I am doing an audio book for the very first time, I need help with the volume level, whether I should have the volume at 0, 5% or 25% , or 50% or 75% or all the way up? I am currenlty using audacity 2. X window. I am also using a usb condenser Mic if that make any difference.
It kinda doesn’t work like that. You have to watch the Red recording meters and get comfortably high without any of the jiggling ever going all the way up. This will change with everything: Your speaking voice, the condition of the microphone, the computer, the room acoustics, etc. etc.
Audacity wakes up from First Birthday with little tiny meters. Make them bigger by grabbing the right-hand edge and pulling to the right.
Perfect levels are good, but it’s far better to be a little too far down than be too far up. If the meters flash all the way up, the sound will get clicky and buzzy and you’re stuck with it that way. If it’s too quiet, you can bring it up using the Audacity tools.
http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/Audacity1_record.jpg
Even this is a little tame. I don’t remember what I was recording there, but it wasn’t a voice. Voices should peak around -10 or so.
Have you done voice recording before? The microphone, volume, script, intonation, expression; all that pales in the face of trying to find a quiet room.
This person is using a very good quality microphone and in other parts of the presentation, she’s a very nice announcer. Except this one segment …
http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/clips/EchoSample.mp3
Koz