Workshops

The workshop is designed for people with no prior experience in audio recording and covers all relevant topics related to recording, both theoretically and practically. Post-production is not part of this workshop; it is covered separately in the Audio II (Editing) workshop. At the beginning of the workshop, participants are asked to briefly present their planned projects or interests in the field of audio recording so that the content can be tailored to their needs.

In the theoretical section, various microphones, field recorders, and accessories will be introduced; their construction and function will be explained; and their associated characteristics and areas of application will be discussed. This helps participants select the right equipment for their specific use case and choose appropriate microphone placement, thereby preventing mistakes that are often difficult or impossible to correct satisfactorily afterward. A brief digression will also cover the topics of stereo/mono and WAVE/MP3.

In the practical session, proper microphone placement and the use of accessories such as pop filters or windscreens are demonstrated; the sonic differences between various microphone types (e.g., handheld vs. lavalier microphones) and the effects of room acoustics and background noise are made visible and audible. Special attention is given to specific scenarios, such as events or lectures where “recordings” must be made using simple equipment, the use of additional microphones to improve audio quality during video recordings, and challenging situations such as interviews that must be conducted not in a studio but over the Internet (via Zoom and similar platforms).

Audio II is a purely hands-on workshop designed for people with no prior experience in audio editing; it offers a basic course covering everything from the fundamentals of editing to the production of recordings for release. It is not a follow-up course, so prior completion of Audio I is not required (though it may be helpful in some cases).

Participants can work through all the steps directly on the PCs in the room (alone or in pairs, depending on availability) using the provided materials. Using your own laptop is permitted only if the software and plugins have already been installed and tested before the workshop and the materials have been downloaded (instructions here).

The workshop uses the open-source software Audacity with a few additional plugins. First, the software’s interface will be discussed; then, simple editing tasks will be walked through step by step for participants to follow along, and basic techniques for improving audio quality will be introduced (removing background noise, noise reduction, etc.). Finally, slightly more complex techniques will be demonstrated, such as filtering and amplifying voices, which are standard practices in podcasting.

The workshop is designed for people with no prior experience in video recording and covers all relevant topics related to recording, both theoretically and practically. Post-production is not part of this workshop; it is covered separately in Video II (Editing). At the beginning of the workshop, participants are asked to briefly present their planned projects or areas of interest so that the content can be tailored to their needs.

In the theoretical section, various cameras and accessories will be introduced, their design and function explained, and their associated features and areas of application discussed. This will help participants select the right equipment for their specific use case, ensuring optimal quality results and avoiding mistakes that are difficult or impossible to correct satisfactorily in post-production. A brief digression will also cover topics such as aspect ratios (16:9, HD/4K), file formats (MP4, MOV, MKV), and codecs (H.264/H.265, MPEG), as well as how these choices affect quality and file size.

In the practical section, the differences between automatic and manual modes and the associated settings (white balance, focus, aperture, shutter speed, ISO) will be demonstrated. Special attention is given to creating stable (i.e., shake-free) footage, which is demonstrated by comparing handheld footage with footage shot using a tripod, mechanical stabilizers (“gimbals”), and digital image stabilization. In another brief digression, the effect of external microphones when filming (e.g., lavalier microphones) is made audible through a comparison with the camera’s internal audio.

Video II is a purely hands-on workshop designed for people with no prior experience in video editing; it covers the basics of cutting and editing all the way through to “rendering” a video. It is not a follow-up course, so attending Video I beforehand is not a prerequisite (though it may be helpful in some cases).

Participants can work through all the steps directly on the PCs in the room (alone or in pairs, depending on availability) using the provided materials. Using your own laptops is not possible, as their screens are too small for video editing and their CPUs/GPUs are far too underpowered for the task. However, the materials can be downloaded (link to the workshop website).

The workshop will use the software DaVinci Resolve Studio, which also has a free version with a limited feature set. First, the software’s interface will be discussed, followed by hands-on practice with individual editing and post-production tasks using the provided material. Special attention will be given to “voiceovers” and (automatic) subtitling of speech. Finally, more complex editing techniques will be discussed, such as removing a green background (green-screen filming, chroma keying) and color grading.

Podcast Special is a purely hands-on workshop that walks participants through the entire process of creating a podcast, from the initial idea to the published episode. It is designed for people with no prior experience in audio recording. Participants can work through all the steps directly on the PCs in the room (alone or in pairs, depending on availability) using the provided materials. Using your own laptop is permitted only if the software and plugins have already been installed and tested before the workshop and the materials have been downloaded (instructions here).

Content:

• Corporate Identity (title, logo, jingle…)
• Equipment (MediaLab Studio & “home recording”)
• Audio Recording (trailers, music, episodes)
• Audio Editing (cuts, fixing errors, “producing” voices)
• Publication (platforms, uploading, show notes…)

The workshop consists of a theoretical and a practical part. In the first part, the history of eye tracking is outlined, the method is explained from a technical perspective, and the two common approaches (screen-based and mobile tracking) are introduced. In the second part, both methods are applied in practice using a small test experiment, and data analysis (heat maps, gaze plots, AOIs) is demonstrated using the data collected from the participants.

Depending on the group size and needs, specific scenarios relevant to the participants and their planned research projects can also be tested using the appropriate trackers (e.g., social interactions, reading books, watching videos on screen, etc.).