My wife is recording an audio book of Grace Plus Nothing: Freedom from Performance Based Living, with the author’s blessing and permission. She has actually recorded every chapter and we have submitted it to ACX a couple of times. Each time, we discover problems. ACX’s rejection has been a good thing, as they tell us what we need to do to improve our product. I was drawn into this, as I am my wife’s "tech guy. I love learning computer stuff. But audio is really new to me. I have been reading in this forum for a couple of days.
My wife is recording with a laptop with Windows 8.1
Here is a sample of one of her files. I normalized to -3 and used the LF-Rolloff for speach filter (from this forum) to equalize. Finally, I amplified to a peak amplitude of -.3 db. I’m really new at this. But from what I can tell, we probably fall within ACX’s requirements, in terms of peaks and RMS. But the sound isn’t right. I have been trying to figure this out for a while now. Would you mind listening to this sample and giving any pertinent observations?
Her studio equipment is:
mixer: Folio Notepad Spirit by Soundcraft
Mike: Shure Microphone SM7A
Dynamic Low z with a sponge cover
I believe she is using Audacity version 2.0.5. which she has set for input volume of 0.54, project rate 44100 hz and mono input.
I have done most of the editing attempts using Audacity version 2.0.5, which I obtained from Linux Mint’s Software Manager. My version of Linux Mint is 17 Cinnamon (Qiana).
I’d much rather you tell us what they found wrong.
In detail.
We may also need you to post a portion of the performance before you messed with it. But that’s later.
Headphones are Sony Dynamic Stereo Headphones MDR-7506
We’ve had problems with both high (more often) and low RMS. We’ve also had a lot of high peaks and files which ACX said were too compressed.
I don’t have the very best hearing, myself, as I have tinitis. But while working on the aformentioned issues I realized that every file has NOISE, which ACX has not yet mentioned.
It’s something of a standing joke that you can never hit noise and RMS in the same show. A typical, carefully produced “clean” show may have good background noise but very clear, bright and open — and low — voice. They complain about the RMS (overall volume) and you obediently crank it up either with straight amplification or one of the compressors. That brings the noise up which triggers the next complaint. So then you apply one of the noise suppression techniques which makes the voice sound “funny,” which triggers a quality complaint. And etc, and etc.
They claim, and I believe them, that they don’t so much care about the actual environment as that annoying, sharp ffffffffffff hiss sound behind a cheap microphone. Also, you can’t take everything out of the background because beyond making the voice sound funny, it also sometimes makes the show sound unearthly and blank.
We have found that processing newbies almost always take tools to extremes rather than gently suppressing the complaint. That’s a primary reason for causing vocal distortion when trying to suppress hiss.
“We’re not going for Glen Glenn Sound Studios here, just bring the hiss down a little bit.”
With one exception, those are actually all the same complaint. You compressed, crushed, squeezed and condensed the performance into a super dense, tight bundle until it started bleeding out… and then you submitted it. One of those volume peaks somewhere in the middle got away from you and hit overload, which the system caught.
I’m going to go back over your posting and see what happened.
Was this a reaction to somebody complaining in an earlier submission that your loudness was too low? That is by far the more normal complaint.
Please tell me you saved the Original Performance Capture as a WAV or Project (or both) with no effects.
First level listening to the clip you supplied and I think you overdid Noise Removal. The blank spots between words are almost completely dead (which is unnatural) but more important, the voice sounds like talking into a wine glass — usually a reaction to too much noise removal. There are other things that can cause that.
Please post that clip as a raw capture. No effects at all.
How do you have the switches on the back of the microphone set? Can you briefly describe your “studio?”
I have the project files which apparently go back to the first recording. When they were modified, they were saved as new project files in another folder. I didn’t get in on this until they had already edited files. But I believe I have access the the originals.
Later today I will look at the first critique from ACX. But as I recall there were complaints of high peaks. I’ll get back soon with more info.
Thank you so much for in input. It’s a relief to receive input from someone who knows what they’re talking about!
I didn’t get in on this until they had already edited files.
The hapless agent syndrome. “I was given these files…”
Applying filters and effects properly and effectively is difficult, but removing them is impossible.
Original Capture Work is extraordinarily important. I still have original captures from live recordings I did several years ago. “Koz? Do you still have John’s recordings from 2012? We had a crash and the editor lost all the work.”
I suspect whoever did the corrections simply overdid it. If a little correction is good…
Post those ACX notes, too.
It’s a relief to receive input from someone who knows what they’re talking about!
Or appears to. See my location. In Hollywood, it doesn’t have to actually work. It has to look like it’s working.
Here, too, is the list of complaints from our first upload to ACX:
“04-intro.mp3 has High RMS issue.”
“78-Chp74.mp3 has High RMS issue.”
“101-Chp97.mp3 has High RMS issue.”
“105-Chp101.mp3 has High RMS issue.”
“113-CHp109.mp3 has High RMS issue.”
“102-Chp98.mp3 has Low RMS issue.”
