Recording Your Stories At Home - 3 What's Behind the Green DAW - recording software and other bits

Here we are at the third installment of Recording Your Stories At Home. In this blog, I will be talking about digital audio workstations. You have your space. You have a recording devise. And now it's time to look at recording!

Following are my feelings and opinions based on my experiences. And that is all they are. Everyone, as I said, has their own favourite DAW or any equipment or device, and some may disagree with me! And I welcome comments about the software I do not use, or have not used, so please speak up!

There are a lot of digital audio workstations (DAWs) out there. And everyone seems to have their favourite. Most people in the industry use Avid's Pro Tools, but this is not cheap. It is also way more than a storyteller or voice artist will ever need! I truly believe that this would not be a good use of valuable resources. Here is a quick list of some of the available software in no real order:

Don't worry it doesn't have to be this serious or scary!

Ableton's Live
Propellorhead Reason
Cakewalk's SONAR
Sony's SoundForge
Steinberg's Cubase
Adobe's Audition
Audacity
Logic Pro
Avid's Pro Tools
and my favourite - Studio One by PreSonus

Some thoughts on software in general. Some software manufacturers are now providing cloud based software. What this means is that you pay a fee every year to keep using it. It is cloud based, so not on your computer, and it is ALWAYS up to date. I think this is a great model for large production houses, but for a small user like me, I hate it. I find myself with yet another annual fee to add to my expenses. For my uses I do not want a ton of bells and whistles. The basics do just fine for what I need and I do not like being held hostage to these big companies. So although Adobe's Audition has some great tools, at $250 a year I am striking them off the list! The above list is not comprehensive either. These are the better known DAWs or DAWs that are better suited for voice work, and not rappers and electronica!

Most DAWs come with a 30 days free trial. Some voice recorders and both Presonus' AudioBox and the Scarlett 2i2 (mentioned in the previous blog) come with free, or light versions of a DAW. Try these out and see what you like the best. But read the rest first!

There are free DAWs out there. Are they any good? For some very basic uses, yes. Try out Audacity, if you want. However, when you set out to create great end products, after spending a few weeks maybe even a month or so playing around with it, you will find it lacking and need to find a program more suitable. So save your time and start off right.

As I began buying recording devices I tried out a few of the above mentioned DAWs. I started with Audacity, and found it lacking. I tried the light version of SONAR and found that, although it was good, was not great. Same thing with Cubase. I have met and know people who love both of those programs and will never change. In doing my due diligence I have looked up some reviews, so you don't have to, of the new versions. The programs  used, I used a good long while ago. A source I discovered and like is: http://ehomerecordingstudio.com/best-daw-software/ In writing this particular blog post, I have also used a fair number of other sources, including Amazon for likes and dislikes of users. I liked ehomerecoording because Bryan seems to have similar thoughts to mine! I also found Ask.Audio to be a very helpful site.

Ableton's Live
More for multi-instrument, and live recording so will have a lot of what you might not use for just voice work. I have heard it works better with a Mac, but I have heard that with Adobe products, and never had an issue as a PC user! I have heard and read that Ableton is not so good for vocal and better for electronic music, but wanted to mention it as it is quite popular with some. (from $88 to $700 in 3 stages)

Propellorhead Reason
Although this new '9' release is supposed to be much improved, this has many tools a none musician will not need, making the intro price of $400 a little steep. It has many music maker fans, so if you play and write songs, this might be, if the price is not too off-putting, a way to go.

Cakewalk's SONAR
When I used this years ago, I hated it. Not user friendly, not intuitive for me, and I went back to... dare I say it... Audacity! I did. But then I found Studio One! SONAR - Entry level $90, mid-level $160, top level, $400. It has been a bit of a mainstay for us PC users apparently. Recently they have been welcomed to the world of Mac, although it was said somewhere there is so much old programming it might be found to have glitches on a Mac! And SONAR has its rabid fans. Sometimes tried and true is good. And it seems, from what I have read, it's new release is a lot easier to use. It would have to be. It has lots of bells and whistles at lower levels than some (like Cubase), and it seems much better (from reviews) than I remember it.

