I have just tried to download the ACX Plug-in because I want to start narrating Audio Books. I don’t want to pay out for another DAW if I can help it, as I have the latest version of Audacity. I found the ACX Plug-in, which apparently meets the standards of ACX. Here’s my problem - I downloaded it, but when I was asked what I wanted to open it with, for some ridiculous reason, I clicked on Adobe! I know, stupid right? I have deleted the downloads and retried several times. But it seems that it doesn’t want to play ball. Every time I try to open it, it tells me it can’t because Adobe doesn’t support it. As you can probably tell, I’m not particularly computer savvy! How can I rectify this silly situation of my own doing?
Any advice would be very much appreciated.
It’s our product written by flynwill using a collection of already published tools. So yes, in general, if you pass ACX Check, you meet the technical requirements. Only. You still have to pass Human Quality Control and be able to read out loud in a pleasant manner.
When you get ACX Check it should look like Acx-check.ny, not Acx-check.ny.txt. Sometimes the computer download system will change the filename and not tell you.
You are intended to drop Acx-check.ny in the Audacity plugin folder and I have no idea where that is. I’m on a Mac.
Then, launch Audacity and Analyze > Add-Remove Plugins to enable ACX Check. It’s not under Effects.
ACX Check is not unconditionally perfect. If you fail to leave at least 3/4 second of pure, clean background sound in your clip, ACX Check will give a bogus noise reading. This is harder than you think because you can’t move or breathe for that 3/4 second.
Will you be following someone’s recommendations for reading, filtering, effects, mastering, etc. etc? It’s a lot more involved than you might think. Noise alone causes serious problems. -60dB ACX noise specification means your room noise has to be 1000 times quieter than your voice. Can you tell if your computer is on just by listening? Kiss of death.
I don’t want to be too much of a Debby Downer here. It is totally possible to read for Audiobooks using Audacity and we have a really good track record for getting people published.
This is a thing I shot using my super quiet third bedroom. I don’t remember the microphone, but it wasn’t anything special. I’m using a Mac, so if it was one of the USB systems, the Mac makes little or no noise in normal operation.
The clip meets ACX requirements (using our Mastering Suite), has no distortion, sounds like me and I have every reason to expect would be accepted for publication.
OK. Got it. That wasn’t shot with a computer microphone. That was shot with an old Zoom H4 sound recorder.
A separate sound recorder is recommended if you make it to the second or third week of trying to force your computer microphone to work right. Recording pro quality sound on a computer is not for the easily frightened.
It is recommended you do production in mono, one blue wave and not stereo, two blue waves. ACX likes that and it makes production, mastering and storage easier.
