What if I Suck?

Post your questions & get help from friendly LibriVoxers
maxgal
Posts: 3247
Joined: June 8th, 2019, 10:24 am

Post by maxgal »

lurcherlover wrote: April 13th, 2020, 12:49 am
maxgal wrote: April 12th, 2020, 11:04 pm
maxgal wrote: August 31st, 2019, 4:13 pm
...So now my general reading pace seems to be about 110-115WPM.
It does seem "too slow" compared with what seems to be the norm.
But trying to read faster conjures up the same problems.
("I've tried to speed it up, but then I trip all over the words & run out of breath & generally get stressed out.")
So I guess it just adds to the suspense, when that's appropriate. :shock:
...LJB
There is a tendency for people to read too fast - including me - and I frequently shout into the mic "slow up, you ******" to make myself slow down.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I talk to myself too!
And not always nicely.
I see I'm in good company.
...LJB
Louise
"every little breeze..."

Fun Fact: 40% of all statistics are wrong.
AudreyCatherine
Posts: 3
Joined: September 2nd, 2020, 12:25 pm

Post by AudreyCatherine »

I listened to part of The Secret Agent, chapter eight. I like that you didn't rush; a nice speed. There are a few "crackles" in the background, but it wasn't too bad and I could certainly still hear you. :)
Audrey Catherine :oops:
CassiopeiaSparks
Posts: 79
Joined: January 27th, 2021, 1:04 pm

Post by CassiopeiaSparks »

maxgal wrote: April 12th, 2020, 11:04 pm
maxgal wrote: August 31st, 2019, 4:13 pm OK, this isn't necessarily about sucking per se, but...
I seem to read aloud more slooooowwwwwly than anyone else I have ever heard!
No matter what ... it can be a political essay, a fairy tale, a scary/spooky story, a humorous story, a Grand Guignol narration, a nonfiction piece for the
Insomnia collection (which I know is supposed to be slow-ish), etc...
My recording speed (even with trimming the pauses) is consistently about 125WPM.
I've tried to speed it up, but then I trip all over the words & run out of breath & generally get stressed out. :roll:
For the most part, I think I sound OK, but sometimes it seems that "everyone else" is on the ball & I'm not!
Or something.
On the other hand, I've been told a number of times that I'm "very calm" and "very calming" to be around.
Anyone else got this particular weirdness?
...So now my general reading pace seems to be about 110-115WPM.
It does seem "too slow" compared with what seems to be the norm.
But trying to read faster conjures up the same problems.
("I've tried to speed it up, but then I trip all over the words & run out of breath & generally get stressed out.")
So I guess it just adds to the suspense, when that's appropriate. :shock:
...LJB
I certainly find that my regular speaking rate is slower than most, and it only gets slower when I am reading aloud, especially as some of my focus is going towards enunciating. My solution has been, when I feel like my recording is just ridiculously slow, to edit the tempo effect. Usually an 8-10% increase is enough to make me feel like I'm not making my listeners hold their breath for the next word, and still doesn't speed it up too much that it sounds like I'm tripping over myself.
"They wear a mask which seems like concentrated sunshine, and it comes from within."
(The Face of Liberty, H.W. Collingwood)
so mote it be
CassiopeiaSparks
Posts: 79
Joined: January 27th, 2021, 1:04 pm

Post by CassiopeiaSparks »

The problem I'm running into, and am interested in hearing other people's solutions or suggestions for, is how to record a longer chapter and maintain continuity of volume/clarity and energy.
Do you read the whole section, 30-60 minutes as it may be, all in one go, then edit a saved copy of the raw recording? Or record in 15 minute increments, then edit that, and record and edit, record and edit? Or record a few minutes, listen to a bit, adjust and continue recording...?
"They wear a mask which seems like concentrated sunshine, and it comes from within."
(The Face of Liberty, H.W. Collingwood)
so mote it be
Darvinia
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 3247
Joined: March 15th, 2009, 8:38 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada
Contact:

Post by Darvinia »

If I'm recording a long section I make sure I have enough time (at least twice as long as the section will take). Then I record 15 or 20 minutes, whatever I'm comfortable with, leave the recording set up exactly as it is and take a break. Have a drink, walk around, stretch, come back and record another 15-20 minutes. Rinse and repeat. So I record it all in one afternoon over a few sessions.When I come back to do a session I listen to a couple of minutes of my previous session to make sure that my voice volume is similar. After I have recorded the whole thing in this manner then I edit it at leisure another day.

