I posted this, my first comment, to another thread, and then realized I’d replied in 2015 to a thread that was going on back in 2007. So I’m re-posting in reply to this current thread.
Like others here, I am not as computer savvy as I should be. I just started recording an audiobook at home on my laptop. (The book I’m recording it the Bible, with the intend of giving copies to my grown children and grandchildren, and maybe a few friends) I would like to find out how to set up individually labeled files for each chapter within each book, and then a file for each of the 66 books of the Bible, all saved as a total project. Since I am recording primarily for personal use and to give to family and friends, I’m not expecting it to sound like a professional studio. I expect to spend a year on the project, since I usually read through the bible every year anyway. So far I’ve recorded the first 25 chapters Genesis, so I’m off to a good start but have a long way still to go. But I’m still in the learning curve, figuring out how to edit and save files.
For those that are thinking through how to set up for recording audio books, I’ve been very pleased with the results using a Audacity and Samson Go Mic. It is an inexpensive USB mic, very compact in size, has a jack for a headphone or ear buds, and comes with a clip that attaches it to the edge of my laptop screen allowing the mic to swivel, but also accommodates a stand or tripod mount. I considered the “snowball” another person posting said he uses, but chose this one since I’m recording only a single voice (mine) and wanted a more directional mic. It therefor does not pick up as much background noise as a multi-directional mic like the snowball which might work better if one is recording multiple voices or music. With the Samson Go Mic you can also choose between Cardoid, Cardoid with 10dB Pad, or Omni pick-up patterns. I’ve been using the Cardoid pattern with good results. As I said, I’m recording not expecting it to sound like a professional studio recording. That noted, I have been impressed with sound quality and the lack of background noise considering I’m just recording at my computer desk and haven’t done anything to set up a soundproof recording environment.
thanks