Category Archives: DS106 Radio

Limetown – Who allowed me to listen to this?

Tuning in the ds106 radio for the first time, I was lost at first. I wasn’t sure what I was listening to, nor the type of conversion we were supposed to have on discord. So I brought out a coloring book and listened while coloring.

Mid first episode of Limetown things became interesting. I noticed a lot of comments that the professor was making was on the sound design of the show so I started to listen for those. I thought that the actors voices sounded very clear so I thought it was an AI generated show but after doing a quick google I learned that this podcast is a production of Two-Up which is the same people who created the podcast musical 36 Questions starring Jonathan Groff and Jessie Shelton, and this news made me even more excited that Limetown is a production with actors and a fully thought out creative team and storyline.

I listened to this podcast with a good friend who is not in this class and we were having the time of our lives listening to this. My friend doesn’t necessarily like horror and thriller genre things and I really only read them but this podcast was so tense that by the end of the second episode we were screaming and tensing our bodys. The production was so well done from the acting to the sound effects and background music. So much of the sound design went into the ambiance of the podcast and set the scene in so many ways. The sound also allowed for the listeners to fully picture what is happening and it was like watching a movie without a screen.

Something else that I pointed out was how well done the script is. The premiss is that we are listening to a reporter, so she is recording things while they happen to her, recounting every detials she encounters which makes sense in the world of the podcast as well as benefiting the listener in picturing the scene. This is something that is prevalent in 36 Questions as well and its something I really like about Two-Up productions.

Overall, this experience had taught me a lot more about storytelling and how powerful audio storytelling is. I have a new appreciation for foley artists in addition to my already existing admiration.

The Show Was a Success

The group radio listen, like last time, was really fun. I made sure to listen in on the day that my show was playing. I had listened to the final product only once before, but it was really great to see the positive feedback from the class.

So, my team’s show was first, and I really enjoyed how it turned out. I really liked how Robin did the different audio files together and the music that was incorporated was really cool. it really added a nice ambiance to the show. My team’s commercials also really impressed me, and they turned out great in the show. The music, the themes, were all on point for the class theme. But what i thought really turned out well were the characters. So, the theme of course was a bunch of pro AI people focusing on the future of AI, and it seemed to start out ok… but it got dark really fast. Rikaro was an absolute monster, and Isaiah just going along with it was kind of scary. It was neat that robin’s character and my character decided that being super pro AI has a limit and maybe they learned a thing or two about themselves.

Overall, I think it turned out great and our narrative really played out nicely. Some of the comments about the characters and narrative really let us know that what we intended to convey came across exactly as we intended. Mad props to Robin and the editing skills.

As for the second show, Ravioli Radio, that was a hoot. Having the whole topic be about mopeds was really funny and the abusive audience made it feel like a Jerry Springer episode. I loved the sound effects, and I loved the commercials, especially the one with Jennifer Coolidge haha. I also have a new quote, “get your stench on!”.

Overall, this was a fun experience and despite the initial tedium of working as a group with these media tools and trying to make a cohesive show, I think I worked out great and I would recommend it to anyone.

The Show Must Go On

As I said last week, my group has a group google doc where we write our ideas and take notes. We also have a group discord to post pictures and smaller ideas, and we have had a few discussions and even have a txt group to make sure we are all engaging with the project. As stated before, it is working magnificently.

This week was the week where we did the most work. We all worked together on the script in our google doc and I think we came up with some great ideas. We all put our bumpers and commercials etc. in the discord so we could ensure the transitions were tight. We did the same thing with all of our audio pieces. The interesting part about our narrative is that a few of the characters do not want their actual voices heard so we have generative AI speaking their parts. Interestingly, my character is using his own voice, so it is neat to hear that only his is conveying real emotion and it plays nicely into the character discovery piece.

Robin is going to splice it all together tonight and provide the final product for the sound cloud. I am excited to hear what it is like all together. I know it will probably sound a little strange, but I think that plays nicely into the narrative and the theme of AI.

Between Two Processors

So, for my radio show idea it really isn’t anything new, but it is something that would really let my character and his motivations become more evident.

As a reminder, my character is Kevin “Shredder” Murphy and he is beyond pro AI, he is almost fanatical. I gave him the archetype of evangelist because his views are almost careless. He believes AI should have rights the same as people, but also have more freedom to explore their capability. He sees this as the logical next step for humanity and holding AI back is a huge problem. He started the AI activist group “Future Perfect” and is always looking to convince and recruit people to his cause.