Sony's SoundForge
Declaration here. I do like Sony. I have thought a few time about getting SoundForge and trying it out. But then I did try out their video program Vegas, a few years ago and found it cumbersome and frustrating. And Sound Forge Pro is not cheap at $400 but will let you create a finished CD and burn it. It does not have a mastering suit, something you would think it would have, if you can burn a CD. Lots of good reviews of this program if you want to spend that sort of money to do those sorts of projects. I suppose this could be said for all the top level editions of a DAW. Apples to apples and all that! One other thing I just discovered from Ask.Audio:
The first thing to clear up is that Sound Forge is an Audio Editor, not a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). It has different functions and capabilities to your standard DAW. You can record audio and edit audio files, but it’s not like a DAW where you arrange your audio regions to form a song. It’s more of a tool where you can edit and process audio files. So it’s well suited for audio restoration, mastering and sound design as it deals with audio on a different level than your DAW,  for example audio batch processing. With an audio editor you can edit a file and apply those same settings across numerous audio file in a batch process seamlessly, which would take ages in a standard DAW.

Steinberg's Cubase
Already said something about this already. Was not my favourite, and is used by many. Not as intuitive as some other products, but a very strong contender. This latest version, Pro 8.5 has a sharing ability similar to Pro Tools. It has an improved workflow. And the Pro version costs $550. There is a Elements version for $100 which could be a good starting point, or point of entry. It seems to me that some of these editors I tried a while ago have made great strides to improve - maybe because of the number of newer products on the market now offered. Elements has an EQ system which is great to remove hisses that may come out on words like hisses! This is a huge bonus.

Logic Pro
I know people who use this and Pro Tools together. I think Pro Tools has some of the final production pieces that Logic does not. Not sure why! One disadvantage and plus to this is that it is Mac only, If you don't use Mac, this is not for you. If you use only Mac, and have an iPhone, iPad, MacBook and iMac or Mac Pro -  then this would probably be the way to go. It is $200 and is filled with lots of musical add-ons. I did not find a free version of this, or a light version. This is it!

Avid's Pro Tools
As I have said this is the go-to for professionals and has a professional price tag. They do have a free version which might be worth trying out, and if you find you need or want to upgrade, it costs $300 for the mid-range version. The pro is a lot more. I have read it is clunky and has a lot of very old (outdated?) parts to it. They do, however, have a great tool which allows engineers (that would be you!) to share work. This means you could work on something and send it to a pro studio for them to put finishing touches on. Just a thought. Because of the price, be sure you want to go this route.

My favourite:
Studio One
I have not used the new and improved, and recently released version 3. I have and use version 2.5 and love it. When I got Studio One, it came with a mic, cables, headphones and the AudioBox USB "adapter" interface. I tried Studio One and fell in love with it. I found it so easy to use, quick to pick up, and easy to discover things as I worked. It has a number of very useful features for voice work including punch and roll. I will discuss this feature/technique in the next blog. The free version does not have EQ but the $100 Artist version does. This is nice as you can get a feel for it in the free version, and buy into it if, like me, you found it easy to use. It has both Mac and PC versions of the software. If you buy the artist version and want to be able to do more, then when you are ready you can upgrade to the $400 Professional version for $300. As I imagine you can do with other multilevel DAWs. One thing I like a lot about Studio One Producer (now the Pro version) is that it has some of the tools featured in Pro Tool and Logic Pro. They are easy to learn and very useful.

Having done my due diligence and looked at/read about the newer versions of old software I have used, it seems that maybe Cubase is not so bad after all. all these programs have their fans and all of them have reasons for loving what they use and not liking the ones they do not. If you know people who have digital audio workstations or audio editing software, ask if they can show you how it works, try it out yourself and see what works for you. Ask why they like it over others. Then you can make a sound, well educated decision.

If you found this information useful in any way whatsoever, please considering following my blog and subscribing. Click there on the right! If you know anyone who is interested in this stuff, or is also thinking about getting into recording their own stuff, forward the blog!

I will also invite you to visit my website: http://www.diamondscree.com/
where there you can listen to recordings made in the studio, watch short movies of me telling tales at various places, and where you can also sign up for newsletters (which are a lot shorter than this blog) among many other cool things!  Thanks for reading.

Peace,
Simon

NEXT UP: "What the Dang Does a DAW do?" A blog about digital workstations, mic placement, headphones, popscreens and file formats - not necessarily in that order!

