1 min test [OK]

[AmmaB]

Hi, please could someone check my one minute test?
https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/test_AmmaB.mp3
Recorded with Audacity Windows 10 with a Snowball USB mic. I already applied the standard audacity normalization as my volume comes up too low initially (and is flagged by checker). This has improved the dB range, but now I seem to have a lot of noise. Grateful for feedback,
Thanks
Ma B

[InTheDesert]

Hi, please could someone check my one minute test?
https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/test_AmmaB.mp3
Recorded with Audacity Windows 10 with a Snowball USB mic. I already applied the standard audacity normalization as my volume comes up too low initially (and is flagged by checker). This has improved the dB range, but now I seem to have a lot of noise. Grateful for feedback,
Thanks
Ma B

1 Minute Test Feedback:

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

Reading Feedback:
You have a warm, soothing voice.

Technical Feedback:

• 00:00 There was some hiss on the recording. It might be the result of a low input volume from the microphone which you have subsequently amplified to hit the Librivox volume range, in which case you might want to look into increasing the source volume (moving closer to the microphone or making sure the microphone is at full volume). Another solution you can apply is noise reduction. This will reduce the hiss after recording but it does degrade the quality of the audio. Be gentle on the amount (I'd say a maximum of 6dB reduction but less is better) - many people overdo it. Another option is a noise gate.
• 00:00 The recording had some room echo or reverb. This tends to make the recording a little less clear. The easiest way to fix this is to be closer to the microphone but it can also be improved by dampening the solid walls in your recording room with a blanket or something similar. There's more info about that here. You can mitigate it after recording by using EQ to remove a bit of the bass. The 'Bass and Treble' effect in Audacity set to -2 on the bass produces an easy improvement.

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!

[AmmaB]

Hi again,
Took a few days to get to grip with windows settings, here is my updated test - same link. I realise I also fell at the first hurdle of including upper case letters, but I'll be sure to amend this in future recordings. I solved the issues by changing the windows mic settings, putting the mic closer. This improved the volume. I used audacity standard normalization to increase the volume again and then noise reduction based on the noise in the final few seconds. This got rid of the weather/computer noise I believe. A useful process to learn.
Thanks for rechecking,
Ma B-

[InTheDesert]

Hi again,
Took a few days to get to grip with windows settings, here is my updated test - same link. I realise I also fell at the first hurdle of including upper case letters, but I'll be sure to amend this in future recordings. I solved the issues by changing the windows mic settings, putting the mic closer. This improved the volume. I used audacity standard normalization to increase the volume again and then noise reduction based on the noise in the final few seconds. This got rid of the weather/computer noise I believe. A useful process to learn.
Thanks for rechecking,
Ma B-

The technical specs of your test are fine and you are ready to record! Make sure you use the same settings as your test in future recordings. For any future files you submit, make sure that the intro has 0.75 seconds of silence at the start and 5 seconds of silence at the end. Also check the required filename in the project thread.

The best first step would be to take a section in a group project. You can find a list of open projects here (non-English here).

When you claim your very first section, don't forget to also post the name that you would like to appear in the catalog. Some people use their real name, a pseudonym or just a repeat of their forum username. You might prefer privacy or to use it as an opportunity to advertise yourself as a narrator.