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how to get more audio monging in this forum

Started by hands cold, liver warm, October 05, 2006, 04:08:34 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

I would like to mash audio

yes
20 (80%)
no
5 (20%)

Total Members Voted: 25

Voting closed: October 05, 2006, 04:08:34 PM

hands cold, liver warm

hello I'm hclw and I'm a verbwhore

I want to know what kind of ideas people have about making this forum a thriving place for the audio mash up. This place is my only outlet for that kind of activity and there is sod all going on at the moment. The world cuts competition was a farce as a competition but what it did reveal was that there are many people here who enjoy audio mangling and who are very good at it.

so how can we get more of it? what kind of threads would people like to see?

The first thing that is obvious is that competitions are crap. People's first rush of enthusiasm quickly fades into boredom and they feel obliged to take part. Plus organising them is tedious.

what about tv threads? Popular tv shows are all over the the internet now, one of us rips the sound off an avi file, whacks it up on the site and everyone can mash the sounds. i remember a brilliant wife swap thread many many years ago.

I like the idea of a cassette boy style thread, where one poster puts up a 30s-1min audio mong and this triggers a series of related or unrelated mongs, which could be music or word play. No competition, no obligation. If you have a noise, put it up.

is anyone bothered? does anyone have any ideas

Jemble Fred

There was a catch-all audio cut-up thread, but haven't seen it in a while. I wish I had time to do more cut-ups, but it's impossible right now. The last one I did was the lame 'We Were Wrong' Bush/Blair/Bonzos tracks, and that was just a squib.

Why I Hate Tables

It's a great idea. Always up for messing up people's words.

wheatgod

I wouldn't mind a bit of audio monging. Problem is, I'm a total novice - a quick FAQ would be a great way in for me to start: best programs for beginners, common errors to avoid, and general hints and tips.

sproggy

Seconded.

Any links to good tutorials or suggestions on best software to use etc. would be interesting to beginners like meself.

Robot DeNiro

On a PC Sony Sound Forge is the best program for editing audio.  I think the current version is 8.0d (8.0a - c had some annoying glitches and are best avoided).

It's all you need for cutting, pasting, pitchshifting, reversing, mixing, crossfading and making swearwords.  I could write a beginners guide some time soon (if there is the demand for it).  In the meantime people can always PM me if they have specific questions, but I can't guarantee I'll know the answer - I probably only scratch the surface of the program when I use it.  Also, I don't know anything about plugins or production techniques, although it's obvious from The World Cuts entries that there are a fair few people on here who do.

I know nothing about mac software though.  What software do mac users use for audio monging?

May as well repost this.  This is roughly what Sound Forge looks like, although the buttons are less interesting in the real version...


butnut

Quote from: "Robot DeNiro"I know nothing about mac software though.  What software do mac users use for audio monging?

I use audacity, which is 100% free, and also Garageband which came with my computer. Between them there's really quite a lot you can do to sounds.

Robot DeNiro

Quote from: "butnut"Between them there's really quite a lot you can do to sounds.
As you expertly demonstrated during the audio tennis.

Technically speaking Sound Forge isn't free, and I guess it's possible that the arty types attracted to this forum all use Macs anyway.  So perhaps it's a bit pointless me writing a beginner's guide to Sound Forge.  I'm happy to do it if people want it though.

Maybe we could do a general sound editing tips and FAQ thread, although I don't know how many general tips I've got.  

1) Place your edit points where the waveform crosses the zero line to avoid glitches.
2) ...er, that might be all I've got.

hands cold, liver warm

does anyone have ideas about the kinds of audio threads they would enjoy?

Artemis

I've always previously enjoyed being given a source audio file and going away and messing around with it. I use Adobe Audition to do this.

JesusAndYourBush

Quote from: "hands cold, liver warm"does anyone have ideas about the kinds of audio threads they would enjoy?
Before the audio tennis started there was some audio available of last years.  I had a listen and it was a bit out of my capabilities.  I like the sort of audio challenge when it's just cutting up audio of peoples words to make them say stuff they never said.  It's best when it's an important speech like the Presidents state of the union or the Queen's speech or something like that, rather than just some random bit of speech from a nomark.

Why I Hate Tables

Anyone got any possible sources?

If I had one I'd put one up. I admired fudgemonkey's one a while ago on 9/11.

Jemble Fred

I still don't know why people put music on audio cut-ups. There were some great ones recently from the Heaven & Earth show (can't remember who did them, sorry!) but they were completely ruined by having tunes plastered all over them – surely the whole point of these things, the reason why they're funny at all, is because they're supposed to sound genuine? Doesn't work if there's monged music bleeding all over the funnies.

Robot DeNiro

I did two of the Heaven and Earth Show cut ups.  I guess the music thing is a matter of taste.  Personally I feel that putting music under the samples can add greatly to the comic timing of a piece, and (without wanting to sound too pretentious) changes in the music can reinforce narrative shifts in the vocal.  I spend a long time moving the samples about until they sound just right, making sure the words with extra stress on them are on the beat, ensuring that punchlines have a natural 'boom-tish' after them and so on.  

It's interesting (to me) that people speak like this normally - if you listen to speech that was recorded somewhere with background music, for example in a bar, the rhythm of the speech will echo the rhythm of the tune, the stresses following the beat and the phrases starting or ending in time with the structure of the song.  I try to emulate that when I combine vocals and music.

Using music has a couple more advantages - firstly it can disguise some dodgy edits and differences in sound quality between samples (and it can even hide background music that was in the original audio, for example if you are cutting up narration from a documentary).  Secondly it gives the piece more 'relistenability' - as long as you like the music of course.