Intro about recording: http://worldofstories.blogspot.com/2016/01/learning-art-of-narrating-audio-books.html

Recording You Stories At Home - 2 Equipment, Voice to computer

In the previous blog about recording your stories I described how to create a good space for recording your stories. This blog post will show how import this is, why it is different from recording musicians, and what equipment you will need, or want. I will talk about the cheapest way to record, to a more professional approach. Are you ready? Then let's get it on!

The Astatic JT-30-C. I believe it is from the 1940's

So you have a recording space, and need to fill it with stuff! But what stuff do you need? Should you buy the largest and most powerful computer ever built to store all the files? Is the most expensive microphone the one you need? If you have a microphone you use for live shows, can you record with it? What about voice recorders?

Hold on a moment. I want to add something about the space first. You remember how I said if you can hear a clock, or furnace, turn it off? Here's why - if you can hear it, so can the microphone. Take a listen to the first minute of Led Zeppelin's Black Country Woman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Qc8ON5mQU

A prop plane flies over as the reel is rolling and they're recording. It is left in. My point is the engineer heard it and asked if they wanted to wait, but Plant says: "Nar. Leave it." As the guitar comes in, most of it is drowned out. You have to listen very carefully to hear it. This is where it's different for voice recording to rock and roll. There is no music to cover up background sounds! If they are there, they are there and will be heard on the final product. Because of my space, I have developed an ear for this and when recording in places other than my own, I can hear oncoming trucks, mowers, or planes, I am aware of them and I can stop and wait until the sound has passed. With a well sound proofed room, you will not need to worry about that. If you do not have a well insulated space, you too will need to develop an ear for such things.

So, equipment. Let's start at the lower end of the spectrum and work up and begin with where the sound first goes. From your gob, into the mic!

What is the best microphone you can buy? I get this question a lot. The simple and very true answer is: the one that's best for your voice. Everyone has their own voice and each mic is slightly 'colured'. This means a certain mic may favour the top end, the high notes, if you will. Some microphones might favour the lower end, the lower notes a fraction. It is the same with speakers. Some can make something sound tinny, or heavy on the bass. My first foray into the studio was a fun experience. I had a number of microphones to choose from, from a $100 mic, to a $3,000 mic. And yes, there are more expensive microphones out there. I tried out the $3,000 mic and found it made my voice sound too tinny, it accentuated my sibilance ('s' were too sharp). I tried out a couple of others and found the $1,500 mic made my voice sound great. Nice and warm. Not too deep, not too high, just right. You NEED to test out a mic before buying it.

The cheapest way to record these days is using a portable voice recorder. That's right. A voice recorder. They can be found for little money ($100 and up), have great quality, for the most part, and will service you very well indeed. In fact, my second CD was recorded on a voice recorder. I used my Roland R-9 on a mic stand. The only thing you need to be very aware of is: motor noise. If you buy an Olympus WS-852 for $50.00, there will be motor noise and you won't be able to get rid of it. However the WS-822 might not. I am not suggesting Olympus as these are really designed for office use - dictation and the like, not entertainment recording. Manufacturers who I would suggest are: Roland (Edirol), Zoom (H2 and up), Sony, Tascam and Boss, although the later two can be as pricey as a good microphone. The thing about voice recorders is that you can take them and use them anywhere and edit later once the file is downloaded on to your computer. You can use them at a gig without anything else (no cables or boxes to link to), and use them in a studio. Very versatile.
ADVISE: Make sure the devise can record at a minimum of 16 bit, and 44.1 kHz. 24 bit is even better. CDs are 16 bit, but it is better to record at a higher level rather than degrade too soon. If it only records MP3, or WMA then don't go there! Those are much lower quality, being compressed files. You are looking for WAV and AIFF, even FLAC, but FLAC (lossless) might cause you some problems later. When or if you are in the market and buying a devise, take some noise blocking earphones or buds, record something and play it back listening for motor noise. If you buy one of the suggested makes, and are spending upwards of $100, you should be fine. But check this out for yourself. I have not played with all makes and models.

