M10//S2 A10.1 Podcast Part 2

Due Mar 27, 2024 by 9pm
Points 10
Submitting a file upload
File Types mp3

Each class you will complete one part of your podcast. This is Part 2

After completing your Podcast Planning, and your This Podcast Script record # 1 & # 2 from your script using your recording device of choice (computer or phone). Open a new Adobe Audition multitrack session and add # 1 to track 1 and # 2 to track 2:

Part 1 - Opening: A quick musical jingle or your brand’s sonic logo.

Part 2 - Introduction: A monologue-style intro outlining your guests and what you plan to talk about on your podcast

Setting Up Your Multitrack Session

File -> New -> Multitrack Session with the following settings:

Name: This is the name of your project (eg Podcast Assessment)
Template: NONE (the podcast template is not working)
Sample Rate: 48000Hz (This must never be lower than an original file)
Bit depth: 32 (float)
Master: Stereo (strongly recommended, even for podcasting)

Once it opens, you'll reach a podcast template multitrack workspace:

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You can record your intro on your phone or on your computer. If you are recording on your computer using Adobe Audition, make sure you have the track you are recording to selected and set to stereo and click the "R" for record:

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Tip: When recording, leave 2-3 seconds of silence before and after speaking. The time at the start calibrates your microphone and provides a sample of background noise. The gap at the end helps buffer your recording as Audition tends to cut them short.

To zoom in/out, hover over the H:M:S time bar near the top and scroll up/down over it. You must hover over the time bar to scroll.

To playback what you just recorded, press spacebar to start/stop playback.

Optional Audio Enhancements:

Noise Fidelity & Reduction/Cancellation

Double click a track to open it in Waveform. Use Ctrl+A to select all of your recording. Go to Favorites in the top menu and select Normalise to -0.1dB - This amplifies your recording if it's too quiet, and reduces if too loud

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Your audio will automatically adjust in your workspace reflecting these changes

Now that all audio has been normalized, highlight your first 2-3 seconds of audio and press Shift+P to capture a noise print. This is the shortcut for Effects -> Noise Reduction/Restoration -> Capture Noise Print. You'll see a pop-up window - just press OK to close it. Capturing this noise print gives the program a sample of your background noise to remove. It uses this sample to remove background noise from the rest of your recording.

Next, highlight everything (remember Ctrl+A?) and press Ctrl+Shift+P - shortcut for Effects -> Noise Reduction/Restoration -> Noise Reduction (Process) - to open the noise reduction window

Adjust the two sliders to fine tune your noise print. The interface looks something like this:

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You should aim for a clear, articulated recording of your own voice with little - but never zero - background noise. Having no ambience may sound a little awkward and unnatural. Press Apply to close the window when complete

Voice Compressor

A voice compressor helps articulate and 'pop' your voice. A poor quality microphone can be remedied (to an extent) using a compressor. Usually, a main adjustment is done first (this step), then a minor edit occurs after all background music and effects are put in afterwards.

In the middle-left, you will have the Effects Rack (if you can't find it, open it under the Window). Click the arrow on the right side of the first effect (1) Open Amplitude and Compression -> Single-band Compressor as below:

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Ensure you have applied the compressor to the correct track. Make sure you have selected the voice track in the main area before following the above steps. In Effects Rack, it should be labelled as Track 1 - otherwise you'll be adding effects to the wrong track

Once again, use the sliders within the pop-up menu to adjust your compression. It changes for everyone and varies between each track. Use the play and loop functions on the main interface to assist you. You want your voice to be dynamically consistent, mellow, and intelligible, which gives the recording the characteristics of a professional studio microphone.

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Close the window when ready

Inserting Background Music

After using Media Browser to import files to the project, you can simply drag and drop them into an empty track. If you have recorded your podcast in multiple sessions, add each of these to a new track (eg. An introduction in the first track, the first paragraph to a second, etc). Now with a voice track (track 1) and a music track (track 2), we can now mix them together

https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCBVRvrje75d_-A2ck5WnP3g/music Links to an external site.

Now that you've successfully recorded Parts 1 & 2, it's time to save it. Press Ctrl+S to bring up the one-time save menu. It is crucial you save this as your preferred file type as Audition will format the recording as such. You have many options, but the two suggested ones are:

Wave PCM: Save as this type here. This is a full file and retains size and quality for editing later.
MP3: Compresses the file (hence reducing quality); never use this before editing unless you are low on storage space. This is suggested for your final save in the last step of this tutorial