DESIGNING A COLLABORATIVE PODCAST

The Sonic Ecology Project​

 

In this production log I will be documenting my process and experience working as part of a group to create a podcast. I will outline the different stages of the production process, my roles and contributions, and how well I collaborated with the rest of the team. I will reflect on the project, and discuss the challenges I faced during production, and how they were resolved.

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During the pre-production phase, I feel I struggled to communicate with the group as unfortunately I was joining the project later in the term due to external issues, it was not difficult to fit in with the group as they were very welcoming, but I felt that I was unable to contribute ideas for the subject matter of the podcast as it had already been determined what the group would be focusing on, which was chosen to be Sound and Nature. Due to this late start, I feel I also missed out on the initial research period, I did however do some of my own research into podcasts in general to get a feel for the genre and an idea of who the main demographic of podcasts is.

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Research Resources:

• Distractables Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3iUcoa7TIE1czO9dWV9O1B?si=7112ab0e5fa64cb1Podcast

• demographic research - https://www.buzzsprout.com/blog/podcast-statistics

• Trash Taste podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/6i9SWtZPb30xVXWVHSKCqq?si=13aecccc42874829

 

In my personal research, I found statistics that outlined who the main demographic of podcasts is. The United States seems to be the top percentage of listeners, with 47.9% being from the US; the next leading demographic was the UK, with only 6.3%, so it is quite a dramatic difference. The style of podcast I seem to be more drawn towards is that of a friendly discussion or debate, so had I been able to input my own ideas to the group, I would have liked to have gone for more of this style instead of us each having our own small 10-minute chapter of the podcast we created.

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Equipment and Software Used:

• Microphone: Audio-Technica AT2020 Cardioid Condenser Microphone

• Recording/Editing Software: Logic X

During the recording phase, I was responsible for creating a 10-minute section of the podcast. So essentially, I assumed all of the roles for that section: interviewer, sound recordist, audio editor, researcher. The only role I didn’t take on was the mix engineer as this was for the final product where all of our 10-minute segments were mixed together. I was responsible for setting up microphones, writing and conducting an interview, ensuring proper sound levels and minimizing background noise, editing down the interview to fit the 10-minute window I was given.  

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In post-production, I was responsible for editing the audio files, removing unwanted noise, balancing the sound levels, and adding sound effects. My approach to editing focused on maintaining a clean and professional sound while preserving the natural flow of the conversation.

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The development of the podcast involved several key stages: research and planning, recording, editing, and final production.

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Planning Stage: At this stage, my focus was on gathering technical knowledge about podcast production. I explored various tools and methods for achieving high-quality audio, the goal was to ensure that our podcast would sound professional. During this stage I also had to determine what the topic my section of the podcast would focus on. The theme for the podcast was ‘sound and nature’ which I decided to take my own view on the meaning of sound and nature and focused on the influence of sound on human nature. I put together a series of interview questions to ask my friend Mike, who has worked in the industry in a multitude of job roles, from sound in film, to DJing, and as a music-based quiz master. I asked him a variety of questions that delved into his childhood and how music affected him growing up, as well as how he uses music and sound in his work.

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Recording Stage: During the recording stage, I would have liked the opportunity to conduct the interview in a recording studio, but unfortunately due to time constraints I had to conduct the interview over a Zoom call instead. I set up a separate microphone on my side to record my audio, which unfortunately didn’t end up working and I had to use the audio from the recording of the call, and Mike had his own microphone separate to the call on his end, which luckily did not have the same problem as mine, and I was able to use the audio.​​​​​​