Unable to come up with an idea for a new script, I wrote the following lament,
My brain is empty
I’m out of gas
I can’t find a story
I’ll just have to pass
Maybe some sleep
Will do the trick
After I rest
I won’t be so thick
and reloaded my original Audio Experiment project to try the three new editing tasks.
I had already added free music and done some cleanup using the limiter to remove spikes in the previous submission. This time I remixed the music using the fade tools. Adjustable fade was new to me, and I prefer it to a simple fade. In Photo editing we talk about destructive and non-destructive edits. To me, after using the fade tools, they seem similar to destructive edits made by changing pixels, whereas Audacity’s envelope tool creates a non-destructive edit that can be adjusted any time without changing the underlying samples. I do want to learn to use the envelope tool more proficiently.
I downloaded a crackling fireplace effect from Pixabay and recorded my own canvas sound effect to blend into my podcast. I also tweaked the left-right balance of the music & effects. I’ve never figured out effective EQ and don’t know how to use it to eliminate p-pops. But I’ve left this to the submission deadline again, so I’ll have to explore that later.
I also realized that if I was reading my podcast, I could just post the original text rather than using AI to generate a transcript. So here’s a link the document I read, and for good measure, a screenshot of my Audacity project.
I found the canvas sound a bit distracting, but loved the use of the other sound effects and the music was very soothing.
The music is lovely and atmospheric — I really feel like it evokes tone and invites the listener in, and the fire was particularly welcome.
I think the voice is warmer and crisper on the second read. I also am not great at pop removal, but I get away with it by messing with the top-end high EQ tones and dropping them a couple levels. It may be the laziest advice ever, but it does work!