Creating and wrangling audio
Of all the skills required of a multimedia journalist my favorite is definitely audio editing. I have been a serious audiophile since I produced my first old timey radio drama in college, so imagine my delight at this demonstration of the stereo effect (listen with headphones). The audio project replicates the feeling of sitting in a barber's chair, including the snip of the scissors and the cringeworthy sound of electric clippers.
While you're not likely to hear elaborate radio dramas anymore, the web does offer a space for providing unique audio experiences to an attentive audience. That being said here are some tips on creating better, more efficient audio projects:
When it comes to free audio editing programs, Audacity, with all its faults, seems to be the industry standard. One of the most obvious flaws is that the program will return an error message if you try to export your file as an mp3. There is, however, a simple download that will nip the problem in the bud. For more Audacity tips and tricks, check out this video tutorial.
If you're using Windows and don't have access to GarageBand, Wavosaur is free audio editor that is simple to download and use. It allows for quick audio editing of mp3s and is great for chopping down field audio or podcasts when time is an issue.
Once you've got your audio pared down, you need an online player that you can embed in your site. Most major news sites have proprietary or internal audio players, but if your project requires something simple and free without building it in Flash, navigate to this site. They have a number of free and highly customizable mp3 players that can be tweaked and uploaded in minutes.
While you're not likely to hear elaborate radio dramas anymore, the web does offer a space for providing unique audio experiences to an attentive audience. That being said here are some tips on creating better, more efficient audio projects:
When it comes to free audio editing programs, Audacity, with all its faults, seems to be the industry standard. One of the most obvious flaws is that the program will return an error message if you try to export your file as an mp3. There is, however, a simple download that will nip the problem in the bud. For more Audacity tips and tricks, check out this video tutorial.
If you're using Windows and don't have access to GarageBand, Wavosaur is free audio editor that is simple to download and use. It allows for quick audio editing of mp3s and is great for chopping down field audio or podcasts when time is an issue.
Once you've got your audio pared down, you need an online player that you can embed in your site. Most major news sites have proprietary or internal audio players, but if your project requires something simple and free without building it in Flash, navigate to this site. They have a number of free and highly customizable mp3 players that can be tweaked and uploaded in minutes.
