we will use “LUF” measurement rather than “peak”.
That gives you the working sound file.
In use, you still have to play it to the subject/patient and that still needs some way to insure the “music” plays at 37 dB-SPL and the lower volume message doesn’t compete with kitchen appliances and street traffic.
There’s still no fixed relationship between the negative electronic dB numbers and the positive free-air sound values. You have to force a relationship by setting playback volume and measuring it.
Koz
Ok koz. Thanks but I do not know how to read the peaks on the Audacity recording meter to know they tip up into the -6dB to -10dB range
-6dB can be read directly from the bouncing sound meter. Yes, you do have to be looking at the sound meter which makes it a little rough to read your script and set levels at the same time. You can also get it from the Audacity blue waves. -6dB translates to half-way up, like this.
So that is your fuzzy goal for recording live content.
If the waves are too big, the blue waves may hit the 100% mark and cause ticking, popping, and crashing distortion. If they’re too low, too quiet, you’ll get a voice, but you’ll also get microphone, connection, and interface noises in the background.
Which, to bring this around in a completely unexpected place, the background noises will sound a lot like Spring Rain In The Trees. [ffffffffffffffff] Or leaking car tire. I like the trees metaphor better.
If you get all of those sorted, you will be 80% of the way to reading your first audiobook. Everybody runs into the same Recording Your Voice From Home problems.
Are you the affirmation voice?
“Quit Smoking. Quit Smoking. Quit Smoking.”
Koz
Are you recording the Spring Rain, too? We covered that on the forum a while ago. Obviously you can’t get the microphone wet—it will stop working. So you get to record the trees in some kind of shelter. The shelter can’t sound like anything. For example rain drops popping onto an umbrella or hitting a metal roof. Ding ding ding ding.
Recording waves is no picnic, either. Do you see that tiny tern in the lower right of the picture? He’s facing the ocean because that’s where the 25 knot wind is coming from. The wind that prevents me from making a good sound recording.
Koz
If you’ve never recorded live content before, all this is going to be a nasty shock. Everything is dynamic and constantly moving around and everything happens at the same time. There’s a reason for recording engineers in studios.
You are the performer, the recording engineer, and The Producer (with the checkbook).
Koz
I seem to have violated one of my own forum rules.
What is the job? Describe why we are doing this. You didn’t get up one morning with an insane desire to make a 37.52 dB-SPL sound file.
Koz
Yes the affirmations are spoken words I am doing this job because I am trying to help a friend to quit smoking