Monitoring & Mixing my audiobooks

I've been using KRK Rokit 6 monitors for my audiobooks for nearly 4 years now, and I really like what I hear. My As I work in mono, I only need one monitor, no need for a stereo pair. I work using a digital audio workstation, AKA a PC with a half-decent audio-interface, namely a Audient ID4, which offers XLR & 6.35mm jack inputs and TRS balanced outputs for monitoring. It took a while for me to understand exactly what TRS was - initially I was hunting around fruitlessly for a USB interface that offered XLR outputs as I was fixed on having balanced output (for the initiated, balanced signals in audio terms are designed to minimise unwanted noise intruding into the signal, such as from nearby electronics). All the interfaces I looked at did not offer this, at least not the budget conscious variety I can afford. After consulting my slightly more knowledgeable elder brother I was realized that although TRS utilizes the 1/4 inch jack plug interface, it carries a balanced signal, care of the TRS wiring (TRS = Tip/Ring/Sleeve) follow this link for more information. With this new information I realised that I had a good choice of USB interfaces that will provide balanced output suitable for a studio monitor. After some investigation I plumped for the KRK Rokit 6, monitor. Opinions are a little divided but I find it more than enough for my audiobook needs. 

I will say that it is a little bottom-end heavy, and combined with my Rode Procaster XLR dynamic studio mic, which has low-mid warmth, I found initially my recordings seemed pretty muddy and woolly sounding. For anyone possessing either of those two components, I have a few words of advice born of my own experience: 

Rode Procaster: Requires plenty of gain to get the best frequency response, but has incredible signal-to-noise ratio, so it's very clean souding even if you EQ it heavily. I found that my Audient iD4 didn't drive it hard enough, and have since used a Podtrak P4 by Zoom, which has an insane 70db of gain. The difference in audio characteristics with the right gain is remarkable.

As for the Rokit 6 - this too needs a little attention - on the rear there are some EQ adjustments in precise 1, 2 and 3db increments. I rolled off the low frequencies by 3db to gain a more accurate sound that held up when I replayed the files elsewhere. 

Please read this article from Sound on Sound.

So, I've got a Spotify channel.

This is exciting. Well, I've had it for a year but just not really told anyone! For anyone that's interested, here's a brief summary of how I got started recording audiobooks..

I used to be in a band. 

Which ended a few years ago, and I was looking for something creative that I could do, preferably something I could do that would make the long winter evenings a bit more creative and fun. But most things I thought of required other people, and as much as I like other people, they do tend to let you down when it comes to organising stuff. Initially I wanted to do a podcast, I have tons of good ideas but really, I need someone else to co-present, and I just couldn't get anyone interested enough to commit to do it. So what could I do, that was creative, and self-contained? Well, I've been making short films and documentaries for years, and recording audiobooks seemed like a natural extension of that, and I had most of the gear already.....

So, what could I record?

Writing my own short stories is fun, but not something I could do on an ongoing basis, it's too time consuming to write and record. So, I set about finding novels that are out of copyright, classic novels, and started recording them. I'm still doing that to this day, a nd I've got Moby Dick, War Of The Worlds, A Cloud Over Innsmouth and others available on Spotify and Soundcloud. After a couple of years, a friend showed me the ACX website, which is where narrators and authors collaborate to make audiobooks for Audible. I was hooked immediately. I'm recording my 7th book now, and it's immensely satisfying knowing my work is publish and being enjoyed by hundreds of listeners.

The ACX process is somewhat unclear initially, but I've now got a firm understanding of their requirements, and my submissions seem to sail through the QA checks without issue.

A Spring Afternoon Stroll

Lock Gates on the W&B canal

Just a short post to share a short film a I made this afternoon while out walking with my dog, the spring sunshine was so lovely and the lakes looked so great I had to get the Osmo+ out and film it! The DJI Osmos+ is a neat little gimbal camera I've been using for a while, it's not new exactly but it works brilliantly, check out the silky smooth shots!

Getting Outside.

It's so important to get outdoors, the end of lockdown is coming and being outside and enjoying nature is so very, very important!

Getting outside is so utterly critical in these lockdown times... I always take my camera when I walk my dog, I hope you enjoy this little video I made, I never get tired of sunsets and warm evenings!

For those who are interested, I film using a Canon EOS C100 camcorder, and my trusty Canon & Sigma lenses. I also use something called an Atomos Ninja, which is an external recording device that allows me to capture video in superior broadcast formats like ProRes and DNXHD. 

I edit in Davinci Resolve, a fantastic piece of free yet totally professional post-production software. It's a steep learning curve but worth it!