Your task in this unit is to arrange layers of sound to convey a sense of place and story. In assigning this, I have two main goals for you: (1) to learn how to capture sound and edit it using digital tools, and (2) to explore the affordances of sound as a medium, with particular attention to its ability to communicate immersive environment and narrative pacing and change. The genre of the narrative you convey is open: it could be documentary, fictional, even science-fictional. (The title you choose will help steer listeners' expectations, and thus their perceptions.)
As you start planning your composition, consider: in what place (physical, virtual, or imaginary) could you anchor your soundscape? What kinds of stories happen there, and which of them could you reasonably tell within a few minutes? How can you represent that environment sonically? What sounds are relatively stable, or sustained, and what is incidental? What structures or sequences could help a listening audience follow?
You don't need answers to all of these questions before getting started, but asking them early and returning to them often could help you get a sense of the soundscape you want to make.
(to be updated together in lesson 6)
For a minimum grade of B, all projects for this unit must…
- Play for 2-4 minutes
- Have something happen or change during the piece (e.g. a shift in location, a discrete event)
- Contain at least one sound originally recorded by you
- Contain at least one sound not recorded by you, but which you have permission (e.g. Creative Commons license, fair use, etc) to use
- List and credit file sources used, including your means of establishing permission
- Have three layers (tracks) of sound overlapping at least once in the file
- Meet deadlines and requirements from the chart below (see: citation, reflection, project title in README)
- Export a playable ("rendered") .mp3 file
To target (but not guarantee) a grade above a B, the best projects for this unit may…
- Use relative volume and other effects to signal distance
- Use left/right pan and low/high pass filters to create a sense of (locations in) space
- Have a clear organizational scheme you can articulate
- e.g. Transition seamlessly from clip to clip
- e.g. Use sharp cuts to signal scene changes
- e.g. Have an emotional or intellectual arc that you can articulate (in your reflection)
- Show evidence (e.g. from workshop feedback) that audience interpretation matches what you intended
- Include synthesized sounds created by an automated process
- Use Audacity effects that are new to you
- Write clear commit messages that signal your process and progress
At each stage, unless otherwise specified, upload (push) your materials to your own copy of this assignment repository. I recommend that you save often, using meaningful commit messages; for best results, please keep your filenames clear, lowercase, and space-free (use hyphens or underscores).
| date | what's due | expected files |
|---|---|---|
| Tues Jan 24 | Audio Narrative Proposal | Thinking in writing about what you'd like to do for this assignment, posted to the the designated forum on the Issue Queue. This post should include:
Not sure where to start? Try one of the "parachute prompts" below. |
| Thurs 1/26 | Audio Narrative Preview | An early snapshot of your progress, to get the gears turning. Turn in:
|
| Tues Jan 31 | Audio Narrative Draft | A solid attempt at a complete audio narrative, ideally at the target length. Turn in:
|
| Sun Feb 5 | Audio Narrative Final Draft target | Include the same components as in the earlier draft, but updated. |
| Tues Feb 7 | Audio Narrative Reflection and Final Draft firm deadline | Give a sense of the work you put into your narrative and whether it accomplishes what you wanted it to. Turn in:
|
- Fork this repository to create a new version you can control.
- This will give you an online copy, but for editing purposes you'll definitely want a local copy on your computer. Follow the cloning instructions for your operating system, making sure to put the cloned folder in a place on your computer where you can easily find it.
- Because some sound files can take up a lot of space, you may want to use Git Large File Storage, an add-on service that lets you designate certain file extensions as worth tracking and storing off-site, rather than directly in your repository.
- If you want to do this, it's pretty easy! You'll just need to run a few commands at the command line to make it work.
- Simply go to https://git-lfs.github.com, download, and follow the two steps on the screen!
- Once it's set up at the command line, git-lfs will also work through GitHub Desktop.
- For this assignment, the key filetype to store offsite is most likely
*.aup3.
As it says above, the genre, subject, and setting for this project are up to you. But if you're stuck for where to start, try one of these options:
- Day in the Life of... Over the course of a few days, record 40 or more 5-second snippets of sound that tell us where you are and what you're doing. (The challenge will be to make at least some of these sounds different from everyone else's: parts of a particular soundscape, not a generic one.) Overlay a soundtrack that shows your energy – or the energy you'd like to have; fiction is fair game, after all – at various times of day. Human voices, including yours, are welcome!
- Interview for a Podcast You know that one friend or family member who's always telling great stories? Ask them for a new one, or to re-tell one of your favorites, and this time, get it on "tape." Record more than you'll need, then go to the editing room to recreate the story in sound: boil it down to highlights, introduce your speaker and yourself, then add a background track and incidentals to round out the sonic atmosphere. To really get that journalistic feel, feel free to record commentary as you listen back, and interject your "present" self in amidst the "past" self's conversation with your interviewee.