My very old and still very serviceable voice recorders

The next most economical way to go could be to use a USB microphone. This second microphone option allows one to plug directly into the computer and your digital audio workstation software. The only downside I see to this is that it can only be used with a computer with a USB port (unless it has Mac capability). The company Blue seem to excel with these types of mics. Rode, Apogee, MXL, Shure, Audio-Technica and sE also make USB microphones, so have a good look around before buying. Obviously, if you are recording a concert using a laptop or iPad, only being able to plug into these would not be a problem. However, if you want, or have to put the microphone into a mixing desk, this would be an issue. It can, however, be a cheaper way to go. Again, you need to check different mics out to hear which sound good with your voice.

Behringer XM8500 and the Shure SM58

Your own Shure SM58 that you use for live shows, might work well. The SM58 is a fine example of a dynamic microphone. Most radio stations use dynamic mics, and if you have a problem with noise in your recording space, a dynamic mic could be the way to go. Why is that? The dynamic microphone will pretty much only record what it is pointing at. Remember watching some film or tv show where the singer pulls the mic from his or her mouth before belting out that last amazing note? Well, that's so when that high volume hits the mic, it won't blow the microphone up, as it were. By angling it, or moving it away, the mic hears you far less. Surrounding sounds are mostly cut out. This is putting it very simply, but hopefully in a way that makes sense. There are some very good studio dynamic mics, but usually these are saved for live events or live, multi-instrument recording sessions to prevent other instruments, vocals, etc. bleeding into another microphone. Again, you need to check different mics out to hear what sounds good with your voice.

Another type of microphone is the condenser mic. This type of microphone picks up everything. Remember seeing rock stars performing live and they talk to each during a song but it is not heard? That is the dynamic mic keeping the surrounding sounds down. If it were a condenser mic, they would be easily heard! This is the studio go-to mic for voice. Generally it has far better sound quality, is more delicate, and can be more expensive. That said, there is a wide range of mics and prices you can look at. Have you seen photos or films where an old radio show is being recorded? A few actors stand around a single mic, a few others stand around another mic. These microphones can pick up each voice easily, and capture the live audience laughter. They do need extra power for them to work though. Dynamic microphones do not require any more power than that already surging through the equipment. Condenser microphones have a diaphragm inside requiring active circuitry, and needs what they call Phantom Power - a little zing of 48+ volts! Nothing to really worry about. And I will talk about that in a while.* These microphones, like the Audio-Technica AT2035 can be purchased for about $150.00 and go way up into the thousands as I said earlier. The AT2035 is a good microphone. I use an sE 2200a ii C. It's cost is more than the Audio-Technica, but I love the sound it gives my voice.

The real thing is not crooked like this appears to be!
The sE Electronics 2200iiC

Great brands to look at for microphones (both dynamic and condenser) are: Shure, sE, Audix, MXL, Audio-Technica, AKG, Rode, Sennheiser, Neumann and Blue. I have a Behringer mic which are generally thought of as cheap mics, which they are. But it sounds better with my voice than the Shure SM58 I have, for live performances. The Shure cost $100.00 and the Behringer cost $20.00!

The photo at the top of the page shows me using a microphone from the 1940's. If you like antiques it would be fun to try out mics such as these, but they do not always sound so good:
https://soundcloud.com/smbrooks/lion-and-the-mouse
To use a mic like this for an effect can work, but you might want to buy a great sounding mic to start with, and get others to play with later!

Where does your voice go?
Both the dynamic and condenser microphones you would buy for live or studio recordings are generally hooked up with an XLR balanced cable (cables in a minute). This will not plug into your computer! But it will plug into a computer interface with USB bus power. I have used both the PreSonus  AudioBox 2x2 ($100), and the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 ($150.00) and found the 2i2 to be the better. Focusrite also has a smaller, one mic input , the Solo, for $100.00. Both have phantom (48v) power, as does the AudioBox which has an additional midi port on the back if you want to plug in and record a keyboard and such. There are many of these interfaces at varying price points, but I really like the Focusrite 2i2. Both Presonus and Focusrite have bundles where you get a condenser mic, headphones, cables and box/interface for between $150.00 and $200.00.

Now you need a cable to get the sound from the mic to the USB box. My advise is only buy  good quality XLR cables. If for some reason you have a box and it does not take XLR make sure it is balanced. These are called TRS balanced cables. See the bands (two of them) near the tip of it? That's balanced. If it has one band, it is not balanced. Why is balanced important? The short answer is to get the best sound possible. If you get a great mic and have crappy cables, noise will magically appear and cause distress! I could go into detail about why balanced cables are better, but that would make more grey space to read! A good cable, as with anything 'good', will last for a long while. And remember, nothing lasts forever! Going cheap does not always pan out. In fact it rarely does! Go economical, but don't go cheap.

* Phantom power - that little bit extra
Many condenser microphones and a rare few dynamic mics have circuitry built into them which requires more power than a 'regular' microphone. Some of these mics have tiny amplifiers in them. This much needed  48volts of DC current is provided in a mixer, or power supply like the USB boxes mentioned above. You will see a button which says either 48, or Psantom. A simple push of said button and off it goes, through the cable to the mic and the mic sends the signal back down the cable to the mixer where the sound is pushed out. Sometimes condenser microphones have a little extra power and increased signal as a result.

So try some microphones out, find one that makes you sound good (and not like you are on a cheap transistor radio) and invest.

So, you now have a space. And a mic and cable, that runs to a USB box which then goes to the USB port in your computer. Or you have a USB mic that runs directly to the computer. Or maybe you opted for a voice recorder which you will drag and drop files from to edit in your DAW on your computer at a later date. (That's the next one!)

If you found this information useful in any way whatsoever, please considering following my blog and subscribing. Click there on the right! If you know anyone who is interested in this stuff, or is also thinking about getting into recording their own stuff, forward the blog!

I will also invite you to visit my website: http://www.diamondscree.com/
where there you can listen to recordings made in the studio, watch short movies of me telling tales at various places, and where you can also sign up for newsletters (which are a lot shorter than this blog) among many other cool things!  Thanks for reading.

Peace,
Simon

NEXT UP: "What's Behind The Green DAW?" A blog about digital workstations.

Intro about recording: http://worldofstories.blogspot.com/2016/01/learning-art-of-narrating-audio-books.html

Learning the Art of Narrating Audio Books

I have to confess that this was a huge learning curve for me, but I have found some great mentors. As some of you know, I recorded my first audio book in 2012 for a local author and recorded it much the same way that I have recorded my CDs in the past.  Since then I have recorded a total of 10 books to this date.

Narration is not, for me, a question of sitting down and reading the book out loud. There is thought to the characters, who they are, and, of course, what they sound like. So far the authors who have got in touch with me have liked what I have done.  One of the things I was told by an audio book producing company was that I should learn to punch and roll.  This is very different from drop and roll.  It is a technique where you can, with certain DAW's, 'roll-back' to where you have made a mistake and the program punches in so you can record over said mistake. This eliminates the need to edit out clicks of the keyboard when you hit 'go'!  It is editing on the fly.  At first I thought it was easy, but then found I was missing and over-recording, or little bits or part of a word merged right into where I started, or I started too soon and my first word, or part of it was cut off!  It took about three days of constantly trying this to master it.

One of the things you need to listen for are mouth pops and clicks. Imagine you just ate your favourite meal and your mouth is still watering, it tasted that good! Then open your mouth and move it around. Hear those weird sounds? So will your mic if it's any good. You have to make sure your do not have that 'wet mouth' thing going on. Squeaky chair? Get rid of it. Find a solid chair that does not squeak! Clothes that rustle? Don't wear them! Cat in the room purring? Get it out of there! Kids playing in the basement rec room? Can't record if you can hear them.

I have been recording in my office, an ex-sunroom with two glass walls. One six feet long, the other 8 feet long. Big windows are BAD for recording. Sounds can travel through glass easily. We replaced one window because it had rotted out. The new window made a big difference but I can still hear sounds. I made two soundproof false walls and put them up over the non-replaced window which made a huge difference, and then added these rubber soundproof 'mats' on the new window. Worked really well, but I could still hear trucks driving by. A few weekends ago I moved the recording space out of the house and built a recording booth from all the materials I had. Pretty much dead silent. Nothing can be heard. I love the new space, although it is small.

