Category Archives: audioreflection

Moon Graffiti – The Truth

by Andrew Johnson

The “Moon Graffiti” audio recording represented a deep underlying barrier of suspense and excitement to listeners. I enjoyed the dialogue between Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin because it made me think of how the world would be changed if they never made it home. How would space exploration be continued? Would NASA and other top-tier space programs change how they viewed space and visitation to the moon? Although this disaster never took place, the recording does allow us to raise some of these questions. The suspense of the story allowed me to keep being intrigued, wanting to know more about the plot. In conclusion, I liked this piece of fictional storytelling and do recommend listeners tune in to this program.

IS that a Cabbage? – Audio Reflection

When talking about the importance of sound I can’t help but think about sound stages where they produce the sound effects for movies. The sound of bones breaking is celery. The sound of head wounds? Cabbage stands in for the head. Their goal isn’t about making a realistic sound but in giving you the sensation that the sound creates for you. They give you what you think it should sound like not what it actually does sound like.

Moon Graffiti by The Truth Podcast tells an interesting story about what if the moon landing ended in failure. It relies heavily on what you think something should sound like during the moon scenes. I really like how they did the sound of the footprints on the moon. I heard the sound and instantly thought of the ripples in the sand at 6:15.

The way they did the audio of the astronauts speaking to each other tells you where they are without having to outright tell you. You can hear the scratchiness of the radio used for them to communicate. I love the camera sound effect at 6:41. You can hear the sound of the bulb charging. They drag the high pitch sound of the flash bulb charging to add to the suspense and eeriness of it all. You hear it again at 7:05 which bookends the picture sequence. You can just feel the dread in the air. They wonderfully stick to using tones and minimal music to create that sense of stillness and dread. At 8:11 you hear their footsteps and know they are walking. They set up the footstep sound at 6:15 so you will know what steps sound like on the moon. It moves the story along with having to have the characters announce everything they are doing. 11:56 appears to be when they start the time jump. They fade out the audio and make the music louder. At 12:05 you hear gasping, and you realize we are near the end of the astronauts’ oxygen. The program does a good job of letting you know that 2 hours have almost past in the story. You feel the moon rather than see the moon. Having to imagine it all puts you there more. It gives you more empathy to the characters.

Here Jad Abumrad explains his love of radio. More than that he talks about how radio connects you as the host to your audience. In some ways a radio show is like reading a book. The book has words describing sounds and you imagine them. With a good radio show they use the sound to paint the picture of what you should be seeing. like the footsteps on the moon. It is more than just a book on tape. A book on tape is still using words to describe sounds radio is more.

I couldn’t find the words to make a good segway into the next video. I love stories. They are magical, healing, teaching, warnings, sometimes living and breathing their own life. I love finding people that feel the same way. Stories are not a waste of time. There is a right place and right times for certain stories. I try to remember, when doing my projects for DS106, to ask myself “what is the story I want told here?”. Enjoy this last video clip.

A Dive Into the World of Audio Storytelling

Week 4’s first assignment was to watch two short videos from RadioLab’s Jad Abumrad, where he talks about how radio is used as a way to make meaning and connection. The next part was to listen to “Moon Graffiti” which explored the deeper meaning of audio storytelling. For this assignment I will talk about the world of audio storytelling, which I drew inspiration from the insights of Jad Abumrad and the experience of listening to “Moon Graffiti”. 

Abumrad emphasizes the power of voice in storytelling, saying it is a magical instrument that often sends the audience into a dreamlike state. I certainly agree with the point he makes here, which further highlights the special connection that audio storytelling can evoke in people. Abumrad then gets into the exploration of creating sounds in the modern technological world. In today’s day and age, the combination of technology and creativity allows for a diverse range of auditory outputs. Abrumrad, then argues that without visuals, there is the possibility of enhanced imagination, which forms a deeper connection between the listener and storyteller. Not sure I completely agree with this point made by Abumrad, but I definitely get what he’s saying. 

After, listening to “Moon Graffiti” further confirms all of Abumrad’s points. “Moon Graffiti” made it evident that the sounds were specifically selected to create a vivid experience. Specifically, the eerie background sounds after the crash contributed to a mysterious atmosphere that they also seemed to be going for. 

Abumrad’s idea that the absence of images sparks creativity is manifested in the first crash scene. In my opinion, the lack of visuals actually helps stimulate my own picture in my mind, which as I talked about above, brings a more imaginative connection to the story. Audience creativity is a huge aspect of audio storytelling. 

