COMPLETE [Weekly Poetry] A Serenade by Thomas Hood - dl

TheDiver · Post by **TheDiver** » May 21st, 2024, 5:58 pm

https://librivox.org/uploads/aradlaw/serenade_hood_ww_128kb.mp3

I am West Wood! what a fun little poem, that I TOTALLY did not try for far too long to determine if this was two different characters or one character with an internal dialogue

Post by **redrun** » May 21st, 2024, 6:19 pm

TheDiver wrote: ↑May 21st, 2024, 5:58 pm I am West Wood! what a fun little poem, that I TOTALLY did not try for far too long to determine if this was two different characters or one character with an internal dialogue

Right!? I'm still not certain on that point, but this was just too fun to pass up. Thank you very much for joining us!

The reading is good, and (this time) I've checked that all the other tech specs are spot-on, but we do need to modify the volume.
Our handy-dandy Checker tool reports the volume as 95.6dB, where we need it to be somewhere between 86dB and 92dB. If you can reduce the volume by about 6dB (with Audacity, you can use the "Amplify" effect and enter a -6), then re-upload, I think we'll be ready to roll.

AgnesRobert · Post by **AgnesRobert** » May 21st, 2024, 6:41 pm

https://librivox.org/uploads/aradlaw/serenade_hood_arb_128kb.mp3 (1:51)

Post by **redrun** » May 21st, 2024, 6:47 pm

Thank you, Agnes.

LynnAllen · Post by **LynnAllen** » May 21st, 2024, 6:50 pm

https://librivox.org/uploads/aradlaw/serenade_hood_cla_128kb.mp3

This is my first upload. Please put my name in as Lynn Allen in the catalogue.

TheDiver · Post by **TheDiver** » May 21st, 2024, 6:57 pm

redrun wrote: ↑May 21st, 2024, 6:19 pm
TheDiver wrote: ↑May 21st, 2024, 5:58 pm I am West Wood! what a fun little poem, that I TOTALLY did not try for far too long to determine if this was two different characters or one character with an internal dialogue
Right!? I'm still not certain on that point, but this was just too fun to pass up. Thank you very much for joining us!

The reading is good, and (this time) I've checked that all the other tech specs are spot-on, but we do need to modify the volume.
Our handy-dandy Checker tool reports the volume as 95.6dB, where we need it to be somewhere between 86dB and 92dB. If you can reduce the volume by about 6dB (with Audacity, you can use the "Amplify" effect and enter a -6), then re-upload, I think we'll be ready to roll.

https://librivox.org/uploads/aradlaw/serenade_hood_ww_128kb.mp3

that should be better!

Post by **redrun** » May 21st, 2024, 7:15 pm

LynnAllen wrote: ↑May 21st, 2024, 6:50 pm This is my first upload. Please put my name in as Lynn Allen in the catalogue.

Thank you Lynn, welcome to LibriVox, and thank you for joining us on this weekly poem! Your volume is good, at just about 87dBs. I see that was a concern, but it will do nicely!

Your reading is good, but I'll ask that you take just a little bit of extra time off the very beginning. We'd like to have a consistent bit of silence there- between a half second, and a whole second. With Audacity, you should be able to zoom in right at the beginning, select some of the extra (I see and hear about 2 seconds of silence with a couple of clicks, before your speech), and then snip it right out. If you'd like to see how this is done, I believe there's an example in this video on editing for LibriVox.

Once you've adjusted that opening silence, we'll have you export again from Audacity to MP3, and upload the new file, using the same name. Then post back to let me know it's up, and please include the duration of the recording as well! That helps us catch a few sneaky types of errors.

I've also added you to the catalog, and you can find your new page here:
https://librivox.org/reader/19497
It will be updated with any future projects you join. I share mine with a few folks I know, who want to know where all my evenings go.

Post by **redrun** » May 21st, 2024, 7:18 pm

TheDiver wrote: ↑May 21st, 2024, 6:57 pm https://librivox.org/uploads/aradlaw/serenade_hood_ww_128kb.mp3

that should be better!

Yes, this one passes muster! At 91.8dB (by the measure we use), it's right within the range we need. Marking as "Proof-Listener OK'd", or "PL OK".

Oh, but please remember for next time: when you post the link, the duration of the file is also handy for us to have.

TheDiver · Post by **TheDiver** » May 21st, 2024, 10:33 pm

redrun wrote: ↑May 21st, 2024, 7:18 pm
TheDiver wrote: ↑May 21st, 2024, 6:57 pm https://librivox.org/uploads/aradlaw/serenade_hood_ww_128kb.mp3

that should be better!
Yes, this one passes muster! At 91.8dB (by the measure we use), it's right within the range we need. Marking as "Proof-Listener OK'd", or "PL OK".

