For class discussion...

Why do they try to make it sound that way, if it's not that way? It's not real. Well, because the world of presentation in the media really isn't "real," in that sense. It is real, but it's a kind of a heightened reality; it's a better reality. It's a cleaner and more articulate reality.

—NPR's Alex Chadwick from "Pulling Back the Curtain," On the Media, November 14, 2003

From our readings...

Put simply, if you are going to make money directly or indirectly by the presentation or distribution of the piece you have created, then you should have the composer's permission to use the music. Fortunately, numerous companies have developed copyright-free music collections and software to assist you in designing a soundtrack that is wholly yours.

—Digital Storytelling Cookbook: The Power of the Soundtrack

Digital audio basic vocabulary

If the camera has audio connections, it is always a good idea to use them, even when also recording to a dedicated audio recorder. Think of the camera’s audio circuits as a basic two-track audio recorder. You won’t have the noise performance, frequency response, or control offered by even the simplest dedicated audio recorder, but camera audio provides a good backup and sync reference."

—Jon Tatooles, co-founder, Sound Devices, on recording multi-track sound for HD DSLR shoots

 

Sampling rates: 32k = basic DV cameras, 44.1k = CD, 48k = standard broadcasts, 96K = DVD audio

Bit depth

Waveforms

Audio meters

Mixing multiple audio tracks