Intros and outros

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lurcherlover
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Post by lurcherlover »

I'm pretty new here so maybe I should be keeping a low profile, but I wondered about the intros and outro's.

I've been listening to quite a few fairly short items, often poetry that lasts for about a minute or two. I'm finding the Librivox intros particularly tedious and trying to skip them on the short and inaccurate time line is hard. I do download into iTunes and that has a better timeline, but it's still a pain.

I wonder why we need them when the downloading screens itemising the items and chapters etc., give all the details about volunteering and also public domain information. So having to read them is a tedious chore and for the listener it's even more so.

Has this been discussed before?
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

You should have been around about 10 years ago, when the long intro was required for all sections, including poems! :lol:

It has been discussed before, yes. Bottom line is that we keep the intros on all sections, but poems and solos (second section forward) have shorter intros than the standard one for group projects. The intro audibly places the recording into the public domain, and it credits LibriVox. Seeing as our audios are distributed through not only us, but multiple other sources that don't have the LV info on their web page (or app page, or... or...) we will keep them on the audios themselves.

The intro gives an audio clue as to which section it is. The outro does the same. When listening on a device without a screen (or for the sight impaired), this gives the listener the assurance that the next file they're listening to is the next one in the book. If it says, "end of section 12" and then "section 15 of..." then you know you've skipped a couple.

So yeah - it's been discussed, and it has even been slightly modified over the years, but we'll be keeping the intros and outros. :)
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tovarisch
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Post by tovarisch »

lurcherlover wrote:I'm pretty new here so maybe I should be keeping a low profile, but I wondered about the intros and outro's.
... So having to read them is a tedious chore ...
Really?! Ten seconds (that's how much the three sentences take to say) out of a section is a "tedious chore"? :roll: You do make it sound rather hard. Perhaps if you concentrate on the actual text, the intro will eventually become non-issue... Try to put your energy toward making books rather than toward changing LV ways. :) :thumbs:
tovarisch
  • reality prompts me to scale down my reading, sorry to say
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SonOfTheExiles
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Post by SonOfTheExiles »

Don't worry, it'll become second nature to say it soon, like military courtesy or "amen".
Currently on sabbatical from Librivox
lurcherlover
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Post by lurcherlover »

I fully understand the reasoning behind TriciaG's answer to my questions, but the arrogant answers given by the following two respondents make me feel that I probably won't continue as a reader for Librivox.
SonOfTheExiles
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Post by SonOfTheExiles »

Sincerely sorry, lurcherlover, if I came across as arrogant. :( I certainly didn't mean to be, it was only intended as a mildly jocular rib. You may have noticed I sometimes do that. :roll: It's not the first time I've got into hot water for it either.

At any rate, please accept my abject apologies.

Son of the Exiles
Currently on sabbatical from Librivox
tovarisch
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Post by tovarisch »

Dear lurcherlover, I really would like to know what specifically you find arrogant in my response. Thank you in advance! :)

BTW, you don't have to be a reader to participate. Especially if you find some aspects of it so "tedious". We have folks who proof-listen, we have folks who design covers... Whatever works for you.
tovarisch
  • reality prompts me to scale down my reading, sorry to say
    to PLers: do correct my pronunciation please
annise
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Post by annise »

I'd just like to say something about international on-line forums , which does not necessarily apply to any of you in particular. It's really great to have so many people in so many countries able to communicate in English but everyone has to realise they are not talking with their next door neighbour and that others may not necessarily hear things the way you are saying them. So we all need to be slow to take offence and be careful that what we say may not give offence.

Anne (hopping off her soap box before the rotten tomatoes start coming)
annise
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Post by annise »

lurcherlover wrote:I'm pretty new here so maybe I should be keeping a low profile, but I wondered about the intros and outro's.

I've been listening to quite a few fairly short items, often poetry that lasts for about a minute or two. I'm finding the Librivox intros particularly tedious and trying to skip them on the short and inaccurate time line is hard. I do download into iTunes and that has a better timeline, but it's still a pain.

I wonder why we need them when the downloading screens itemising the items and chapters etc., give all the details about volunteering and also public domain information. So having to read them is a tedious chore and for the listener it's even more so.

Has this been discussed before?
No one expects you to keep a low profile and yes it has been discussed before. I was't around at the beginning but my understanding was that there was vigorous discussion about these early on and that advice , including legal advice was sought , and the consensus was that every file needed to show that the reader knew he was putting the file into the Public Domain and we needed to say where it was from.
Our files are everywhere , not just our site - many people listening have never downloaded from us so text is not any good and large numbers of listeners do not use mp3 players with a screen - I listen on a baby ipod which has no screen and I'm confident that I'm not the only one , and we also do try not to exclude those who are only able to listen , because of reading and sight problems.

