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Hey I want to make podfics but don’t know how? I don’t know what I need and what I need to use. Like what mic and what recording app

Oh Hey! Cool! I’m always super flattered when people look to me for advice since most of what I learned was me making shit up as I went along 😆I’ve had a few older posts on the topic but I’ll summarize my 2 cents here.As for recording, use Audacity it is free and there is a lot you can do with it (you’ll also want to download something like Lame to export the files to MP3s but that’s also free). I fully encourage you to download it and play around to see what you can all do with it. As for mic stuff, I would honestly recommend starting with whatever you currently have (I started with a very cheap headset I used for skype) to get a feel for if you like podficcing. THEN if you find you like it, go look into different/better equipment. Even now I actually just use a mid level gaming headset with a the thumb of a glove over the mic piece to reduce background sounds, and then use the Amplify and Noise reduction effects to make it sound better (one of these days I need to make an audio example of what I do [ANOTHER one of these days I need to find the space to set up a little office studio for myself]).

But yeah, there really is no wrong way to get started. Find something you want to read and play around. Make mistakes! Improve! I wish you the best of luck and hope to see you out there 😉

#asks #recording advice #podficcing tips #kinda?#I am regularly amazed by uh all of this honestly #fans are slow but steady #I HAVE FANS #holy shit I still forget that #The podfic community for a fandom is always going to be smaller than it’s fanfic community #so don’t be discouraged if you don’t get a lot of attention right away

How do you pick what fics to make podfics of? I’d like to try podficcing but I’m not sure where to start!

Wow! I’m super flattered to be asked for advice! Pardon me if I go on a bit.

As with many things, practice is HUGE. I’ve always been a fast reader, and big about reading stories aloud (to kids, to roommates, whatever) so I may have an advantage in that sense.

I first started this blog by reading random stories I found on the internet both for practice editing, as well as general recording. If I were to give myself tips now I would say:

Slow down. It’s not a race. You especially need breaks inbetween dialogue. Unless it’s a scene that want to feel is happening quickly, speed reading just makes listeners anxious.

Avoid background noise. Close that window. Turn off your phone. You don’t want 100% silence between lines (it adds disconnect), but good room sound is pretty quiet.

E-nun-ci-ate. Make sure people can understand you. Don’t slur your words together (exceptions if dialogue calls for it). Warm ups are good for this. Some people have certain phrases they like to say like, “Unique New York.” Personally I like to read Dr. Seuss rhymes.

Get a good mic. Crappy mics can make for crappy listening. THAT BEING SAID, I still fall guilty of this. This is a hobby for me. I’m not gonna drop a ton of money on crazy equipment. I personally just use a gaming headset with a foam ball I stole from another mic (to minimize popping from pronouncing things like “P’s” and “T’s”).

Be dynamic. There’s definitely a type of acting that comes into play for stuff like this. If you are smiling while reading, people can tell. Don’t hold the same tone for everything. You want people to hear the music in your voice.

Accept mistakes. No matter how good something is, it will never be perfect. When recording (I use just use Audacity by the way) sometimes lines flow out real easy #firsttry. Other times you read the same phrase 7 times and hate them all. Step away, have some tea, and come back to it. Just do your best and know that you will always be your worst critic.

And finally, PRACTICE. As time goes on you will hear yourself improve. I promise.

As for what to actually record, that is entirely up to you. Make sure it is something you like. Self-fulfillment is important.Sometimes, something you work hard on gets little attention. Othertimes, that thing you recorded in a take and a half and slapdash edited at like 2AM ends up being your most popular post. I use a combination of bookmarking tags in Ao3 and browser bookmarks in Chrome to keep things I’d like to record organized. … there is so much talent out there, I will never run out of things to read.

I hope that answered most of your questions, and I wish you luck!

#asks #anon asks #recording advice #I don't really have much advice on accents or specific voices #that seems to be kinda hit or miss to be honest

3 Important Tools Home Musicians Forget They Have

With the world of music production so heavily saturated with “home recording secrets,” it can be very tempting to believe that with a few small pointers anyone can “tip, trick, and hack” their way to home recording greatness. Sadly, most people find out pretty quickly that like anything worthwhile, good home recording takes time.

The "Ins And Outs" Of Signal Flow

To start with, please excuse the terrible pun, I couldn’t help myself. To be honest though, that’s exactly what I’m going to be talking about today, and understanding input and output is a huge part of understanding signal flow.

Audio signal flow is one of those topics that nobody really wants to look into unless they absolutely have to, and I get it- there’s nothing flashy or glamorous about it. That being said, understanding signal flow opens the door to so many other worthwhile topics, if you can learn to appreciate it now.

What Are Your Recording Excuses Really Saying?

Nobody plans to only do part of something and give up. I think most people would agree that is madness. But all too often projects in the home studio start out with a lot of enthusiasm, only to be later abandoned and never revisited (if they even make it that far). Why? It may not be as simple as you think.

Setting Proper Recording Levels

Awhile back I wrote a post about the importance of proper gain staging during recording. If you’ve read that post then you know a few of the common issues that commonly creep up in the home studio environment, usually stemming from a misunderstanding of how each component in an audio signal path affects the overall signal. Proper gain staging aside though, you might be wondering “What about the final input volume of the signal? What should I be looking for once the audio signal gets to my DAW?” It’s a good question, and the answer lies in your DAW’s meters.

Gear Is Not Your Problem (Worrying About It Might Be)

Today I wanted to talk about one of the biggest wasters of time and energy that plagues the average home studio owner- gear doubt. Go to the first home recording forum on the internet that you can find and I guarantee that within the first minute you will find yourself amidst a group of people passionately arguing about what they believe to be “the best” audio equipment/setup available. I find these kinds of debates incredibly depressing.

Natural Drum Reverb (Or Start At The Source)

Looking to drastically increase the quality of your next recording? Start with the source. It can be tempting to leave the tough decisions about our tracks until later and say to ourselves that we’ll “fix it in the mix”- this kind of thinking almost always leads to a bunch of unnecessary headaches. Committing to the sounds that we want to get early on forces us to make the tough decisions about our tracks as we capture them, instead of worrying about making our tracks sound good later. Check out the video to see how my bandmates and I used this approach on some of our recent drum recordings!