Almost like a play !

stardust2003 · Post by **stardust2003** » August 29th, 2013, 1:02 pm

Hi,
I was listening to Heidi ... expecting a voice reading the book...
instead it is almost like a play with 8 or 9 people reading the characters parts.

I wonder how it was done... live on the internet ?

However it takes things on... maybe sound effects will be the next step...
church bells sounding in the valley... alphorns... birdsong...

Well done to everyone who put it all together.

Post by **TriciaG** » August 29th, 2013, 1:11 pm

Each reader submitted their part, then someone stitched it all together. It's a lot of work.

If you do a search on title "dramatic reading" you should be able to find more dramatic readings like Heidi.

We don't do sound effects here. The reason is twofold (if not more that I can't recall at the moment): they can be distracting, and not allowing them alleviates the pain and agony we'd have trying to figure out if the sound is copyrighted.

J_N · Post by **J_N** » August 29th, 2013, 1:57 pm

TriciaG wrote:We don't do sound effects here.

I think on a few occasions we have added music, though. I know of at least one, for which I recorded a piece on a recorder (as substitute for an ocarina)... and there is currently a Biograhpy of Mozart being read (or going to be read) where RuthieG supplies computer-generated musicfiles of the scores mentioned in the book.

Post by **TriciaG** » August 29th, 2013, 2:07 pm

Music called for in the text, yes. But background, "mood" music - no.

janch · Post by **janch** » March 18th, 2014, 5:47 pm

The church bells in Alan Chant's recording of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" had a great effect, I thought. That was one super recording, I love Mr. Chant's reading, but it made me mourn that Dickens never lived to finish the book. I've enjoyed some of the dramatic recordings as well-- they are worth the effort.

ZachBG · Post by **ZachBG** » March 18th, 2014, 5:54 pm

Wasn't one of our first dramatic reads Twelfth Night? I was listening to that the other day, and Gesine (I think it was Gesine) definitely added sound effects to that. At least, I don't remember recording my footsteps walking up as Valentine.

Post by **TriciaG** » March 18th, 2014, 5:57 pm

That's grandfathered in. Here's the current policy: http://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/Music_Rules#LibriVox.2C_Music_and_Sound