newbie seeks recommendations

[steve]

Attachments

click sound on word heiress.wav
(993.38 KiB) Downloaded 2 times

Double clicks on infallible.wav
(1.05 MiB) Downloaded 2 times

To save me reading through 10 pages of posts, could you give a brief description of how these audio clips were made.
I'm particularly interested in the reason why they have a dead cut-off at around 6.5 kHz.

[Lorain]

Just me, recording in my home, on an HP All-in-One computer, using a Rode NT1-A microphone ("The world's quietest studio microphone") and a U-PHORIA UMC22 audiophile 2X2 USB Audio Interface with MIDAS Preamplifier, that I have the gain set on about 75%. The dead cutoff is probably me, in my newbieness, screwing around with the mastering (trying to keep everything passing ACX Check).

[kozikowski]

That's the cavalry. You can tell by the bugle.

There's actually two related problems. Your sound file has very low-pitch rumble tones that could register on Cal Tech earthquake seismometers. And, because of the muffling effects of your mastering, it has the dull quality of AM radio.

You can submit whatever you want, but some tone management can make pops and clicks worse. So it's even more important for you to see if those noises are apparent in the original reading—before you did anything to it.

This is where the strong recommendation to Export your original, raw readings as WAV file backups becomes valuable.

Koz

[Lorain]

Here's an original. The click is still there.

Can you tell me how to either fix, or change for a new recording, my low pitch rumble tone problem? I'm not even sure what that is, but it sounds bad, and I probably just ended up with it because it got me past the ACX Check.

I am not reading from my computer, but from my Kindle Fire.

So I guess there is nothing I can do about the clicks. Ah well, c'est la vie. BTW, you were SO right about the re-recording of chapters, once I actually started figuring out a bit about what I was doing, I had to go back and re-do Chapters 1-3. I've learned it doesn't matter if a character is bellowing, "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!" --any yelling while narrating, and kerpow, no passee ACX Checkee.

[steve]

Here's an original. The click is still there.

but now we can see what's causing the click.

First Track000.png (10.73 KiB) Viewed 362 times

Notice the sudden jump in the middle of the highlighted region - that's the click. It's probably caused by the absence of a short bit of the waveform.
There are (unfortunately) many things that can cause bits of the waveform to be missing, but usually it is because some part of the system is unable to keep up with the data, so bits of data are just "dropped" (lost) rather than being written to disk.

It is usually possible to repair these kind of clicks using Audacity's "Repair" effect, but what really needs to be done is to prevent it from happening in the first place. The first step in doing that, is to ensure that the computer is in tiptop shape, with nothing more running than is absolutely necessary, so:

• Ensure that Windows is fully updated
• Ensure that all applications that update themselves are updated (especially anti-virus and similar)
• Ensure that no "maintenance" programs (including anti-virus apps) are running scheduled tasks while you are recording
• Ensure that the hard disk (if your computer has one) is in good shape and not excessively fragmented
• Ensure that the SSD (if your computer has one) is in good shape and optimized if necessary
• Check what applications start up automatically, and stop any non-essential apps from auto-starting (especially Skype if you have it)
• Reboot the computer before starting a recording session, and wait for the computer to complete its start-up tasks before you start working (if your computer has a hard disk activity light, wait for it to go off)

[kozikowski]

Disconnect the network and turn off WiFi. After you disconnect everything, Shift-Shutdown. That's a cleaner, more complete shutdown than the regular, faster one. Start, wait for it to settle down and then open everything.

once I actually started figuring out a bit about what I was doing, I had to go back and re-do Chapters 1-3.

I recently told a new reader that and I'm pretty sure they were snorking behind my back. No, really. You start the process a rank amateur and finish the book a seasoned professional. ACX would rather you read the whole book a seasoned professional.

Screen Shot 2018-08-20 at 16.19.30.png (10.52 KiB) Viewed 362 times

What are those three values under the L-R slider?


Effect > Equalization > Select Curve: Low Rolloff for Speech, Length about 5000. > OK.

That removes all the low pitch rumble tones. Most Outside Broadcast field sound mixers have a setting for that effect available to help with wind and traffic noises. Some microphones have one, too. Nobody is interesting in recording thunder, wind and earthquakes.

Koz

[kozikowski]

I've learned it doesn't matter if a character is bellowing, "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!" --any yelling while narrating, and kerpow, no passee ACX Checkee.

It can depend on your announcing technique. The grownups back away from the microphone so they don't blast and they're good at stressing their voice without getting that much louder. Another variation is yell into the wall on either side rather than straight on.

Koz

[kozikowski]

Your good quality, sealed-against-the-head headphones plugged into the UMC22 should give you a good idea how loud you're getting. That's a terrific way to Auto Adjust the performance without thinking too much about it .

That's why everybody does it.



I know that doesn't look much like Emmet from The Lego Movie, but it sounds exactly like him.

Second Clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QukCJA253rs

Koz

[Lorain]

I applied your Equalization, and wow, I can hear the improvement in sound quality. It busted my passing ACX Check, but, I changed the peak level from -3.5 to -3.6, and it then passed. So thank you very much for that!

I've tried using the Repair to get rid of the clicks, but I can't get it to do anything. I'm probably not doing it right. I think I will just have to go back and re-record where the clicks are, and insert the new recording.

I will try the other stuff to prevent the clicks in the first place, when I re-record.

Thank you both for all your help --I admit I'm rather glad that (for once!) it ain't me!

[kozikowski]

to prevent the clicks in the first place

All we're trying to do is keep the machine from being too busy to pay attention to you. If I haven't been a ray of sunshine lately, the clicking could still be something else. If you have enough trouble with the computer, it is recommended you stop using it.

Screen Shot 2018-07-30 at 15.02.32.png (563.51 KiB) Viewed 348 times

That's an Olympus stand-alone sound recorder. It will produce an ACX Compliant performance and it will save a WAV sound file.

it ain't me!

If you keep at it long enough, we'll find something.

All that and you never said what your post-production mastering technique is. I know you're not using Mastering 4 because you didn't know about Low Rolloff for Speech until now.

Koz