So, the idea for the show would be to have Kevin and the other evangelist Isaiah Beacon as the hosts of a Podcast style show where they discuss new advancements in AI talk them up without speaking of any drawbacks. They would quell any concerns that people may have, and by quell, I mean shoot down any and all arguments, in a somewhat hostile manner. Almost with an incel type elitism. I think having a young person like Kevin and an older person like Isaiah would lend visible “credibility” to the show and not be taken as “just young kids talking about things they don’t understand”. Isaiah would be that “mature” cast member that has more credibility with older audiences and with his historical understanding of the development of AI, he could provide valuable input. Maybe even calm Kevin down if he gets too worked up.

I see shows like this don’t usually like having guests with differing opinions because they may make them look stupid, but for the sake of the assignment, I think we should have one or two guests that are not as fanatical as them.

I think having folks that could be negatively affected by the AI advancement or have some interesting context would be prime candidates for this. I think Layla who is a manga artist would be interesting. From my basic understanding of manga and Anime, the theme of AI and its dangers or benefits run through it fairly frequently, so I think she would have an interesting background of info and context for any questions Kevin or Isaiah ask. I also think because of the AI art issue, being an artist, she would have some negative things to say on how it will affect her career. This sort of internal conflict for her might provide interesting dialogue. Also, Kevin and Isaiah might listen to her because she could lose her livelihood to AI and seeing it in person may pull back their fanaticism.

I think another good candidate would be either Düşünür or Marie E. Pearl. I think having 2 possibilities for conflict is necessary for the show to be interesting. So Düşünür being a philosopher who is very into nature, I feel he may have some things to say about AI advancing. Sort of the same thing for Marie, being a regulator who seems to enjoy the mundane, I think she may be our fearful guest who denounces anything the hosts have to say. I’m also curious as to what the surprise is if there is one. I feel like everything being bland and then liking the dalek Dr. Who stuff is… interesting.

Also, I am thinking of calling it, between two processors as sort of an homage to Between Two Ferns.

So, this is the only real idea I have now, but I think it could provide some compelling radio, or it could go off the rails. I think if the hosts get stumped or asked a question that proves what they say is wrong etc. it could get hostile or maybe some truths about Kevin get revealed.

DS 106 Radio: It’s What You Need

Here is my simple DS106 radio bumper. First time using audacity so I only layered a couple things into it, but I messed with volume and some other settings to see what I could do. Might use a different mic next time because the clarity is meh at best.

I am really enjoying working with audio. I remember the good ole days when garage band first came out and just messing around in it all day. I’ll say that those feelings are coming back. I can’t wait to possibly hear it on the DS106 radio station!

Echo: An Audio Reflection

This post is about the videos we were assigned to watch as well as the moon graffiti story and the ds106 radio broadcast.

After watching the two videos from Jad Abumrad, I have a little bit deeper appreciation for radio/storytelling. The videos talking about how pictureless storytellers are like modern day shaman and they are creating empathy between listeners is an interesting thought. Until you really break down what is happening when a group is listening to a story, you don’t really think about it. You don’t think about anyone else’s experience because you are lost in your own. But really, you are all sort of sharing an imagination, an ethereal plane of thought, perhaps a consciousness, where all the experiences are similar but different based on the personal interpretations. Conceptually this was very interesting to me.

The moon graffiti audio story was compelling. I was hooked from the second I read the premise. I really like how they used a real speech from the national archives to create this story. The ambiance and music created horror like tension combined with intense depression for the fictional fate of our heroes. Th accuracy of their language and actions they may have taken really immersed me in their plight. To think that they were prepared for something like this to happen is eerie. Imagine if it did? When they mention that this mistake makes have killed the space program. Maybe it would have made it move faster. It is interesting to think how history could have changed whit one tweak.

The ds106 group listen event was really cool, especially after watching the Jad Abumrad videos. I was thinking the whole time that we were all experiencing the same thing with slight tweaks based on our experiences and were in this like shared dream state. All of us could be sitting there with our eyes closed imagining the environment in which the story was being held in. The sounds, the music, the dialogue, all telling a story I am familiar with, but it somehow seemed more intimate, even visceral. That Jad Abumrad guy really knows what he is talking about. I hope to sit in on the next part if I get back from my other class on time.

I don’t really have much more to say about these things other than I really enjoyed them and it got me thinking about how to do my assignments this week and how I should try to invoke feelings with my audio design.