# Audio Editing

## Tell A Story: Customize Your Sonification

Okay, so you’ve created a basic sonification using one of the tools or methods referenced earlier in this toolkit. Great! Maybe you feel ready to dust your hands off and call it a done deal. 🏆 

But hold on a moment. Ask yourself: *“will listeners understand this sonification, just as it is?”* This is the opportunity for your inner storyteller to take the stage. 

At this point, you are hopefully tickled to creatively integrate **context, design,** and **storytelling elements** into your sonification piece. *This is where intentional customization comes in, through audio editing.* 🎛

<figure><img src="https://474819277-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FkFIX5m2sdMOgL46wsjZF%2Fuploads%2FNExl2uaaEOROrTq8x6s6%2FRJI-article5-flowchart_centered.png?alt=media&#x26;token=58bf4dcf-815e-4015-9353-0b6277fe57bf" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="info" %}
These customization options are most applicable to parameter mapping, but the audio editing process applies to audification as well!
{% endhint %}

### Some Customization Examples to Consider

* **Adjust your musical instrument.** If you’re working with a MIDI file, try out different software instruments in your audio editor. Pick an instrument that fits the overall feeling and goal of your sonification project.
* **Record your voice.** With narrative elements, you can introduce the listener to the data, why the topic matters, what sounds to expect, and what certain sounds indicate.&#x20;
* **Bring in external audio.** You could include recordings of people you’ve interviewed, news story segments, snippets of music, or field recordings.
* **Use sonic metaphors.** The use of an [auditory icon](#user-content-fn-1)[^1] can be helpful to indicate an event, such as a historical moment, or a notable change in the data.&#x20;
* **Consider a time marker.** If you’re working with time-series data, consider what sound is communicating the rate of time. This could be a voice subtly mentioning a date, or a tempo track marking time segments.&#x20;
* **Add a text description.** Sometimes it’s helpful to have a written explanation accompany your sonification. Not only can screen readers access this text, but listeners can reference it as a contextual listening guide as well.

## Audio Editing Resources

Visit the [Tools](https://www.sonificationkit.com/data-sonification/tools) section to find an array of [audio editing tools](#audio-editors) and [free audio resources](https://sonification.gitbook.io/toolkit-demo/data-sonification/tools#audio-resources) that you can use to customize your sonification project:

{% content-ref url="tools" %}
[tools](https://www.sonificationkit.com/data-sonification/tools)
{% endcontent-ref %}

[^1]: A sonic metaphor that directly references something in the real world. For example, the sound of crumpling paper could represent tossing something in the trash.


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