I have a stubborn glitch that won’t allow me to record in Audacity using my H2 recorder, unless both are set to 48khz. Yall have tried to help me with that in the past, but the decision was that I should just record at 48khz.
That’s no problem.
Here’s my question. Audacity requires submitted files to be at 44100 Hz.
Can I record the chapters at 48000, then convert them to 44100? Will that meet ACX requirements?
If not I can use a different mic. I have a desktop C-1U that I used to record my other books, and ACX accepted them.
But I understand the H2 is better, so I wanted to find out if this is possible.
Thanks, guys, for all your help!
Just change the Sample Rate in the lower left of the Audacity Window. Everything should be fine.
We’re assuming your Edit Masters are in WAV or or Audacity Projects. Open them and change the sampling rate number in the lower left of the Audacity work window from 48000 to 44100.
Export to a new file. Don’t step on the old one.
Do not move the sampling rate setting to the left of the track. That will change the pitch of the sound.
If you already have an MP3 at the wrong rate, don’t try to “convert” it to 44100. That screws up the MP3 quality setting. Work from the WAV edit masters.
Koz
But I understand the H2 is better,
You can read a couple of sentences from an old book to figure that out. What happens when you do that?
One change that may happen immediately is the H2 will probably not have harsh, piercing SS sounds on your words. Any other differences?
Post two forum tests. One from the H2 and the other from the C-1U.
https://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/TestClip/Record_A_Clip.html
Are you working toward your Obsessive Badge?
“I’m a published author and everybody loves my work, but I’m just not happy.”
Koz
Thanks, guys. Yep, I never delete a .wav!
So after I record it at 48khz, I export it as a .wav.
Then reopen, click and change the lower left to 44100, and export it again as an mp3? I don’t need to select / highlight anything?
How do I know the H2 is better?
Because YOU told me, Koz!
I don’t trust my own ear. My son is a music genius so I’ve been saying “No…I don’t hear that” for decades. I ask the experts instead.
Open the new one in Media Info and see what it says.
https://mediaarea.net/MediaInfoOnline
Also available as a download.
https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo/Download
How do I know the H2 is better?
Because YOU told me, Koz!
Fair enough, but we should also remember that all your chapters have to match, so there is no recording a portion of the book on an H2.
Also, in my exhaustive analysis, the H2 was always being used stand-alone.
A large chunk of forum sound problems are a result of noises and distortion caused by computer/microphone connection and interface problems.
“My audiobook voice has ticking sounds in it and there is a whiny sound in the background.”
Imagine my concern when you said you were using your H2 as an interface. You can do that, but you made your quality control list of distortion, noise, and damage longer.
“My voice is terrific, but what is that funny ticking sound at three minutes?”
Koz
Koz, so are you saying I should use the H2 by itself, and save the files to the SD card?
Not using Audacity for recording, but open the files in Audacity afterward, to check and process them as needed?
It never occurred to me to do that, but I can see how it would be better.
I have been recording with Audacity, and then exporting to an external hard drive, so that allows all kinds of ways for the gremlins to get in. I thought I was ahead of the game by saving to C: instead. Its a wonder the files have been acceptable to ACX.
Closer.
To back up even further. You in particular have the option to stand-alone record with no change in theatrical voice quality should you discover noises or distortions in your direct-to-computer recordings. The people with a pure USB microphone do not have that option.
Its a wonder the files have been acceptable to ACX.
All they care about are file format conformance and whether your voice sounds pleasant. That’s ACX AudioLab inspections and/or Audacity ACX-Check followed by ACX Human Quality Control and/or listening analysis here on the forum.
They do not care how you got there.
Their format was chosen to satisfy all the gymnastics they go through to create their products. The voice quality is so people will buy the products. That’s all the business practices rolled up.
Koz
Missed one.
You can get into trouble if you make Audacity directly touch a network, external, or cloud drive. It doesn’t like that very much. Do production on C: and move stuff around with Audacity off.
I use a rule of twos. Be able to point to two different places where you have valuable work. Network Drives, Cloud Storage, Thumb Drives, C:, each counts as one. My larger Windows machines have C: and D: drives. That counts as two because I can point to two different drives with the cabinet open.
Two different folders on one drive does not count.
I recently had a C: drive go into the mud and I was able to move the D: drive (still in perfect health) and rescue my valuable work.
Koz
I asked because, not understanding most of these terms, I didn’t know if down-shifting the rate might introduce some strangeness or extra background noises or something. Good to know it doesnt.
But now, if I record on the freestanding H2, I can evade the whole problem and set it to the 44100 rate. The only reason to use 48000 was that, when H2 and Audacity were both set at 44100, for unknown reasons, Audacity would not let me use the H2 as a mic. It knew it was there and let me select it, but then clicking the red button resulted in nothing at all.
Problem solved. Thanks so much, guys.
Now I gotta write more books so I can record more books so I can come over here and bug yall.