On the plus side , reading the intro is a good way to get your voice warmed up a bit , and for the listener a way to get used to the voice :D

But LV is meant to be fun - and if you really find reading it an insurmantable problem, that would be sad for us but it is a hobby after all and I always say to readers , when it stops being fun , change hobbies :D
icequeen
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Post by icequeen »

And, something else to point out with the intro/outro issue. As someone who has been here for a long while and listened to a lot of LV recordings, I don't really notice them anymore, unless it is missing or read incorrectly. And some people use the intro time to get ready for the section, like getting settled in for a great listen. They may seem tedious at first, but you will get use to them. We all do! :D
Ann

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lurcherlover
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Post by lurcherlover »

SonOfTheExiles wrote:Sincerely sorry, lurcherlover, if I came across as arrogant. :( I certainly didn't mean to be, it was only intended as a mildly jocular rib. You may have noticed I sometimes do that. :roll: It's not the first time I've got into hot water for it either.

At any rate, please accept my abject apologies.

Son of the Exiles
Maybe I was being too hard on you you by inclusion with the first response. All is forgiven!
annise wrote:But LV is meant to be fun - and if you really find reading it an insurmantable problem, that would be sad for us but it is a hobby after all and I always say to readers , when it stops being fun , change hobbies
I seem to be getting this message a lot so obviously it would appear that I do not fit in with the general consensus. At some point in 2017 I may make a decision about continuing with LV or not.

Regards

Peter
Twinkle88
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Post by Twinkle88 »

lurcherlover wrote:I seem to be getting this message a lot so obviously it would appear that I do not fit in with the general consensus. At some point in 2017 I may make a decision about continuing with LV or not.

Regards

Peter
I hope you stay on, Peter! :) I think you're a great story teller (I enjoyed hearing stories about your lurcher -- even though's she's "naughty girl," haha! :wink: )!
carteki
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Post by carteki »

One of the things I've learnt is that sometimes things are done the way they are for a reason. Yes I've questioned my fair share about what we do here, but mostly it's been tried and tested over the last 10 years and has been found to work. The intro was how i found this site and is its advertising which i feel is fair.
My solution - use the audacity editing tool to remove the intro from your listening pieces and keep those of the pieces you record to a minimum.
Kim
Newgatenovelist
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Post by Newgatenovelist »

Hello lurcherlover (terrific name!),

I don't know if this will apply to you, but one of the things that I know I encountered at first was the slight variations in disclaimers that different projects have. Just so I could keep them straight, and because I read offline, I pasted *everything* I might need into a Word document on my desktop (short poetry, short story collections, and so on). When I was ready to record, I didn't have to go online and search for the right project thread, because I already had the disclaimer to hand. That way, all I had to do was focus on the actual reading.

It took some time, but eventually I got rid of that file.

As I said, I don't know how much of this will help your situation, but I hope it does.

Erin
Off LV 25-28 March.
lurcherlover
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Post by lurcherlover »

Newgatenovelist wrote:Hello lurcherlover (terrific name!),

I don't know if this will apply to you, but one of the things that I know I encountered at first was the slight variations in disclaimers that different projects have. Just so I could keep them straight, and because I read offline, I pasted *everything* I might need into a Word document on my desktop (short poetry, short story collections, and so on). When I was ready to record, I didn't have to go online and search for the right project thread, because I already had the disclaimer to hand. That way, all I had to do was focus on the actual reading.

It took some time, but eventually I got rid of that file.

As I said, I don't know how much of this will help your situation, but I hope it does.

Erin
Thanks to everyone for all the positive advice, and the encouragement.

It's probably my fault, but it seems that my concerns have been read as critical, and the problem is not as bad as I have probably stated. Although I questioned the intro especially, and I wondered if there was any way it could be avoided, I can now see why it is there, as many listeners do not have a screen displaying the details.

I was just a little taken aback by the response from one person as I found it rather condescending - but maybe I should have ignored that particular post.

I also read from a printed version of the Gutenberg or other texts, and I also have the intro and outro printed out. In fact I do those a separate recordings and edit them in. I suppose I also often listen to the beginnings of many readings available, to see if I like the material and reading. So I might hear the intro several times in the space of ten minutes if I just listen to a minute or two of each reading. Maybe I should listen only to things i know I might like, rather than just bits and pieces.

I did promise to do some (probably 3) poems for the next short monthly poem project for December, and I think I may have already recorded these without the intros. Once my wife leaves me after Sunday I will have more time during the three weeks she is away in New Zealand to tidy things up and think about all these things again. My only responsibility then will be to walk seven miles a day with my Lurcher and do a daily Skype with her in NZ. (She wants to make sure I'm still alive and kicking ...)
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