, I was able to analyse them in terms of their conventions, news values, representations as well as the running order of news stories. This was beneficial to me when I was creating my own radio script. This is due to my previous research giving me a lot of background knowledge and ideas on the content to include which will appeal to my target audience, as well as delivering the correct tone.
I made sure that I had different folders for each section of my radio show. Some of my actors played multiple roles, such as Alex, who played Eli Caine alongside using his voice for the recordings of my jingles. Therefore, he had his own separate folder with all his sound files in. My other folders were labelled news and adverts. In order to make it easier for myself during the post production stage, I made sure that every clip was titled with the name of the actor who recorded it, along with the role they had to play. All sound effects and music was clearly labelled as well.
My college has good equipment, which allowed me to produce high quality sounds. For instance, I used a Shure sn58 microphone. This had a pop shield attached, which is a noise protection filter for microphones. I only had access to one microphone, which meant actors had to individually be recorded one after another. All elements of North Side fm, such as news stories, jingles and my adverts were recorded through a mic. This was to ensure I had the best sound.
Below I have inserted images of the equipment, along with some of my actors whilst being recorded.
The mixer I used was called a Mackie Mixer, and is used on professional music and recording equipment. This enabled me to create effective sound effects, record my actors as well as editing music files. I was able to place sound effects, dialogue and music all into a combined clip.
Adobe Audition was the software which I used, which gave me a lot of control over my recordings and enabled me to choose what take to use of my recordings, if I wanted different approaches. Moreover, I learnt that highlighting and deleting can take out mistakes, put in gaps and rhythm in performance. I was also able cut out breathing sounds. This was significant, as given that the room I recorded in was not sound proof, my actors had to go up extremely close to the mic, thus resulting in every breath being amplified.
Inevitably whilst recording, I had to correct my actors on certain parts. For instance, asking them to change their tone of voice, speaking softer, louder ect. Instead of asking them to start again from the top, I was able to edit out the parts I didn't like. This was extremely time efficient.
Below I have inserted the initial version of Manny doing his recording for the Pure Gym advert, which includes mistakes. For instance, he pauses in the middle, and asks if he needs to speak louder. Instead of starting a whole new recording, the software allowed me to just edit these mistakes out. The clip below is the edited version, where Manny's pause and dialogue in the middle has been edited out. During this recording he has gone through his lines twice. I was able to re listen listen and choose the part I preferred.
Below I have inserted the initial version of Manny doing his recording for the Pure Gym advert, which includes mistakes. For instance, he pauses in the middle, and asks if he needs to speak louder. Instead of starting a whole new recording, the software allowed me to just edit these mistakes out. The clip below is the edited version, where Manny's pause and dialogue in the middle has been edited out. During this recording he has gone through his lines twice. I was able to re listen listen and choose the part I preferred.
In my last news story about the Vegan restaurant scandal, I got my friend Zak to play the role of a food critic; Peter Rhodes. Due to the technology I had access too, I managed to distort the sound of Zaks voice to create a realistic impression of him being on the phone. I did this by highlighting the edited dialogue, converting the overall sound to mono and equalizing it, by taking out some bass and treble. I have often heard a lot of local radio stations, similar to North Side fm, do this, which is why I decided to include it in mine.
I have inserted the initial, un edited version of Zak and below this I have inserted the equalised version.
In my first news story, I included a correspondant; Eli Caine who reported live from the march against the opening of new night club 'Visions' in Muswell Hill. As the the reporters mic was portable, I needed listeners to be able to differentiate between the correspondents mic and the studio mic. In order to do this, I used the same technological factors which I did for Peter Rhodes. I equalised the sound, by taking out some bass and treble, so the quality matched the difference in quality you’d get between a studio mic and correspondant mic.
I asked my friend Jaime to do the recording for Lisa Freeman; an angry resident, who was taking part in the march, who I also used this technology for.
I was able to add sound effects of a high street in a small town to this extract, in order to make the march sound authentic.
I have included the extract of Eli Caine before and after using the technology for editing.
As my Vox Pop's were just members of the public, I wouldn't expect them to sound scripted. For instance, Cali, who played Vox Pop 3 (a member of public) stuttered on one of his words, but I didn't highlight and delete this as it made it sound more authentic. In my second Vox Pop, I edited in a breath, in order to make it sound more genuine.
Below I have inserted the edited version of all three of my Vox Pop's, along with the pre edited version of Vox Pop 1 (a school mum played by Louise) and Vox Pop 3 (a member of public, played by Cali). I have also added in sound effect's of classroom noises and crowds chattering in the background of my Vox Pop's. This positioned listeners with the action that is taking place. I gathered these sound effects from BBC's sound effects library.
At the start of my radio show, I altered the part of Jorja Smith’s song with
fades out.
Whilst editing the end part of the show, I wanted Alex’s voice cut into the mix. I have controlled the
volume of where the song goes up and down. Additionally, as I wanted everything consistently loud, Adobe Audition enabled me to make the volume more uniform via compression. By making everything uniformly sound, this meant that everything I recorded sounded as loud as it could be; all of my radio therefore sounded compressed.
I have included my final radio where you will be able to notice the compression added along with Jorja Smiths song being faded out and Alex's voice being cut into the mix.
I have included my final radio where you will be able to notice the compression added along with Jorja Smiths song being faded out and Alex's voice being cut into the mix.
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