<p>Welcome to the MLK Audio Storytelling Workshop Week One: Collecting Sound</p><p>Collecting Sound:</p><p>- Turn your smartphone into a recording device using the PCM Recorder app or Smart Voice Recorder app - these apps save your recordings on to your phone, the files can then be moved onto your computer much like a USB thumb drive</p><p>- Record directly into your computer using Audacity → http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ - Saving: Audacity saves as .aup -- only opens in Audacity (important: when you save as .aup do not move the files) To export as MP3 → needs LAME Encoder → http://lame1.buanzo.com.ar/</p><p>Recording Tips: - Test your equipment before you start - Remember to double check that your device is actually recording - If recording an interview choose a location with minimum background noise - Check your levels! You don’t want your recording to be too loud/soft - Most devices work best 4 to 6 inches from the source of sound - To stay organized, start each recording with an ID “This is XX interviewing YY on March 8…” - If recording in a noisy place, record ~2 minutes of background noise just in case</p><p>Interviewing Tips: - Introduce yourself first, then have your subject do the same - Prepare some questions before you begin, but be flexible - Ask open ended questions, then ask for specifics and clarification → “tell me about a time when…, “was there a specific moment when - Don’t be afraid to ask your subject to repeat themselves; ask the same question different ways - Don’t talk over your interviewee, sometimes people have to ramble to get to the important parts - For more tips, check out http://transom.org/2013/the-basics/</p><p>In addition to recording, you can also download sounds and music from online libraries, here are a few: https://archive.org/ http://www.freesound.org/ http://freemusicarchive.org</p><p>Welcome to the MLK Audio Storytelling Workshop Week One: How Sound Works</p><p>Types of Sound:</p><p>Narration -- the central voice of a piece; can be first, second, or third person; can describe a scene, introduce other voices, or speak directly to the audience </p><p>Dialogue -- two or more people speaking to each other; think of a play where you can’t see the actors, usually follows a script</p><p>Interviews -- two or more people speaking to each other in a question/answer format, sometimes the interviewer is cut out so you just hear the responses</p><p>Music -- tunes to set a scene or mood, a very powerful tool for setting the tone of a piece; music can be diegetic (coming from the “world” of your story) or nondiegetic (outside the “world,” a soundtrack that the characters don’t hear)</p><p>Sound Effects and Foley Art -- action sounds that directly illustrate elements of your story in the “foreground”; footsteps, explosions, train whistles, shuffling paper, creaking floorboards</p><p>Ambience -- the background noise that sets the scene; provides the setting and ‘sense of place’ for a story; rustling leaves, nature sounds, traffic, people on the street, roar of the ocean</p><p>Silence -- don’t forget this one, sometimes no sound can be just as effective as lots of sound</p><p>Samples and Inspiration:</p><p>This American Life 99% Invisible Memory Palace Kitchen Sisters StoryCorps Old Radio Dramas: Gunsmoke, X Minus One, Philip Marlowe RadioLab Third Coast Festival</p>