New narrator

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SelimWormrider
Posts: 4
Joined: September 12th, 2019, 2:58 pm
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah USA
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Post by SelimWormrider »

Greetings all!!

I am both an avid fan of audiobooks and now an aspiring narrator as well. Librivox served as my introduction into the world of audiobooks many years ago. Always a fan of reading I had been skeptical about listening to audiobooks, thinking it somehow less worthy. My opinion was quickly changed and I began listening to as many titles as possible.

About the time I was settling into my new hobby my ex-wife and I welcomed twin daughters into this world. My girls are seven years old now and reading to them and with them is one of my greatest joys. Coincidentally after reading so many classic children's books and stories I began to notice that I might have a certain talent for narration.

It wasn't until I stumbled upon acx.com about a year ago that I realized I could feasibly begin working as a narrator and with hard work and luck maybe even earn income in the process. With that goal in mind I have begun to complete the steps necessary to begin a professional narration career. At this point I have never recorded anything professionally and need a portfolio for prospective authors. This is where Librivox comes in. I am excited to volunteer narrating both to give back to the organization who help introduce me to a passion and build a collection of works which showcase my voice-talent.

Well that's about it.. Oh I produce under the "voice-name" (think pen-name) Selim Wormrider; my real name is Peter.

Looking forward to meeting like-minded people to share knowledge and learn from on here.

Drop me a reply and say hi!!

-Selim Wormrider.
philchenevert
LibriVox Admin Team
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Joined: October 17th, 2010, 9:23 pm
Location: Basking by the Bayou
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Post by philchenevert »

Hi and welcome. have fun and ask lots of questions. :thumbs:
Peruvian owls always hunt in pairs because they are inca hoots.
89 Decibels? Easy Peasy ! https://youtu.be/aSKR55RDVpk
SelimWormrider
Posts: 4
Joined: September 12th, 2019, 2:58 pm
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah USA
Contact:

Post by SelimWormrider »

Thanks Phil!

I can think of a couple questions right off the bat! I'm currently researching which equipment I am going to be purchasing, i.e. mic, mic stand, sound dampening materials, software, etc. I have been recording samples with my iPhone using an app called Voice Record Pro (mostly to experiment with the various settings and levels required by acx.com and now librivox.

I will be investing in a home studio setup at the end of this month and I am trying to figure out how to choose the correct microphone to suite my voice and purposes. Hearing ones own voice via recording is at first, rather disconcerting. I have begun to recognize the little flaws in my voice as I narrate. For me the biggest problems are establishing a cadence and sticking to it consistently while switching between the narrator and various character roles. For instance reading a characters lines "I'm reading a line from a character" then switching back to narrator to read "said so-and-so". This all gets more convoluted when multiple characters are all engaged in dialogue and actions. okay so I suppose I'm asking for advice in that regard.

Secondly I find my narration sounds like a kettle about to boil when I'm pronouncing certain consonants like "S" or "T's". Are there filters or editing techniques to normalize or remove this high pitched hissing sounds and/or is that something choosing correct physical equipment will address. In addition are there vocalization techniques to reduce this distracting whistles?

I appreciate any and all advice or direction y'all can give me.

Regards,
Selim Wormrider
philchenevert
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 24587
Joined: October 17th, 2010, 9:23 pm
Location: Basking by the Bayou
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Post by philchenevert »

Ha! You sound like you are full of great questions. You've come to the right place. I first off suggest you copy your great post above and put it into "Need Help? Got ADvice?" forum. Our great people will definitely help. But relax, your voice probably is great and your style is also fine becaue it is your own. My recording set up is some sound blankets hung around my 'desk' with my PC. that's it. Not great but it works for me. I do recommend the best mic you can afford but my Yeti sounds ok to me. And a shock mount, that helps too. again, you will do just fine and both LibriVox and ACX will welcome your input. Please post your question in that forum and we will help. :thumbs:
Peruvian owls always hunt in pairs because they are inca hoots.
89 Decibels? Easy Peasy ! https://youtu.be/aSKR55RDVpk
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