[COMPLETE] Modern Monologues by Marjorie Benton Cooke -lz

Solo or group recordings that are finished and fully available for listeners
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linny
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Post by linny »

leanneyauyau wrote:I'll claim Juliet then :)
Juliet it is! Thank you.
linny
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Joined: November 5th, 2010, 12:37 pm
Location: Florida, USA

Post by linny »

Ealswythe wrote:Hi! Thank you for the info on where to send my 1 minute test! I will post it in Listeners Wanted.
I have my microphone now, and Ive been reading some tutorials about how I can fix the volume levels, and reduce background noise in Audacity. I also downloaded the "Checker" and Mp3 gain.
I'm going to work on that 1 minute test today, and post it. I can't wait to start working on your project! Thank you!
:clap: :clap: :clap:
Great news! Have fun and post if you have questions. :thumbs:
Ealswythe
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Post by Ealswythe »

I just sent in my 1 minute test. I hope it passes! :D
Le silence va plus vite à reculons.

https://librivox.org/reader/11772
Ealswythe
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Joined: June 19th, 2017, 4:35 pm
Location: Los Angeles, by way of New York City

Post by Ealswythe »

I sent in my 1 minute test, and I got approved! Yay! Now, I'm working on preparations for my sections. I have a few questions:
Should I record stage directions separately, and send them in a separate file?
I understand by your instructions that each separate role should be recorded and sent in a separate file.
At the beginning of each file, should I state the name of the book, and the rest of the required intro?
"[Chapter #] of [Book title]. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit: librivox.org"

- if you wish, say:
"Recording by [your name]"
Le silence va plus vite à reculons.

https://librivox.org/reader/11772
Ealswythe
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Joined: June 19th, 2017, 4:35 pm
Location: Los Angeles, by way of New York City

Post by Ealswythe »

I have another question:
In the text, there are the stage directions in the beginning: Scene, Time, Enter... etc.
But there are also other stage directions, such as (motions to man) (laughs) (nods toward girl at the tea table.)
These are scattered throughout the text. Should I consider all of these to be stage directions that I record separately in one file? This would mean that you would have to edit them in throughout the recording of the role.
Just a bit confused about how you want it. It does look like you want these sections (stage directions) and each role to be recorded in their own separate files.
Le silence va plus vite à reculons.

https://librivox.org/reader/11772
linny
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Joined: November 5th, 2010, 12:37 pm
Location: Florida, USA

Post by linny »

Thanks for asking!

Since you have claimed all the roles in a section then the section should be complete when uploaded. The need for separate files is only when there are multiple readers for a section. All stage directions should be read as well. Since you have all the roles in the section it's a single recording where you read everything.

Only one intro is needed. "Sketch [#] of Modern Monologues by Marjorie Benton Cooke. This Librivox recording is in the public domain. Read by...

Read the entire sketch Narrator and characters

At the end read "End of sketch [#]"

Your file should be named as modernmonologues_##_cooke_128kb.mp3 where ## is the sketch number, e.g. 01

If you would prefer to just read a character or the stage directions instead of the entire section that's ok, just let me know what parts you want and I will adjust your claim.
Ealswythe
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Joined: June 19th, 2017, 4:35 pm
Location: Los Angeles, by way of New York City

Post by Ealswythe »

Thank you!
My original intention was, and still is, to make your technical life a bit simpler. So I will be happy to record each section, with the stage directions included. Some of the directions are: [laughs] [changes to a happier tone], etc. Since these "stage directions" are self-understood by the listener, should I eliminate them in my reading? Other stage direction are necessary, such as [picks up tea cup, hands it to her friend], [walks to the other side of the room]. These should be read during the reading of the role, correct?
Le silence va plus vite à reculons.

https://librivox.org/reader/11772
linny
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Joined: November 5th, 2010, 12:37 pm
Location: Florida, USA

Post by linny »

Another good question! This is actually a touchy one and if you read stage direction for another project be sure to ask as each BC will determine this. Some like to stick directly with the text and in all other types of projects besides dramatics we do read every word. Sometime in dramatics we do edit out the "acting" type of directions if the reader has done a good job of portraying the direction.

For this project it's ok to eliminate the stage directions relating to acting, e.g. laughs. Please do include all other directions relating to action, e.g., picks up tea cup.

