Editing

Thinking Critically: A D&D Discussion

For this extremely meta episode, I'm joined by producer and host of the Chafing Armor actual play podcast, Michael Corley. This one is light on actual D&D content, so please bare that in mind! Anyway, Michael and I discuss the finer points of the post-production process for Dungeons & Dragons podcasts, be they APs or chat shows. "Editing", for all it's connotations and bells & whistles, is often synonymous with "clarity", that is of both the quality and content. Despite all the mechanical baggage of audio editing (truncating silence, equalisers, noise reduction, etc.), a large part of it is uniquely human; a sixth sense. Know when to leave the filler sounds in, knowing when to leave a pregnant silence, knowing which bloopers actually add to the experience, these are things only a human can do, and no amount of automation or AI can craft the kind of audio experience you want to hear. The editor has, in some ways, more power than the DM: they can alter history, paint a character as a hero or villain, and completely change the emotion of a scene. With great power...

• 01:24 - The Quality Dichotomy
• 13:11 - Editing D&D Content
• 44:54 - Telltale Footprints
• 53:36 - The Power of the Editor

Find Michael (@chafingarmor) on:

• Website: https://chafingarmor.com/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/chafingarmor
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chafingarmor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chafingarmor/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVp7JOI4jLSCSN5JYh3eUkA
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chafingarmor

Find me on:

• Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThinkCritDnD
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_BSgazjwyshzo1jazHeaQ
• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thinkingcritically
• Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/thinkingcritically

References:

• Levelator (CNet download)
• BBC Sound Effect Library
• 'Podcasts' episode of Thinking Critically

Patreons:

• @mpstreet88

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod
Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod
Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod