Part A

For the challenge I want to learn how to conduct a good interview, record it and edit it for a real online radio station. My challenge will be learning how to prepare for an interview and use an mp3 kit and mic and how to use the software audacity better for voice editing. Some day I hope to be a music producer and I think it’s really important understand all kinds of editing.

THE TASK:

Pretty early on Vicky talked us through what makes a good interview. I made notes and put this into practice when I interviewed graffiti artist Casper Carr. I've learnt that sounding engaged and eye contact and body language are important for getting the interviewee to open up. Asking 'open questions' questions that require more than yes or no answers are the best kind where possible and they usually start with the w's and how or if, like what, where, when, who.

Using the mp3 kit and mic was really easy. Vicky did a demonstration, then we practising by interviewing someone else we didn't know in our group. That was good for practising questions. And making sure we were at the right distance to record and getting used to being an interviewer.

From the experience I've had with audacity I have learnt how to cut out unnecessary spaces, for example when the interviewer asks a question and the other person stops to think or says 'erm' to make sound natural but more immediate. One trick is to take out am ‘uumm’ but to add some sound that is silent so there is still time taken before someone talks.

I’ve also found out that the program is free to download so in the future when I do some interviews or recorded stuff with my diploma group I could always use audacity to improve the quality of them. Plus you can put a number of tracks together and have different sounds on different layers. For example a tune on one track and an MC on another.

You can use audacity for anything really I would like to have a go using it for making backing tracks to go in a video or if I had to edit any types of recorded work that I have done, it can be use to mix two different tracks together like a mixer or it can be use to shred bits out of songs or tracks you can also change people’s voices so that if they don't like their voice in the in the interview you can speed it up a bit (sound younger) or slow a little (which sounds deeper and older!)

I feel really confident about this process now I've done it. If I had to do it again I think I'd jump at the chance. I'm really proud of the way my final interview sounds too. Check it out here: