Audio Project: Pre-production and Production
Choosing a topic
I am a big fan of the artist Billy Strings, so I chose to do my project about him. I narrowed the topic down to his unique style because that is a large part of what I like about his music. The podcast will focus on all the different music that influences his style.
Pre-production
After choosing the topic, my pre-production process began with research. I read a few articles and interviews and identified three major influences, which would become the main points.
Next, I wrote an outline based on the sample Cartland gave. I made some minor changes to the format and wrote a script for each section.
Finally, I made a recording plan that laid out my equipment and location, each bit of audio I needed, the order I planned to record in, and my recording technique. I also included notes I took after recording; more on that in the production section.
Topic: How/why Billy Strings’ music is different from traditional bluegrass
0-20 seconds
Intro music: Something played by Jameson
Intro: Hello all…
(Intro music fades out) Topic intro: Today’s discussion will focus on the influences on Billy Strings’ music that serve to set it apart from traditional bluegrass
20-40 seconds
Background on topic: Thanks to his dynamic approach to the typically very traditional genre of bluegrass music, the Grammy Award-winning guitarist Billy Strings has grown a cult following as well as mainstream status
Why this topic is important: His presence in the bluegrass scene has been backed by new fans and spirit, re-energizing the sphere
40-60 seconds
First point about topic: Strings learned guitar from his dad, who brought the bluegrass. He grew up steeped in the same traditional bluegrass that his music is mostly based on. The influence of traditional bluegrass guitarist Doc Watson is quite noticeable in his technique, but is also frequently acknowledged by Strings as a major inspiration.
60-80 seconds
Second point about topic: When he was a teen, Strings brought his talent to the stage, playing with a heavy metal band. In an interview for the Bluegrass Situation, Strings said that he never learned how to perform like a bluegrass musician, citing his metal experience as the origin of his distinctive flair; Strings “can’t just stand there and play.”
In my opinion, live performance is where Billy’s light shines most purely. His shows are bursting with energy and possess an animation not often seen in the conventional world of bluegrass.
80-100 seconds
Third point about topic: Today, Strings listens to a wide variety of genres including Memphis trap and heavy metal.
100-120 seconds
Conclusion: His music taste is extremely diverse, a quality that bleeds into his work, creating a distinct style that draws fans in flocks.
Acknowledgments: This podcast was written and produced by Riley Evans, with music by Jameson Atkins
(Outro music by Jameson fades in)Sign off: Thank you for tuning in to this exploration of Billy String’s musical influence
(Just music→fades out, ends at 2 minute mark)
Recording plan:
Record on my iPhone in a dorm room
Record quiet room first (ended up with two versions)
Record into music; written by Jameson; place phone about a foot away from guitar; should be 10-12 seconds (Ended up with 2 versions and five takes)
Record ambient room noise; guitar tuning noise; fridge noises; hallway noise;
Record spoken component topic by topic (ended up with 10 usable recordings)
Record outro music; written by Jameson; place phone about a foot away from guitar; should be 10-12 seconds (Ended up with 1 take)
Sources
Local Spins article about the development of Billy Strings’ music
Live Music Daily article about Billy Strings bringing bluegrass to a wider audience
The Bluegrass Situation Interview with Billy Strings about his musical influences
Production
My unedited recordings can be found here
Plan and Equipment
I was off campus while working on the project, so I used my iPhone as my recording equipment. As recommended, I placed my phone about a foot away when recording.
I used my plan as a recording checklist, editing it as I went with the specifics of the recording process. Specifics include things like recording distance and the number of takes
Recording Ambient Noise
It was hard to record relevant noise in the dorm building, so I tried to record a couple of different sounds. I recorded a mini fridge with my phone super close by, I recorded the noise in the hallway, and I recorded guitar tuning noise (more on the licensing of the guitar sounds below).
I also recorded the room I planned to record in while it was quiet to edit with.
Recording Music
A requirement of the project was to use copyright-free music throughout the podcast. During the production phase, I was visiting my boyfriend, who plays guitar. He offered to play original music for the intro and outro. He agreed that the music he played for the podcast would be licensed under CC BY 4.0, like all the work on my site. I thought this theme music would fit well with my topic, as Billy Strings’ main instrument is guitar.
I placed the phone about a foot away from the center of the guitar while recording, and did multiple takes of the intro.
Recording the Spoken Components
I recorded my voice section by section. I placed the phone about a foot away from me and took a couple of takes of each.