This week’s lecture was presented by a guest lecturer, Kyla Brettle. As our project is approaching ever so closely, she discussed on the topic “audio”.

Kyla started off stating that 90% of media maker would only focus on visual media like TV and film, and only a small amount of 10% that actually wants to be involved in aural media, to actually record audio. This is undeniably true, as media nowadays focuses more on its visual. Although it’s true that audio is often involved, it is not the main focus and more of an aid for the visual. However, her lecture focuses on audio as the star.

Seeing in the dark

While visual media is enjoyed by alert eyes, aural media can be enjoyed with eyes closed. In the world of sound, silence is important to give a space for its listeners, acting as a transition to connect the dots in an audio piece. It’s a time for people to breathe, before they are to lean forward and engage.

Writing in time

Timing is important in the making of an audio piece, it is important to tell people what to know when they need to know. When we consume any type of media production, we always get a sense of when it is going to end, in short, we’re prepared. However, if an ending is unexpected or abrupt, Kyla believes that it must be poorly prepared.

She then let us listen to a piece, Radiolab – Time “Nancy Schwartz” (7 into the audio). It’s a really interesting piece, as I got to experience an intimate connection with Nancy, who’s voice I listened to from the time she’s brought to the world where all we can hear is her cries to when she’s twelve years old and she speaks in sentences, clearly and well composed. What is I love about the audio piece is that it takes me as a listener through time and space, the fact that I was able to listen to the her changing voice that’s supposed to take 12 years in only 2 minutes is amazing.

Spoken word

When doing an audio piece, people tend to go for a lot of speeches and words to occupy the listener. Thus, the voice is a powerful instrument. By listening to people’s voice, we can identify their age, their feelings (about things or perhaps the questions asked), and interestingly, if we pay enough attention, we might be able to find out their position, whether they are lying down, sitting or standing, for they sound different.

Kyla also said that an audio piece is easier to manipulate. In a video, editing requires syncing audio and visual, which means that what we can alter is limited. However, since an audio is on its own, editing becomes much simpler. It is possible to rearrange words or cut specific parts out from a piece. However, there is always an ethical consideration on how much we can manipulate.

Music

Another crucial element in an audio piece is none other than music. It is used to set the mood, up beat music for happy moments or melancholy music for sympathetic or sad events. Music serves powerful in rising the sense of a certain feeling from its listener, like nostalgic feels. 

Music is usually used as a non-diegetic component in the background, run over by other “main” sound. Usually, non-lyrical music will be used when the main focus are spoken words, unless the maker is aiming to create some kind of distortion/confusion for it’s listeners. It is also important not to use music all the time, as viewers may be distracted and might not pay attention when they’re in the mood set by the music.

Sounds of the world

Kyla let us listen to an audio piece which I forgot the title. The point is, the piece starts with an unidentified noise that sounds like a saw cutting a hard rubber. It is not until the people talked about cutting chicken parts that the reality actually strucked me where the sound actually comes from. From then on, listening becomes a visual experience in a way, and it was much more uncomfortable to listen.

She then asked us to listen to an audio excerpt and with the class’ participation, categorized them into:

• voice texture ([reading, observational, location] voice, location narration, movement)
• sound (foley, sfx, archival and atmos)
• music (prerecorded, location music)

Last but not least, Kyla ended the lecture with some tips on putting together an audio piece.