Day 5: Special Effects
These days, more and more podfics have special effects added for clarity, atmosphere or to add new layers of meaning. Everything from music, to voice filters, to sound effects. To find out more information on podfic and special effecst, check out Pod Aware on DW, LJ or Tumblr.
Okay, so now I'm woefully behind on this pod_aware business, but hey! it just means we spread the love out longer than a week, right?
To preface this, I will say that a well-done podfic does NOT need to have any special effects whatsoever. What makes a good podfic, in my opinion, is a clear recording (no background noises or weird clicks, hums, beeps, bumps, screeches, warbles, etc, or voices too soft to hear, that sort of thing) and an engaged reading of the text, meaning that the reader tries to convey their understanding or interpretation of the story through their vocal recitation. Beyond that, everything else is icing on the cake.
Adding in extras in the form of music or sound bites or special effects can dramatically alter the experience, but it should not take the place of a good recording. Do that first, polish it up the best you can (editing), then add in the fireworks.
The choice in music is a personal one. You want it to set the mood or convey the underlying theme of a scene or piece, and you do not have to use the whole thing, but search through it for the best one or two or five or ten seconds that you need at the given moment. Some people put music only at the beginning and ending of the recording as a framework for the story; some add in snippets between scenes or chapters; still others include it under the narration and dialog as a soundtrack. Whatever way you choose to use it, it adds a layer of depth to the presentation of the story, which I highly recommend.
Sound bites are small pieces of sound that can be anything from extra giggles to school bells ringing to explosions. Used effectively, they can help to bring the piece even more to life, or they can help to be an audible cue when a scene changes or the POV switches.
Special effects can be any change made to the recording, especially done inside the software package to the sound wave, and they run the gamut from changes in tempo and pitch to echoes to wave form mixing. I don't have any idea how many possibilities there are in this department, so just playing with options is my advice. I've used the echo feature for thoughts and flashbacks while rivertempest has used it for a demon's voice and amanitamuscaria used it for speech through a microphone in a large ballroom setting. Changes in pitch can be effective in distinguishing character voices, and it can also be helpful in the editing phase if you have to splice a word inside an already existing sentence. I use Fade Out and Fade In for editing my plosives, but they are also handy in incorporating music and trailing off boring speeches. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Whatever you do, keep in mind the intent of the piece you are recording and use the extras to enhance the overall experience for your listeners. Happy Recording!
Okay, so now I'm woefully behind on this pod_aware business, but hey! it just means we spread the love out longer than a week, right?
To preface this, I will say that a well-done podfic does NOT need to have any special effects whatsoever. What makes a good podfic, in my opinion, is a clear recording (no background noises or weird clicks, hums, beeps, bumps, screeches, warbles, etc, or voices too soft to hear, that sort of thing) and an engaged reading of the text, meaning that the reader tries to convey their understanding or interpretation of the story through their vocal recitation. Beyond that, everything else is icing on the cake.
Adding in extras in the form of music or sound bites or special effects can dramatically alter the experience, but it should not take the place of a good recording. Do that first, polish it up the best you can (editing), then add in the fireworks.
The choice in music is a personal one. You want it to set the mood or convey the underlying theme of a scene or piece, and you do not have to use the whole thing, but search through it for the best one or two or five or ten seconds that you need at the given moment. Some people put music only at the beginning and ending of the recording as a framework for the story; some add in snippets between scenes or chapters; still others include it under the narration and dialog as a soundtrack. Whatever way you choose to use it, it adds a layer of depth to the presentation of the story, which I highly recommend.
Sound bites are small pieces of sound that can be anything from extra giggles to school bells ringing to explosions. Used effectively, they can help to bring the piece even more to life, or they can help to be an audible cue when a scene changes or the POV switches.
Special effects can be any change made to the recording, especially done inside the software package to the sound wave, and they run the gamut from changes in tempo and pitch to echoes to wave form mixing. I don't have any idea how many possibilities there are in this department, so just playing with options is my advice. I've used the echo feature for thoughts and flashbacks while rivertempest has used it for a demon's voice and amanitamuscaria used it for speech through a microphone in a large ballroom setting. Changes in pitch can be effective in distinguishing character voices, and it can also be helpful in the editing phase if you have to splice a word inside an already existing sentence. I use Fade Out and Fade In for editing my plosives, but they are also handy in incorporating music and trailing off boring speeches. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Whatever you do, keep in mind the intent of the piece you are recording and use the extras to enhance the overall experience for your listeners. Happy Recording!