bookreader21 1 Minute Test

[bookreader21]

https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/test_bookreader21.mp3
I am using audacity and the mic on my laptop to record. Thanks!

[InTheDesert]

1 Minute Test Feedback:

Welcome to Librivox bookreader21 and thanks for posting your test file. We look forward to you joining the community!

Reading Feedback:
You have a clear, mellow voice.

Technical Feedback:

• 00:00 The volume of this track is 82.47dB. LV requires the overall volume for the track (measured by ReplayGain - you can try this tool if you want to check the volume) to be between 86-92dB (with 89dB being the ideal). The easiest way to fix this automatically is to use the 'Loudness Normalization' effect (set to -19LUFS in 'perceived loudness' mode) in recent versions of Audacity before exporting the track as an MP3. If you use RMS normalization, set it to -21dB. Another way to fix it would be to use the Amplify effect set to 7dB. Since the volume is so low, amplifying it sufficiently would increase the background noise a lot. Did you accidentally have the microphone slider lower than intended or were you further from the microphone than you should be?
• 00:00 Librivox needs mp3 files with a constant bitrate of 128kbps. This file is 88kbps. Since that is not one of the standard mp3 bitrates, you probably selected 'variable' rather than 'constant' bitrate.
• 00:00 I think I would tend to describe this audio as 'overprocessed'. It's hard to describe what it is exactly - it can sound metallic or like there is a little reverb. Or that the 's' sounds are very prominent but other consonants are muffled. The cause is usually applying too many effects - particularly noise reduction which can rip out the mid-tones which give clarity. 2-6dB of noise reduction are usually all that is required. It could also be caused by exporting the file too early as an mp3 instead of performing your edits on the original recording. This can also be caused by the microphone itself (inbuilt microphone on a laptop, phone, tablet). If the quality of your microphone makes you think it should sound better, make sure you have selected the correct microphone as your recording input and that you're not usung a different microphone that is available on your device accidentally. If you have a high quality microphone and you're not running post-processing on the file, the most likely cause is that you're speaking into the wrong side of the microphone.

Once you've tweaked these settings, upload the file again using the same filename (uploading to the same filename is important when you are submitting Librivox files) and post in the thread and I'll check it for you again!