The layering of sounds used in “Moon Graffiti” is similar to Abumrad’s concept of sounds being his voice. Each sound throughout “Moon Graffiti” contributes to the overall narrative, which creates a multi-dimensional experience. The eerie atmosphere post-crash, combined with the astronauts’ dialogue, adds to the overall audio storytelling. 

The knowledge of audio storytelling has been immensely intriguing. The carefully picked sounds in “Moon Graffiti” have opened my eyes to the potential of storytelling beyond visuals and written words. I am very excited for the rest of week 4 to be able to further explore the fascinating world of audio storytelling. 

No Pictures? No Problem, We Got Sounds!

In this blog post, I am going to be discussing some thing that I learned from watching the two Radio Lab youtube videos along with some things that I picked up on while listening to the “Moon Graffiti” sounds clip on Soundcloud. All of these entertainment mediums gave me a lot more insight into the world of audio storytelling and really showed me that you can tell a story without having to have pictures or written words. Jad Abumrad talks about his version of storytelling, through the use of audio, is his “voice.” He states that there is something magical about a person going up on stage and use their voice to capture the audience and put them into a dream state. Now, he also states that since he is uncomfortable doing that, the sounds and clips that he makes, are his “voice” that allow the audience to feel the same sense of connection and euphoria. He claims that the way he makes sounds is almost an ancient way of making sounds in a modern day world where the technology allows you to do so many different things with various sounds. In the second video, he also claims that he a tv junkie meaning he loves sounds and images. He makes an example that images are not always necessary and that sometimes the lack of images can be good as well due to the increased imagination that comes with the lack of images and abundance of sounds. He says that that brings more empathy into the world because it creates a connection between two people, the person explaining the situation and the person who is listening and trying to create a image in their head.

I think that while listening to Moon Graffiti, everything that Abumrad was saying in his videos was becoming more and more true. Listening to this sound clip, it felt like I was really there with them. The different sounds and the various radio sounds that were happening really made the situation feel real and I think that if I was listening to this right before going to sleep, this is all I would dream about. There was a very eerie sound that was being played in the background after they had crashed on the moon and the sound of the narrator immediately after definitely sounds a little on the darker, evil side. But I think that was the main purpose, to create an atmosphere that was eerie and unpredictable because this is a new situaiton that no one has ever really discussed or talked about before. The sounds used in this clip were picked perfectly and each sound fit perfectly with one another especially when they were layered over one another. Abumrad was saying that using sounds were his “voice” to tell a story and these sounds and voices in this clip are telling their own story just like Abumrad. Also, he states that the lack of images in storytelling sometimes opens up ones mind to more creative and imaginative ideas, and at the beginning of this clip when they were crashing, I was able to create an image in my head that really might have been what the crash may have looked like if it ever was too happen. Also, having the two astronauts converse with each other while that soft, spooky sound in the back is playing also gives a eerie atmosphere to the whole thing. Overall, i enjoyed getting my feet wet a little bit with audio storytelling and am interested to see how the rest of this week goes!

The Art of Voice

As an avid true crime podcast listener, I am constantly listening to the radio. I find that it helps me multitask and be able to slow my brain down enough to function. Something about the usage of sound effects, descriptors, and subtle sounds in the background is entrancing. The videos that I watched from Jad Abumrad How Radio Creates Empathy and  Digital Shamanism and Old-Fashioned, Newfangled Storytelling Magic really gives insight into how people on the radio create this effect and how I might go about doing this if I were to follow through with creating a podcast of my own like how I have been thinking for the last couple of years.

Abumrad says that it is important for good stories to put you in sort of a dream-like state. The story should be able to be portrayed through the sound waves through different techniques of voice and sound effects. It’s like they are actively painting a picture without surface or medium. The process behind podcasts and radio channels is very detailed oriented and able to grab and keep attention of listeners without being able to use visuals.

Moon Graffiti is an excellent portrayal of this. They were able to take me on an adventure through sounds. I was actually convinced at the end that I was taught history wrong for a second before I read the caption. The sound effects and vocal descriptors made it seem like I was right there with them with my radio dead, and stranded on the moon. The eerie music definitely helped with giving me a fright as well. I would definitely be panicking way more than they did but I guess when you are training to go to space you get familiar with the fact that you may die there.