Ben Blog Post

Hey monkeys! Ben here with another [occasional] blog post! A patron mentioned recently that I should do more of these, and so here I am, hehe. So I thought I'd talk about the audio process... or rather, my audio process, to give you a sneak peek behind the scenes.

How long does it take to make an audio?

An audio is a marathon, not a sprint, for me. A long, creative process. All in all, a 7-12 minute audio will take me about 10-12 hours.

First, becoming inspired by an idea that would make a great audio. Thanks to my $10+ patrons and our Group Script Writing Sessions, I never have a lack of inspiration or ideas!!  But I do try to choose ideas that haven't been done a million times, and I try to write them in a fresh way that listeners can't find on other channels. Whether or not I succeed at that 100% of the time, who knows. But that's the goal!

The process then goes to script writing-- the quickest part of the process for me usually. I'm a published writer in my "real life" too, and writing has always been a strength of mine--unlike acting. Once I have an initial idea, the words flow very quickly and I'm able to play the plot in mind like a movie, just writing it as a stream of consciousness.

After the script is written, the recording process begins. This is the part that usually gives me the most grief as my voice is very finicky as to which days it chooses to cooperate with me, haha! Having GERD (a chronic reflux disorder) leaves me with a lot of hoarse days, on top of being a professional singer in my "real life".  BUT, on the days my voice feels great and I feel it's safe to record, the recording process takes about two hours for one audio. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I'm not a great actor (it's just not a strong, natural talent for me), so I do many many takes, sometimes reading one particular line 25-30 times over and over trying to find the right way to deliver it. That's probably bordering on stupid obsessive perfectionism, but ehhhhh, that's me I guess haha!

Once I finally have a vocal take that I can tolerate, the hunt begins for sound effects. I usually read through the script section by section, combing through the online libraries I've subscribed to, and try to gather all the sound effects I'll need before I start the editing process; it just makes it faster in the end.

I do sound effects in "layer". Big obvious sounds first--  doors opening, footsteps, city ambience, outdoor ambience, the basic "stage" for the scene. But then, after all the big building blocks are laid, I add a second layer. This layer is the more subtle details-- a setting down of a coffee cup, a soft clank of a fork on a plate, jingling of car keys when talking about leaving or going for a ride; could be sheets rustling or a slight bed squeak when getting into bed. 

 "Movement" is key. I hate audios that just have a "floating voice" talking, with no sound effects that anchor the character to the scene. Little shoe scuffs here in there or clothes rustling, even if the actor isn't "walking" in a scene, helps to softly remind the listener that the actor has weight, has a body, isn't just standing like a statue.  For example, in the audio "Twisted Ankle", the scene takes place on the beach, in sand. So while my character is kneeling and helping the listener up off the ground, I added soft little sand sounds here and there to indicate movement, the small shifts of his body since he's likely balancing on his haunches. Because after all, in real life, nobody is ever perfectly still. Those details matter to me.

Once I've edited all the pieces together, I put the audio through the "Mastering" process. This is a techy, sound-nerd process that adds shine to the high-end of the sound spectrum (birds chirping, keys jingling, dishes clanking) and adds warmth and depth to the low-end of the sound spectrum (my voice, footsteps, doors closing, cars starting). It also adds something called compression, which limits how loud any certain part of the audio can get. That means that even when something "loud" happens, like a door slam or a shout, the compression only allows it to hit a certain decibel threshold so that it doesn't blast your ears out, as well as making sure that "quiet" parts like whispering, tiptoes, subtle things don't disappear and aren't harder to hear than the rest of the audio.  Basically, it keeps the whole audio sonically even, from the softest to the loudest moments.

Then? It's ready for your ears!! And that's the process!