2021 Librivox Goals (and how did you do in 2020?)

Piotrek81 · Post by **Piotrek81** » January 3rd, 2021, 11:08 am

It's not feasible for the whole year, but I hope to record and/or edit 1 section a day, no matter how small. So far, so good. Let's see how long I will be able to keep it going.

realisticspeakers · January 3rd, 2021, 12:04 pm

One of my goals is to quit Librivox. You know, move on to bigger better brighter bonanzas.

But that Saturday Evening Post project looks really very cool.
And I think I want to do more plays. After all, "I read with marvelous expression!"
And probably another solo.
or two

realisticspeakers · Post by **realisticspeakers** » January 5th, 2021, 8:17 am

I apologize for killing the thread?

shrug emoji

KevinS · Post by **KevinS** » January 5th, 2021, 8:38 am

realisticspeakers wrote: ↑January 5th, 2021, 8:17 am I apologize for killing the thread?

shrug emoji

Isn't there a 'penitent emoji'?

zachh · Post by **zachh** » January 5th, 2021, 2:35 pm

My goals for 2020 are:

To finish my first solo (in January if possible).

To start another one, probably fiction this time.

My main hope is to learn to control my speed better. Now I sometimes can read steadily, but sometimes I get stuck stuttering and have to restart a sentence numerous times, and sometimes I get going too fast till it all becomes a blur. This means that I spend an inordinate amount of time editing. Sunday I recorded a section that started out just over 30 minutes long, then I spent about 90 minutes editing it and ended up with a finished recording time of just under 20 minutes. This is wildly inefficient, and I would like to get to the point where I could read and then mostly only have to edit the lengths of pauses between sentences. I don't know if I can, but I'm hoping for the best.

Post by **ColleenMc** » January 5th, 2021, 3:32 pm

Hi Zachh:

Those are very doable goals!

I have bad news: I've been doing this for a few years, and your report of your editing time vs. recording time is pretty similar to mine still -- in fact it seems as I learn more tweaks in Audacity, I've become more persnickety in my editing which makes it take even longer.

It frequently takes me 3 or 4 attempts to get through a particularly hairy sentence, or to pronounce words in other languages to my satisfaction. I never stop recording, when I play back all the sighs and Hmms and annoyed noises are in there. However, if I edit pretty soon after I record, I can often go through and clip out big sections of silence and obvious starts and stops before I start the listening back process, which saves me some time.

There's a recording and editing process called punch and roll, which I'm not personally familiar with because I prefer to record the whole piece and then edit, but it involves fixing stumbles etc. as you record. If you check on YouTube you can find some videos on it -- I imagine it takes time to get used to but I'm sure your recording process as a whole would go faster once you get proficient with it.

Be patient with yourself, recording and editing are separate and multifaceted skills and it takes a while to get up to speed with them. The more you do, the better you get!

Good luck with your goals!

Colleen

zachh · Post by **zachh** » January 6th, 2021, 10:59 am

Colleen, thanks for the advice. I will try looking through and cutting out the big messes ahead of time, that's a great idea. I just let it record all the way through too, the punch and roll method has sounded interesting but I would have to stop so often now that it might be better left till I get better at reading. I'm hoping that, as you say, it will get easier the more I practice. I travel in hope, as the saying goes.
Zach

maxgal · Post by **maxgal** » January 7th, 2021, 12:24 am

I don't recall having any specific LV goal(s) for 2020, so I haven't disappointed myself in that regard....
For 2021:
: Pull out of Procrastination Station more often, and more quickly.
: Do at least one story for each GhoHor collection...although these are getting lightning-fast!
: Finish my 3 current solos!
: Do a particular Big Fat Solo for which I anticipate getting the PG text sometime in 2021.

SonOfTheExiles · Post by **SonOfTheExiles** » January 7th, 2021, 12:38 am

My goal for 2021 is to not say anything this year to make myself look dumb.

Oh darn...

Chris

realisticspeakers · Post by **realisticspeakers** » January 8th, 2021, 8:35 am

SonOfTheExiles wrote: ↑January 7th, 2021, 12:38 am My goal for 2021 is to not say anything this year to make myself look dumb.

Oh darn...

Chris

Is it possible for *me to set such goals?

KevinS · Post by **KevinS** » January 8th, 2021, 8:59 am

Speaking of impossible goals, I hope to appear learnéd and sheek.

EDIT: I mean 'learnt,' of course.

MaryinArkansas · Post by **MaryinArkansas** » January 8th, 2021, 9:24 am

KevinS wrote: ↑January 8th, 2021, 8:59 am Speaking of impossible goals, I hope to appear learnéd and sheek.

EDIT: I mean 'learnt,' of course.

You can also be Sheik, Kevin. https://youtu.be/i7dNXRZhGiI

KevinS · Post by **KevinS** » January 8th, 2021, 10:58 am

MaryinArkansas wrote: ↑January 8th, 2021, 9:24 am
KevinS wrote: ↑January 8th, 2021, 8:59 am Speaking of impossible goals, I hope to appear learnéd and sheek.

EDIT: I mean 'learnt,' of course.
You can also be Sheik, Kevin. https://youtu.be/i7dNXRZhGiI

Sign me up! No hooka, though.

SonOfTheExiles · Post by **SonOfTheExiles** » January 10th, 2021, 3:55 am

Actually, I have decided to expand my 2021 goals and drag the old manual typewriter on which I wrote my uni term papers out of the garage.

Imagine all the cardiovascular benefits of pounding on that old thing.

Because of course it goes without saying that I have to maintain my girlish figure.

That ought to be good for a few nightmares on your parts.

Cheers,
Chris