Laura Allenby one minute test [OK]

[lauraallenby]

https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/test_lauraallenby.mp3

Hi there, here is the link for my 'one minute test'.

I'm using Audacity on a windows laptop. My mic is a RODE NT1A with pop shock connected to laptop with an audio interface. I followed all instructions in the guide to update audacity settings etc.

The recording is raw and unedited as recommended.

I'd appreciate any feedback on quality or any tips!

many thanks, Laura x

[lauraallenby]

I did not edit out my breaths but would usually do this!

[Winnifred]

https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/test_lauraallenby.mp3

Hi there, here is the link for my 'one minute test'.

I'm using Audacity on a windows laptop. My mic is a RODE NT1A with pop shock connected to laptop with an audio interface. I followed all instructions in the guide to update audacity settings etc.

The recording is raw and unedited as recommended.

I'd appreciate any feedback on quality or any tips!

many thanks, Laura x

Hi Laura,

Welcome to Librivox! You have a pleasant engaging voice.

Your recording misses Librivox technical standards in one area only, and that is the volume. Your test is at 94.3 dB, but the Librivox standard is anywhere between 86 and 92 (with 89-90 being the ideal). Audacity doesn't provide this information, so to test your own volume, you'd either need to install the ReplayGain plugin for use within Audacity, or the standalone tool Checker to measure the volume of your .mp3 file (or both).

I also notice that your audio has a few noticeable plosive sounds (pops) on the P and T sounds. This comes from your breath hitting your microphone. This is easy to fix. Reposition your mic (or yourself ) so you are speaking beside, rather than straight into, your mic, and your mouth is about six inches away. I found this eliminated the plosives altogether for me.

You can find advice on improving issues like plosives in the Librivox wiki.

This technique will also help decrease the volume of your breath between speaking. You can also use "Noise reduction" (under Effects in Audacity) to help eliminate those breaths. (See this page for more information about noise cleaning.)

Please increase the volume on your test recording (in Audacity, use Effects > Amplify and insert -5.3 in the "Amplification dB" box) and post the revised file (same file name) as a reply to this message. I will come back and listen to it for you.

You're almost there!

Cheers,

[Rapunzelina]

Hi Laura! Editing out breaths in general is not advisable because it messes up the natural pauses between sentences. A popular technique is to imagine you are reading to your loved ones when recording, and maybe that would help with a reading flow that doesn't require deep breathing. That being said, everyone has their own reading style, so of course you'll go with what works best for you! Have fun here!

[lauraallenby]

Hi Laura! Editing out breaths in general is not advisable because it messes up the natural pauses between sentences. A popular technique is to imagine you are reading to your loved ones when recording, and maybe that would help with a reading flow that doesn't require deep breathing. That being said, everyone has their own reading style, so of course you'll go with what works best for you! Have fun here!

Thank you so much for your feedback. Of course it would sound odd to edit them out! I think what I meant was to use noise reduction tool on them in Audacity. Is this considered OK? I have done this for my updated version. I love your tips though on reading as though reading out to a loved one. That will help me in the future!

[Rapunzelina]

Using a microphone may initially make us a bit self-conscious, especially at the start. It's common to be more critical of how we sound and want to minimize breathing noises. While you become more comfortable reading into a microphone and find your natural rhythm, you may use noise reduction or de-amplification on breaths. Just remember not to replace these with complete silence, as it can sometimes sound abrupt when listening, going from room silence (light white noise) during speech to complete silence between sentences.
After all, breathing is just a part of being human!

[DariaAM]

I agree with Rapunzelina. If you were to listen to my very first LibriVox recording, you would notice that there are no breath pauses in there at all. It took me FOREVER to edit them out, and the final recording sounded rushed and unnatural.

Taking little breaths while reading also helps the reader to keep in pace with your natural rhythm. In my opinion, if a narrator didn't have breathing sounds in their audiobook, I'd probably be wondering the entire time when they'll finally get a chance to relax and breath!

[lauraallenby]

https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/test_lauraallenby.mp3

Hi there, here is the link for my 'one minute test'.

I'm using Audacity on a windows laptop. My mic is a RODE NT1A with pop shock connected to laptop with an audio interface. I followed all instructions in the guide to update audacity settings etc.

The recording is raw and unedited as recommended.

I'd appreciate any feedback on quality or any tips!

many thanks, Laura x

Hi Laura,

Welcome to Librivox! You have a pleasant engaging voice.

Your recording misses Librivox technical standards in one area only, and that is the volume. Your test is at 94.3 dB, but the Librivox standard is anywhere between 86 and 92 (with 89-90 being the ideal). Audacity doesn't provide this information, so to test your own volume, you'd either need to install the ReplayGain plugin for use within Audacity, or the standalone tool Checker to measure the volume of your .mp3 file (or both).

I also notice that your audio has a few noticeable plosive sounds (pops) on the P and T sounds. This comes from your breath hitting your microphone. This is easy to fix. Reposition your mic (or yourself ) so you are speaking beside, rather than straight into, your mic, and your mouth is about six inches away. I found this eliminated the plosives altogether for me.

You can find advice on improving issues like plosives in the Librivox wiki.

This technique will also help decrease the volume of your breath between speaking. You can also use "Noise reduction" (under Effects in Audacity) to help eliminate those breaths. (See this page for more information about noise cleaning.)

Please increase the volume on your test recording (in Audacity, use Effects > Amplify and insert -5.3 in the "Amplification dB" box) and post the revised file (same file name) as a reply to this message. I will come back and listen to it for you.

You're almost there!

Cheers,

Hi Winnifred. Thanks for your kind feedback. I appreciate your help so much! I decided to re-record using your advice and hopefully limiting the plosive sounds and also using noise reduction on the breaths.
I also got the plugin and checker you recommended so after playing around with it I'm sure it should be at 89 dB now.

https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/test_lauraallenby2.mp3

Fingers crossed this is OK now!

Regards

Laura

[Winnifred]

Hi Winnifred. Thanks for your kind feedback. I appreciate your help so much! I decided to re-record using your advice and hopefully limiting the plosive sounds and also using noise reduction on the breaths.
I also got the plugin and checker you recommended so after playing around with it I'm sure it should be at 89 dB now.

https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/test_lauraallenby2.mp3

Fingers crossed this is OK now!

Regards

Laura

Hi Laura,

Yes, that's much better. You're ready to start recording now!

You might start by checking out the Readers Wanted: Short Works (Poetry & Prose) forum, where you'll find a variety of (usually) shorter options in all genres for your first reading. Instructions for that specific project are always provided in the first post (file name, what to put into the intro, etc). Remember to leave between 0.5 and 1 second of silence at the start and 5 seconds at the end of every recording (standard across all projects).

Don't hesitate to ask questions along the way. The Need Help? Got Advice? forum is especially useful for that.

Have fun!

Cheers,