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Power of Audio

IN THIS ARTICLE:

Sound effects
Music
Spoken word

By Jonathan Halls

The power of audio as a medium comes from its storytelling tools and methods. It doesn't matter what medium or within which context you communicate, you will always have at your disposal a number of storytelling tools.

I'm a bit old fashined and see the whole area of creating stories and communicating via audio as a craft. And as such I like to compare the way we tell stories using audio to the way artists tell stories as they paint pictures.

As you would know, the artists have their medium (canvass). And they have a number of tools which they use to turn that canvass into a storytelling medium.

Audio communicators have three principal storytelling tools. They are:

sound effects,
music, and
the spoken word.

Each of these tools is used masterfully by audio professionals to paint pictures in people’s minds.

Audio also offers numerous storytelling methods. These aren't tools, but a way in which you can use your tools. These include:

monologues,
interviews,
drama, and
sound montage.

We're focusing on storytelling tools in this article, rather than methods. These are the tools that give you, as a communicator, real power to create understanding.

Sound Effects

When I think of sound effects, I think of the artists broad brush. The brush she might use to paint the background with broad, sweeping strokes. The sky, the mountains. It's not really the brush an artist uses for detail.

Audio storytellers use sound effects to paint broad pictures in your listener’s minds such as the context and background.

They draw on your listener’s mental database of sounds which are connected to events and experiences we have all stored up over the years.

Using these experiences, they draw on their imagination to complete the picture or story in their mind.

While sound effects are very powerful, they can be a blunt tool for telling stories. Also, they can be over-used by excited novices.

Spoken Word

When I think of the spoken word, I think of the artist's fine brushes. The brushes she uses to paint the detail such as someone's expression.

For audio storytellers, the spoken is used to convey detailed information and be specific. Along with the choice of words, the power of vocal expression allows it add life to the detail.

The phrase, “yeah, right,” can be spoken sarcastically, giving this phrase, that has one meaning on paper, a whole new meaning in audio.

Like any tool, the podcaster can overuse the tool of the spoken word like a dentist can overuse a drill and go far deeper than he ever needs.

However, when it is used masterfully in combination with sound effects, the audio storyteller can start to really create powerful pictures in the listener's mind.

Music

Music is the third tool we have in audio. I liken it to the artists pot of pain. Because it adds color and energy.

Music creates mood and affects emotion. Musicians will tell you that the difference between a minor and major chord can make a tune sound slightly sad or otherwise happy.

The power of music goes beyond minor and major tones, though. In our lives, music often attaches itself to experiences that we have.

For example, we often remember pop tunes that we heard at important events. I always remember the first song I ever played on the radio. Whenever I hear it, it takes me back and I can almost feel myself re-living that moment.

Careful use of each of these tools will ensure your success at podcasting.

Another way that music adds power to your podcast is that is creates motion. A music bed with some rhythm can almost make even a boring speaker easier to take.

Storytelling methods

Along with the tools we have to tell stories are the methods. There are quite a number of methods you can use to tell stories. Let's discuss just a few.

These methods include the monologue, interview, vox pop, drama and sound montage. We'll be talking about these in an article to be published in early 2007.