Making your reading sound Great

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TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

Have you tried the de-clicker plug-in? viewtopic.php?f=23&t=52753
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart
Humor: My Lady Nicotine
ClaudiaSterngucker
Posts: 367
Joined: February 8th, 2017, 9:03 am
Location: St. Moritz, Zurich, Switzerland

Post by ClaudiaSterngucker »

:9: I've just downloaded and installed the de-clicker plug-in, and it works wonders! I've only tried out the default settings and it removed nearly all of these clicks from my test track! It's a miracle! Thanks a million for the precious tip, Tricia. Thank goodness that clever people have developed such great helpers. :D The body can be such a pain in the neck sometimes...
Claudia

"Aus Druckerschwärze entstehen Dinge, Menschen, Geister und Götter, die man sonst nicht sehen könnte." Erich Kästner
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

Oh, I'm so glad it has helped you!
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart
Humor: My Lady Nicotine
Epachuko
Posts: 1979
Joined: March 10th, 2018, 4:19 am

Post by Epachuko »

Hello there!!

I would like some help with my recordings... I am using the effects: "normalize" and "noise reduction" but in the end I always have background noise... even if I use "noise reduction" several times with low rates. Finally my general volumen gets lower than the mininum 86kB and the background noise is still there... Maybe I am not using the effects on the right way, or maybe there are other options I can use. I do not know...

I post here the last readings in which I am not able to remove the background noise.


https://librivox.org/uploads/kathrinee/poesias_69_unamuno_128kb.mp3

https://librivox.org/uploads/kathrinee/poesias_070_unamuno_128kb.mp3

https://librivox.org/uploads/kathrinee/poesias_084_unamuno_128kb.mp3

Thank you very much!!
Grabaciones de Epachuko
Colabora leyendo secciones en español con nosotros en el foro Readers Wanted Languages other than English Recuerdos de mi vida (Ramón y Cajal) El Periquillo Sarniento
tovarisch
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Location: New Hampshire, USA

Post by tovarisch »

Hello Epachuko,

Next time you need help with an audio, in addition to the final (processed) track, upload the unprocessed one. We then can hear what you start with. Also, it helps to know what parameters you use for the effects.

That said, by looking at the 084 file, I have an idea what might be the cause of your trouble. Looking at the pattern of the silences, it is my supposition that you (a) selected a few seconds of "silence" at the end, (b) did Effect -> Noise Reduction, (c) clicked on "Get Noise Profile", (d) did Effect -> Noise Reduction again, (e) clicked "OK".

Read my sequence here carefully again. What results from those actions is that the noise is reduced only on those few seconds that you used as noise profile. You need to select the entire track before doing the second time Effect -> Noise Reduction. That is, before (d), you need to, say, double-click on the waveform. That will define which part of the track is going to be affected by actual Noise Reduction.

Again, the usual noise reduction sequence is:
  1. Select some "silence"
  2. Effect -> Noise Reduction, "Get Noise Profile"
  3. Select the entire track
  4. Effect -> Noise Reduction, "OK"
Good luck!
tovarisch
  • reality prompts me to scale down my reading, sorry to say
    to PLers: do correct my pronunciation please
lurcherlover
Posts: 1206
Joined: November 10th, 2016, 3:54 am
Location: LONDON UK

Post by lurcherlover »

The noise was not too bad - although one track was noticeably noisier. The best thing is to find out what is causing the noise - too much gain through a pre-amp or the sound-card's own pre-amp, insufficient mic gain (what mic do you use?), noise from outside your recording space, distance to mic when recording speech etc. All of these things can be a problem. Also, I had a brand new mic that had noise and it had to go back to the manufacturer to be fixed.
MisterJoe
Posts: 5
Joined: March 6th, 2018, 3:57 pm

Post by MisterJoe »

Epachuko,

I think your recordings sound great. While you're reading the slight background noise is squelched(effectively removed), and I find the recording very easy to listen to.