Have fun!
Ealswythe
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Joined: June 19th, 2017, 4:35 pm
Location: Los Angeles, by way of New York City

Post by Ealswythe »

Good! I think that makes a lot of sense!
I sent in my one minute test, and it got approved yesterday. Yay! The reviewer said she would ask an admin to PL OK. What happens now? Will they send me an official OK? How does that part of it work?
In the meantime, I'm experimenting with the technical aspect of recording, amplifying the audio, checking the gain, and reducing noise. Also looking over your notes about how to save the file. I also need to add the ID details, I assume, in the process of saving to mp3?
Le silence va plus vite à reculons.

https://librivox.org/reader/11772
linny
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Joined: November 5th, 2010, 12:37 pm
Location: Florida, USA

Post by linny »

I was the reviewer. If you check again you will see there is a [PL OK] in the title of the thread. You are good to go.

No need to save the id information. All of that is automatically done when the files are converted for the catalog.
Ealswythe
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Joined: June 19th, 2017, 4:35 pm
Location: Los Angeles, by way of New York City

Post by Ealswythe »

Yay! :clap: :clap: :clap:
Thank you, Linny! I'm so excited!
Now I can begin working on these recordings for real!
:D :9:
Le silence va plus vite à reculons.

https://librivox.org/reader/11772
Ealswythe
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Joined: June 19th, 2017, 4:35 pm
Location: Los Angeles, by way of New York City

Post by Ealswythe »

Hi Linny!
I recorded my first section. :D I used Noise Reduction, Amplify, and Compressor, based on the video you linked to me. I hope I did a passable job on the technical aspect. I will be improving a lot in my future recordings, I'm sure. Also, what do you do to bring separate tracks up to one track, after doing the recording? I tried to look for a good YouTube tutorial, but I couldn't find any. I know how to do it in GarageBand, but not Audacity. Maybe next time, when I make a mistake, I'll just clap or something, and go back, and edit it out instead. It's a learning process... Thank you for your help! :D
Please find the recording here:

https://librivox.org/uploads/lezer/modernmonologues_gwen_01.mp3
Le silence va plus vite à reculons.

https://librivox.org/reader/11772
linny
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Joined: November 5th, 2010, 12:37 pm
Location: Florida, USA

Post by linny »

PL notes for sketch 1:
Opening silence needs to be less than 1 second.

11:03 End of Sketch 1.
I hear section 1

There needs to be 5 seconds of ending silence.

Your file should be named as modernmonologues_##_cooke_128kb.mp3 where ## is the sketch number, e.g. 01

When you post a file always remember to post the file duration.

You meet the minimum volume requirement of 86dB but you are right on the edge at 86.4dB. I struggled to hear you with the volume all the way up on my computer. You don’t have to change anything for this section since you do meet the requirement but you may want to consider compression followed by amplification for future recordings. Here is a video. It may not be the most updated software but it’s close and should get you what you need. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fKYYj6HMZU

I don’t record straight to the computer so I can’t help you with your track question. You can try posting in the help forum.
Ealswythe
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Joined: June 19th, 2017, 4:35 pm
Location: Los Angeles, by way of New York City

Post by Ealswythe »

Hi Lonny!
Thank you for these detailed instructions! I will follow all these instructions for my next recording. For the naming of the file, I had been following what you had posted in the instructions on the first page:
AFTER recording
Save files as 128 kbps MP3
modernmonologues_[role]_[##].mp3 (all lower-case) where ## is the sketch number. If you are playing multiple roles in the same sketch, please submit a single file for all lines.


But from now on, I will save the file exactly as you wrote in your reply, adding _128kb.
I had watched a video about compression by the same person (the one you linked to me) but he was not very clear about checking or unchecking the bottom part, and he had said to set the ratio at 2:1, which is what I did. It didn't do much to the spikes.
In this other video you sent me, he suggests a ratio of 8:1, and when he does that, it really reduces the spikes. He also is very clear in this video to uncheck the bottom parts. In addition, he says that you first need to compress, then amplify. That might have been problem. Maybe I did it in the opposite way. In any case, when I ran it through the ReplayGain in Analyze, it told me to raise it about 10 db. When I did, the entire audio was spiking way over the -0.5 and +0.5 levels.

Watching these videos and getting your feedback helps me a lot.
Also, less than one second of silence at the start, 5 seconds of silence at the end.
Sketch ##, and not Section ## (I got that confused with directions from a different project)

Where do I post the file duration? In my post on your page, when I post the URL?

I'm learning, and I'll get there, thanks to your help! :D
Le silence va plus vite à reculons.

https://librivox.org/reader/11772
linny
Posts: 15363
Joined: November 5th, 2010, 12:37 pm
Location: Florida, USA

Post by linny »

I'll go back and clarify the initial post for readers taking ALL roles in a sketch.

When you post the link in the thread you should post the time for it. For example:

Sketch 1 ready for PL. https://librivox.org/uploads/lezer/modernmonologues_01_cooke_128kb.mp3 11:14
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