[COMPLETE] Syria: the Desert and the Sown by Gertrude Bell - lt

Solo or group recordings that are finished and fully available for listeners
Post Reply
Kazbek
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 6489
Joined: April 24th, 2019, 12:06 pm

Post by Kazbek »

DanielleDW wrote: May 7th, 2021, 7:39 am Here is Chapter 9
Nice work! Chapter 9 is PL OK.

One technical note for the future: we ask readers to tell us the duration of their recording for every upload, for bookkeeping purposes. I've noted the duration for this one.

Thanks!
Michael
DanielleDW
Posts: 21
Joined: October 15th, 2020, 11:23 am

Post by DanielleDW »

Kazbek wrote: May 8th, 2021, 10:24 am
DanielleDW wrote: May 7th, 2021, 7:39 am Here is Chapter 9
Nice work! Chapter 9 is PL OK.

One technical note for the future: we ask readers to tell us the duration of their recording for every upload, for bookkeeping purposes. I've noted the duration for this one.

Thanks!
Michael
OK, great, thanks. I'll make sure to do that next time. I really enjoyed doing it - I'll sign up for more.
JordanR
Posts: 18
Joined: January 26th, 2021, 4:09 pm

Post by JordanR »

Kazbek wrote: May 1st, 2021, 8:57 pm
JordanR wrote: April 29th, 2021, 6:03 pm Here is chapter 5 for PL
https://librivox.org/uploads/lynnet/syriadesertsown_05_bell_128kbp.mp3 duration: 32m 29s
One small issue that needs to be fixed:

(6:26) editing glitch: "There could scarcely have been a better example"

Also, please remove the extra "p" from the end of the filename.

Thanks,
Michael
6:26 it seems was a recording glitch (that's what I get for using my phone to record) so I've gone back an re-recorded that line and tried to make it not stand out too much in this new edit. Hopefully it isn't too jarring.
https://librivox.org/uploads/lynnet/syriadesertsown_05_bell_128kb.mp3 duration 32:30
Kazbek
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 6489
Joined: April 24th, 2019, 12:06 pm

Post by Kazbek »

JordanR wrote: May 12th, 2021, 11:17 am 6:26 it seems was a recording glitch (that's what I get for using my phone to record) so I've gone back an re-recorded that line and tried to make it not stand out too much in this new edit. Hopefully it isn't too jarring.
https://librivox.org/uploads/lynnet/syriadesertsown_05_bell_128kb.mp3 duration 32:30
Thank you! The edit sounds great. Now PL OK.

Michael
TadDavis
Posts: 114
Joined: February 6th, 2012, 5:18 pm

Post by TadDavis »

Section 14 (Chapter 14) is available for review:

https://librivox.org/uploads/lynnet/syriadesertsown_14_bell_128kb.mp3

Length: 31m 49s

Some comments about the recording. I am in no way fishing for reassurance when I say any of this. Since this is the last chapter, I am especially concerned to get it exactly right. I will have no hesitation to do it over as many times as necessary to get it to be so. So any feedback about either the reading itself or the technical quality of the recording will be welcome. I'm also asking it here, "out loud," because I thought the answers might be helpful to others as well.

About the recording. I'm using a Blue Yeti USB microphone with a Macbook laptop running Audacity 3.02. Eventually I hope to upgrade that, but that's where I am at present. I've been following Mike's suggestions, given elsewhere, about running the compressor feature with the threshold set to -20db to even out the volume, and then running ReplayGain with options set to 0 to get the volume set to Librivox standards. At least I think that's what the recommendation has been. When I do that, it sounds OK to me, and the recordings typically pass through the Checker app on my end with no problems.

This time the recording sounds a bit tinny to me. I don't know if it's my ears or not. I'm not aware of any changes I've made to the setup. Any advice about default settings to get the best sound would be helpful.

Another thing. I've begun to develop some skill using the Punch and Roll feature to fix mistakes as I go along, but I still find some misreadings when I go back to do my own proof listening, and I usually have to re-record a sentence or two. And one thing that drove me crazy on this one was a sentence that appears around the 4-minute mark: "To spare himself the trouble of quarrying...." I've usually been able to fiddle with the Bass and Treble effect to get these re-recorded corrections to blend in with their surroundings, but on this one, everything I tried left it still sounding obviously pasted in. Are there any rules of thumb for doing this? I did venture into equalizer territory, using both the graphic equalizer that comes with Audacity and one that Apple provides, and quickly realized that I had no idea what I was doing. Ultimately I just had to leave it and move on.

Everything was the same — same room, same microphone, same volume settings, same curtains, same coffee mug, same person reading — everything was the same except the day on which the recording was made. And yet the overall sound, the tone, of the passage was completely different. I've heard this kind of thing even on professionally-produced recordings, and it always bothers me.

I was never any good at "feathering" the edges of drywall compound around a patch either. You can always tell when I've worked on a wall.
Kazbek
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 6489
Joined: April 24th, 2019, 12:06 pm

Post by Kazbek »

TadDavis wrote: May 13th, 2021, 6:16 am Section 14 (Chapter 14) is available for review:
Thank you, Tad! Your set-up is a bit more high-end than mine, and I haven't felt the need to upgrade. I use the Compressor on all my recordings now. I find that it makes the reading easier to understand in noisy environments, and I don't hear a negative effect on sound quality. I will listen and tell you if I can hear the difference relative to your other recordings.

