Processing, Editing, & Review

Post-Recording Processing

1. Transfer to Adobe Audition:
   • Remove the SD card from the MixPre 3.
   • Import the multi-track audio recordings using your editing workstation. (We use a MacPro workstation in room 291 Van Hise.)
2. Review and Trim:
   • Evaluate the recording in Audition.
   • Select the stereo mix, choose all, and copy to a new file.
   • Trim and crop unnecessary portions.
   • Export a new lossless stereo file, serving as the foundation for the next editing phase.
   • Archive the original file for potential future use.
3. Troubleshooting (if needed):
   • In case of issues with the original mix, create a multi-track session to address problems on a per-track basis.
4. Global Sound Quality Enhancement:
   • Open the interview file in iZotope RX 7 to address global sound quality issues.
   • Apply processing for:
     • Mouth Declick
     • EQ (Remove low energy frequencies and voice harshness)
     • Loudness normalization to -3dB peak and -16dB average loudness.
   • Optionally use DeVerb to remove early reflections and Breath Control for heavy breath sounds.
   • Save the changes to the same file.
5. Upload to Descript.com:
   • Once editing in Audition is complete, upload the lossless file to Descript.com.
   • Ensure the file is at 44.1kHz and 16-bit.

Editing the Episode

We use the software Descript to edit our episode. Descript allows editing via an AI generated transcript as well as through a standard audio timeline.

1. Transcription and Speaker Identification:
   • Descript automatically transcribes the uploaded file.
   • Identify the number of speakers.
   • Label the voices with appropriate names.
   • Make minor adjustments to the speaker label positions.
2. Editing and Collaboration:
   • Continue the editing process within Descript.
   • Collaborate with teammates if necessary.

Adding Episode Elements and Segments

We use Final Cut Pro 10 to add elements beyond the interview, such as the episode introduction and musical transitions.

1. Creating a New Episode:
   • In Final Cut Pro 10, create a new project file labeled with ‘e’ and the episode number.
   • Import the wave audio from Descript and place it in a new timeline, ensuring project settings match the original file (44.1kHz, 16-bit).
2. Adding Elements to the Episode:
   • Add the interview to the timeline.
   • Include other elements such as show introduction, episode introduction, aftershow introduction, aftershow, thank you, outro/land acknowledgment.
   • Add music as a new track underneath the show introduction.
   • Integrate any audio elements such as musical transitions and promotions into the body of the episode.
3. Segmenting the Show:
   • Make cuts or add marks to segment the show into smaller component pieces.
   • Ensure that no individual segment exceeds 250 MB, approximately 10 to 12 minutes in length.

Internal Review

We use Frame.io to facilitate internal review. Uploading an episode to Frame.io allows all team members to listen and add comments at specific timestamps. This enables detailed feedback from multiple perspectives on sound quality, compositional elements, pacing, content, and more. This part of the process can include all members of our team and is one we enjoy! Through Frame.io we can dialogue to reach consensus on constructive feedback that is incorporated into a final product.