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Jeff's Podiobooks Recording Tip #3 - Save character samples
In an effort to get away from talk of Levelator and tech stuff, this tip is a non-technical no-brainer and I'm sure some of you already do it.
No doubt in your book, you have characters that appear in the beginning and then disappear only to reappear later. So how do you remember the voice you did? Do you try and dig up the chapter where you recorded it to give it a listen? If you do, you should be applauded for making sure you get the same characterization. However, this is a painfully tedious way to do it.
Ok, smart guy, what's a better way?
When you first record that character, simply copy the dialog into a new audio file. How much you copy is up to you to keep as a reference for later use. Then save the file as the character name "Bob Jones.wav" or whatever. Keep it in your project folder. As the book progresses, you'll have filenames for every character that you can reference immediately to refresh your memory.
Voila! You've saved much time and headache and you'll keep your characters consistent.
No doubt in your book, you have characters that appear in the beginning and then disappear only to reappear later. So how do you remember the voice you did? Do you try and dig up the chapter where you recorded it to give it a listen? If you do, you should be applauded for making sure you get the same characterization. However, this is a painfully tedious way to do it.
Ok, smart guy, what's a better way?
When you first record that character, simply copy the dialog into a new audio file. How much you copy is up to you to keep as a reference for later use. Then save the file as the character name "Bob Jones.wav" or whatever. Keep it in your project folder. As the book progresses, you'll have filenames for every character that you can reference immediately to refresh your memory.
Voila! You've saved much time and headache and you'll keep your characters consistent.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Evo Terra on
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Excellent advice, Jeffrey. I'll build on it with this advice for those with LOADS of important characters:
Figure out your approach to the character before you start the book. Start with the characters that have the most dialoge and record a sample of them as Jeffery says above. Make sure none of them are much of a challenge for you, since you'll probably be using that voice a lot.
Then work your way down to the other characters, again, saving each narration file as a refresher for later on. If you have really nifty voice trick you want to try, but it kills your vocal chords, save it for a character who doesn't talk a lot.
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Permalink Reply by Albert Steve Frye on -
Does anybody have advice about using a program that will change the pitch of your voice? I'd like to make my male voice sound more female-like
I trial-downloaded several programs and all they do is make my voice "Helium-y."
Also, since I haven't come across another author trying to do this, I'm beginning to think there is a huge downside that I'm not aware of.
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Permalink Reply by Jeffrey Kafer - Male Voice talent on -
don't even bother looking. There's no program that will make you sound like a woman. Nor do you need one. Listen to any other audiobook read by a male. The narrator simply lifts their inflection a little higher. The point is to capture the character, not the sound. This is where your acting chops come into play. Capture the spirit of the character and your voice will follow.
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Permalink Reply by Albert Steve Frye on
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Yes, I see.
Thanks.
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Permalink Reply by Liane Carter on -
My gosh. I would love a logical brain like this. What a great idea.
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Permalink Reply by Curtis Carlsen on -
Great practical tip! I'm thinking how to do this in my work. It's these kinds of little things that make the process much easier. Thanks!
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