Michael
Kazbek
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 6489
Joined: April 24th, 2019, 12:06 pm

Post by Kazbek »

TadDavis wrote: May 13th, 2021, 6:16 am Some comments about the recording. I am in no way fishing for reassurance when I say any of this. Since this is the last chapter, I am especially concerned to get it exactly right. I will have no hesitation to do it over as many times as necessary to get it to be so. So any feedback about either the reading itself or the technical quality of the recording will be welcome. I'm also asking it here, "out loud," because I thought the answers might be helpful to others as well.
Superb reading and fine sound quality. Sorry if that sounds reassuring. ;) PL OK!

I've compared this section with your earlier chapters. This one has more dynamic range compression (or perhaps any at all). It also sounds like its mid-range frequencies are boosted at the expense of bass and treble. The voice has less "body", but I think it may be easier to understand in a car or walking on a busy street.

I didn't notice the difference in sound quality for the passage you mention while listening to the section, though I can clearly hear it if I listen out for it. You might have been speaking closer to the mic while recording this patch, but that's just a guess. Perfectionism aside, I wouldn't worry about it.

Michael
TadDavis
Posts: 114
Joined: February 6th, 2012, 5:18 pm

Post by TadDavis »

Kazbek wrote: May 14th, 2021, 1:55 pm
TadDavis wrote: May 13th, 2021, 6:16 am Some comments about the recording. I am in no way fishing for reassurance when I say any of this. Since this is the last chapter, I am especially concerned to get it exactly right. I will have no hesitation to do it over as many times as necessary to get it to be so. So any feedback about either the reading itself or the technical quality of the recording will be welcome. I'm also asking it here, "out loud," because I thought the answers might be helpful to others as well.
Superb reading and fine sound quality. Sorry if that sounds reassuring. ;) PL OK!

I've compared this section with your earlier chapters. This one has more dynamic range compression (or perhaps any at all). It also sounds like its mid-range frequencies are boosted at the expense of bass and treble. The voice has less "body", but I think it may be easier to understand in a car or walking on a busy street.

I didn't notice the difference in sound quality for the passage you mention while listening to the section, though I can clearly hear it if I listen out for it. You might have been speaking closer to the mic while recording this patch, but that's just a guess. Perfectionism aside, I wouldn't worry about it.

Michael
Michael - thanks. Lots to learn here. You are a most excellent navigator.
fshort
Posts: 722
Joined: June 20th, 2011, 7:02 pm
Location: Woodstock, VT. USA

Post by fshort »

Here is chapter 13

https://librivox.org/uploads/lynnet/syriadesertsown_13_bell_128kb.mp3
Duration: 39:10

I've certainly enjoyed listening to other readers.
Florence Short
"...he not busy being born is busy dying."
Lyrics from Bob Dylan song
Kazbek
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 6489
Joined: April 24th, 2019, 12:06 pm

Post by Kazbek »

fshort wrote: May 15th, 2021, 12:35 pm Here is chapter 13
Thank you!
I've certainly enjoyed listening to other readers.
Me too, but I have to remind you about the message in red above the Magic Window. :)

Michael
Kazbek
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 6489
Joined: April 24th, 2019, 12:06 pm

Post by Kazbek »

fshort wrote: May 15th, 2021, 12:35 pm Here is chapter 13
This was a real pleasure to hear as well. PL OK!

Our journey here is drawing to a close... 8-)

Michael
JordanR
Posts: 18
Joined: January 26th, 2021, 4:09 pm

Post by JordanR »

Kazbek
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 6489
Joined: April 24th, 2019, 12:06 pm

Post by Kazbek »

JordanR wrote: May 17th, 2021, 11:58 pm https://librivox.org/uploads/lynnet/syriadesertsown_11_bell_128kb.mp3 duration: 34:30
There's chapter 11 for PL.
Excellent. Thank you, Jordan! I will PL it today.

Michael
Kazbek
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 6489
Joined: April 24th, 2019, 12:06 pm

Post by Kazbek »

JordanR wrote: May 17th, 2021, 11:58 pm There's chapter 11 for PL.
The reading is flawless, but there's less than 3 seconds of silence at the end. Please add another 2 seconds and we'll be ready for the catalog! :)

Michael
JordanR
Posts: 18
Joined: January 26th, 2021, 4:09 pm

Post by JordanR »

Kazbek wrote: May 18th, 2021, 7:55 pm
JordanR wrote: May 17th, 2021, 11:58 pm There's chapter 11 for PL.
The reading is flawless, but there's less than 3 seconds of silence at the end. Please add another 2 seconds and we'll be ready for the catalog! :)

Michael
https://librivox.org/uploads/lynnet/syriadesertsown_11_bell_128kb.mp3 new duration is 34:33

If that's all I guess the next step is you put everything together and it goes off into the world? Pretty exciting stuff. Thanks everyone!
Post Reply