Hacker Public Radio (c) 2011 lostnbronx ===== TOTI 02: Dramatic Audio Media In The Modern Era ----- (HPR-INTRO up) (HPR-INTRO crossfades with EPISODE-MUSIC) (EPISODE-MUSIC out) Hello, this is lostnbronx. You know, as I was writing the script for this episode, it occurred to me that it was, more or less, a continuation of the thoughts I expressed on an earlier HPR episode; namely Episode 0334, "Theater of The Imagination". Therefore, this is number two in that series, which, I didn't know was ever going to BE a series, but, whatever. I'll be expanding upon it in the future, as my knowledge and inclination grow. Now then, it's been a while since I had anything to post here on Hacker Public Radio. That's 'cause I've been busy. See, I got a life, see! I'm not a nerdy loser, like YOU! Well, maybe I am, but among other things, I just released a piece of dramatic audio media -- technically a dramatized story -- called "Blue Heaven", cha-ching-cha-ching. This took me quite a while to put together, and I made a ton of mistakes. I'm passingly satisfied with the result, though, and am working on more dramatic audio media for the future. Now, I figure that there must be some of you out there with an interest in presenting your own written creative works, be they audio scripts, books, poems, whatever, in an audio format of some kind, or, that maybe there are those of you who want to get involved in some other way -- acting or sound engineering or whatever. If so, then my missteps might very well be your gains. I'm only at the beginning of this journey, myself, so my blunders -- read that, lessons to be learned -- will be many, and I invite you to learn from them as I do. In upcoming installments, I'll delve into some meat and potatoes regarding equipment and software, and some of the things I've learned, or felt I needed to do, and why. But for now, let me start with a few definitions. These are not necessarily official, in fact, you may never even hear anyone but ME using them; nor were they so defined in Episode #1 of "Theater Of The Imagination", since that was, what? Two years ago? Something like? But they are the terms that I use NOW, and I will use them routinely as I talk. FIRST Dramatic Audio Media -- I define this as any form of audio-based fiction. That would include audiobooks, podiobooks, books on or ripped from CD, stories or shows that have a cast of actors along with music and sound effects, or any combination of these things. Basically, they are audio-based stories, shows, or even poetry. Nothing more, nothing less. But the key here is fictional or creative works. SECOND Audiocast -- This is synonymous with podcast -- yes, even a show like HPR -- except that it umbrellas _this_ term with such oddities as oggcast, speexcast, netcast, audcast -- Hi Jezra -- and any number of others. Be they in OGG Vorbis format, or MP3, or Speex; or be they distributed via RSS feed, or Audible or iTunes -- which, I dunno, might be the same thing, I don't use them -- or, if they're only available through direct downloads, they are ALL audiocasts. The prime distinction here is NOT the actual codecs involved, nor even the exact online distribution formats, and certainly not the content itself, but, rather, online availability versus radio broadcasting. Now why make this distinction? Because one is, at least in theory, available to the entire world whenever any individual therein wants it; while the other is available only within a certain broadcast radius, or broadcast network, whenever the BROADCASTER makes it such. You miss a particular radio broadcast, and you have to either find it elsewhere -- often online -- or you have to hope, beg, and/or plead with the broadcaster to repeat it sometime. So, as I define it, we have broadcasting -- which, of course, is, itself, an umbrella term covering many disparate things -- and we have audiocasting. Dramatic Audio Media can be delivered through either method. THIRD Physical Distribution, or PD -- Quite simply, this encompasses such things as books on CD, cassette tape, vinyl albums, or whatever. If you have to manually pass along or somehow obtain a piece of physical media in order to ultimately listen to the show, then you are doing so via PD. Once you rip it into digital, it gets reduced to its essential form: dramatic audio media, audiocast, whatever. If, conversely, you commit digital content to a piece of physical media, then you're back to PD. Pay attention, now, there'll be a quiz. FOURTH Audio Drama -- Didn't I just TELL you what that was? Actually, no. This is where it can all start to get confusing. Audio Drama, or AD -- specifically -- is a generally-accepted term. You'll run into it, when you go searching for content out there. I didn't make it up. Specifically, it refers to dramatized stories -- not just DRAMAS, mind you, this includes comedies, romances, Westerns, whatever -- very often regular series, but not necessarily, with multiple actors, or multiple characters by a single actor. Think Old Time Radio. Think BBC Radio productions. That sort of thing. You can split hairs here, obviously, and fight 'tll the cows come home over minor distinctions, but, by-and-large, this is the definition most closely associated with this term. Audio Drama: multiple distinct characters, with music and sound effects. FIFTH Dramatized Story -- Basically, an actual story read by primarily one person, with music and/or sound effects added. My own show, "Blue Heaven", though I have improperly described it before as an audio drama, is, in fact, one of these. It's just me, with music and sound effects. You can fight over distinctions, since such things as one-person stage shows exist, and they are considered to be plays, not stories, and dramatized stories CAN be written to be more like those than like short stories or novels; but again, this is a definition that is generally understood, and which you'll encounter from time to time. Dramatized Story: one reader, with music and sound effects. SIXTH and final for now Podiobook -- Basically, one person, reading a story or novel, often with a little bit of music, or more rarely, with some minor sound effects work. In other words, an audiobook or book on CD, except for the distribution method. Podiobooks