Ask How to Audio Drama: Getting Lost in the Noise

Last updated on March 23rd, 2020

This week in How to Audio Drama, we’re answering reader questions about audio normalization, going from screenwriting to audio drama, and what to do when you feel like your podcast isn’t getting the love it deserves.

Want to submit an anonymous question to How to Audio Drama? You can fill out our quick form here:

I saw a tweet about the important of normalizing audio and was wondering how you recommend doing that? Normalize every clip before editing or normalize the whole episode at the end?

Apparently Abnormal

Hi, Apparently. I’m guessing that tweet was probably from me! This is a pet peeve of mine and a controversial conversation in the audio community, it turns out, so buckle up.

got into a Conversation on an #AudioDrama podcast FB group about audio levels and normalization and I am ASTOUNDED to see how many sound designers think "by ear" is perfectly fine for levels on a finalized product??? y'all don't do that oh my god

— Wil Williams | Pls Listen to @VALENCEPod (@wilw_writes) February 8, 2020

So, let me first explain why I care so much about this issue, even if it is sometimes opposed to having the crispest, cleanest audio possible. One of my foremost concerns in making audio is accessibility, making sure the works we create don’t continue excluding certain marginalized audiences. This is why I advocate for all podcasts having transcripts; regardless of being audio, there are plenty of deaf/HoH (Hard of Hearing) fans of podcasts, and plenty of fans who have auditory processing issues. At the end of the day, I will always prioritize accessibility over something feeling slick. This means I won’t prioritize a huge dynamic range, keeping loud noises actually loud, or keeping quiet noises actually quiet.

Because I care so much about this, I almost definitely over-correct for loudness when editing. I match the loudness of every vocal audio recording to -16 LUFS, true peak -1.5 dB, and a tolerance of 0.5 LU. Don’t know what any of that means? That’s okay. There’s a great guide all about LUFS by Daniel J. Lewis.

Then, I normalize my final mixdown to 0 dB. Not sure what that means? You better believe I have a guide to normalization for you. After I do that, I check the loudness to be at -16 LUFS again, which is always unnecessary, but I am paranoid.

There are other ways to go about this–probably better ways!–but in my experience, this has been the easiest method with the most consistent results.

If you research this topic more, you will likely see advice about trusting your ears. If you take this advice, please take it with a grain of salt. Your ears are not everyone’s ears. What sounds normalized and consistent to you might not even sound clear to someone else, especially if they’re not using the same headphones/etc. as you. Use your ears to make sure your audio is clear across several different listening devices. Use your ears to make sure your normalization didn’t make anything sound peaky and crackly. But don’t assume that your ears are the platonic ideal of ears, especially when considering audience members who have different listening ability than you.

How is writing for audio different from writing for a visual medium, like Television or Film?

If I’ve got a script I’d like to turn into a podcast, what do I need to look for, and adjust in my writing?

What doesn’t work in audio that you’ve noticed in your listening?

Would doing so help my own writing get noticed?

From Hollywood to Podcast

Hi, Hollywood. Going from a screenplay or a script or a book to a podcast is pretty common, but it’s much more complicated than it seems. Stripping way the visual means you’re going to be walking a real tightrope between showing and telling. In most other forms, you’re taught to show as much as you can and tell as little as you can. That ratio is going to change drastically while you’re writing, and it’s going to be uncomfortable. Something to prep yourself for is not getting the ratio really right until you’ve already completed a few episodes.

Here are some quick things to look for and adjustments to make:

• Which characters are in a scene. At the start of the scene, try to have each character say something small and quick, even if they’re typically quiet. Because the audience can’t see the scene, they won’t know who’s there until each character somehow announces their presence. If a character only says something halfway through a scene, your listener will probably be thinking, “Wait, when did they get there?”
• Where a character is going. Some of this will come through in your sound design: if someone is walking down a crowded street, that can be accomplished with sound design. If two characters are walking in the opposite direction, they can be panned to reflect that. But if one character starts leading another character by grabbing their hand, you’ll want to add a quick “Come here!” or “Follow me!” along with the sound of the hand being grabbed. If you would have relied on establishing shots of locations, try to fill the space instead with lines by extras–think “Welcome to [Generic Starbucks Ripoff], what can I get started for you?” or “I’m here to see [doctor’s name],” etc.
• What a character is doing, physically. If your scene is action-packed, try to give some indications about the action without being too on-the-nose. There’s a huge difference between a visceral sound effect followed by, “Ow! My arm!” and having a character say, “Ow! You broke my arm by hitting it very hard with a weapon!” You don’t need to explain every cause action (hitting an arm with a weapon). Instead, focus on telling more in the effect (an arm being in pain).

