COMPLETE[PLAY] Lady Frederick by W. Somerset Maugham - thw

[LCaulkins]

I've recorded a test, just with the suggested chunk of text. I ran it through the checker and it was ok on the 3rd try (I had to increase volume, this one is in the right range). There is some background buzzing (I'm noticing just how noisy my apartment is, even in the evening!). Let me know if I should change anything - this was the simplest set-up, but I could record at the Linguistics Dept where I work.

https://librivox.org/uploads/toddhw/test_ailis.mp3

Another question - I've read through the play and practiced before recording, and my understanding is that Lady Frederick should still sound Irish (but like a posh-Englishy-Irish) when she's not putting on the "brogue"? I'm thinking she's like a posh Dubliner who slips into a more vernacular charming country accent when she wants to? I can do something like that. Otherwise I could read her as a 1900s posh American who goes Irish in the marked asides? Seems that the play has been mounted with both those?

Ailis

Hi, Ailis

Sorry to take so long getting your Reader Page generated and the MW fixed with your name. I got slammed with over 75 incoming files for PL work last Sat/Sun, and have finally caught up with everything.

Here is your page: Ailis. It will list every project you may be a part of (both in-progress and completed), and has a link to lists of any section assigned to your name.

Your test is great. The recording volume is on the loud side, so there's room to bump it down a tiny smidge, which will help a little bit with the background noise. I played with the file, and editing can tame that background noise very well without bringing Darth Vader breaths or tinny-ness or space monkey artifacts on your voice - so if you are more comfortable recording in your apartment, you're good to go.

I love your description of Lady Frederick this way: should still sound Irish (but like a posh-Englishy-Irish) when she's not putting on the "brogue"? That's how my mind has heard her when I've gone over the script.

[ailis]

Wonderful, sounds like I'm good to go! Funny it's a bit loud - Checker told me twice it was too soft. So actually, I can talk how I wanted to in the first place and it should be perfect!

Alright, I'll aim for subtler-Irish to amped-up Irish for the asides

[deLorinel]

If no one else has spoken for it, please consider me for Fouldes.

[LCaulkins]

Super! You're in

[ailis]

https://librivox.org/uploads/toddhw/ladyfrederick_ladyfrederick_act1.mp3

Ok! I've managed the first act. I originally tried to have a more Englishy-Irish for LF's regular lines, but I had a lot of trouble maintaining it, so did a more American-Irish mix, and full brogue for the lines that's clearly marked. I hope that's ok! Like a newish American from Ireland. Sorry for the delay - had trouble getting the hang of things and finding a reasonably quiet Manhattan evening

Ailis

[LCaulkins]

Thanks! And your approach is absolutely fine.

Act 1 is loaded for PL

[sacapsie]

https://librivox.org/uploads/toddhw/ladyfrederick_ladyfrederick_act1.mp3

Ok! I've managed the first act. I originally tried to have a more Englishy-Irish for LF's regular lines, but I had a lot of trouble maintaining it, so did a more American-Irish mix, and full brogue for the lines that's clearly marked. I hope that's ok! Like a newish American from Ireland. Sorry for the delay - had trouble getting the hang of things and finding a reasonably quiet Manhattan evening

Ailis

Hey Ailis! Sorry I'm a little late, it's been so quiet around here I didn't check in until the other day. But I'm done proofreading the first act. Recording that was quite a monumental undertaking, Lady F has a ton of lines!

Here are a few things I wanted to catch before you record the next two acts.

1. Checker complained that the volume was just shy of their preferred volume--85dB. That's something that should be easy to fix in Audacity, I think?

2. The voice credit--in the play she's listed as "Lady Frederick Berolles", rather than just "Lady Frederick".

3. For consistency, we're asking everyone to say the names the same way. You did fine on Paradine, but there are a few lines where Lady F mentions "Mereston"--and we're saying that "meer-ston" rather than "merry-ston"--or if you like, [miɚstən] in IPA, rather than [mɛrəstən]

There are just four lines where this happens--the timestamps are from Audacity:

9:19 Line starting, "My dear Paradine, the day before yesterday, Lady Mereston..."

10:05 Line starting, "She should have thought rather of: when Greek meets Greek..."

11:40 Line starting, "Very well, we'll have no high falutin!.."

13:16: Line starting, "The late Lord Mereston had a passion..."

4. If you're going to be tinkering with the file anyway, if you could fix a couple of spots where the pauses between lines are a little too short--some are just a second long, where we're aiming for 3-5 seconds. They are:

13:54: the pause between "...I'd take one thing if I might." and "A bundle of letters" is very short, 1.3 sec. Ditto for "Here they are"

15:53: another pause that could be longer, between "must ask me to come and stay..." "That's charming of you"

This is less crucial to fix, as long as Lynette knows to watch out for the short pauses.

[deLorinel]

Ready for PL: https://librivox.org/uploads/toddhw/ladyfrederick_1_fouldes_128kb.mp3 23:45

If this isn't the character you had in mind, don't hesitate to let me know. I don't mind taking direction.

This would have been done at least a week sooner if not for my work schedule changing. I have the other two acts recorded, just awaiting editing.

[LCaulkins]

Thank you very much Paradine Act 1 is loaded for sacapsie's PL attention.

[deLorinel]

And here's my second file: https://librivox.org/uploads/toddhw/ladyfrederick_2_fouldes_128kb.mp3 12:26

Inadvertenly made things more difficult for myself by re-recording a large chunk, so naturally I had to compare each duplicate line to see which one I liked better.

[LCaulkins]

Thanks Act 2 of Paradine is loaded for sacapsie's PL

[deLorinel]

My lines for Act III and final: https://librivox.org/uploads/toddhw/ladyfrederick_3_fouldes_128kb.mp3 7:19

Some notes:

I pronounced "herbs" without the "h" - will do it the other way if you prefer.
Also, somewhere in a previous file, I may have muddled the pronunciation of "Mereston." Will re-do that if you want.

[LCaulkins]

Thank you - Act 3 is loaded.

Hey, sacapsie - I'm not worried about the "herb" pronunciation. We don't have the same goal of various readers calling each other by the same-pronounced names. If you will just catch the time stamp of the Mereston pronunciation that deLorinel mentions, that will be great. Thanks so much, both of you!

[sacapsie]

Thank you - Act 3 is loaded.

Hey, sacapsie - I'm not worried about the "herb" pronunciation. We don't have the same goal of various readers calling each other by the same-pronounced names. If you will just catch the time stamp of the Mereston pronunciation that deLorinel mentions, that will be great. Thanks so much, both of you!

Got it--I probably wouldn't have even paid attention to "herb" if you hadn't mentioned it! I've been keeping an eye on all the names, though, so I'll watch out for "Mereston" too.

I'll be able to do all these by Tuesday at the latest.

[sacapsie]

My lines for Act III and final: https://librivox.org/uploads/toddhw/ladyfrederick_3_fouldes_128kb.mp3 7:19

Some notes:

I pronounced "herbs" without the "h" - will do it the other way if you prefer.
Also, somewhere in a previous file, I may have muddled the pronunciation of "Mereston." Will re-do that if you want.

Act 3 was perfect, was able to squeeze that in today!