Radio Broadcast: Week 2

Week Two of Radio Broadcasting was definitely very experimental, and we got to work with a lot of equipment which was pretty new.

Working with the Merantzes last week was a great start, and doing some basic recording and learning the functions of the recording devices was integral to the module. This week we were out recording full Vox Pops to take back, cut, edit and prepare, which is obviously a step up from toying with the new equipment and getting a feel for their functions. As well as this, we were obviously learning the best ways of preparing for interviewing people and the right questions to ask and everything, and this then led into our going out and talking to people.

As well as going out and talking to people about any subject we could think of (in my case, the best concert they had ever been to and whether they believed the downloading of free MP3's were damaging the already fragile Music industry), and it was hugely interesting to hear peoples responses. It's also good proof that asking the right questions (but more than that, knowing what ANSWERS you want first, and then asking the right questions....) can get a lot more out of people than you think.

Where we were using the Merantzes last week, we were mostly using the newer, more up-to-date Yamaha Pocketrack recorders this week, which I personally think surpass the Merantzes by quite a bit. Firstly, and I know that its a general rule of thumb that you shouldn't really use the built-in mics on any recording device, the stereo mic on the Yamaha is extremely responsive and can pick up quite a lot with ease. This can be a downfall, though, when you're interviewing outside on a windy day... Secondly, the Yamaha's are considerably smaller, lighter and easier to use, not to mention the fact that they have a higher capacity and better digital recording capabilities.

After loading up our recordings, we got better accustomed to using Adobe Audition for editing purposes. Admittedly, I slipped up a little after recording an entire 10 minutes of usable recording which suddenly got stricken down to only one minute after encountering technical problems using Audition, but I narrow this down to a problem more with me working Audition than with the Yamahas, as everything played fine prior to loading it onto the computer and even the full track once it had been loaded into Audition as well. Anyway, after finding my one minute of usable speech, we edited and prepped the Vox Pops with whatever extras we needed.

Essentially, I think that the best way of learning about the ins and outs of Radio Broadcasting is by practically and physically taking part and immediately getting accustomed to the equipment that you're most likely to be using in the future. Plus, it helps a lot that the Yamahas are so nice, that since they're not even that new now I'm considering getting one for my own uses to save me having to rent one!