If you’re working with a sound designer, pay close attention to their feedback when it comes to what works in audio and what doesn’t. If they’re having trouble figuring out how to convey an action through sound design, that might be a sign that it might not be clear to the audience.

Be open to taking these notes from cast members, too. It’s a recurring gag that one of our characters in VALENCE exclusively enters and exits the main setting through the window versus the door. During one of our recording sessions, our actor Caleb del Rio asked, “Hey, how do they know Nico’s coming through the window? Will the sound effect be clear enough, especially if he’s in the other room? Do you want me to add a line explaining?”

Yes, reader. Yes we did. And now the action makes sense.

If you’re working completely by yourself, try to listen back to your episode with as much of a third-party ear as possible. I’d also highly recommend giving episodes early to a beta listener who can check it out and give notes on moments that weren’t clear as a listener.

This is going to take some practice, especially coming from another medium, but it’s a skill that will become invaluable the more you create in audio. You’ve got this!

How can I stop feeling as if my show will never make it anywhere and that no one will care?

Lost in the Noise

Lost, this message broke my hear when I got it. This is the ultimate fear of most artists, that our work will be for “nothing.” This might not be the answer you want, but I think it’s probably the answer you need: I want you to really dig deep about what “making it” means to you.

Is “making it” a numbers game? Is it about being “as successful” as another creator? Here’s the unfortunate reality about feeling like you’ve “made it”: most of us are basing our feelings of satisfaction on quantitative data that doesn’t feel fulfilling in reality or comparisons to others. Unless you’re more successful than everyone else out there creating, you’re likely to still feel unsuccessful, even if objectively, your audio drama is doing just fine.

There have been discussions lately about why the wealthy want to keeping increasing their wealth. It isn’t really about the wealth itself at a certain point; it’s the feeling of dissatisfaction that comes with our goals becoming our new norms. As reported in The Atlantic by Joe Pinsker, the way the wealthy view their wealth is similar in concept to how many artists view their success:

Norton says that research regularly points to two central questions that people ask themselves when determining whether they’re satisfied with something in their life: Am I doing better than I was before? and Am I doing better than other people? This applies to wealth, but also to attractiveness, height, and other things that people fret about.

“But the problem is,” Norton says, “a lot of the things that really matter in life are hard to measure. So if you wanted to be a good parent, it’s a little hard to know if you’re being a better parent now than you were a year ago, and it’s also hard to know if you’re a better parent than the neighbors.”

Joe Pinsker

Now, granted, there are some key differences here. Namely: audio drama is a second or third job for most people, and being “successful” is what could help pay for our food or our bills instead of, you know, a yacht. But this question was about on the emotional needs of success, not the financial, so Lost, that’s what I’m going to answer here.

With all of that said, how do you move past these comparative and unfulfilling concepts of success? You start thinking about the qualitative. Stop making your success a numbers game. Instead, start focusing on what makes you feel satisfied.

It’s a cliche for a reason: we are always our own harshest critics. You will never feel as creatively successful as your favorite podcast. Someone else out there almost definitely feels the same way about your podcast as you do about your favorite. Comparing your work to someone else’s is your enemy. A flower and a night sky are both pretty, but they’re pretty in very different ways. Your podcast will not be good or successful in the way another podcast is, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good or successful itself. If you’re having trouble comparing your art with someone else’s, check out this great guide on how to stop.

I have a running document of screenshots of the nice things people say about VALENCE, no matter how small. I take screenshots of my cast saying things like, “This episode was so fun!” or “I loved being able to do this monologue.” I refer back to it every time I find myself feeling like a failure, and it helps without fail.

I also go back and reread my favorite lines I’ve written, or go back and listen to some of my favorite moments from completed audio. I like my writing best when it’s funny and weird, so I keep a mental log of all of my best jokes. I absolutely laugh at my own jokes, and you should too. Let go of the idea that you shouldn’t be prideful about your work. Find what makes you proud and revel in it.

And Lost, if you’re still feeling unsuccessful and like nobody cares? You could always start thinking about how much energy your audio drama costs you versus how much you get back from it. I’m not saying you should abandon ship. I absolute believe that with a perspective change, which will admittedly take work and time, you’ll find yourself feeling much more solid about your work. But I do want to say that unless your audio drama is paying your bills, it’s okay if you take a step back from it. It’s not a failure if you decide you are not getting what you need from it. Take care of yourself.

How to Audio Drama is our weekly column documenting every piece of information you’d need to start your own audio drama (aka fiction podcast). The series can be read in full, or read volume by volume. You can use our table of contents to find each How to Audio Drama installment, and you can submit questions to our monthly How to Audio Drama advice column.