On the page, they are perfectly distinct, but in the ears… they sound the same. Listening to her chapters, I discovered I had a Gene (the main hypnotist character) and a neighbour Jean. This really caused a hiccup, and made me rather unpopular with Sandy. Oh cripes, two names that sound the same! There is a ton of great info on the web, such as articles like this …and video tutorials like this. The other advice I would offer is to give yourself a crash course in post-production – for compression, equalisation and to remove mistakes and odd noises. There are some great resources out there for mic comparisons, such as this one. Since this voice project is a bit of an experiment for me, I wasn’t prepared to buy a full mic/pre-amp system, so I invested in one of the best USB mics. The mic I bought is a high-end professional brand (Shure PG42) and tuned for voice recording. However, they have come a long way recently because of the huge rise in amateur voiceover work for video blogs and podcasts. USB microphones have a built-in pre-amp, but traditionally sound tinny and aren’t warm enough for audiobooks. If you are planning on doing professional recording full time this is probably the way to go. The pre-amp is almost as important as the mic, so if you go this route you have to spend quite a bit of money to get a good sound. Most audiophiles recommend a high-end microphone with a pre-amp to convert the analogue sound to a digital signal. Get the best setup you can afford because when you are recording a solo speaking voice there isn’t much to hide behind, and there is only so much you can do in post-production. Sandy: Do your research before spending money on equipment. Sometimes the new lines need to be tweaked to get them to match the original recording – different days can sound quite different. Incomplete chapters waiting for pickups get put aside until after my next recording session so I can drop in re-recorded lines. I adjust the volume as needed, then export it as an MP3 ready to upload. Sandy: Once a chapter is complete I run a range check to make sure it fits within the ACX parameters. I spend more time on the dramatic passages because those feel important to get right. I usually end up listening to each recorded line at least twice, sometimes as many as five or six times. Sandy: I listen for the best takes and remove the bad ones, and cut out extra noises like mouth clicks and breaths. Roz: See the first post about establishing the perfect pause! I also adjust the pauses between lines so it flows dramatically. I try to fix any mistakes, and make a note of the ones I can’t. Then I listen to each chapter and follow along using the printed manuscript to make sure it is correct. I splice together the chapters if they are in chunks, then compress the audio and equalize so the sound quality is good. Sandy: I record six or so chapters at a time, until my voice gets tired, then load them onto my main PC for editing. The only time I come out is when I need to check a pronunciation – Roz has some pretty atypical words! Oedema? Nebulae? Roentgen? That’s a pain because it holds up the workflow. Sometimes I can fix it while editing but sometimes I have to re-record the word or sentence. The tough ones are when I read a word incorrectly but it sounds right at the time (like make instead of makes) so I don’t catch it. Sandy: I usually catch around 98% of the errors. The finished quality is the responsibility of both of you! Even with the most meticulous narrator, a repeated phrase or two can slip through. Roz: Watch for these when you’re reviewing the uploaded files. Any time there is a mistake I do a retake and keep going so I don’t interrupt the flow. Sandy: I monitor the audio as I go via headphones. Equipment notes follow at the end of the piece. Roz: You need studio-grade equipment to meet the quality standards for an audiobook. I hit record, then shut myself in with mic, headphones, and a glass of water. I set up the laptop and hook up the mic and headphones.Įach chapter (or chunks if they are long) gets recorded in one go because the laptop needs to be outside of the closet, away from the mic or we can hear the fan. Then I prep the ‘studio’ – which is my closet. Then I review them to refresh my memory and make notes about pronunciation or content/emphasis. Sandy: First I print out the pages of the text. I put these questions to my narrator, Sandy Spangler. What are they doing? When you listen to the files, what problems should you be alert for? And if you’re narrating and producing your own book, what do you need to know? But at the other end of the line, the narrator/producer is spending 4-6 hours on each finished hour you hear. From the author’s end it’s relatively simple – pitch your book, listen to auditions, guide the narrator and review chapters as they’re posted on ACX. A week or so ago I talked about making audio books with ACX, the self-publishing arm of Audible.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |