I am using Windows 7 and installed it from the web (exe). I intend to use Audacity to record my small novel and market as an audio book in addition to hard copy and E:book. I want my audio book customers to be able to select chapters on their players and easily resume listening where they may have stopped. I understand that making each chapter of the book a separate file and uploading it to the CD creator formatted this way, may accomplish what I want. But, I want to be sure and would appreciate any tips or information pertinent to this desire. Thanks for the help.
Steve
I understand that making each chapter of the book a separate file and uploading it to the CD creator
Music CD Authoring Programs usually have a option where you tell it not to use the standard 2-second gap between “songs.” You can put any number in there, but you want zero so the work flows smoothly from chapter to chapter.
A minor challenge is making the continuous flow appear smooth and yet also appear correct when you’re switching chapters. Don’t split chapters between words or in the middle of a sentence. You’ll know immediately if you get it wrong. The story falls apart.
Do Not Use MP3 in the production. Audacity works internally at a very high sonic quality and the sound on a Music CD is also very high quality. Do not make crappy MP3 files in the middle. Once you throw away quality in an MP3, that’s the end. It will never sound better than that.
MP3 also can affect your story-telling rhythm and metre; it has frame boundaries that can affect sound duration.
Music CDs don’t have song titles, so it’s a complete waste of time to carefully label each chapter before you make the CD. You can leave them Chapter-1, Chapter-2, etc. and that works just fine. You can label them more elaborately if you plan to also issue them as stand-alone chapters in an electronic book.
Depending on how you distribute, you should conform to their requirements. I would still do all the master production in WAV, AIFF or other high quality, uncompressed format. You can go down to everything else, but once you compress to a delivery format, you can’t ever get better.
Most people want us to recommend a microphone that will make them sound like Don LaFontaine and help make it sound like they’re recording in a studio instead of their kitchen. We’re glad you got that ironed out ahead of time.
Koz
Koz, thanx. But, I don’t think you answered my question. Will the customer be able to turn off his CD player and then be able to find his place when he turns it back on to resume hearing the book narration, without having to search thru the tracks???
Steve
If you burn an audio CD with each chapter as a track, the CD starts at track 1 (Chapter 1) and the user can skip to the next track on any CD player.
None of the formats Audacity exports support bookmarking. The Apple M4B and Audible AA audio book formats support bookmarking.
Some players including iTunes can remember where the user last left off in any kind of file supported by the player. Not all players can do this with arbitrary common formats like M4A or MP3.
Most text-based book formats such as EPUB support bookmarking.
Gale
Gale: You write like I think! Thanx! A BUNCH. I’ll take this off my worry list now.
Have a blesed day.
Steve