My First Radio Play

ChrisWerner · Post by **ChrisWerner** » Sun Jun 08, 2003 3:15 pm

This file has expired and is no longer available here. The owner of the topic can re-upload the file, or post a link to an off-site file. <a name="planetz-tag"></a>Genre: Radio Play <a name="planetz-tag"></a>Uses: too many copyright © 2003 Christian Werner, Neil Buxton _____________________________________ Hello all,
today I need your help.

I´ve never worked with real speech recordings and need your estimation upon the quality of the speech, the balance between voice and music and the feeling you´ve got when you hear this radio play extract. Is it captivating or exciting?

The radio play is based upon Neils and my Starchaser trilogy, here a extract of the Mars track.

I must thank to Isabella Lenandowski and Frank Meyer for their voices and their enthusiastic work, also they want no money.

If the quality and mood is okay I will finish the whole radio play soon.
The text is in german of course.
Thanks for YOUR help/suggestions.

borg · Post by **borg** » Sun Jun 08, 2003 5:04 pm

hey, chris, this is really nice, although it needs some work, but it's definitely a cool project.
from what i've heard coming out of the toy speakers of a laptop, the male voice sounded a bit dull, and the woman could do with some de-essing. also in the beginning i'd have some background/environmental sounds. i don't know where they are, but some engine rumbling, or laboratory sounds..., would give it a much more realistic feel.
when the music comes in (very strategically

), it is too loud, imo. especially as the girl starts whispering a bit. when conversation stops at about 4:15, the fast arpeggios might be a bit too musical for a hearing play (did i hear some strange things happening as well?), i think. or if you decide to keep it (as it is of course great music), i'd let it go on when the conversation is picked up again. now you have the conversation, it stops, the arpeggios come in, they stop, and the talking restarts... somehow doesn't feel right to me.
but again you picked the perfect time, now for fading out the music.
(environmental sounds!!!)
at the end, when the girl's talking about her boss not wanting to decode the memory stick, i'd go for a much more dramatic sound kicking in, as it feels like something, how should i put it..., conspirative (?)

you got me genuinly on the edge of my chair. i want more! i wanna know what's coming out of the 'technological device'!!!

Post by **hubird** » Sun Jun 08, 2003 6:58 pm

agree with Borg, good tips tmo

male voice needs 1Khz, the ultra hi top it has now isn't helping much (instead try Exiting fx with relative low adjustment to create 1-2 Khz).

Is it mp3 causing the phase cancelling, the use of two mics, or did you use fx?
The music sounds 'normal', so it must be fx I guess.

To keep the voices on top of the music (specially in the second part) you could try ducking compression technics.
Or simply do volume adjustment edits in the voicetracks, from which I mostly start.

cheerz

_________________
Let There Be Music!

[ This Message was edited by: hubird on 2003-06-08 20:04 ]

ChrisWerner · Post by **ChrisWerner** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 4:03 am

Thanks ANdy and Huub.
Craig and Corinna are at Craigs apartment (computer,Vent noise, tiping on the keyboard, Datas move over his monitor maybe some rain hits his window), Craig is the typical computer freak and helps her to decode the datas she copied from her work at SETI.
I have to wait until my microphones reach me and I bought a mobile recorder. Then I want record all background noises in a dummy head technic.
I agree that Craig sounds dull and I will try to EQ him once again. The recording was bad and filled with noise, but I could erase it, maybe some briliance was lost during that process. I will try the 1kHz boost. Also I will try to De-Ess the girl a little, I have never work with a De-Esser, everday new things to learn. The best way to balance the speech to the music would be to adjust the speech track for every sentences, arrgh.

A good idea to fade in the beginning of the music,Andy. Once the music fades out to the end the Enviromentals come back of course.
Thanks for your suggestions, I start to like this radio project.
All text is written and I´ve to wait till the speakers have some time for another recording session. Two month and this radio play should be finish. Hope I can sell it.

Cheers

wayne · Post by **wayne** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 8:00 am

Good on ya Chris, it's wonderful to see a musician getting theatrically inspired

I really enjoyed listening to this (although i know almost no German - my family left Zellerfeld in 1852!), and I would encourage you to continue .

i think the radio is a wonderful medium, mine is on all the time (ABC- our government network) and i love the way i can do anything else while listening to it.

No creative criticism, the boys have it covered.

All i can say is, go for it

ChrisWerner · Post by **ChrisWerner** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 8:05 am

I´ll proceed Wayne, promised.

This radio play will last for around 60min.
A big THX.

Post by **Neil B** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 12:49 am

I hope you can sell it too Chris

Submarine · Post by **Submarine** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 11:20 am

Affengeil

Post by **hubird** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 11:48 am

Affengeil?
this is german for apes-horny, isn't it?

paulrmartin · Post by **paulrmartin** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 12:42 pm

Is it just me or do the voices sound flanged, perhaps due to some severe de-noising?

ChrisWerner · Post by **ChrisWerner** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 2:20 pm

You have good ears Paul. I guess this light flanged sound on the vocals comes from many things. I guess the de-noising, EQ and encoding to a mp3 has to do with it.
I heard this flanged sound first time when I add the EQ, somehow I liked it but with the encoding it get to dominant. You should hear it in 32 or 16 bit wav, then it is nice.
I will give you an special price when it is done

.

You are right with your translation Huub. Good that at least apes gets horny of my radio play. hehe.

Post by **hubird** » Tue Jun 10, 2003 3:00 pm

don't feel ashamed, apes and us differ just 2 % from each other, geneticly spoken.
don't know if the music genes belong to those 2 percent