I save often, usually about every 5 minutes. Making sure that a save is the last thing I do before I take a break.
Bev

There's nothing you can't prove if your outlook is only sufficiently limited. - Lord Peter Wimsey
I yam what I yam, and that's all what I yam - Popeye, the sailor man
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice - Neil Peart
12696
CassiopeiaSparks
Posts: 79
Joined: January 27th, 2021, 1:04 pm

Post by CassiopeiaSparks »

Darvinia wrote: March 8th, 2021, 10:51 am If I'm recording a long section I make sure I have enough time (at least twice as long as the section will take). Then I record 15 or 20 minutes, whatever I'm comfortable with, leave the recording set up exactly as it is and take a break. Have a drink, walk around, stretch, come back and record another 15-20 minutes. Rinse and repeat. So I record it all in one afternoon over a few sessions.When I come back to do a session I listen to a couple of minutes of my previous session to make sure that my voice volume is similar. After I have recorded the whole thing in this manner then I edit it at leisure another day.

I save often, usually about every 5 minutes. Making sure that a save is the last thing I do before I take a break.
This is great detail, thank you! That makes a lot of sense, to record all in one stretch of time, just with breaks, and listen back a little bit to make sure you're still matching.

Obviously there is a wide range of section lengths, depending on what selection you choose to claim. My longest recording so far was 45 minutes by the time I was done editing. What is your longest? And your average? Just out of curiosity, in context of the conversation.
"They wear a mask which seems like concentrated sunshine, and it comes from within."
(The Face of Liberty, H.W. Collingwood)
so mote it be
Darvinia
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 3247
Joined: March 15th, 2009, 8:38 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada
Contact:

Post by Darvinia »

CassiopeiaSparks wrote: What is your longest? And your average? Just out of curiosity, in context of the conversation.
The longest one I could find, going through my catalogue, was 62 minutes. My average seems to be around 30-40 minutes edited finished length. I don't read a lot of poetry which is usually quite short. I tend to go for short stories or whole chapters of collaborations.
Bev

There's nothing you can't prove if your outlook is only sufficiently limited. - Lord Peter Wimsey
I yam what I yam, and that's all what I yam - Popeye, the sailor man
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice - Neil Peart
12696
lurcherlover
Posts: 1206
Joined: November 10th, 2016, 3:54 am
Location: LONDON UK

Post by lurcherlover »

CassiopeiaSparks wrote: March 7th, 2021, 2:06 pm The problem I'm running into, and am interested in hearing other people's solutions or suggestions for, is how to record a longer chapter and maintain continuity of volume/clarity and energy.
Do you read the whole section, 30-60 minutes as it may be, all in one go, then edit a saved copy of the raw recording? Or record in 15 minute increments, then edit that, and record and edit, record and edit? Or record a few minutes, listen to a bit, adjust and continue recording...?
My method is to record in short bursts, whether it's a short story or a whole book. I find that after 10-20 minutes of recording my voice needs a rest, depending on how it is on that day. Usually the setup is the same and the mics are already set up and waiting. If I decide to change mics or something else then I make sure it sounds the same and there is no problem with continuity. The room acoustic and the distance from the mic stays the same so normally there is no problem, and I always record in the same room. I have few problems with outside interruptions, although they can and do happen. But the general "noise floor" remains the same, and any problems can be corrected in editing. I always monitor with headphones so any slight deviation or noise can be easily heard.
paullawleyjones
Posts: 463
Joined: November 1st, 2021, 4:17 am
Location: East Asia

Post by paullawleyjones »

the Literate Loser wrote: October 1st, 2005, 11:05 pm So I don't want to suck.
You know what, embrace the suck[1]! Because, if you do, the only way is up!

