When you analyze sound, it’s important to consider the composer’s choice of sounds and the pitch, pace, and volume of those sounds. These choices may enhance or work against the composer’s intended message.
Although a composer’s choices about the type of sound and its qualities are usually deliberate, they don’t necessarily convey the same meaning to all listeners in all contexts. They may not work the way the composer intended, or they may carry additional meanings the composer didn’t anticipate. As you develop an interpretation about the meaning of sound on its own or as part of a multimodal piece, be sure to consider genre, features, purpose, and audience together.
In preparation for creating her own podcast, Talia Souza analyzed sound in King Anyi Howell’s podcast.
Excerpt from Souza’s analysis of an audio podcast
Notes on an audio podcast
Activity 2: Your understanding of sound in multimodal texts
Podcast: King Anyi Howell, “Hustlers, Street Vendors, and Farmers”
Related topics:
Genre: What kind of sound is it?
Features: Pitch, pace, and volume
Purpose and audience: Why and for whom is the sound created?