Length of recordings

ej400 · Post by **ej400** » February 26th, 2019, 9:46 am

I just stumbled upon this question, because I have some longer sections coming up in some of my projects and I thought "what if I record and find out I only have certain time limit?"

My question is this

[*]Is there a time limit for how long you can record for? (not for the recording software, but how long will archive let a recording be?)

Thanks
Elijah

Foon · Post by **Foon** » February 26th, 2019, 10:02 am

I don't think that Archive has any length restrictions, but ideally sections are kept below 74 minutes, so that listeners could burn them to audio CDs if they want.

ej400 · Post by **ej400** » February 26th, 2019, 10:44 am

Ah, thank you so much.

wynarc · Post by **wynarc** » March 7th, 2019, 11:52 am

any tips on how you record a longer piece of litterature?

1- ive only recorded short poetry so far, thats been succesfull but i was wondering how on earth anyone can record for a longer period of time.
-do you record small chunks at a time?
- whats a normal reading time limit before you need a break/drink...whatever, or even need to swallow

.....?

any tips would be nice before i embark on a longer story/poem/fairy tale

Wyn

lymiewithpurpose · Post by **lymiewithpurpose** » March 7th, 2019, 11:59 am

I bring a drink with me. I read maybe 5 to 10 minutes, then take a drink (while the recording's still going). I cut out the silence later. I can generally read for about 60 minutes (with taking drinks) before I'm done, but everybody has their own time frame. You could also start with shorter chapters, you can look at the word counts, many BCs put those in, and choose a shorter chapter to help you bridge the gap. I also do many short works, but longer chapters are fun too! Hope this helps!

Post by **TriciaG** » March 7th, 2019, 12:06 pm

I generally record all in one sitting, if I can help it. That way the conditions (mic placement, sound of my voice, etc.) are constant. After about 40 minutes of recording, my voice gets tired, but I can usually finish up whatever I'm recording without too much trouble. Some people do vocal warmups before recording. I've never gotten into that.

I also have a drink nearby, but I usually pause the recording when drinking, have to answer a phone call, or when having a prolonged sneeze or cough attack. I figure that's less to cut out later.

However, don't forget to un-pause the recording when you start up again! Loud swallows or other sounds, I just cut out when editing.

wynarc · Post by **wynarc** » March 7th, 2019, 1:05 pm

lymiewithpurpose wrote: ↑March 7th, 2019, 11:59 am I bring a drink with me. I read maybe 5 to 10 minutes, then take a drink (while the recording's still going). I cut out the silence later. I can generally read for about 60 minutes (with taking drinks) before I'm done, but everybody has their own time frame. You could also start with shorter chapters, you can look at the word counts, many BCs put those in, and choose a shorter chapter to help you bridge the gap. I also do many short works, but longer chapters are fun too! Hope this helps!

thanks

wynarc · Post by **wynarc** » March 7th, 2019, 1:07 pm

TriciaG wrote: ↑March 7th, 2019, 12:06 pm I generally record all in one sitting, if I can help it. That way the conditions (mic placement, sound of my voice, etc.) are constant. After about 40 minutes of recording, my voice gets tired, but I can usually finish up whatever I'm recording without too much trouble. Some people do vocal warmups before recording. I've never gotten into that.

I also have a drink nearby, but I usually pause the recording when drinking, have to answer a phone call, or when having a prolonged sneeze or cough attack. I figure that's less to cut out later. However, don't forget to un-pause the recording when you start up again! Loud swallows or other sounds, I just cut out when editing.

thanks for the tips

ej400 · Post by **ej400** » March 7th, 2019, 7:14 pm

There was one time I just read straight for 53 minutes with errors included. My voice did get tired, and I didn't drink any water while doing it (not trying to brag as you will see), but that was not a good idea. I didn't stand up once, and I had my legs crossed, so when I stood up there was horrible tingling, and then when I tried speaking for the next hour, my throat hurt so bad. I should have paused and drank some water too, that would have helped.

Boomcoach · Post by **Boomcoach** » March 8th, 2019, 8:28 am

I can usually manage 45 minutes at a time, but that includes pauses to take a drink. I like the idea of pausing for a few calming breaths. I tend to plow ahead when I am having issues, and they keep coming faster. A pause and re-group might be the right thing, rather than mutter to myself and keep making errors.

Peter Why · Post by **Peter Why** » March 8th, 2019, 10:47 am

I have trouble keeping my voice going for more than twenty minutes or so ... I get rough and croaky. But I can usually match up the sound of my voice when I restart; if I can't, I try again at a different time of day.

Peter