Recording Audiobooks

Last updated Jan 11, 2023 Edit Source

• Audiobooks

As of January 2023 I’ve begun recording my own audiobooks. This page is my reference guide.

• 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.

• Professional narrators (rightly) charge more than I can afford to pay.
• I enjoy making my own stuff.
• It’s kinda difficult, and I enjoy doing difficult things sometimes.
• I know my characters better than anyone.
• It makes my books more accessible for visually impaired readers.
• Money can be exchanged for goods and services. 😇

• 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.

My tiny urban condo lacks a closet or small room suitable for recording, and cities are noisy, so I use my condo 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.

• Dress in silent clothing, remove watches, rings, anything that might make noise.
• Set up the microphone, laptop, and tablet at head level. (I prefer to stand! Better voice and energy.)
• Bring a big bottle of water. You’ll need it.
• 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!

• 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 in the rhythm! At the marker, recording will resume. Keep on narrating from there.

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