Friends, Romans, Countrymen

by **jonesthecurl** on Wed May 27, 2020 3:04 pm

...lend me your ears.
've asked something similar before - I'd like opinions on the sound quality of my latest attempt at recording my writing. I'm not looking right now for your thoughts on the story, but (and I ask this 'cos both my ears and my speakers are less than perfect), how is the recording quality? My enunciation? My accent? Is it loud enough?
I bought a better mic recently, and this is my first attempt with it.

https://soundcloud.com/user-262251501/first-chapter

by **HitRed** on Wed May 27, 2020 3:37 pm

The volume is fine. Never looked for the volume control.

I kept looking for verbal ques to the time period. Schooner, barrels, plank and trader...hint at the Age of Sail. Actress screams 1940's to me, maybe because I'm American. I looked it up and actress started 1660 England. So it is of the correct time period. I prefer starlet. It sounds old but describes famous, young and attractive. Also, starlet has a connection to the time period as ships sailed by the stars. STAR-let. Your call.

actor
artiste
performer
entertainer
thespian
action
artiste
star
starlet
trouper
artist
player
actor
mummer
ingenue
ham
heroine

by **Dukasaur** on Wed May 27, 2020 3:49 pm

In the very first second I encounter the first problem. You drop the terminal s, so that "The Dragon's Run" sounds to me like "The Dragon Run".

All the way through, you seem to me to speak too fast and not enunciate enough. I don't think it's the accent, I think it's lack of projection. Then again, I'm not the youngest wolf in the pack, so maybe it's my hearing. My ideal narrator is someone like Don Pardo, so it could just be me. On the other hand, give it a shot, slower and more forcefully, and see how people like it.

by **jonesthecurl** on Wed May 27, 2020 4:36 pm

Dukasaur wrote:In the very first second I encounter the first problem. You drop the terminal s, so that "The Dragon's Run" sounds to me like "The Dragon Run".

All the way through, you seem to me to speak too fast and not enunciate enough. I don't think it's the accent, I think it's lack of projection. Then again, I'm not the youngest wolf in the pack, so maybe it's my hearing. My ideal narrator is someone like Don Pardo, so it could just be me. On the other hand, give it a shot, slower and more forcefully, and see how people like it.

Useful input.

by **jonesthecurl** on Wed May 27, 2020 4:37 pm

HitRed wrote:The volume is fine. Never looked for the volume control.

I kept looking for verbal ques to the time period. Schooner, barrels, plank and trader...hint at the Age of Sail. Actress screams 1940's to me, maybe because I'm American. I looked it up and actress started 1660 England. So it is of the correct time period. I prefer starlet. It sounds old but describes famous, young and attractive. Also, starlet has a connection to the time period as ships sailed by the stars. STAR-let. Your call.

actor
artiste
performer
entertainer
thespian
action
artiste
star
starlet
trouper
artist
player
actor
mummer
ingenue
ham
heroine

Thanks, but what I'm looking for is critique of the sound, not the content. The world setting becomes clearer as the story continues.

by **jonesthecurl** on Wed May 27, 2020 4:40 pm

jonesthecurl wrote:
Dukasaur wrote:In the very first second I encounter the first problem. You drop the terminal s, so that "The Dragon's Run" sounds to me like "The Dragon Run".

All the way through, you seem to me to speak too fast and not enunciate enough. I don't think it's the accent, I think it's lack of projection. Then again, I'm not the youngest wolf in the pack, so maybe it's my hearing. My ideal narrator is someone like Don Pardo, so it could just be me. On the other hand, give it a shot, slower and more forcefully, and see how people like it.

Useful input.

Actually I have a suspicion that I hit some sort of speed control at some point... this went through several programs before sharing (due to repeated "cannot recognise that file format"-type problems.so it needs to be usable for them.
Also, I suspect that audio book "readers" include a lot of older people,

by **2dimes** on Wed May 27, 2020 5:11 pm

I sounds good but a bit thin. I would not slow down much if you do. It has a pretty good tempo.

I think you could add an effect but I'm ignorant of what best to suggest. Maybe a hint of reverb but not too much. You could try cutting some upper mid range if you are equalizing while you record.

The problem with messing around with effects when you don't understand them well is, you can go from ok to bad pretty quick.

by **mrswdk** on Wed May 27, 2020 5:28 pm

Too quiet imo. I'm listening to music at a comfortable volume, and when I paused it to listen to this I couldn't make out the words.

No doubt saxi will pass by this thread soon to say something crass and stupid.

by **riskllama** on Wed May 27, 2020 5:29 pm

lol, no doubt.

by **jonesthecurl** on Wed May 27, 2020 6:34 pm

2dimes wrote:I sounds good but a bit thin. I would not slow down much if you do. It has a pretty good tempo.

I think you could add an effect but I'm ignorant of what best to suggest. Maybe a hint of reverb but not too much. You could try cutting some upper mid range if you are equalizing while you record.

The problem with messing around with effects when you don't understand them well is, you can go from ok to bad pretty quick.

I was thinking of adding some mild sort of effect to indicate internal thoughts, where (in print) I use italics. Too tacky?

by **2dimes** on Wed May 27, 2020 6:49 pm

I don't think it would be tacky, but what effect would do that?

by **jonesthecurl** on Wed May 27, 2020 6:55 pm

I dunno. A slight echo? More base, less treble? It would have to be su btle so as not to distract.

by **Dukasaur** on Wed May 27, 2020 7:05 pm

jonesthecurl wrote:I dunno. A slight echo? More base, less treble? It would have to be su btle so as not to distract.

Yeah, radio plays use that kind of thing. Slightly different echoes give you cues whether you are in a home or a courthouse, although the context is what clinches it.

by **2dimes** on Wed May 27, 2020 7:14 pm

Dukasaur wrote:
jonesthecurl wrote:I dunno. A slight echo? More base, less treble? It would have to be su btle so as not to distract.

Yeah, radio plays use that kind of thing. Slightly different echoes give you cues whether you are in a home or a courthouse, although the context is what clinches it.

In the case of a play they are probably trying to make it sound like the area you are in. The natural acoustics will be different in a house verses a courtroom.

The most common effect to introduce a slight echo is reverb.

by **jonesthecurl** on Wed May 27, 2020 9:39 pm

All good stuff, I'm a total newbie at this.

by **mrswdk** on Thu May 28, 2020 5:47 am

Maybe you could just do an accent. All internal thoughts spoken in an Indian accent?

by **KoolBak** on Thu May 28, 2020 8:48 am

jonesthecurl wrote:All good stuff, I'm a total newbie at this.

Do you correspond with other indie authors say from Kindle? I belong to several of their groups and a common discussion is about their audible books and the voice actors they use. Super approachable, experienced people....

Ok. Gave a listen. You sound so fonking British :lol:

I think is fine. If I were to compare it to other audible books I've heard, my only criticism is I constantly hear you taking breaths before you speak, then I focus on it, then it irritates me. I've never heard that in other audibles? The only other thing is other audibles put more feeling into their reading. But I LIKE the commitment / authenticity of the author reading his own shit. Keep it up jonezy