Jemble Fred

Well for what it's worth the actual speech cut-ups were hilarious – but yes, the music completely undermined the whole thing, because it was impossible to listen to it as if it was real Heaven & Earth footage. Which would surely be the whole point of cutting it up in the first place.

Lewis

Quote from: "butnut"
Quote from: "Robot DeNiro"I know nothing about mac software though.  What software do mac users use for audio monging?

I use audacity, which is 100% free, and also Garageband which came with my computer. Between them there's really quite a lot you can do to sounds.

I use Adobe Audition, so as I can use the multitrack option which I find makes it easier to keep track of dozens of bits of audio.

Anyway, yes I'm up for doing some telly audio cut ups this week.

Put me down for hearing some Whores' TV/Radio cut-up's.
And, maybe, some 'Whore song mash-up's/bootlegs and remixes, perhaps?
If people can be arsed, like.


As Robot De Niro said above, Sound Forge is excellent for such endeavours, and Acid Pro.

Marvin

I like the idea of having threads where someone sticks a good bit of source material up and we all have a go and doing cut-ups and possibly the odd remix challenge could be fun.

Jemble Fred

Quote from: "Marvin."I like the idea of having threads where someone sticks a good bit of source material up and we all have a go and doing cut-ups and possibly the odd remix challenge could be fun.

Thing is, we've already done all this once this year, but the thread died. Plus the problem with posting one source (unless it's about 90 minutes long) is that the products are likely to be at least a bit too similar. You know what it's like when you listen through for tasty syllables and so on – we'd end up with the same swears.

I should really keep out of this, seeing as I'm too busy to do anything at all enjoyably pointless for the forseeable future.

Robot DeNiro

I think Jemble might be right about us all making the same jokes out of one short source file, but it would be interesting (to me) to find out.  If we do get a challenge like this sorted, perhaps it should be a rule that participants don't listen to the other entries until they have posted their own.

I've always thought that Watchdog would make good source material (although I've never put this theory to the test).  There is a nasty air of self-righteousness about the show, and more importantly they cover diverse subjects so there will be a large range of words to choose from.  Plus it's got Nicky Campbell in it.

It's on BBC1 tonight at 7pm, if anyone fancies capturing the audio (I probably won't be able to do it myself).

Purple Tentacle

As an almost never-audio monger, I'd like to stick my big fat fucking nose in and say:

1) I agree with Robot that music can add great comic timing to audio, it can work really well. The only time I think it works badly is when something overly-ambient makes it sound like Blue Jam.  But yeah, I'd say Robot's "Worshipped by Rats" cut-up is a prime example of a great use of music.

2) I agree with Jemble that hearing loads of cut-ups of the same source can get very repetitive. When a presenter says something like "Mike Hunt, the funk king, with his shitzu", you know that sentence is going to be mined to death.


Gosh, what a negative post! I love audio cut--ups, and the prospect of there being a load more is making me positively moist.

BagJob

How about a quiz show cut up challenge where people make 'answering the question before' style cutups? Could be a good way for beginners to cut their teeth.  Anyway - just an idea to throw in the pot.

Robot DeNiro

So at the moment the poll says there are fifteen people who would like to mash audio.  Perhaps it would be useful if those fifteen people posted to say what was stopping them.  

If it is lack of expertise, we could organise some sort of beginners guide, or partner the beginners up with someone who already knows how to use their chosen audio editing software (anyone having problems with Sound Forge, PM me).

If it is just lack of inspiration, then let's get a challenge going quickly, while there is still a flicker of enthusiasm.  The quiz show idea sounds okay, although the results might be a little samey.  Alternatively, I think I have got Blair and Brown's speeches to conference from a few weeks ago (I missed Cameron unfortunately). I could try to put one of those up somewhere if people want.  (Which hosting site is best?  yousendit?  rapidshare?  megaupload?)

Jemble Fred

I can't join in with this wave because I'm stressed to breaking point, between the dayjob, several 'gigs', doing all the freelance I can, changing careers, moving house and launching a brand new comedy venue on the 31st. Just a bit of fun like this would give me a nervous breakdown. But I will return to the practise one day, whether you like it nor not.

I use yousendit, myself. Absolutely faultless, in my experience. Megaupload especially is a disgrace – all that code entry and fucking pop-up ad stuff. And is Rapidshare that one where you have to wait a minute to countdown or something? Ridiculous.

Purple Tentacle

I might be up for it, but I might also try it, get frustrated, and sulk out.

I'd be up for casual audio monging maybe, but not a competition.

Go With The Flow

I'd be up for it, but I'm still an audio-mashing newbie. The only programs I have at the moment are Goldwave, Audacity and Frooty Loops.

The types of thread I'd enjoy are

AUDIO COLLECTION : A place to post links to sound effect websites, sites with audio canvases, etc etc.

and

FAQ - Audio Mash Up - bit obvious really. How to avoid glitches and the like. (Although Robot DeNiro seems to have that covered)

fudgemonkey

The mong is dead boys, and it's so lonely on a limb.

Life is very long, swhen you stretch it!

EDITED TO ADD:Why the hell did I post that?


InfiniteFury

Let's have a challenge then. I can't think of one

Here's a quick mong that I knocked out a couple of weeks back for my own personal amusement more than anything.

I don't particularly like Michael Parkinson very much, and find him horrlbly over-rated as an interviewer.  However, he had Terry Jones on his Radio 2 show the other week so I wanted to hear it on this occasion.  Couldn't get over how much The Parkster growls, mumbles stutters and hesitates these days.

With that in mind, here's his 2-hour Radio 2 Sunday show reduced to just over a minute of  "highlights".  (Audio taken from the Listen Again facility on the Radio 2 website, hence the less-than-excellent sound quality).



http://download.yousendit.com/18B480AC450A757E