I have now finished my recording for each of the 5 podcast episodes and am at the point where I need to begin editing. I have 22 final clips to use as well as the videos which I showed in the last post. I have converted each video to an audio file and have identified the specific pieces which I shall be using, but I have yet to edit each one down to just the required clips.
I found that the areas I identified in the last post regarding sound recording were very helpful and it was something I feel had a very positive effect in the outcome of recording. So, I shall be using this post to show some of the research I have done into editing a podcast through reading and watching various online video tutorials.
The above webpage is very detailed and provides material on simply just editing. Straight away emphasis is placed on identifying the level of editing required; in some instances it can be just trimming the intro and outro, or a lot more complex and involved – depending on what is required.
The writer, Jason Snell talks about the importance of deciding whether to be very clinical with editing, especially clearing out pauses, removing every um and uh and awkward pause and spoken digression. He states that,
“People speak with pauses and ums, with tangents and elliptical phraseology. Our brains are really, really good at taking all of that input and smoothing it out into something understandable. You could even argue that with too much editing, speaking starts to sound artificial and alien, because it no longer sounds like what we hear coming out of people’s mouths every day.”
(Snell 2015)
I think that this is a very good point. Removing all ‘unnecessary’ noises can create a very unnatural and uneasy feel, although this does not apply to unwanted background noise. Of course I certainly think that too many err’s and um’s cause unwanted attention, can draw unwanted attention and in some cases undermine the authority and professionalism of the podcast. Based on this I feel that having some un-perfected elements of speech in my podcast is the way to edit. Of course it should be kept fairly minimal so that it does not become unnatural in the sense that the audience do not merely brisk past it, but at the same it needs to avoid feeling too artificial.
http://tv.adobe.com/watch/adobe-for-academics/using-audition-to-mix-music/
The above link is to a video from Adobe and it gives a great overview on using Audition. I have had previous experience with Audition but I have not used it in a while and so it really helped refresh what I already knew. However it also covered things which were new to me and will be very helpful in editing. Also it is specifically aimed at using Audition for podcasting and so it is very beneficial to me. I find that a lot of Adobe’s tutorials are extremely useful, they are easy to follow, descriptive and divulge fantastic help and tips.
The above video offers very helpful techniques in removing background noise from your recordings in Audition by altering the noise reduction and restoration effect, as well as using rack effects and transitions to help create a smooth and free flowing podcast.
References
Adobe TV. (2013) ‘Create audio recordings and podcasts with Audition’. Available at: http://tv.adobe.com/watch/adobe-for-academics/using-audition-to-mix-music/ [Accessed on 20/04/15]
Snell, J. (2015) ‘How I Podcast: Editing’. [online] Available at: http://sixcolors.com/post/2015/02/how-i-podcast-editing/ [Accessed on 20/04/15]
Web Talk Revolution. (2013) ‘How to use Adobe Audition to give your podcast audio that professional edge’. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t6B7iwDuu0 [Accessed on 20/04/15]
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