This project is now complete. All audio files can be found on our catalog page: http://librivox.org/microphone-showdown-i-wandered-lonely-as-a-cloud-by-william-wordsworth/
This is a project which will allow readers and listeners to compare the recording quality of a wide variety of recording devices. It is a sequel to a project (http://forum.librivox.org/viewtopic.php?t=12222) in which readers submitted readings of a poem on a variety of portable recording devices.
We are aiming to present the widest possible range of recording equipment. The following list includes some of the many devices that readers can use:
USB microphones
Dynamic microphones
Condensor microphones
MP3 players, including Ipods
Portable digital recorders
Video recorders
Webcams
Cell phones
Audio cassette recorders
We are interested in featuring equipment of all levels of quality. Whether it is a state of the art recording studio set up or a simple portable device it can be used as long as the minimum recording standards detailed below are satisfied.
The book-coordinators are particularly interested in hearing recordings made on the following microphones:
Blue Snowflake
Blue Yeti
MXL (any model)
Samson C01U
Samson G-Track
Samson Q2U Handheld Dynamic USB
Behringer C1U Condenser
Shure - any model
Apparently there is a brisk trade in counterfeit Shure microphones - if any reader has anything to report on this issue we would be interested in hearing about it.
(Summary by Algy Pug)
- How to get involved in this project
Simply record the poem given below with the specified Librivox intro and outro. Each reader can submit up to seven recordings as long as each is made using a different piece of equipment. When you upload please also indicate the length of your recording. - New to recording?
Please read our Newbie Guide to Recording!
The target completion date for this project is 30 June 2011. - Where do I find the text?
Source text (please only read from this text!): http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/words01.html#3
I WANDERED lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee;
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company;
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth to me the show had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils. - If this is your first recording, please let me know under which name or pseudonym you'd like to appear in the LibriVox catalogue. We can also link to a personal website/blog.
Magic Window:
BC Admin - BEFORE recording:
Please check the Recording Notes:
http://librivox.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6427#6430
Set your recording software to:
Channels: 1 (Mono)
Bit Rate: 128 kbps
Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz - DURING recording:
Please leave no more than 0.5 to 1 second of silence at the beginning of your recording!
Make sure you add this to the beginning and end of your recording:
Start of recording (Intro)- "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth read for librivox.org by [your name] on [your recording device].
- Say:
"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth"
End of recording- At the end of the section, say:
“End of poem. This recording is in the public domain." - If you wish, say:
"Recording by [your name], [city, your blog, podcast, web address]"
[
Also, please remember to check this thread frequently for updates! - AFTER recording:
Special instructions for this project
Each reader may submit up to a total of seven readings. Each reading should be made on a different piece or configuration of equipment. For example, a reader could submit one reading on a portable digital recorder using the inbuilt microphone and another recording using the same recorder with an external microphone.
Equipment should be described in full detail eg. model numbers should be stated.
Readers may use any recording device they choose, including Ipods, video cameras, webcams, cell phones and even phone answering machines. However, the device must have a recording time long enough to contain the entire reading. Some answering machines and other devices have a limited maximum recording time. Any recording which does not contain the full text, intro and outro will not be accepted. Time required for the full recording should be between 60 and 90 seconds.
Readers may record in any audio format they choose. However, editing should be restricted to the following operations:
1) Conversion to the standard Librivox format - monaural Mp3, bit rate 128 kb, sampling rate 44100
2) Normalization to 0 Db with DC offset.
No other modifications, including additional amplification, levelling or noise removal should be used. The purpose of this project is to allow listeners to make a honest appraisal of the various types of recording equipment currently used by Librivox readers.
Even though this is a "technical" rather than an "artistic" project, readers will still be expected to give a fair rendering of the text and the standard PL practices will apply.
Save files as
128 kbps MP3
lonelyasacloud_wordsworth_[device name]_XXX.mp3 (all lower-case) replacing XXX with the reader's initials eg. lonelyasacloud_wordsworth_olympusws400_klh.mp3
ID3 V2 tags
(To find out more about ID3 tags, go to our wiki: http://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/What_is_ID3)
Add the following tags to your .mp3 file (how you do this depends on which software you use – if you are unsure about ID3 tags, send me a message). Please mind upper and lower case!
Title: [Device name] - I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud read by [reader's name]
Artist: William Wordsworth
Album: Microphone Showdown Project
Please ignore tags for Genre and Track Number - these will be filled in automatically at the cataloguing stage.
Transfer of files (completed recordings)
Please always post in this forum thread when you've sent a file.
Also, post the length of the recording (file duration: mm:ss) together with the link.- Upload your file with the LibriVox Uploader (when your upload is complete, you will receive a link - please post it in this thread):
http://upload.librivox.org
(If you have trouble reading the image above, please message an admin)
You'll need to select the MC, which for this project is: sj - smijen - If this doesn't work, or you have questions, please check our How To Send Your Recording wiki page.
- Upload your file with the LibriVox Uploader (when your upload is complete, you will receive a link - please post it in this thread):
Any questions?
Please post below or PM me.