How do you improve your recordings? [OK]

JayKitty76 · Post by **JayKitty76** » January 1st, 2019, 6:24 pm

Some volunteers have told me that there are some things needing to be improved on my recordings, including mouthclicks. I've tried to use the Click Remover tool in Audacity, but it doesn't seem very efficient.
I just have no idea how to improve my recordings in any way, including clicks.
If anyone has any advice, please let me know.

Post by **annise** » January 1st, 2019, 7:06 pm

1. Practice

2, Don't listen to too much advice - everyone has a different type of recording they like, is worried by something that someone else thinks doesn't matter - I've never listened to an LV recording that the mouth clicks worried me, personally I find some readers read too fast , but others hate slower recordings etc. etc.
You can please most people some of the time, some people all of the time, and others none of the time. Please yourself, read confidently, worrying about the text not yourself

3 And practice by doing something that someone will enjoy.

The best advice I've heard for readers and listeners is that LV is like having the reader visit you and read you a story, That's what LV is about.
So stop asking for opinions, work on what you think is right.
And have fun

Anne

JayKitty76 · Post by **JayKitty76** » January 1st, 2019, 7:09 pm

Thanks, Anne- this is very helpful.
Thanks for your advice

moniaqua · Post by **moniaqua** » January 2nd, 2019, 2:26 am

JayKitty76 wrote: ↑January 1st, 2019, 6:24 pm Some volunteers have told me that there are some things needing to be improved on my recordings, including mouthclicks. I've tried to use the Click Remover tool in Audacity, but it doesn't seem very efficient.

On recording it is usually garbage in - garbage out. Like on noise, it is better to avoid mouthclicks etc already while reading. So if you want to get rid of those, common advice is to drink enough water. It is also technique; having education in singing helps a lot

There is probably something equal for voice actors. But hey, for us this is a hobby, so do we need to invest in a long, expensive education?

Equipment has an influence, too. I lately changed my setup just a little bit. Noise is better now (was never bad), I don't need to amplify any more, but for the first time in my recording live I was bothered by my mouthclicks. So either I'll train to support even more or I just record on lower volume again and amplify afterwards

Or I live with the clicks, after all they weren't that bad anyway and I am not working for a professional audiobook company who sells the books. Although even there - I lately listened to a sample on audible; for that specific book they charged 30 € and I thought "Man, what heavy noise reduction, bad, really bad!" The cheaper one was better recorded...

But I double Annes opinion - have fun reading and find out what is important for you. That's the most important part. Many things are just a matter of taste and part of my decision to read for LibriVox has to do with readings I didn't really like, done by professionals. That weren't mouthclicks, that was just plain boring reading

Technically they were perfect...

Post by **TriciaG** » January 2nd, 2019, 6:58 am

I get annoyed at my own mouth clicks, too. If they're too bad, I use the de-clicker, a separate plugin. viewtopic.php?f=23&t=52753

Don't use it on your whole file, as it will take a long time, and it will remove wanted clicks (D and T sounds). It also can often take a click out of the middle of a word!

JayKitty76 · Post by **JayKitty76** » January 2nd, 2019, 1:13 pm

Thank you, Monika and Tricia.
I'll remember to drink more water, as I Googled a few articles and found a few threads here that center around de/over-hydration being the main source of mouthclicks. I'll look into the de-clicker but won't use it unless absolutely necessary.

I've found that I can tell when a series of mouthclicks are coming on, as my mouth gets dry and sticky, but I don't like to pause my recording to drink water as I like to finish the raw recordings as quickly as possible and then get on with editing.

Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to deal with it and pause the recordings to drink water. It seems to really help, and if that's the measure I need to take, I'll do it.

Thank you both for your time and advice!

lurcherlover · Post by **lurcherlover** » January 3rd, 2019, 5:40 am

You can also record further from the mic and maybe angle it slightly, but you will need then to increase the gain a little. Using EQ can also work but it is not easy to get it right so that it reduces the volume of the clicks and does not worsen the overall recording.

Mouth clicks usually come from the opening and closing of the mouth - so perhaps keep the lips open a little so there are no clicks. Try opening and closing the lips on a test recording and you will hear the clicks - then continue with lips open and not closing, and you may have solved the problem. I have a dry mouth but virtually never have a problem with clicks. (My problem is mis-reading and recording what I THNK the text says ...)

Foon · Post by **Foon** » January 3rd, 2019, 8:01 am

TriciaG wrote: ↑January 2nd, 2019, 6:58 am I get annoyed at my own mouth clicks, too. If they're too bad, I use the de-clicker, a separate plugin. viewtopic.php?f=23&t=52753

Don't use it on your whole file, as it will take a long time, and it will remove wanted clicks (D and T sounds). It also can often take a click out of the middle of a word!

I sometimes get terrible mouth clicks (seriously, sounds like pop rocks), but there isn't much I can do about it since I have some meds that mess with my hydration. If it's bad, I run the de-clicker plugin over the entire recording. Yes, it does take quite a while, but I just run it when I'm not doing anything. I've not had serious issues with it affecting the quality of my recordings though!

So, while yes, it can and will remove some wanted clicks ... if you sound like me on a bad day, running de-clicker over your entire recording isn't a bad tradeoff at all!
Just wanted to give a different perspective.

Post by **mightyfelix** » January 3rd, 2019, 2:42 pm

Foon wrote: ↑January 3rd, 2019, 8:01 am I sometimes get terrible mouth clicks (seriously, sounds like pop rocks), but there isn't much I can do about it since I have some meds that mess with my hydration. If it's bad, I run the de-clicker plugin over the entire recording. Yes, it does take quite a while, but I just run it when I'm not doing anything. I've not had serious issues with it affecting the quality of my recordings though!

So, while yes, it can and will remove some wanted clicks ... if you sound like me on a bad day, running de-clicker over your entire recording isn't a bad tradeoff at all!
Just wanted to give a different perspective.

I second this. I love the de-clicker and use it on every recording, on the whole file at once. I think it varies from person to person how effective this is. I ran several tests on portions of my recordings before I started applying it to entire files, but I never found that it cut my consonants to an unacceptable degree. And yes, it takes awhile. Maybe up to 20 minutes on a very long recording. But I'll just let it run while I go make a sandwich or cuddle the cat or something!

JayKitty76 · Post by **JayKitty76** » January 3rd, 2019, 10:01 pm

Thanks, Devorah, Foon, and Lurcherlover! My mic is part of a headset (I used to use a clip on mic but the headsets are so much better) so I can't really pull it farther from my face but I can angle it downwards.
Actually, I tried that yesterday, and just amplified...still waiting to see if that worked.
Thanks!