{"id":407,"date":"2017-07-15T15:30:31","date_gmt":"2017-07-15T21:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/?p=407"},"modified":"2017-07-15T15:50:38","modified_gmt":"2017-07-15T21:50:38","slug":"grace-steel-ep-85-production-notes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/?p=407","title":{"rendered":"Grace & Steel Ep. 85: Production Notes"},"content":{"rendered":"

I encountered few problems getting Episode 85 of Grace & Steel<\/a> shipshape and posted. When Grace and I co-host a show, as opposed to Grace appearing with a guest, things typically go smoother in post-production simply because I have much experience working with files recorded on Grace\u2019s system and my own, of course. The only real hiccup with Ep. 85 was when something on Grace’s computer shut down his Audacity recording. This has happened a few times before, and we\u2019re not why sure why. It\u2019s no big deal. It simply means that he must stop talking, save his recording by exporting and restart the program. He then sends me two Audacity files instead of one, and I match these against the Total Recorder wav file which Grace had kept running even as he fiddled with Audacity. I edit out the gap.<\/p>\n

For curious audio nerds, I\u2019ll run through my editing process. It\u2019s important to keep in mind that, with the exception of the mastering process, this is a bespoke process. For mastering, I paid a few bucks to take an online video course on the subject, worth every penny. As for the rest, there may be better ways of doing it. I\u2019ve watched YouTube videos on producing podcasts that recommend various utilities to do this or that; for instance, one utility automatically cut out a substantial portion of dead air between phrases. While this would save time, it would result in a loss of control over the edit. And so, I prefer my laborious method. I stress, however, I learned this on the fly, and the process will likely change as I learn more.<\/p>\n

Here is the process step by step:<\/p>\n

1. As I download all files sent to me, I stick them in a working folder separate from the Audio folder used by Sonar. After each change I make to an audio file, I save it under a new name with some kind of indicator that will tell me instantly what I\u2019ve done. For instance, if I treat a file with noise reduction, I\u2019ll put \u201cnr\u201d in the file name. This helps me if I, heaven forbid, have to do any punch-ins or match files, as in the case, mentioned above, when Grace\u2019s recording gets broken in two.
\n2. All files are then converted, using WaveLab, from various rates and formats to wav files with a sample rate of 44,100 Hz and 32-bit float (the Audacity defaults).
\n3. I then close WaveLab, and open each file in Audacity, and treat them with a noise reduction utility.
\n4. Then it\u2019s back to WaveLab where I first check average volumes and, if need be, boost the files with a hard limiter to ensure sufficient audio to work with in the mixing program. An average volume of -25 to -20 dB will suffice.
\n5. I then go through each file individually, removing background noise. This takes a long time and is really boring. However, it should be noted that none of this editing changes the podcast length, which must remain approximately the same as the original file length to enable synching it up later in the multitrack program. Again, as mentioned above, all conversions and treatments are saved as unique file versions in the working folder.
\n6. Then everything is moved over to the multi-track program, Sonar, where I start laying out the show\u2014music, guide track, intro, Grace\u2019s voice, Steel\u2019s voice and an effects track along the bottom if needed. (As I load up the various tracks, Sonar saves new versions of each file in its own Audio folder; this is important to remember because it means I don\u2019t have to save the files in the working folder at the end of this process, merely the Audio folder.) Next I must make sure everything lines up correctly. Things can get out of sync. So I have to spot check the mix, slice up the mono files and move them a little this way and that to match the guide track: the stereo Total Recorder file.
\n7. Then comes the big mixdown. Usually it takes two to five tries to get this right, adjusting volumes mostly but sometimes adding a bit of compression and eq (equalization). As mentioned in a previous post, I split the stereo track with each person 30% left and right, as opposed to hard panning. The goal is for an average volume of -19 dB to -18 dB for the person who speaks the most. (Note: I save the mixdowns in a separate folder.)
\n8. Then it\u2019s time for the final edit in WaveLab. This is where the chopping is done, where the podcast is reduced in length. As I do the final edit on my desktop, I also compile the links for the Show Notes on my laptop.
\n9. Once the final edit is complete, it must be mastered. This is the application of three utilities, always in this order; compression, eq, and a hard limiter. I use the utilities made by Steinberg, maker of WaveLab. For the final file, I\u2019m shooting for an average volume of -16.5 dB to -16 dB. (Note: When we started the podcast, I had read somewhere that some Scandinavians had decided that podcasts sounded best with an average volume of -15 dB. So I aimed for that. About six months ago, I read somewhere else that everybody was now going for -16 dB, which suits me better.)
\n10. Once final mastering is completed, there is one final mixdown and compression to mp3, using a dithering utility along with the three mastering utilities. I then place the final files, one wav and one mp3, in a separate folder. The wav will be used to create the YouTube version of the podcast, and the mp3 will be posted to SoundCloud.
\n11. Because all important files have been saved elsewhere, I am free to delete the working audio file which is now massive in size. I also delete all the failed mixdowns.<\/p>\n

