Recording Audiobooks

Last updated Apr 5, 2023 Edit Source

• Audiobooks

A reference guide for recording and publishing my own audiobooks.

• Audacity software (it’s free!)
• A Blue Yeti USB Microphone
• A Moukey Isolation Shield and Shock Mount
• Generic over-the-ear Headphones
• A tablet (iPad) for scrolling silently through the book as I narrate.

• Many of my cozy mystery characters have non-American accents. Accent work is beyond my skill level, and rather than butchering a dozen lovely accents I’ve opted to go with my own voice.
  • Fix: Include a brief authors note/forward explaining that I will not be doing accents.
• Audiobook sales are a near-monopoly situation, and there are only a handful of distributors, most of whom have really shitty contract terms.
  • Fix: Unknown. (I’m still considering my options)

My tiny urban condo lacks a closet or small room suitable for recording, and cities are noisy, so I use my building’s movie room. It has moderate soundproofing and soft walls. Combined with my microphone’s isolation shield, it’s not bad!

Audiobook files need to have a noise floor (silence) of -60DB. When I choose a quiet time of day, I can record at -56DB. That’s pretty close, and I can tweak the noise floor a little when I process the files.

To streamline my work I’m combining audio recording with proofreading. Once a chapter is complete and edited (content edits + line edit) I begin recording.

When reading work aloud, proofreading errors stand out clearly. I pause the recording, fix the error in the manuscript file, and re-record that sentence, all on the fly.

Update 4/23: This works really well! In my first complete recording of an audiobook I found 10 small errors that had slipped through despite editing and beta reading, across 62,000 words.

• Dress in quiet clothing, remove watches, rings, anything that might make noise.
• Set up the microphone, laptop, and tablet at head level.
• Bring a big bottle of water.
• Open manuscript on tablet. Don’t TAP the tablet because it will put a thud on the microphone. Slide to advance the text. (SSSHHH!)
• Plug headphones into the microphone so you hear yourself as you go.
• Turn off anything you can that makes noise. (HVAC, Phone, Notifications, etc.)
• Warm up the voice! ( how to)

• Record and save 10 seconds of “room tone” (silence). You’ll need it when adding pauses during editing. Every room’s “silence” sounds different.

• SHIFT + R: Record
• Spacebar: STOP/PLAY
• SHIFT + D: Punch and Roll

For backing up and re-starting when you’ve messed up.

Place the marker (line) before your spoken error or flub. Hit SHIFT + D and the previous five seconds will play. You can speak over your own voice to get into the correct rhythm. At the marker, recording will resume.

ACX Check Loudness Normalization

coming

coming

Audiobook Mastering - Audacity Wiki Preparing an Audiobook File for Recording