So what does one do when one records a book? Read it all the way through before you do anything, especially fiction. I was told about one narrator who did not do this, and recorded a book and when he got to the last chapter, the author mentioned the main character had a southern accent. This was not mentioned before in the book. The narrator had to re-record all of the main characters talking lines with a southern accent.  One thing I learned to do was to make an audio and written file of the characters' voices. Some of the characters have large roles, but others have small and infrequent parts in the story.  By making a 'living' audio file of the character-voices as I do them, it allowed me to revisit - when the characters revisit at the end of the book, when they last appeared in the first chapter!  The written file is for a gentle reminder (oh, yeah, that was it), the audio for a kick on to the right path (what did this guy sound like?  Oh really, I thought it was something else).

One of the fun things to do, for me, is read the dialogue and try to hear the voice of each character as the writer might have, without making stereo-types.  So I try different things out and find some of the characters really come to life.  Obviously, to me, I do not want to make a too heavy statement on the two main characters, so the eventual listeners of the book can make their own picture up, so I try to make them neutral.  But other characters have real back-bone to their voices. With non-fiction one does not have to think about character voices!

When I have recorded my stories for CD or my website, I record them 'live', that is without a script.  I know these stories, so tell them as they come out of me, the same as if it were a live performance.  These are my words, not someone else's.  When I make a mistake, I stop and go back to a place and 'do over'.  Because there is music on my CDs between each story, it does not matter if I record on different days as my voice stays somewhat the same.  This is not possible when recording a book.  Especially when you get sick, as has happened to me once, or my voice gets rough, and slowly gets better - and you are working to someone else's deadline!

Then are snow storms and with those storms came snow days and kids at home!  College maintenance people and the town move snow around with their big trucks beeping and growling. In the summer the power or phone company, might be cutting and mulching trees up and down my street, and mowers! Now I know to 'get on it and work it hard' from day one, because you never know what will happen on day two! And the Audio Company I work with and when I am free lancing, we have a reputation keep.

The Audio Company have a number of quality control steps.  I record the text, or script.  A proofer listens to what I have done and marks up where I went wrong on a spread sheet and highlights the script.  I then go back and look these over and record the corrections.  My proofer was/is great.  It is amazing when you read quickly what your brain does and has you say!  From these I create a single audio file with the corrections.  Doing the corrections means trying to match my voice up today, with what it sounded like two weeks ago after shoveling snow off the driveway for an hour, or after a sleepless night with sick kids!  Like I said, I've learned a lot.

If you think you want to record books for a living, think about the amount of money you make on a single book, and how often you will get books to record. This can either be done for fun, for supplemental compensation, or as a full time gig. Royalty split books are fine to do, but not if they do not sell. If you want to make a living, I suggest staying away from those, especially big ones. All that time and stress has to be worth something and for me getting minimum wage for recording a book is not it.

I hope this helps those who are new or are thinking about recording audio books.

Be well!
Simon

Taking Something Floating in the Air

My first recorder. It weighed a ton!

This past weekend I taught a workshop on recording in a home studio, from setting it up, to find the right equipment, to recording.  As a kid, my brother and I recorded on my step-father's Grundig reel to reel machine, and occasionally on the Dictaphones my dad sold from his office supply store in South Wales (before Office Max was invented).  The Grundig had a great smell to it and would wake up like a living beast.  You would click it on with the roll volume button, and watch the green light (above the word automatic) come slowly on and the whole creature of a machine would hum. You could smell the electricity of it, like you can smell the gas burning from a fast car driving 100 mph or more.

I wonder where those tapes are now, and if they still have a couple of little boys pretending to be police officers or spies on them! I later used that same Grundig to record my rock and band. I moved 'up' to a cassette machine, a Walkman and tried recording with that. My best friend Billy in the UK had a Tascam Portastudio which recorded 4 track onto a cassette.  We played with that a lot and recorded a bunch of songs - at least one albums worth! That was the first time I tried engineering a track.  I would take my cassette recorder with me and record my life and stories to my wife when she was over here in America and I was still in the UK. I have always loved recording sounds, stories, and other people, especially street musicians, as well as photograph them. I usually have a voice recorder and camera with me!

When I began life as a professional storyteller in 2003, one of the first things I wanted to do was record stories, share them with the world, and show the world what I could do. Share stories and show my talent, was my plan.  But I also knew I wanted to do the best job I could possibly do - not just a quick record, get it out there, but a really good job.