are associated with the audiocast format, and, as such, are usually seen as being part of some series or other. You subscribe to them via RSS or Atom or whatever, and they get delivered to you when they're ready, just like any other audiocast. Though an audiobook that can only be directly downloaded from a site, and which has no RSS feed of any kind, IS still, or still can BE considered a podiobook, most enthusiasts do think of an RSS-distributed SERIES when they hear the term. If the show is a one-shot, then it doesn't need a feed, right? Well... If an author doesn't have a feed, a lot of listeners don't know what to do with the show, because they don't know how to get it on to their portable media players or phones, which is the usual method of consumption. I know that seems absurd to the listeners of THIS show, but I assure you it is both true and common: if they can't grab their desired content with iTunes, and have it automatically loaded on to their players, many, many, many people are lost. Therefore, for the twin reasons of convenience and abject ignorance, podiobooks usually must have an RSS feed to be considered such. And when _I_ use the term, that is what I will _also_ be referring to. That was dreadfully long and probably unnecessary, but I'm done with the descriptors. Until I'm not. Production Values Okay, I have some audiocasting under my belt, but "Blue Heaven" was my first real stab at dramatic audio fiction. On the one hand, my previous experiences helped immeasurably in preparing me for the technical considerations of producing a dramatized story. I was already familiar with some needed recording and editing software, I felt I understood the strengths and limitations of my hardware, and I knew I could hit a self-imposed production deadline. On the other hand, that experience was of no great value at all. The reason for this, in my opinion, is because of a rather narrow interpretation of a particular cliche that I, and many other audiocasters, have been guilty of subscribing to. I'm referring to that marvelous old saw, "Content Is King". People in the technical audiocasting world -- which, for some unfathomable reason, I seem to have found a home in -- tend to interpret that to mean only the _information_ being relayed within the show; but formatting, editing, and decent sound, as well as music, humor, personality -- ALL these things -- are also content. It's just that geeks lust after information, and the other considerations are, at best, secondary. This is NOT universal! There are many exceptions -- tech audiocasters who take great pride in their sound quality or entertainment value -- and if you're listening to this, you know who you are. By the same token, there are many who place those things on a lower scale of priority, and you know who _you_ are. Neither approach is wrong. It just depends on the show. Well, production value is also part of the content of dramatic audio media. But, in dramatic audio media, if your sound quality is poor it will interfere. Your marvelous writing, the great acting, the clever sound effects, and awesome music -- none of it matters if they can't be easily heard. That's just the way it is. Now this doesn't mean you need BBC Radio quality to put out a good drama. Few people have that kind of talent, skill, or equipment. If you do get into this stuff, you'll find that the quality is all over the map. In that regard, it's like tech audiocasting except for this one thing: in dramatic audio media, if you REALIZE that your production values can be improved somehow, it is incumbent upon you to attempt to do so. Whether or not you have the skill set, equipment, or time to actually pull it off, you're supposed to WANT to. The goal is for the BEST sounding stuff you're capable of producing. That was a difficult hurdle to jump, for me, since my audiocasts, thus far, have been none-too-great-sounding. Because of this rather steep incline going in, I was and still am, very dissatisfied with the audio quality of "Blue Heaven". I'm willing to give me a break, certainly, because it's a first effort. Gotta start somewhere, and I DID bust my behind. You know, you can tweak these things 'til the crack of doom, so at some point, you need to set a release date, and go with it. And, if you're doing a series, which I am NOT just yet, people do expect episodes on a regular basis, so, like always, you have to do that tightrope walk between art and practicality. This is just common sense stuff, but it informs a basic order of business: you need decent equipment and software. Now, since we're all FOSS enthusiasts here, we have the software covered, right? Free Software audio recording and editing applications are up to the job -- but there are caveats there, which I'll get into in future installments. As for the equipment, do you need to spend a lot of money? Not necessarily. If you have a cheap mic that sounds pretty good, then that's...pretty good. But most cheap mics sound like it, and if YOURS does, then you'll want to look at replacing it. If you can get good sound for a low price, all the more the more power to you. But it CAN run into money. Like a lot of things, you can spend as much as you want to. But you should strive for the best equipment you can afford. Personally, I can't afford much, so my equipment isn't awesome. You do what you can. But IF you can, you DO, got it? Good enough ain't good enough -- only good-as-it-can-be-under-the-circumstances is good enough. And the reason for this emphasis is because, as dramatic audio media people, we're NOT just conveying information; we're making art. YOUR art matters, so you treat it like it does. Production values begin inside you: the value YOU place on your production. Hold them dearly there, and they will cast their rosy glow upon your work. Short-sheet them, and your work will absolutely sound like it. Now, what some productions lack in technical quality, they make up for with enthusiasm. But everyone behind THOSE shows, if they COULD make them sound better, they certainly would choose to. And as time, experience, skill, and yes, maybe a little money, permit, so should you. This has been lostnbronx, for Episode 2 of the HPR series, "Theater Of The Imagination". Take care.