Happy Birthday Ken!!!
Not sure if my brother reads my blog, but just in case —
Happy Birthday Ken!!!
It’s very very hot today. I’ve just started a new batch of morsbags, orange ones, and, while I was, cutting, ironing (gah, sweaty work), and sewing, I proof-listened all of Shell‘s recordings for Letters of Two Brides. As much as I hated the book while I was recording Self-Centered Louise’s letters, I really enjoyed listening to Goody-Goody Renee’s letters. And Shell is such a good reader!
Also, we had a report from a very kind listener that a great many of the recordings for Barchester Towers are much too soft, with parts that fade away to nothing when he listens in his car. Our dear reader Eva (I think she’s Hungarian, with the most delicious accent!) had her input turned down too low and our proofers didn’t catch it. It’s really hard to tell when files are too soft when you’ve got good speakers hooked up to your computer.
Anyway I downloaded the files last week, or was it two weeks ago, and finally got around to fixing them today. The process is:
- Open file in SoundStudio
- Mixdown to mono (makes all the other processes twice as fast)
- run compressor and amplify anywhere from 4 to 10 dB, depending on how soft the original is
- If levels are still all over the place, repeat compression step
- Save as mp3
- Open original in iTunes so you can see the tags
- Open new recording in iTunes and copy tags into it
Each of the SoundStudio steps takes several minutes. It took all day to fix up these 15 files but now, finally, I’m ready to do the replacing business — but the page at archive.org, where all our finished recordings live, is down! Heheh, maybe later :)
Did I mention that it’s hot? Also I’m hungry. Also Henry wants me to think of extra jobs he can do to earn money for the Geddy Lee Fender Jazz Bass that he’s saving up for. He vacuumed and washed my car a couple of days ago and did a good job, and for that he earned $10. We also decided that for every hundred gold he earns at chorewars I will pay him five actual dollars, and he’s got 300 gold saved up so that helps too.
Category: Blog 5 comments »
September 2nd, 2007 at 10:21 pm
Aww, you’re too kind, Kara! Thanks for the compliment. We should have switched parts early on…maybe I would have done better with b*tchy Louise!!! =)
All right, all right…I am going to finish my final 3 letters RIGHT THIS VERY INSTANT. After I proof your letters and this project gets cataloged, I am going to take a break for about a month then listen to the whole thing. I think I’ll enjoy it more, listening to it end-to-end with the voices we’ve given each lady.
September 2nd, 2007 at 10:21 pm
PS – How funny that you have a brother named Ken! I have only known two Kens in my life. I married one, and the other is his dad!!!
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:06 am
Heheh yeah, it was surprising to me to meet your Ken and your Kenny! My brother is the only other Ken I’ve ever known, I think. Well, there was Ken Jennings on Jeopardy but I don’t think he counts as someone I’ve known :)
September 3rd, 2007 at 9:07 am
Oh, and I don’t think I would have done any better with Syrupy Renee. Balzac’s style just irritates the hell out of me.
September 3rd, 2007 at 6:24 pm
Here’s a Good Luck wish to Henry, in his quest to save up for a musical instrument. I did the same thing when I was in high school, saving up for a Celtic lap harp. Hang in there – you’ll eventually reach your goal!