Online Course: Writing and Editing for Podcast with David Schulman

• Writing for the ear
• Writing in-and-out of sound clips
• Working with alternative narrative strategies that don’t involve verbatim script reads
• Exploring various ways to voice narratives effectively
• The power of rhythm in sound stories
• The structural use of non-narrative sound for more compelling audio storytelling

This class is open to people at all levels of experience working with audio, and it is designed to be rewarding for those without a stand-alone audio recorder or audio editing software. The only tech requirements are: access to a the internet, a computer to join classes by Zoom and a mobile phone (not used for Zoom) with a recording app.

That said, working with dedicated audio gear quickly builds audio skills, enabling you to “hear” things better and learn faster. So it is a recommendation — not a requirement — that students consider purchasing their own recorder kit and production software. The basic gear includes:

• A stand-alone audio recorder with appropriate cables, power and recording media
• A decent interview mic (sometimes a portable recorder’s built-in mics work fine)
• A decent pair of headphones
• Audio production software such as GarageBand, Reaper, Hindenburg, Logic Pro, Audition or Pro Tools

Working with a good kit quickly builds audio skills, enabling you to “hear” things better, from a producer’s perspective. Today the cost of quality recording gear seems lower than ever. Licenses for good audio production software can be very inexpensive — in some cases there are free or almost-free plans. For the recording kit itself, bundles of decent gear are available for under $200. And the headphone model used for years by countless top broadcast producers now costs less than $100. But having your own recording kit is not a class requirement. It’s possible to get a lot out of this class working with the recording app on a mobile phone.

WEEK 1: WRITING AND INTERVIEWING FOR THE EAR
We’ll start with fundamental techniques for recording conversations well, whether you use a phone app or a dedicated audio recorder. We’ll focus on some of the big differences between writing for the page and screen, and writing for the ear.

WEEK 2: FINDING STORY ELEMENTS IN YOUR SOUND
What makes for engaging audio stories — and what approaches to writing and interviewing lead to better audio storytelling? We’ll work with recorded interviews in small-group workshop sessions, honing techniques for identifying sound clips that bring energy, motion and emotion to your audio storytelling. And we’ll practice building sequences that combine sound clips and narration.

WEEK 3: SHAPING AND STRUCTURING AN AUDIO STORY
Elements large and small shape the structure of effective audio stories. We’ll consider the journey we hope to offer listeners, and ask: What is the time and place for uncertainty and mystery? Or for moments of quiet and reflection? Is your narrative best told with a word-for-word script or some other way? We’ll workshop different techniques you can use to craft a compelling narrative journey in sound.

David Schulman is an internationally recognized audio producer, musician and talent coach — he loves to help people creatively tell stories in sound.

Creator and executive producer of the influential NPR series “Musicians in their Own Words,” David’s awards include the MUSE Gold Award for podcast and Special Mention at the 2021 Prix Italia — the leading international radio competition — for “Alone with J.S. Bach,” heard on Australia’s ABC RN.

David created and teaches the podcasting course at Georgetown University and has produced programs for BBC, NPR, PRX, SLATE, MSNBC and CNN.

“David helped launch our CNN Audio podcast “The Assignment.” … He mentored some of our producers in the process and established workflows that helped us deliver a supremely polished show. I am in his debt and you will love working with him.”
— Audie Cornish, CNN anchor and former host of NPR’s All Things Considered