AUDIO INFORMATION AND MEDIA

It uses audio or recordings to deliver and transfer information through the means of sounds.
It may refer to:
AUDIO FORMATS
• Analog tape cassettes
• Digital cd’s
• Computer files containing audio.
Characteristics of Audio Information Media
1. Clarity of voice
2. Relevant to the topic
3. Clear pitch of the audio
4. Appropriate length
5. Appropriate language
6. Unbiased content
Sources of Audio Information Media
Audible information can be heard anywhere even without the help of any medium. A person speaking is
heard by people around him and that can already be an example of audio information and media.
RADIO
Historically, the radio is the first and the original broadcasting medium.
MODERN DEVICES
Nowadays, people have multiple choices as to what kind of medium is used in order to get audio
messages, may it be informative, persuasive and entertaining.
Advantages of Audio Information Media
• Useful to add, maintain and stimulate interest.
• Can be used as a set introduction strategy.
• Can clarify problems and ambiguity.
• Can aid memory.
• Can be used in stimulating emotions.
• Useful in distant learning.
• Helpful in stimulating creative thinking, increase imagination.
• Helpful in learning language.
Limitations of Audio Information Media
• Extra resources are needed.
• Audio media could be costly.
• Power failure issues can disturb the learning environment.
• Strong lesson planning is to be done.
• Trained teachers are needed who can manage it effectively.
Hearing vs. Listening
Clearly, hearing is different from listening because of the level of stimulus involved. Hearing, in it’s most
literal sense is just acknowledging the sound waves that reached the ear. On other hand, listening
requires comprehension in order to generate reaction and feedback.
Learning Out Loud
It is similar learning with sounds. Some learners can learn with music or background music while
studying. Also, Learning out loud means that learning is more effective when aided with sounds because
the more senses involved in learning, the better. Thus, if the teachers can use the visual and auditory at
the same time, more learning is developed among students.
Selection Criteria
Audio files may vary in so many divisions music, podcast, information and entertaining.
• Relevance
• Authority
• Timeless/Currency
• Validity/Accuracy
• Argument
• Coverage
• Bias

Design Principle and Elements

 Audio information does not have an extensive scope in terms of principle and elements. It is
generally labeled, but can identified by the following:
AUDIO CLIPS. An audio clip is a category of bigger idea, which is media clip.
RECORD. An audio file that is stored on tape or on a click.
EARCON. Short sound phrases that are used to mainly in computers to support computer commands
like shutting down, starting up, opening windows etc.

Elements in Creating Message

1. Source - person who is conveying the message

2. Message - subject of the communication

3. Encoding - the act of assembling the message

4. Channel - responsible for delivering the message

5. Receiver - who the message is intended for.

6. Decoding - he process of the receiver interpreting the message

7. Feedback -  known as reaction and responses

8. Interference - anything that blocks or changes the source’s intended meaning of the message

CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUND

 TONE

 PITCH

 LOUDNESS/SOFTNESS

 VOLUME

Objects - The things we have to work with to create soundtracks.

Elements of sound design

Dialogue – speech, conversation, voice-over

Sound Effects – any sound other that music or dialogue

Music – vocal or instrumental sounds combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony,
and expression of emotion
Silence – absence of audio or sound

Principles of sound design

 Mixing - the combination, balance and control of multiple sound elements.

 Pace - Time control. Editing. Order of events: linear, non-linear, or multi-linear.

 Transitions - How you get from one segment or element to another. T

Types of transitions:

1. Segue - one element stops, the next begins ("cut" in film).

2. Cross-fade - one element fades out, the next fades in, and they overlap on the way.

3. V-Fade - First element fades to inaudible before the second element begins.

4. Fade to Black - V-Fade with some silence between elements.

5. Waterfall – first element fades out, the second element begins at full volume
• Stereo Imaging - Using left and right channel for depth

Type of audio files

 Radio Broadcast – live or recorded audio sent through radio wavers to reach a wide audience

 Music – vocal and/or instrumental sounds combined in such a way as to produce beauty of
form, harmony, and expression of emotion. It is composed and performed for many purposes,
ranging from aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, or as an entertainment
product.

 Sound recording - recording of an interview, meeting, or any sound from the environment.

 Sound clips/effects - any sound, other than music or speech, artificially reproduced to create an
effect in a dramatic presentation, as the sound of a storm or a creaking door.

 Audio Podcast - a digital audio file or recording, usually part of a themed series, that can be
downloaded from a website to a media player or computer.

Audio file formats

 MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer 3) - a common format for consumer audio, as well as a standard of
digital audio compression for the transfer and playback of music on most digital audio players

 M4A/AAC (MPEG-4 Audio/Advanced Audio Coding) - an audio coding standard for lossy digital
audio compression. Designed to be the successor of the MP3 format, AAC generally achieves
better sound quality than MP3 at similar bit rates

 WAV - is a Microsoft audio file format standard for storing an audio bitstream on PCs. It has
become a standard file format for game sounds, among others

 WMA (Windows Media Audio) - is an audio data compression technology developed by

Microsoft and used with Windows Media Player

Ways of storing audio media

 Tape - magnetic tape on which sound can be recorded.

 CD - a plastic-fabricated, circular medium for recording, storing, and playing back audio, video,
and computer data.

 USB drive - an external flash drive, small enough to carry on a key ring, that can be used with
any computer that has a USB port.

 Memory Card - (aka flash memory card or storage card) is a small storage medium used to store
data such as text, pictures, audio, and video, for use on small, portable, or remote computing
devices.

 Computer hard drive - secondary storage devices for storing audio files

 Internet/Cloud - websites or file repositories for retrieving audio files, and more precisely the
files are stored in some datacenter full of servers that is connected to the Internet