Recording Process

Yesterday, after many false starts, I successfully recorded all of the dialogue for the radio play and advert.  The process was a little long winded and I have done my best to describe it below:

Lucy agreed to voice the part of Mary in the radio play, so we began to arrange recording sessions.  However, due to a number of timetabling issues this took some time.  We eventually agreed to make a preliminary recording during the Media session on Tuesday, 2nd March at 7:00 PM using my Edirol R09 portable recorder.

Whilst the actors were familiarising themselves with the script, I recorded two takes of Paul voicing the radio advert in a vacant music technology classroom.  We then recorded two takes of the first scene of the radio play in the Media teaching room.  However, when listening back, we noticed a great deal of ambient noise which detracted from the quality of the recording and we decided that it would be best to re-record the play itself in a more controlled environment (the takes for the radio advert would not need to be re-recorded as, by the time they are mixed with music, the ambience would probably be hidden).

We discovered that all of the cast were available to record at 10:00 AM on the following Tuesday (9th March), during another Media session, and we agreed to utilise this opportunity, but realised that the RNC Radio studio would be used for a broadcast at this time.  We therefore decided to book Control Room 1 and Studio A via the music technology department at the suggestion of Dave, one of the other Media students, who is also employed by the college on a temporary basis in that department.

Unfortunately, Lucy was taken ill on that morning in addition to a number of other difficulties, so we agreed that we would not be able to record at that time.  We did, however, assemble to record that evening at 7:00 PM.  Studio A was not in use, but Control Room 1 was being used to record the piano in the recital room.  We therefore decided to patch Studio A to Control Room 3, but this was unsuccessful.  We therefore agreed to re-record on 16th March at 10:00 AM, again in Studio A/Control Room 1.

However, Lucy was, once again, unable to attend the recording session.  We therefore decided that, as the studio was already set up and working, we would attempt to find a replacement actor at short notice.  Unfortunately, all of the Performing Arts department were unavailable and it therefore appeared, for a short time, as though we would not be able to continue.  However, Lysette Chapronière from the Music Technology department agreed to step in and we consequently began to record.

This process was actually quite straightforward, but we needed to record at least two takes of each scene as Lysette was not familiar with the script.  Even after these takes, I will no doubt need to undertake some significant fine editing in order to make the final product flow.

In the final scene, a telephone conversation between Aaron and Mary, Dave applied filtering to Lysette's voice to give the effect of talking into a telephone.  We recorded three takes of this scene and, perhaps due to it being rather short, it flowed very well without much editing.

Dave recorded the takes onto a digital multitrack audio recorder and is now in the process of converting this audio into a wav file.  Once this has been done, I will begin the editing process.

Radio Advert Script

A2 Media Studies Script
Advanced Production Portfolio: Radio Advert

Search No More
by
Matthew Horspool
for
The Voice

Air Date: Thursday, 29th April to Tuesday, 4th May, 2010
Air Time: Various

[A timer begins to tick]

Voiceover: Six months ago, you heard this:

[The timer pauses.  A brief burst of static noise is heard.]

[Extract from a previous advert - "Want to help us?  then fill in our listener survey!"]

[Static, then the timer reaches its elapsed time - a bell is heard.]

Voiceover: Now, you can hear this:

[Bell ceases.  Static.]

[Extract - "... I'm sure the government could find a use for that!
Aaron: the government?
Mary: of course.  Crime rate'd go right down if people knew they were being tracked!"  (scene 1, lines 4-6)]

[Static.  Electronic music begins, over which the advert continues.]

Voiceover: (Reverbarated) Midweek Mystery: (Dry) a new programme to The Voice, starring some of the finest radio actors from around the globe.  This week, listen as computing batchellar Aaron Thornton discovers how his newly invented microchip technology could have a staggering affect on society, causing him to enter a maze of moral dilemmas and other unexpected consequences.

[Extract - "Not a particularly well-known job, but it's still something to brag about... Or is it?  When the public find out that I'm the man responsible for the new tracking system... Well, it's not exactly private, is it?"  (Scene 3)]

Voiceover: Search No More - the first Midweek Mystery: starts this Wednesday evening at 7:00.

[Music ends.]

[END]