2024-2025 | Podcast
A Touch of Hart:
Adventures of A Blind Police Dog
Produced, Recorded, Edited, Mixed and Mastered by Makela Sapphire Rose
About the Project
“Debbie Jacob, Newsday columnist, and President of the Wishing for Wings Foundation, adopted Hart, and writes Hart’s audio series to provide oral literature for all children in T&T, and to show them the life of a police dog. The series builds listening and academic skills for all children and a better understanding of what it means to be visually impaired.
In Hart’s light-hearted episodes listeners learn about bullying, confidence, kindness, empathy, standing up for a cause and re-invention. Hart’s episodes are fun way to learn about figures of speech, how to construct an argument and important values like trust and sharing.
Most of all, Hart represented happiness and never losing your sense of purpose.”
“A Touch of Hart” Episode Credits
Written by:
Debbie Jacob
Debbie Jacob (Hart and Blu’s human) voiced by:
Herself
Hart voiced by:
Debbie Jacob and Khafra Rudder
Papa Bois and Larry the Lagahoo voiced by:
Khafra Rudder
Mama D’lo voiced by:
Ijanaya Smith
Blu and the Douens (Dwayne & Douglas) voiced by:
Theodora Ulerie
Executive Producers:
Gwen Ali, Noble Philip, Patricia and Mark Loquan
Audio Engineer:
Makela Sapphire Rose & Dylan Bassant
“A Touch of Hart” Theme Song Credits
Written and Produced by:
Makela Sapphire Rose
Vocalist:
Naomi “AMI” Phill
Mixed and Mastered by:
Makela Sapphire Rose
“A Touch of Hart” Artwork and Design Illustrator:
Amber D'Ornellas
Graphic Designer:
Amber D'Ornellas and Makela Sapphire Rose
MY PROCESS
❧
MY PROCESS ❧
01.
Writing
The script for each episode was written by author, Debbie Jacob. She is the founder of the Wishing for Wings Foundation and Hart’s owner.
The theme song, however, was written by me, and was the first opportunity I’ve had for the genre and targeted demographic.
Producing
02.
Once a melody for the written lyrics was decided upon, I produced the track, adding suitable elements that fit the theme such as keys, piano, a piccolo, and a marimba. All instruments were programmed using samples and the BBC Symphony Orchestra plugin.
Recording
03.
All episodes and the theme song were recorded in Studio 303 of the UTT APA Campus via Pro Tools.
Gear used include Audio Technica AT4050s, a SHURE SM58, and an SSL XL Desk.
Editing
04.
Everything was edited in Ableton Live. Repeated lines, unexpected noises, and affected syllables were dealt with so that the dialogue would be clearer.
Sound Design
05.
Sound effects were sourced from royalty free libraries and were either chopped, lengthened, warped, pitched, etc. to create desirable results to enhance the episodes.
Mixing
06.
The theme song was mixed separately before being combined with the episodes and sound effects. Then, final mix was done to further ensure clarity and that a cohesive product was created.
Everything was mixed in Ableton using stock plugins.
Mastering
07.
Each episode was mastered separately using the Youlean Loudness Meter plugin, and a stock Ableton limiter, all in consideration of the LUFS standard for streaming services.
