The one thing I’m glad I learned this week was how to use Adobe Audition. It was really great to get more practice taking photos, writing captions, and composing web stories — but it was so cool to get to see how this software worked. Learning how to import files and make a multitrack was great — seeing how Donald used Audition to fade a song in and out with an audiogram was really interesting, and seeing Juan Carlos do his tech wizardry over Zoom was insane. It’s cool to have a foundation in Audition, and I appreciate just how much you can play around with sound.
One thing I would have done differently: I wish I got into the audio a bit earlier, instead of relying on just the written transcript. Since it was my first time working with audio, I didn’t realize how different the words would sound once I was working in Audition, instead of a Google doc. Next time I hope to find the right balance between preparing a well-organized transcript, and not getting too bogged down in the details before actually listening to how the audio files sound next to each other.
Now, I’m paying more attention and appreciating the subtleties of sound. I hadn’t ever considered how expansive and creative the world of audio can be, and I’m eternally grateful for this opportunity to be exposed to audio journalism. I learned so much from this project’s team about how to record sound: what possible interference or background noise to have on my radar, and most of all, how ambient noise can play a huge part in telling a story. I’m already having ideas for other audio stories or series that I’d like to put together (not starting Monday, but post-grad haha). I’m enjoying walking around the world and brainstorming how the different sounds of the world can create meaningful stories.
If I hadn’t applied for this opportunity, and if I hadn’t randomly met Charles Hyatt on a Monday morning, I wouldn’t be here. So I’m grateful.