At the top of this post, I mentioned the gap caused by the inexplicable shutdown of Audacity. For those who have read through the 11 steps above, I\u2019ll explain that this cut should be made during the final edit. Bad experience has taught me not to do it in the multitrack.<\/p>\n

There are a few other things that must be done before the podcast goes out to the world. For instance, as these final mixdowns are rendering, I begin writing the 2Kevins page for that episode with all the Show Notes.<\/p>\n

After the mixdowns are done, then it\u2019s back to the desktop and into Photoshop to create the cover art, which is then added to the mp3 file in a metatag program (along with a lot of gobbly gook file info). This mp3 is then posted to SoundCloud. Once posted, I add the SoundCloud file links to the 2Kevins page and go live with that. And then I start publicizing the show.<\/p>\n

Next, I take a few screenshots of the episode\u2019s SoundCloud and 2Kevins pages to be used in the YouTube version of the podcast. I do this in Sony Vegas, using the final mastered wav file, of course, not the mp3 file, and I change the picture every 15 minutes, which is recommended for YouTube podcasts. Then the file is rendered as a wmv file, and I upload that to YouTube.<\/p>\n

At the end of this extended and complicated process I sit back and think, why am I doing this? It\u2019s nuts. But then someone makes an encouraging comment, or makes a donation, and I think, alright then, let\u2019s do it again. It\u2019s encouragement like that that keeps me going. After all, when I think about it, what else do I do that makes any bloody difference in this sweet old world? Not much. And I still enjoy \u201ckicking the pricks,\u201d as we used to say in the Alberta Report<\/em> newsroom.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I encountered few problems getting Episode 85 of Grace & Steel shipshape and posted. When Grace and I co-host a show, as opposed to Grace appearing with a guest, things typically go smoother in post-production simply because I have much experience working with files recorded on Grace\u2019s system and my own, of course. The only…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Q4T3-6z","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":397,"url":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/?p=397","url_meta":{"origin":407,"position":0},"title":"Grace & Steel Ep. 84: Production Notes","author":"Kevin Steel","date":"July 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KMGVictoria\/status\/882853840520790017 I read this tweet from my co-host about Grace & Steel Ep. 84 and thought, \"Well? I guess I should say something about this in my production notes. But what?\" I'm not exactly sure what the technical problems were and I didn\u2019t bother to find out. I only know\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Grace & Steel Podcast"","block_context":{"text":"Grace & Steel Podcast","link":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":388,"url":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/?p=388","url_meta":{"origin":407,"position":1},"title":"Grace & Steel Ep. 83 – Production Notes","author":"Kevin Steel","date":"June 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Listeners now know the name of the mystery guest, mentioned in this post, who ordered the mic from Amazon with one-day delivery and, while waiting more than one day for that delivery, dropped off the radar. It was Katie McHugh, as featured in Episode 83. The mic she\u2019d ordered was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Grace & Steel Podcast"","block_context":{"text":"Grace & Steel Podcast","link":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":361,"url":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/?p=361","url_meta":{"origin":407,"position":2},"title":"When is the next podcast?","author":"Kevin Steel","date":"June 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"To kick off the behinds-the-scenes peek at the Grace & Steel podcast, I\u2019ll make excuses for why we\u2019re slow in producing another episode. First of all, shortly after posting Episode 82 \u2013 Rivers of Blood, I was sent off on my bi-annual, week-long forced vacation. This probably demands a bit\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Grace & Steel Podcast"","block_context":{"text":"Grace & Steel Podcast","link":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/yusipka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/yusipka-site-icon-72-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":337,"url":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/?p=337","url_meta":{"origin":407,"position":3},"title":"Yusipka repurposed","author":"Kevin Steel","date":"June 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This blog will now become a place to post info about my activity in and around the Grace & Steel podcast, now up to 82 episodes (as of this writing).\u00a0 I intend to include some behind-the-scenes stuff for our listeners; i.e. problems we encounter putting an episode together, some tech\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2Kevins"","block_context":{"text":"2Kevins","link":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":192,"url":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/?p=192","url_meta":{"origin":407,"position":4},"title":"More memories","author":"Kevin Steel","date":"January 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"My friend Kevin Grace (aka The Ambler n.b. updates pending), after seeing the picture posted below of Paul W. and Davis S. in the Alberta Report newsroom, asked if I had any other photos from that era. I do. They are pretty random. I've just now scanned a bunch and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Memoir"","block_context":{"text":"Memoir","link":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/?cat=11"},"img":{"alt_text":"Carmen Wittmeier 1 - 72","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/yusipka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Carmen-Wittmeier-1-72-215x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":294,"url":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/?p=294","url_meta":{"origin":407,"position":5},"title":"Itsy Bitsy Part 1","author":"Kevin Steel","date":"November 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"At this point I would like to introduce a new feature to the podcast, as yet to be titled. My working title is Ma valise mal \u00e0 l'aise --My Uncomfortable Suitcase--but I haven't had a chance to check the French. A couple of podcasts back, my co-host said to me,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Memoir"","block_context":{"text":"Memoir","link":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/?cat=11"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=407"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":410,"href":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/407\/revisions\/410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/yusipka.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}