Explore the fundamentals of effective sound design and bring a new dimension to your audio storytelling.

Dates:
Jun 8, 2024 - Jun 8, 2024

Levels: Beginner, Intermediate,
Workshop Fee: $145
Workshop Duration: 4 hours (Saturday, 1-5pm)
Workshop Location: Online
Class Size: 14

Note: This workshop will be held in a live, online format utilizing the Zoom platform.
Class meets Saturday, Jun 8 from 1-5pm ET.

In this half-day introductory class, we’ll explore the fundamentals of effective, compelling sound design for narrative audio. We’ll listen to, dissect, and critique published examples to uncover and understand the sound-design choices their producers made. And we’ll explore sound-design tools, techniques, and resources that won’t break the bank. You’ll leave with the skills and knowledge you need to get started, plus an appreciation for sound design as an integral part of narrative storytelling. 

In this class, you’ll learn to: 

  • Identify key principles of sound design for narrative nonfiction audio 
  • Use a mood board to plan the sound design of an audio piece
  • Decide when and/or whether to add music or other sound elements to a piece
  • Synchronize music with narration and character speech 
  • Manipulate sound using basic plug-ins in a DAW
  • Identify sources of licensable and license-free music and sound effects
  • Identify inexpensive options for making your own music―no musical background required (iPad to the rescue!)

Note: No prior experience is required but some familiarity with Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software is a plus.

Share This

Instructor: Lori Mortimer

Lori Mortimer is the creator of Mementos podcast, available on Amazon, Apple, Google, Spotify and most major platforms. She is a member of Hub & Spoke, a nonprofit collective of independent podcasters. Because she loves sharing what she’s learned, Lori recently launched Sound Off the Ground, a sound-design newsletter for new audio makers. Last spring, she was a presenter in the AIR Media webinar "Making Podcast Music for Non-Musicians," where she demonstrated how to use an iPad to make podcast music with no musical background and virtually no budget. Previously, Lori worked in publishing and corporate training. She was the founding editor of CampusWell (originally Student Health 101), a digital health and wellness publication for college students. Along the way, she spent years writing technical documentation, audio scripts, and designing and developing training programs in the high-tech industry. 

Learn More