editing.md

Episode editing

Episodes are edited via GarageBand by combining participants’ audio tracks into a single MP3 file.

GarageBand production setup

Create a local working directory for all of your assets:

.
├── notes.md
├── originals
│   └── yyyy-mm-dd Code Optional recording - <participant name>.mov
├── solos
│   └── yyyy-mm-dd Code Optional recording - <participant name> solo.mov
└── code\ optional\ episode\ <#>\ yyyy-mm-dd.band

1. Create a notes.md file for the episodes show notes

• Most of the show notes originate from the episode’s Google Docs file
• notes.md is Markdown-formatted and ready for publication on the blog
• Copy the original call recording movie files into the originals directory
• Create solo audio tracks for each participant’s side of the conversation
  • For each file in originals, drag it into the Split Sides of Conversation app from the Movie Tools suite distributed with ecamm’s Call Recorder.
  • Organize all of the “solo side” of conversation movie files into the solos directory and trash their companions.
    • mv originals/*Side\ 1*.mov solos/. && rm originals/*Side\ 2*mov && for f in solos/*Side\ 1*.mov; do mv "$f" "${f//\(Side 1\)/solo}"; done
  • For each movie file in solos, drag it into the Convert to MP3 app from the Movie Tools suite distributed with ecamm’s Call Recorder.
    • Ensure that your iTunes MP3 Encorder settings (Preferences > Import Settings… > Import Using MP3 Encoder) are properly configured to 96 kbps (mono)/192 kbps (stereo).
  • Delete the non-MP3 files in the solos directory
    • rm solos/*.mov
• In GarageBand, create a new Empty Project
  • In the working directory, save it with the format code\ optional\ episode\ <episode number>\ yyyy-mm-dd.band
• Import all of the mp3 files in the solos directory as their own track in the GarageBand project file.

Audio file export

1. In GarageBand, select all of the continuous audio regions that will be included in the episode

• Select Share > Export Song to Disk…
  • Choose AIFF and save the file as codeoptional###.aiff in the working directory.
• Pipe the AIFF file through The Levelator (web archive link), an app that normalizes audio levels across the recording
  • Levelator-2.1.1.dmg

MP3 creation

1. Open the exported AIFF file in iTunes

• Select the file, secondary click, and select Create MP3 version
• In iTunes, ⌘I on the created MP3 file and edit its ID3 tags
  • In the Info tab, fill out the required ID3 information
  • In the Artwork tab, add the Code Optional logo
• Save the MP3 file into the Episodes Dropbox directory
  • codeoptional<episode number>.mp3

Miscellaneous

“Fixing” stereo audio recordings that are only on a single channel

1. From GarageBand’s menu bar, select View > Show Smart Controls

• Click the i to Show Inspector
• Select Kevin’s track
• Toggle the input option from stereo to mono