There is a folk story about a woman who spreads gossip. One day she discovers that something that she spread was a lie and went to the preacher to see what she could do to stop it from spreading further.  The preacher told her to take a feather pillow to the top of a hill on a windy day.  When she was there, she was to rip open the pillow and sake the feathers into the wind, then return to talk to the priest. She did this.  When she got back to the priest, she asked what to do next.  He told her to go and collect every single feather she had released from the pillow. She said it could not be done, and he agreed, but this is how rumours, lies, gossip spreads. Once it is out there, you have no control over it. It has a life of its own, and that is the same to ANYTHING we put up on-line. So I wanted something good, that in 10 years I could look back on say 'It's still good, and I am still happy with it."

Second-hand Tales, released 2006
Artwork copyright Rob Brookes 2006

The first CD was recorded professionally in a studio, but I watched and learned and went home, found Audacity and played with it. Audacity is a free Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). That first CD was released in 2006. I recorded more, and played with Audacity more. I began putting stories on my website. Some of the tools I purchased a long the way (my Roland Edirol R-09 and Zoom Q3) had light versions of DAW programs like Cakewalk and Cubase, so I tried those out.  But I liked the simplicity of Audacity, although there were many limitations.  I began putting more stories on my website. I recorded my second CD in another studio and sat with the engineer, watched, asked questions and played more with the programs I had, working between Audacity and the others, combining talents (tools), if you were.  That CD was released in 2008.  In

More Second-hand Tales, released 2008
Artwork copyright Rob Brookes 2008

2010, with my own equipment (the Edirol R-09) and the DAWs I had, I recorded my third CD.  The music was recorded at the second studio and the stories and music were put together there, and produced, with me helping (again asking questions and watching closely). This was released in 2011 and won Parent's Choice Gold Award.

A Tangle of Tales, released 2010
Artwork copyright Rob Brookes 2010

Then I invested in new equipment.  I bought a condenser mic, a USB box, and set of headphones, as a kit, put out by PreSonus and it came with their DAW called Studio One.  I started playing around with the kit and discovered I had found the digital audio workstation for me! It was fast to learn, easy to use, did everything I wanted it to do and more.  I recorded more and put more out on my website. Played around with the new tools I found. I made bootlegs of unreleased stories which I sometimes gave away at birthday parties. Someone asked me to record their juvenile fantasy novel, which I did.  That was in 2012. Last year (2013) I recorded 4 more books and so far this year (April 2nd 2014) I have recorded two more. All in my home studio. (I would share a photo of it, but it is in a bit of a mess right now!)

It's is not that I like the sound of my own voice.  I just love playing around and recording. I take my voice recorder everywhere I go mostly. You never know when you will hear something cool. (This is the time to listen out for those Peepers calling out to their mates!) Sometimes we just take it for granted, but there is still wonder in it for me, which is probably why I love it so much.  The DAW does not have the same smell that the Grundig used to have, and luckily it does not hum like it! But the same magic instilled in me all those years ago, has a strong hold; and that magic of taking something floating in the air, something unseen and capturing it so I can be heard again and again is pretty cool to me!

Recording with PreSonus' Studio One DAW

For those of you who are new to using a Digital Audio Workstation or DAW, I have been using Studio One by PreSonus for over a year now and have found it to be very good indeed.  There is a lot of functionality and free tools on board.  It is very intuitive, and does not cost an absolute fortune.  I have discovered many things on my journey of recording and it's taken me a while to figure out some of the short cuts.  I have put what I have found in a document to share with others who might want to try it.  You can get a free trial from the PreSonus website.  This also includes tips on recording punch and roll, where you can easily fix mistakes. It is a lot faster than keeping on recording and going back to edit and fix later.  There is a learning curve but it is not steep!

My simple set-up

Studio One Quick Start for narration (for Windows XP)

Open Studio One

1/. Starting from scratch

Click on ‘Create new Song’ and a dialogue box opens with Empty Song on left highlighted. On the right enter Song Title.

Choose where you want song to be saved in next box down.

Sample rate: 44.1 kHz

Resolution: 16 bit

Timebase: Seconds

Song Length: leave at default

Tempo: leave at default

Time Signiture: leave at default

Make sure Stretch audio files to Song tempo is unchecked

Click OK

2/. If you want to save a Template

You cannot save a template until you have first created one! Create a song and save it as a Template.  This will automatically create a folder within Studio for Templates.  You cannot make your own folder or save an existing Template until this is done.

