Thought I'd set this up for anyone interested in recording AudioFic.
First off, some handy links:
The
Coordination Thread has a list of authors who have granted permission to have their stories recorded. It also has information on what settings and such to use in your recordings.
The
Project Thread is a complete list of available stories and also lists who is working on what.
The
Readers Wanted thread has some helpful information, much of which I'll probably end up repeating below.
Audacity is a free audio recording program with some handy features. If you install the LAME encoder, you'll be able to export projects to MP3 format.
The
LibriVox Wiki is a guide created and maintained by the good people at
LibriVox . LibriVox is a volunteer project dedicated to converting all public domain texts into public domain audiobooks. They have a lot of useful information for new readers, a guide to using Audacity, a bunch of helpful links, and some other cool stuff. I'm also using their orginization as sort of a model for this project.
You may also want to check out
Read By The Author , a step-by-step tutorial in how to make amateur audiobook recordings.
Now, if you are interested in reading, that's great! We've got a lot to read, and anyone willing and able to pitch in is welcome.
First, you need to get yourself set up.
If you don't already have one, buy a PC microphone. According to LibriVox, a headset mic is better than a standalone one, and a USB interface is better than something that has to go through your sound card. Really, though, just about any decent quality mic will do.
The next thing you'll need is recording software. Audacity is a good one, or you can look for something else that suits your needs.
Once you have those things, play around with them a bit. Record stuff. See how it goes. Learn how things work.
Remember: Your voice will sound different in the recording than it does in your head. When you speak, sound waves are carried directly from your mouth to your ear by (among other things) your jawbone. This carries different frequencies than the air. It'll take some getting used to, but don't worry about it.
Also remember: Odds are, as with many creative projects, you'll be your own worst critic. Relax. Have fun. Fix obvious mistakes, but don't obsess. Don't let fear stand the way of bringing your favorite stories to life.
With that done, it's time to choose a story.
I'm not going to be giving out assignments. What you read and when is entirely up to you. Take a look at the stories that are available to be done and see what strikes you. Start out with something small. Preferably an old favorite. Something you know well and that won't be too taxing.Something you'll really enjoy reading and sharing with others.
Recording: Try to sit up straight, or better yet, stand. If possible, try to hold your head tilting slightly upwards, allowing full comfortable extension of your vocal cords.
Try not to have the microphone directly in front of your mouth. The burst of air released when you pronounce certain things (particularly the letter P) can cause distracting noises.
Try to read as if you were reading to someone. Imagine an audience, perhaps a few kids, sitting a few feet away. You need to read clearly for them. Slowly enough that they can understand what you're saying. Loud enough that they can hear you.
If you make a mistake while reading, don't worry. Tap on the microphone, wait a couple of seconds, then reread from the last natural break (beginning of the sentence or paragraph or something). When you're done recording, you can come back and edit. Delete the mistakes. The distinctive waveform produced by tapping on the mic will show you exactly where you need to work.
If you can't read everything in one sitting, don't worry about that, either. Just pause or stop the recording, then come back to it later. Be sure to save the project first, so you don't lose your progress so far.
With Audacity, when you stop a recording and restart, you'll find that the new recording happens on a second track. Don't worry about that. It's just a matter of using cut and paste to combine things as they should be. Or, if you have things properly lined up, you can "select all" and then choose "Quick Mix" from the "Project" menu. If it doesn't mix right, no problem. Just undo (from the "Edit" menu or by hitting CTRL-Z) and try something else.
Other than that, it pretty much comes down to experience. Your technique, voice, and familiarity with the software will improve with each recording you make. Just try to relax. Tell yourself that you'll do fine, and, odds are, you will.
I think that's about as good a start as I can give you for now.
If there's anything else you're wondering about or need help with, let me know.
Paul