I am a Newbie so my ear might not be "trained" yet, so go with the experts to make it better.

Just thought you'd like to know I liked what I heard :)
Epachuko
Posts: 1979
Joined: March 10th, 2018, 4:19 am

Post by Epachuko »

Thank you very much indeed for you feddback: tovarich, lurcherlover and mr joe!!!!!

Your comments have been really useful, I think part ot the problem was the way I used the "noise reduction" effect... and I also take care on the other sides of the point, as distance and did some more micro test!!

I really appreciatte your good words, you time and support!
Grabaciones de Epachuko
Colabora leyendo secciones en español con nosotros en el foro Readers Wanted Languages other than English Recuerdos de mi vida (Ramón y Cajal) El Periquillo Sarniento
PastryEmpress
Posts: 1
Joined: October 4th, 2018, 4:23 pm

Post by PastryEmpress »

Hi! I'm brand new to this. I've seen some great advice so far, but does anyone know if there's programs or something to make a snowball mic sound a bit better? I'm not very tech savvy at all. I just like recording.
mightyfelix
LibriVox Admin Team
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Post by mightyfelix »

PastryEmpress wrote: October 4th, 2018, 9:29 pm I'm not very tech savvy at all. I just like recording.
That was almost all of us when we first started! Welcome, you're in good company. :D

I don't use a Snowball mic, but I've seen others recommend it as a good one. What is it about the sound that you don't like? Sometimes it isn't the mic or the program, but your recording setup or the room you're in. If you can describe the quality you're trying to improve, you're likely to get more specific advice.
TriciaG
LibriVox Admin Team
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Post by TriciaG »

PastryEmpress - I'd suggest doing the 1-minute test, and when you post the upload link in the forum, mention that you'd like to improve the sound (or whatever specific concerns you have). You'll probably get better advice with an audio sample to illustrate your concern. :)
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart
Humor: My Lady Nicotine
lurcherlover
Posts: 1206
Joined: November 10th, 2016, 3:54 am
Location: LONDON UK

Post by lurcherlover »

Regarding narration I would say that these six things have helped me:-

1.Speaking quietly with no strong explosives (I'm only recently doing this as an experiment)
2.Intonation/Inflection
3.Rythm
4.Diction
5.Speed of reading
6.Making sense of the meaning of a phrase.

I have thought of maybe making an audio recording with a link to explain these ideas in more detail, if anyone was interested.

But I'm by no means putting myself up as an expert in this regard at all. I'm still someone striving to improve as much as I can.
amitsharma
Posts: 118
Joined: August 19th, 2018, 6:54 am
Location: Bhopal, India

Post by amitsharma »

lurcherlover wrote: October 8th, 2018, 4:20 am I have thought of maybe making an audio recording with a link to explain these ideas in more detail, if anyone was interested.
Me, me, me... <jumping-in-the-back-seat-with-a-raised-hand> :lol:

I would really like that if you find the time and the inclination, lurchlover. :clap:

Amit
Amit Sharma, CC

"You can call me crazy, but you're just jealous that the voices don't talk to you."
SaraHale
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Joined: June 17th, 2016, 1:20 pm
Location: Egypt

Post by SaraHale »

amitsharma wrote: October 8th, 2018, 9:31 am
lurcherlover wrote: October 8th, 2018, 4:20 am I have thought of maybe making an audio recording with a link to explain these ideas in more detail, if anyone was interested.
Me, me, me... <jumping-in-the-back-seat-with-a-raised-hand> :lol:

I would really like that if you find the time and the inclination, lurchlover. :clap:

Amit
I second that.
Thanks, SaraHale. :D
Constructive criticism is always welcome. :thumbs:
lurcherlover
Posts: 1206
Joined: November 10th, 2016, 3:54 am
Location: LONDON UK

Post by lurcherlover »

Thanks for your responses. I will start at the mic tomorrow and try and do something which I hope will be OK.
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