Author Archives: Rusul

Week 4 Summary

This week, we dove into audio storytelling, which was pretty exciting for me. I love using Soundtrap for audio editing! it’s super user-friendly and gets the job done well. I also set up a SoundCloud account to store and share my projects.

I watched 3 videos/audios: two by Radiolab’s Jad Abumrad and another called “Moon Graffiti.” Both were cool, but “Moon Graffiti” really grabbed my attention. On Wednesday night, I tuned into a radio show and wrote a little reflection about my experience. It was an interesting listen and gave me some new ideas.

Overall, it was a great week that deepened my appreciation for the art of audio storytelling.

Audio Reflection

Radio Reflection

Assignments

This week, we had the opportunity to choose two assignments from the audio category in the assignment bank, and we were given two additional tasks. I listed them all below. The two assignments I picked were “Audio From Hell” and “The Mind of a CEO.” The last two tasks given to us were “After Dinner,” which is a sound effect story, and a radio bumper. For the radio bumper, I asked Dr. Oblivion to recite it for me.

From Hell

The Mind of a CEO

After Dinner

Dr. Oblivions Radio Bumper

3 Daily Creates I participated in this week:

I voted! I’m not sure if we’re supposed to keep our votes anonymous, but I did vote!

Participation!!

Here are some of the post I interacted with:

Audio Assignments

Daily Creates

DS106 Radio Reflection

Another day at the office…

Here is my radio show idea:

Tech-Noir Radio Show

See you next week!!

Tech-Noir Radio Show

A radio show about a world where if you speak against the government, they replace you with a robotic clone and erase your original self. The story could follow a character, like Finn, discovering the truth behind the cloning program while interacting with people trying to escape it. Tech chips would play a big role, controlling memories and thoughts, similar to Limetown, and a secret group could be trying to hack them.

For the radio show, we could create a thriller-style narrative, with intense scenes where Finn and others are on the run or trying to expose the truth. There could be a love like Evelyn (Lynn) Calico or Veronica Malone, who might be involved with the resistance or have a hidden connection to the cloning project. The show could blend suspense and mystery

Dr. Oblivions Radio Bumper

Now that we have a #ds106 radio up and running creating a 15 to 30 second bumper for the station. What is a bumper? It is a short recording that identifies the radio station with signature music or an expression that makes sure the listeners know what they are tuned into (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumper_(broadcasting)). So for ds106 it should certainly include “DS106 Radio” and some sort of message about the station with voice over music. Link to assignment https://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/create-a-ds106-radio-bumper/

For this assignment, I wrote a bumper and requested Dr. Oblivion to recite it, as I wasn’t comfortable using my own voice. After receiving the audio file from Dr. Oblivion, I uploaded it to Soundtrap for editing. I removed the unnecessary parts, which I found amusing, and added an upbeat song on a separate track. To enhance the listening experience, I incorporated a fade-in and fade-out effect, giving the impression that Dr. Oblivion was speaking live. Additionally, I adjusted the volume for a more polished final product. This editing process was enjoyable, and I look forward to potentially hearing it on the radio show!

Radio Reflection

I really enjoyed listening in on Wednesday night and wish I had been available to listen on Monday and Tuesday. The story was very interesting, and the sound effects helped me vividly imagine the scenes. I usually struggle to listen to podcasts, but this show kept me engaged because the sounds made it easier to follow and stay interested in what was happening.

My favorite part was when they got into the car. You could hear how their space became smaller, making it feel like they were very close together. Then, when the door opened, the space expanded again, which was really immersive. The ending was also intense, with the sounds growing louder, the banging, and people trying to get into the room. I also liked how the ticking sound stopped after going for a while, it made its absence really noticeable.

After Dinner

Tell a story using nothing but sound effects. There can be no verbal communication, only sound effects. Use at least five different sounds that you find online. The story can be no longer than 90 seconds. Another example (by a UMW student): http://ds106.us/wp-content/audio/audio_story.mp3

Link to assignment: https://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/sound-effects-story/

For this assignment, I used Soundtrap to combine different sounds and create a story. The scene follows a woman as she exits a restaurant, walks to her car, gets in, and drives home.

I really wish this assignment could have been longer than 90 seconds because I wanted to extend the story and include more sound clips, but I kept it within the time limit. I sourced all the audio from Freesound, and it was great to explore the variety of options available.

After selecting the sounds I wanted, I imported them into Soundtrap and applied fade-in and fade-out effects to ensure a smooth and natural flow. Once I was satisfied with the final result, I exported and uploaded the project to Soundtrap.

I hope you enjoy this very short story!

The Mind of a CEO

Craft a playlist on any music listening platform with more than 10 songs that represent or have played a significant role within your life.

