This week, I chose to listen to Radio Lab‘s Ghost Stories.  Before listening, I paid attention to the Dissection of Joanne Rosser-Papermaker, and it was mentioned that I should try to discern paragraphs during an audio story, as well as an introduction.  At the beginning of Ghost Stories, the hosts introduced themselves and summarized what their show would be talking about.  Introduction? Check.  As they went from topic to topic, there were long pauses, simulating what I believe to be a new paragraph.  The hosts were still talking about ghosts, but a different story or theme, just like an essay would do.

The audio story used LOTS of sound effects when describing a scene.  Pages were heard turning to tell the listener a book was being read, typewriter sounds were used to simulate something being typed up, gas was heard turning on, and so much more.  Music was also used to reiterate what was said or function as a break.  When ghosts were first mentioned, creepy, eerie music played to put the listener into the mood of ghost telling.  After the first story was told, music with lyrics was used to end that scene and transition into another story.

If I had listened to this audio recording without being told to pay attention to certain sounds, I don’t believe my mind would have picked them out.  I would have heard the sound effects, but I would have accepted them as truly being there as a reference to what was said; such as when the hosts mentioned a typewriter, and you could hear a typewriter in the background.  One thing the Dissection of Joanne Rosser-Papermaker hinted at, was that you do not want someone talking about what’s happening the whole time..I found that during these ghost stories, someone talked nearly the ENTIRE time.  They used sound to support what they were saying as they talked, but they didn’t let the sound have its own identity and embed itself into the listener.

There is one thing I’m confused about, and that’s layering sound. I googled it, but it only came up with layering bass synths and stuff like that.  I don’t understand what exactly layering sound is.  Is it just when two sounds are occurring at once? Or something more?