Audio Information and Media
Audio Information and Media refers to the dimensions of sounds that are transmitted, organized, and produced, through certain equipment or any communication outlets.
TYPES OF AUDIO INFORMATION
1. MUSIC
Music often elicits emotions and arousal from its listeners. It also stimulates us to perform various personal tasks such as studying, meditating, or even as a way to encourage dancing.
2. SOUND EFFECTS
We use sound effects when making specific points, providing hint to the setting in the absence of visuals. For example, imagine you are listening to radio action drama where some of the characters are fighting with one another using firearms. In the absence of visual, the creator of this drama may use sound effects of shooting guns to emphasize the scene.
3. NARRATION
Narration is a spoken message that often gives the most direct information by way of processing or narrating a story.
Narration is conveyed by a narrator, a specific person or unspecified literary voice who delivers information to the audience particularly about the plot or the series of events. In its simplest form, narration brings a story to life and transport the readers into different points of view.
FORMATS OF AUDIO INFORMATION
1. MP3
The MP3 which stands for “MPEG Audio Layer 3” is a compressed audio file format developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) and released in 1993 to give us a way to store audio information in digital forms, but with a smaller file size.
For over a decade, MP3s were the most common way to store music files on computers and portable music players. While MP3s are still existing in the Internet, other file formats are now also used for audio compression.
2. MP4
MP4 is an audio file type capable of holding audio, video and other media.
Do you have any idea what is the difference between an MP4 and an MP3?
An MP3 is exclusively used for audio while an MP4 is a container file used to store not just audio, but also videos or even subtitle files.
PRINCIPLES FOR LOW-COST SOUND DESIGNING
a. Never underestimate the power of natural sound
It is because sounds made by nature and by industry is the best musical score we can use in videos. They are just everywhere and doesn’t cost us anything in using them.
For examples, are the sound of the wind, the flowing stream, the tweeting birds, and so much more!
b. Create your own sound bank
Do you have any idea what is a sound bank? A sound bank comes in handy in case you need all natural and original sound.
Keep your sound recorder (your phone) that is handy at all times. You can record a quiet night with only crickets making sound, a rainfall, a busy street and a lot more!
When the time that you would need ambient sound, you will already have something available.
c. Go for original music
Why is that so? – for example, you uploaded a video with an incorporated copyright music, the social media might instantly mute your video because it violates copyright rules.
As we discussed from one of our previous lessons, copyright is a form of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to make copies of a creative work.
So, in case you really need that particular song, ask somebody to do a cover of it for use because social media does not mute covers.
d. Eliminate unnecessary noise as much as possible.
Sometimes, you cannot demand complete silence because of some circumstances. As we commonly experience, some of these sound problems are the crow of a rooster, the bark of a dog, or even the videoke from our neighbors.
When this happens, it is better to just move away.
e. Be careful with your voice recordings
Some video contents rely greatly of voice component, like the instructional video materials currently being produced for DepEd, and poor sound can affect the content’s effectiveness, especially if the message is on the voice component itself.
The basic rule in sound recording is to direct the recording equipment as close as possible to the sound source. Our smartphones can easily accomplish this task. All you need to have are some techniques to creatively execute recording or designing your own audio contents.
Why do you think there is a need to understand Audio Information and Media?
With our present culture nowadays where new innovations of technology are now a trend, it is wiser to be knowledgeable with audio information and media since it caters the needs of understanding transmitted information even in the absence of visuals.
**End of Lesson**