[1] In the military, 'embrace the suck' means "To consciously accept or appreciate something that is extremely unpleasant but unavoidable."
Paul Lawley-Jones
My Reader Page

"There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you." – Bene Gesserit "Litany of Fear," Dune
Cruelle
Posts: 20
Joined: May 18th, 2015, 11:07 am

Post by Cruelle »

When I first joined Librivox in 2015, I had a lot of anxiety about how my voice sounds, so I tried to contribute a chapter, but wasn’t able to go through with it. Now I am feeling more confident as a person and hope to start contributing for real.
Tonytown
Posts: 54
Joined: December 16th, 2020, 1:14 pm

Post by Tonytown »

Thank you all for your posts. I've just taken 3 months+ to record 6 minutes because of fear of suckage. Good to see I'm not alone. I'm marking this thread, I'm gonna need it.
lurcherlover
Posts: 1206
Joined: November 10th, 2016, 3:54 am
Location: LONDON UK

Post by lurcherlover »

You have to record and edit and upload no matter how bad you may "think" your reading or voice is. I've been doing this for over five years and I'm still learning and hopefully improving my readings if it is only by 5% a year. I'm hoping to get to be reasonably good before I kick the bucket. (Also - we all think our voices are bad, unless you are Stephen Fry - who does have a great voice!)

I'm also getting increasingly "picky" about what I record. I've just recorded a piece that may be about 20 minutes+ in length but decided by the end that it was a load of old ***** so I won't bother editing it.

You can always ask family or friends to listen to a three minute extract of what you have recorded and give a "constructive" opinion. My wife helps a lot with great ideas of how to improve.
CSCO
Posts: 393
Joined: April 6th, 2010, 10:48 am
Location: Toyokawa, Japan

Post by CSCO »

If you want to get the best work, you couldn't produce any work.
Unsprung works show you are in fighting.
The best comes from your massive works naturally.
(A wiseman in the East. I don't know his name.)
!!!!!!.!!!!!!.!!!!.!!!!!!!!!..!!!.!!!!!!!!!!!...!!!!!!!!!.!!!!!!.!!!!.!!!!!!.!!!!
No way. He stole away a pretty thing, you know.
That's your heart.
!!!!.!!!!!!.!!!!.!!!!!!!!!..!!!.!!!!!!!!!!!...!!!!!.!!!!!!.!!!!!!!!.!!!!!!.!!!!!!
lurcherlover
Posts: 1206
Joined: November 10th, 2016, 3:54 am
Location: LONDON UK

Post by lurcherlover »

Going back to where several people have said something like "my voice sounds awful" or "I haven't the confidence to record yet ..." etc., etc.

For me I think my voice sounded OK about 4 or 5 years ago, but now - it's pretty bad at times. I think this is due to ageing and ill health. Some days it's not too bad, other days sounds like someone is walking on gravel. I was blaming it onto the mic I was using, so changed to another mic. Sounded fine then, but later awful again. I even blamed the 64kb recordings that LV uses on downloads. But in the end I know - it's my voice, which changes drastically from day to day. Maybe singers and actors are used to this and have ways of getting round the problem. Any information gratefully received if you know how to get round this problem.
lurcherlover
Posts: 1206
Joined: November 10th, 2016, 3:54 am
Location: LONDON UK

Post by lurcherlover »

Darvinia wrote: March 10th, 2021, 11:15 am
CassiopeiaSparks wrote: What is your longest? And your average? Just out of curiosity, in context of the conversation.
The longest one I could find, going through my catalogue, was 62 minutes. My average seems to be around 30-40 minutes edited finished length. I don't read a lot of poetry which is usually quite short. I tend to go for short stories or whole chapters of collaborations.
I think the longest thing I've recorded was 9 hours plus, but it was not for LV. It was a few years back (about 4 years in fact), and it took me about a month to record and edit. I was probably recording 30-45 minutes a day and editing 2 hours a day. But then I had more stamina, concentration, and a more reliable voice which did not crack up so much as now.
Post Reply