Hey there! I’m hoping you guys can provide some guidance in my quest to record an ACX-acceptable audiobook of my completed sci-fi/horror novel.
My recording setup is about as primitive as it gets: I have a Snowball mic on a stand with pop screen, hooked up by USB to an old laptop running Audacity 2.0.5 (I’ll be updating it before I record anything else). Since I live in an apartment, I record in the bathroom, with the laptop on the other side of the door.
The microphone is inside a cardboard box facing me; the two attached samples were made with either a blanket laid over myself and the box to isolate us, or the blanket tucked in behind the microphone to absorb cardboard echoes. (I’m thinking both would be ideal, but at that moment, I couldn’t find a second throw blanket.) I’m recording with my mouth about an inch from the pop screen, which is in turn about an inch from the microphone, which is set to one-directional. I’m reading the book on my iPhone, which I accidentally bumped against the pop screen a few times in one of the samples.
I did zero post-processing; if the recording setup itself is completely broken, I know I need to fix that first. (Besides, I’m still not sure what most of the buttons do in Audacity.) I’m very DIY-oriented and can build whatever mic box you recommend, but don’t have the funds, room, or long-term need for a full-blown home studio.
Thanks for checking out this post, and please let me know what you think!