Oh, but please remember for next time: when you post the link, the duration of the file is also handy for us to have.

whoops! sure thing!, Thanks!

silverquill · Post by **silverquill** » May 21st, 2024, 11:42 pm

Ah, this poem was more fun than I thought it would be, and shows another side of Hood.

https://librivox.org/uploads/aradlaw/serenade_hood_lcw_128kb.mp3 2:29

Redrun, I really enjoyed your rendition, but at about 1:09, you missed a "Lullaby, oh, lullaby!"

Post by **redrun** » May 22nd, 2024, 9:20 am

Thanks for the PL Larry, I'll be back with a fix for that.

And I enjoyed your rendition too! I think our range of styles and interpretations makes for an excellent listen!

LynnAllen · Post by **LynnAllen** » May 22nd, 2024, 10:29 am

redrun wrote: ↑May 21st, 2024, 7:15 pm
LynnAllen wrote: ↑May 21st, 2024, 6:50 pm This is my first upload. Please put my name in as Lynn Allen in the catalogue.
Once you've adjusted that opening silence, we'll have you export again from Audacity to MP3, and upload the new file, using the same name. Then post back to let me know it's up, and please include the duration of the recording as well! That helps us catch a few sneaky types of errors.

Here's my adjusted file. It's 01:51 long.
https://librivox.org/uploads/aradlaw/serenade_hood_cla_128kb.mp3

Thank you!

Post by **redrun** » May 22nd, 2024, 10:41 am

LynnAllen wrote: ↑May 22nd, 2024, 10:29 am Here's my adjusted file. It's 01:51 long.
https://librivox.org/uploads/aradlaw/serenade_hood_cla_128kb.mp3

We're close! That opening silence is just where we want it! But it does look like the volume in this one is a little low. If you boosted the volume in Audacity before exporting to MP3 the first time, that change doesn't seem to have been saved.
If I can have you Amplify this version by at least 6dB (Audacity offers 6.32, as the highest it can safely boost this recording), and upload one more time, then I think we'll be ready to roll!

jessicaodonnell4 · Post by **jessicaodonnell4** » May 22nd, 2024, 12:10 pm

https://librivox.org/uploads/aradlaw/serenade_hood_js_128kb.mp3 (1m:59s)

First recording after getting the green light on my 1 minute test! Feedback is welcome!

Also, wow it takes a while to go in and individually remove each breath. For those of you reading long chapters, do you really take all that time to take each breath out? Is there an editing short cut in Audacity I should know about?

Thanks,
Jessica Sondermann

Post by **redrun** » May 22nd, 2024, 2:55 pm

jessicaodonnell4 wrote: ↑May 22nd, 2024, 12:10 pm First recording after getting the green light on my 1 minute test! Feedback is welcome!

Also, wow it takes a while to go in and individually remove each breath. For those of you reading long chapters, do you really take all that time to take each breath out? Is there an editing short cut in Audacity I should know about?

Well, welcome to LibriVox, and I'm glad you could join us!

When it comes to breath-sounds in recordings, we've discussed it a number of times. I'll say that in most cases, the reader is the one who most dislikes their own breathing! Here's one discussion with a range of opinions, and a couple of linked videos. You can also see other techniques in action in videos here if you wish. (Noise Reduction is what I'd use if I needed to remove breaths, but mostly I use it for annoying fans.) If you'd like a directed series that covers a broad range of LV-related topics, you might enjoy Adrian Stephens's playlist linked there.

Now, for this file. Your reading sounds very good, and the tech-specs are spot on! I have just two changes to request:

At 1:28 in the file, I hear "When I'm waking in my sleep". Here, the text says "walking".
I'd recommend re-recording the phrase, and then copy/pasting either the whole thing, or just that one word if it sounds OK to you. If you'd like to see this in action, I think this video is what the doctor ordered.
The other is easy. At the very beginning of the recording, we want a very specific amount of silence - between a half a second, and a whole second.
This one's as simple as zooming in on the beginning, selecting some of that silence, and tapping the 'Delete' key. Or if you want to build a habit I recommend for later, tap the 'z' key and then 'Delete'. What's the difference? Well, it makes the cut just a little smoother. Without it, you occasionally get a sharp click right at the place you cut.

When you're done, you can export again, upload, and post back here with the new file duration!

Edited to add: I've added you to the catalog! You now have your very own page, which will keep up to date with any future projects you join. You can find it by clicking your name where it appears in the "Magic Window" in the first post, or you can keep this link handy:
https://librivox.org/reader/19501