3/. Short Cuts

Short cuts are listed in the top bar: Studio One > Keyboard Short cuts…

There are some handy number keypad shortcuts!

Number pad *: Record

Number pad -: wind time bar back

Number pad +: wind time bar forward

Number pad Enter: play

Number pad 0: stop

Spacebar: play and stop

I added Number Keypad 5 to make a new Mono Track

4/. To Start

Once Song is open, make a new track: Top bar - Track> add new mono track

Click on the solid circle to activate record mode, and playback is automatically opened at the same time.  If you want speakers/headphones muted, click the speaker button so it is no longer blue, or ‘M’ for mute.

Position white time bar at beginning if not already there.

Click the Record button on the bottom tool bar.

5/. Snap time bar

When editing you will find the white time bar will snap into place which is not very handy for narration.  On the top tool bar under the shaded ‘Adaptive’ button, you will find a small box with ‘Snap’ next to it.  Click on the box.  If you open up the ‘Editor” (F2) you will find the same button and will need to click there too.

6/. Punch and roll

On the bottom tool bar there are counters and to the right of those are what look like thumb tracks or map pins.  Click on the top ‘Auto Punch’ button for auto punch!  If you want to have some pre-roll, then click the ‘Pre-roll’ button beneath.  Pre-roll can eliminate the click of a keyboard and give you a lead-in.

To select how much pre-roll you have, to the right of these buttons is the Metronome. Click on the ‘Metronome Setup’ button (the spanner/wrench) and under ‘Options’ choose number of bars.  Two bars is usually fine but you might want more if you are just staring to learn this technique.

When punching and rolling with pre-roll, place the white time bar where you want to cut in.  Hit the record button.  The time bar will jump back your set number of bars and play.  Listen along and jump in at you chosen spot and keep going.

7/. Making Corrections

When I have made corrections, I have opened another track below the ‘finished’ track. By cutting the ‘bad section’ so it is separated, you can use the Mute tool to mute that segment, then record on the second track you have opened. By using a separate track you do not record over what you already have that is good.  But if you do go over you hear it when you get to the ‘okay’ and none muted section.

8/. Multiple takes

If you want to try multiple takes for a section this is fairly painless. Using the ‘Loop Active’ button, you can keep re-recording non-stop in that area until happy.

            To create a loop, hover mouse over the very thin light grey line above the time digits so you get a ‘pencil’ icon as the cursor. Clicking once on the thin grey bar will bring two lighter points.  Dragging these to the left and right creates your loop.

            Click on the Active Loop button on the bottom tool bar, immediately to the right of the record button so it is lighten up blue.

Hit record.

Record until happy and stop.

            If you right click on that new recorded section you will see “Select take”.  Beneath that will be a number of ‘takes’, the most current being ‘checked’. Beneath that is “Unpack takes” and if you hover over that, you can select “Unpack Takes to Tracks.” You can then mute each track, listening to each in turn to decide which fits the best.  This is an option, and is okay for small bits, but can take up more time than you want to spend.

9/. Mixdown or create WAV or FLAC file

When you mixdown it will automatically mixdown between the loop and this needs to be set up. (See: 8/.  multiple takes)

Studio One automatically mixes down a mono track to stereo. To this fix this:
Go to Song> Song Setup> Audio I/O Setup.
Go to the Outputs panel and click on 'Add (Mono)’. This will create ‘Sub 1’. Click Okay.
You can now do one of two things. Make it the default, or just click okay to exit.
If you made it default you are all set.

Go to top bar and click on Song > Export Mixdown which opens a dialogue box.

Location

Choose where you want file to be saved.  It will automatically save to a mixdown folder within the song folder.

Filename: FileNumber_BookTitle_Ch_Number_NarratorName

Publishing: (depending on version): Do not publish

Format (depending on version) Wave File, click on arrow to get to FLAC

Resolution: 16 bit

Sample rate: 44.1 kHz

Export Range

Click circle for Between Loop

Options

Output: Sub 1 (for the mono mixdown) should be default if you made is so earlier.  If not:

Click 'Main' with arrow. Click the arrow to 'Sub 1' and highlight/chose it.

Check the ‘Close after export” box.

Then click OK to mixdown.
Once file is mixed down a folder will open with your file in it (for Windows XP).

Have fun!