“01-title.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“04-intro.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“05-chp1.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“06-chp2.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“07-chp3.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“08-chp4.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“09-chp5.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“16-chp12.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“17-chp13.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“18-chp14.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“19-chp15.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“20-chp16.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“21-chp17.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“22-chp18.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“23-chp19.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“24-Chp20.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“25-Chp21.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“26-Chp22.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“27-Chp23.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“28-chp24.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“25-Chp21.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“30-Chp26.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“31-Chp27.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“32-Chp28.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“29-Chp25.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“34-Chp30.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“35-Chp31.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“36-Chp32.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“37-Chp33.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“38-Chp34.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“39-Chp35.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“40-Chp36.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“41-Chp37.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“42-Chp38.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“43-Chp39.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“45-Chp41.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“46-Chp42.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“47-Chp43.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“48-Chp44.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“49-Chp45.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“50-Chp46.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“51-Chp47.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“52-Chp48.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“53-Chp49.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“54-Chp50.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“55-Chp51.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“56-Chp52.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“54-Chp50.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“55-Chp51.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“60-Chp56.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“61-Chp57.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“63-Chp59.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“64-Chp60.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“66-Chp62.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“68-Chp64.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“69-Chp65.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“70-Chp66.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“72-Chp68.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“69-Chp65.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“74-Chp70.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“75-Chp71.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“76-Chp72.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“77-Chp73.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“78-Chp74.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“79-Chp75.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“81-Chp77.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“82-Chp78.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“83-Chp79.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“84-Chp80.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“85-Chp81.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“86-Chp82.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“87-Chp83.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“88-Chp84.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“89-Chp85.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“90-Chp86.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“91-Chp87.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“92-Chp88.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“93-Chp89.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“94-Chp90.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“95-Chp91.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“96-Chp92.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“97-Chp93.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“98-Chp94.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“99-Chp95.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“100-Chp96.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“101-Chp97.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“102-Chp98.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“103-Chp99.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“104-Chp100.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“105-Chp101.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“106-Chp102.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“107-Chp103.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“108-Chp104.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“109-Chp105.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“110-Chp106.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“112-Chp107.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“112-Chp108.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“113-CHp109.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“114-Chp110.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“115-Chp111.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“116-Chp112.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“117-Chp113.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“118-Chp114.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“119-Discussion Guide.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“120-About the Author.mp3 has High Peaks issue.”
“04-intro.mp3 has 0dB Peaks issue.”
“04-intro.mp3 has Dynamics issue (too compressed).”
“11-chp7.mp3 has Dynamics issue (too compressed).”
“12-Chp8.mp3 has Dynamics issue (too compressed).”
“13-chp9.mp3 has Dynamics issue (too compressed).”
“14-chp10.mp3 has Dynamics issue (too compressed).”
“15-chp11.mp3 has Dynamics issue (too compressed).”
“01-title.mp3 has Encoding issue (joint stereo).”
“02-preface.mp3 has Encoding issue (joint stereo).”
“03-acknowledgements.mp3 has Encoding issue (joint stereo).”
“06-chp2.mp3 has Encoding issue (joint stereo).”
“121-Closing Credits.mp3 has Encoding issue (joint stereo).”
There are no switches on the back of the microphone.
“High Peaks” is an easy one to fix.
“High rms” or “too compressed” is likely to be due to processing too much.
That has some sort of noise removal effect applied to it.
For a “raw” (unprocessed) recording, if I amplify a “silence” between words, I would expect to hear an even hiss, but this is an example of what I get:
That shows that even though “unedited”, the recording has already been “damaged” by processing. To get this right we really need to start from the beginning with the raw unprocessed audio.
I think we’re getting to it. If the work has processing and you didn’t process it, that means your computer is trying to “help you.” Typically, microphone processing is done to make Skype or Voice Conferencing sound good, not theatrical performances. This doesn’t affect you, but also typically, this processing hates music, so people complain that their guitar recording sounds very highly damaged.
Okay. She is using a Gateway NE56R45u laptop with an Intell B960 processor. The operating system is Windows 8.1.
The studio is my old study in a modular home on our property (no inhabitants, presently). She has some foam on part of the walls and has made kind of a mini booth by setting the microphone up inside a foam lined crate, setting (the mike) in a large stone bowl, which is lined with towels.
Here is a picture of the mixer and a picture of the connectors going into the mixer. The connectors run to a single jack which fits into the microphone jack on the side of the laptop.
Bingo! That’s the weak link in the chain.
The microphone inputs on laptops are rarely good quality (often they are appalling, as is the case with my laptop). By default, Windows tries to help make nasty sound cards sound less bad by applying “enhancements”. While these “enhancements” are beneficial for Skype and similar low quality audio uses, they are fatal for high quality recordings and must be turned off. See: Audacity Manual
When you turn off the Windows sound enhancements, you may find that the background noise level is unacceptably high. If that is the case then probably the only solution will be to upgrade the sound card - this need not be expensive, I use a Behringer UCA 202 (about $30) which is hugely better than the built in sound card in my laptop.
