Methods Fellow Workshop: Audible knowledge: soundscapes, podcasts and digital audio scholarship

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Methods Fellow Workshop: Audible knowledge: soundscapes, podcasts and digital audio scholarship

Dr Peter McMurray (CDH Methods Fellow)

With the rise of web-based scholarship and affordable digital audio equipment, artists and researchers are increasingly turning to audio formats as way to share their work with a larger audience and to cultivate new forms of knowledge rooted in listening. This workshop will offer an introduction to digital audio recording and editing (using Reaper, a digital audio workstation which can be downloaded/used for free on an extended trial basis). We will focus particularly on the editing choices for soundscape composition and podcasting, and participants will have the opportunity to produce a short audio piece over the course of the workshop.

The workshop is aimed at anyone in the collegiate university community.

None, though any previous experience recording (even using a phone) or editing audio will be helpful. The workshop will include exercises with flexible aims, depending on a participant’s experience.

Number of sessions: 3

By the end of this course you should be able to:

• Learn fundamentals of audio recording
• Learn to produce a short audio piece in a digital audio workstation (Reaper)
• Learn key compositional techniques for soundscape composition and podcasting

What we will cover:

• How to get the most out of your recording setup, from a phone and laptop to more elaborate configurations
• Basic techniques of editing and composing audio for soundscape pieces and podcasts
• Listening/discussing audio examples from musique concrète to contemporary radio/podcasting projects (e.g., Radio Lab, Ottoman History Podcast, Crucial Listening)

There will be a pre-recorded introduction to the topic of 60 minutes which will need to be scheduled to suit your time. The remaining sessions will be structured as workshops, with participants sharing work in progress alongside short presentations of new techniques by the trainer. In the final session, participants will share a short piece they created over the course of the workshop.

Session 0 - 60 min pre-recorded, Workshop overview, intro to audio recording

Session 1 - Wednesday, 9 June 11am (60 mins, audio editing)

Session 2 - Friday, 11 June 11am (60 mins, composing - podcasts and soundscapes)

Session 3 - Monday, 14 June 11am (90 mins, reviewing participant projects)

You will need a computer for editing and some kind of recording device (e.g., phone, handheld audio recorder, etc). Participants should download Reaper beforehand (https://www.reaper.fm)