Describe what you were trying to accomplish.

What I am trying to accomplish with this assignment is a piece of art that is well done, surpassing the minimal standards set by the assignment.  I want to invest feeling into my work, and give it meaning.  Beyond that I want the feeling and meaning conveyed to the audience who listens to my piece.  This project is a poem, written by myself, about the beaches of California where I lived until I was about nine years old.  Hopefully it will convey the things one can appreciate about the seaside, day and night.

Describe your experience with this assignment.

In describing my experiences with this assignment, I found there were things that were easy, as well as things that were challenges.  The recording part was easy, once I was on a roll.  Finding the sounds came easily to me, as I had an idea of what I wanted from the start.  One challenging aspect for me was reading the poem, even though I wrote it.  It was challenging to get the words and inflection just right.  Once I got it going, it became easier.

I started with Audacity, and switched to Pro Tools to finish the project.  I needed to work at home and could only use Audacity for that part.  I like the results of using Pro Tools, which I am learning in Audio 120, so I wanted to use that program to polish the work.  I also wanted the experience of using Pro Tools as much as I can, to learn the program.

I enjoyed finding the sounds.  Making different mental pictures and considering the possible interpretations each sound could lend, was enjoyable.  It was like making mental trips to the beach over and over again.  I have ended up with four versions with slightly different background music.  I have narrowed it down to two.

In all I enjoyed the opportunity that this assignment offered to work with both audio programs.  I learned a lot about how sound can impact the mental picture one makes.  My repertoire for finding sound resources is increasing.  My ability to sort through sounds is getting better, and I am getting faster and more efficient at putting things together.