Link to assignment: https://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/soundtrack-to-your-life/

The playlist I created reflects what I think Finn Calloway, my character, would listen to. It was a bit challenging since our music tastes are different, but I focused on songs that match his personality driven, introspective, and a little detached. In the end, I think it turned out well. I used Apple Music to create the playlist by finding each song and adding it to the playlist I created.

From Hell

Create YOUR worst sound ever. Take audio clips of every single sound that you hate and put them all together to make The Worst Noise Ever. Link to assignment: https://assignments.ds106.us/assignments/auditory-hell/

I chose this assignment because I enjoy mixing different sounds to create something new. For this project, I had to combine all of my most hated sounds into a single track. Luckily for me, I have plenty to choose from!

I used Soundtrap and SoundCloud for this assignment. Soundtrap made it easy to layer the tracks together, and I ended up using: nails crackling, styrofoam, cardboard box stacking, and metal squeaking. When I combined them, the result was truly a sound from hell. I could only listen to it for about 10 seconds before my ears begged me to stop.

Soundtrap is a beginner-friendly audio editing software that made it easy to arrange and layer the sounds. Once I finished, I uploaded my track to SoundCloud, and I was surprised by how simple the process was. It was actually pretty cool!

Sorry if this hurts your ears!

Audio Reflection

Listening to Moon Graffiti was such an immersive experience. The audio was done so well that I could picture everything happening, almost like I was right there. It wasn’t just about hearing the story, it was about feeling it. The way sound effects and shifts in audio were used made the whole thing come alive.

I’ve always found it interesting how our senses connect to memory. A certain smell or song can instantly take us back to a specific moment in our lives. I think that plays a big role in audio storytelling too. Sound taps into something deeper, linking memory and imagination. In Moon Graffiti, little details like the crackling radio, the odd silence of space, and even the astronauts’ breathing made the story feel real. Those sounds didn’t just tell me what was happening they made me feel the isolation, the tension, and the weight of the moment.

Abumrad talks about how sound isn’t just something we hear, it’s something we experience. He mentions this idea of “co-Authorization,” where the listener actively builds the story in their mind based on sound. Moon Graffiti does exactly that. it lets the sounds guide us, so we create the picture ourselves.

This technique isn’t just in audio storytelling we see it in movies and TV shows. A horror scene wouldn’t be as scary without creaky floors or distant whispers, and a dramatic moment wouldn’t hit as hard without the right music in the background. Sound shapes mood, builds atmosphere, and pulls us in.

Week 3 Summary

This week felt much slower compared to last, and I kept feeling like I was forgetting something. I even reread the assignment four times to make sure I didn’t miss anything…haha. I really enjoyed watching the TED Talk, the video about movie posters, and the Stranger Things video. I learned a lot of cool things about design from these videos and from this week in general, as I mentioned in my reflection.

Behind Graphic Design

Doing the Photoblitz was a cool experience, but I’m not sure if I did it correctly. I ended up completing more tasks than required and finished in about seven minutes, which left me confused. Was it really supposed to be that fast? Maybe the goal was to complete as many as possible within 20 minutes…I’m not exactly sure. Either way, it was fun! I enjoy visual assignments, especially when the prompts are provided.

Photoblitzing After Work

Here are the assignments I completed this week. Finn’s Walk Home is related to my character.

Cuteness Overload

Finn’s Walk Home

Mango Sees All

Here are the Daily Creates I did this week. Although I didn’t participate in them, I still checked them daily out of curiosity and wanted to complete them, but time got away from me!

My participation this week was low because I was really busy with other classes, but I still read through almost every post. Here are some of the posts I interacted with.

Getting creative with the Daily Create

Go Bills!

Assignment Bank: Week 2

Daily Create January 23, 2025

A World of Color

See you next week!!!

Photoblitzing After Work

I’m super productive in my work environment, so sometimes I stay after we close to complete my assignments. Luckily for me, the DKC is full of resources…everything I could need! I was impressed and even slightly overwhelmed by the number of options available.

This assignment was pretty cool. Since I take quick photos, I was able to get through a good amount of work. As I kept going, I gained perspective and started getting more creative, trying to find interesting subjects instead of the usual boring ones.

Make a photo that freezes or isolates the motion of an object
Take a photo that includes a manufactured product and at least one of its elements.
Make a photograph of a plastic object.
Take a picture of anger, or something that makes you angry.
Take a picture from the inside of something looking out.
A photo that communicates a abandoned or discarded feeling
Wood has a lot of character and variety. A photo of something wooden.
A perfect line. Make a photo of interesting vertical, horizontal, or diagonal lines.
Two contrasting things, e.g. light & darkness, life & death, cats & dogs.
he edge of a knife, the waters edge, or some other edge.
Find a grid pattern somewhere (brick sidewalk or ceiling tiles).
Make a photo of something upside down that is never seen that way