Please review my initial unprocessed .wav recording

Special Interest Groups Audiobook Production
1

I am not looking to start a new career as an Audiobook Narrator, but am looking to start a part-time filler job. I am very limited financially and am visually impaired, as well as have a little difficult speaking. It took a few attempts to get this short clip prepared, but of the few attempts, this was the better read. I’ve taken a course in Voice Over I with the Denver Center for Performing Arts this summer and am looking to take the audiobook Narrator course this Fall in hopes of improving some of my speaking skills.

In the meantime, I’m working on my recording setup, which isn’t extensive as I have to use my primary PC instead of a small device like a laptop or tablet. So no closet to sequester myself in. But I am using at least one desktop shield ( XTUGA Recording Microphone Isolation Shield, High Density Absorbent Foam 5 Panels to Filter Vocal, Top Enclosed Foldable Soundproof Cover for Condenser Studio Equipment MIS02) that I bought from Amazon. I have a second destop shield ( TroyStudio Portable Vocal Booth, Large Foldable Microphone Isolation Shield, Music Recording Studio Sound Echo Absorbing Box, Desk & Stand Use Reflection Filter with Thickened Dense Acoustic Foam) which I could set up, place the other shield in, then place the Blue Yeti with Multip-Pattern (set to front only). Right now, it’s just the first shiled in place. And I do have a Pop Filter in place.

I followed a suggested sample creation, raw .wav file, to create for evaluation. Other than my hesitations, how does the sound appear to those listening, please? Again, this is raw audio without any changes or analysis done in Audacity at this time.

Thanks.

2

Given all that acoustic treatment it sounds too roomy, (and lacks treble).
I’d check you’re recording from your external microphone, rather than the computer’s inbuilt one,
and that you are addressing it correctly …

3

Thank you for your review and the link.

I don’t actually have another mic connected. No computer/monitor mic/camera other than what I plug in, which is the Blue Yeti.

After the ACX Check, I had initially passed except for Noise which was only a tiny bit outside the accetable range (it came back as -54db).

The Blue Yeti was initially set to front only (Cartoid I think it’s called) pickup. I have switched the pattern to omnidirectional so that all four faces of the mic pick up sound. I might need to add the second soundproofing item as I think it doesn’t sound quite right to me.

I lowered the gain to decrese sensitivity in the mic to prevent picking up what might have been the computer (fan). That seems to have helped as the Noise check was at -80db, which is an ACX pass on the raw test, but the peak level failed at the time.

The attached is the raw 2nd test.

4

I think I’ve fixed the ACX Check Peak report by fixing the max Peak level. This is the after fix of test 2, which passes all ACX Check reporting.

5

Cardioid is the correct pattern for audiobook. Omini will pick up more of the reverberation from the room.

The video I linked to showed someone using a Yeti: it’s a side-address microphone, not an end-address: you talk into the “Blue” logo on the side of the mic. Your mouth should be about six inches from the mic.

The video also showed someone gently scratching the grille of their microphone to establish that was the mic they were recording from.

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before- after AI

6

OK, now you need the interp or interpretation of the work. It’s a commercial, right?

The AI did get rid of the last of your fan noise and the room echo.

Koz

7

That’s the commercial reading, but you should sound like you’re telling me a story over cups of coffee. Not allowed to stumble over words.

Koz

8

There are some tricks to that. If you do make a mistake, do not stop the recording. Just pause briefly and look back in the script to the last even sentence or paragraph break and read it again. Editing sentences is pretty easy, trying to patch one word is really rough.

Koz

9

The AI also heals the notches in the spectrum, (interpolation ?, extrapolation ?) …

K B A AE.
before-after AI

10

When I make a mistake, I snap my fingers to create a spike in the sound wave, then repeat what I messed up. It makes the mistakes easier to find and edit out with a quick waveform scan on my review.

11

That also gives you a terrific picture and sound sync if you happen to be on camera at the time.

Koz

12

All,

kozikowski asked if this was a commercial. It probably is. It’s part of a test snippit from a set of apparently older posts for Audacity to work for the goal of using Audacity for Audiobook Narration creation. But I also know they are older posts, as they reference Audacity version 2 and above. The menus in Audacity 3 have changed a bit so it’s difficult to set up my system and make corrections because the technical side is a challenge to my lesser knowledgeable capabilities of technical Mastering recordings. But it’s a good short clip.

In my Voice Over I course, I found I could memorize some of my commercial lines and do a better job in those cases. Not perfectly, but right now, I’m just doing the reading for tests

I made a change to my external setup. I removed the mic from the first desktop soundproofing and put up the second one and added additional soundproofing foam, so the sides, top/botton, and back are about 3 inches thick in total. Also, depending on the video I watch of podcasters, the mic is either at a 45 degree angle facing the speaker so that only the top of the mic is pointing at them or in some cases the mic is vertical so they are speaking into the side of the mic. Prior test recordings were at the 45 degree angle. The attached recording is in the vertical position where I am speaking towards the front side of the mic. I also made an additional change in that in prior recordings, I had the foam cover on the mic (the pop filter is used in all of these recordings, past and present). That also seems to vary depending on what video you see. I’ve seen recorders with and without the foam cover. This time, I took the foam cover off the mic.

The attached recording has those changes and also has after the inital empty space a “scratching” noise to show that the mic that is picking up has been the Blue Yeti. This recording also has had the small Mastering to pass the ACX Checks.

The links I’m using are:
AudioBook Mastering version 4 - Special Interest Groups / Audiobook Production - Audacity Forum

In that one, the “Process” section is a little outdated as the menus don’t quite match. But I found them mostly by searching the Effects menu options.

There is an old post on the forums which I found the link to the commercial sample:
[Can I find average amplitude over a section of a track? - Special Interest Groups / Audio Processing - Audacity Forum]

There is alos a mention of the Audacity manual including setting up for Audiobook recordings. But apparently the wiki is gone and there doesn’t appear to be an easy way to find an updated manual. At least I couldn’t find it.

Sorry for the long post. But thought I would share the changes and information I had so you know my own processes and setup. Thanks for the information you’ve shared too.

13

The Blue Yeti is a side-fire microphone. You talk into the side grill just up from the company name.

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i

The Shure SM7b is an end-fire microphone. You point the top toward your lips.

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This is a Joe Rogan Experience guest and is more or less how the microphone is to be used.

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This is actual Joe Rogan and is not how to use this microphone. He’s too close and his voice sounded terrible for days until the production people figured out how to fix it in his sound mixer.

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Please note everyone is wearing headphones. You listen to the microphone, the interface, or the sound mixer to catch the sound before the computer gets it. This is highly desirable because you can hear yourself making mistakes and guards against volume waving up and down as you move your head.
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This is a kitchen table sound studio I designed.

Scroll down. At one time you could buy pre-cut plastic pipes from Home Depot. Two heavy furniture moving pads and you were done. Note there’s a pad on the table.

Koz

14

Scratching the grille confirms you’re recording from the correct mic.
The recording lacks treble and is roomy.
That could be due to talking into the wrong side of the microphone.

green is good - you are red
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Green is generic male : your recording is the red curve.

15

Found it.

Koz

16

Did you get the Yeti new?

Take the pop filter off and speak into the side above the company name about a Hawaiian Shaka away. Select the heart-shaped pattern.

I know that’s not a Yeti, but it’s another microphone which accepts sound from the side.

A very common problem with laptops is recording from the built-in microphone by accident. That’s not likely to be wrong with a deskside machine. However, it is possible you have something else connected to the deskside that has a microphone in it.

You can sense us giving each other puzzled looks. This microphone and computer combination should not sound like that.

Koz