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godoflaundrybaskets ([personal profile] godoflaundrybaskets) wrote2022-10-20 01:57 pm
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Keep it Simple: A Highly Biased Podfic Guide For Absolute Beginners


This guide is aimed at beginners with the intention of trying to break down the process so it is less overwhelming. It is, as all guides are, highly biased to what worked for me when I was starting out. If you find it doesn't work for you, I absolutely recommend trying out one of the many different guides out there!


My number one recommendation is: don't get overwhelmed and just go for it! Things are less complicated than you think. There are a hundred of extra bells and whistles you can start adding on once you're ready, but try and keep it dead simple for your first one.
 


Begin at the beginning: Find the fic!


Picking the fic: I recommend starting with something short (3k or less) to get used to both the software and hardware you'll be using to record and edit. I am also a big believer that there isn't a ""right"" voice to record specific stories. Podficcers come from all the world with a wide variety of accents and genders. But you don't have to listen to me, follow your heart!


In general, you will need permission to record a fic. You can directly check the ao3 user's profile which is where they are usually posted. Alternatively, this is a great site to check out if the author has blanket permission (BP) for anyone to record a podfic: https://www.fpslist.org/about-fps-list/. Alternatively, if the author does not BP, then you can ask directly either in a DM on social media or in an ao3 comment. This is my base template for asking permission:

I was wondering if you'd be alright with podfic being made of this? I'd of course leave credit and links back to the text and you, but I didn't see a blanket statement yay/nay/ask first/etc on your profile so figured I'd ask. Regardless, thank you for sharing!
 


Software/Hardware Setup

The most common software tool to record and edit with on PCs (and what I use) is Audacity: https://www.audacityteam.org/. On Macs in addition to Audacity, you also have the option of GarageBand which I've heard is great, but I have no experience with it so will not cover it here.

To record using Audacity all you have to do is press "R" or click the big red circle.


a circle around the red recording button in audacity

[link to larger image]


The mic that you record with in audacity will be listed here. For your first podfic, before
you're sure if this is a hobby you want to put actual money into, I'd just use whatever mic you
have lying around. Whether it's a pair of headphones, the built in computer mic, or your phone, it
all works.


a circle around the microphone dropdown

[link to larger image]

For recording using your phone you'll need some sort of app. For Android, I used the Samsung voice recorder app Samsung Voice Recorder - Apps on Google Play. My general recommendation with recording on your phone is: it's probably easier to transfer over to your computer for editing. I usually do this by uploading an exported file (either .mp3 or .wav) to google drive. Then on my PC, downloading that file from google drive.


The Recording Process

Just read the dang thing! I don't do anything special to prep works. I just sit down with the text in front of my mic and start recording.

A couple things you might not immediately think of:

  • Usually at the beginning of the work, you record the title, author, and your pseudonym. Any additional metadata (fandom, summary, tags, rating, etc) is optional to record.
  • Record a few seconds (3-5) of silence at the beginning or end of your recording. This will be needed later.

For your first work, I recommend just recording the whole fic first, then editing later. Or edit while you go! Whatever feels right to you! There will be time to dive into alternative recording and editing styles later.

One tool I'll give a shoutout to for pronunciation help is https://youglish.com/ which allows you to look up videos of actual people using the word in a sentence.


Editing the Audio

To start out with editing, I always go through and delete my mistakes first. You can do this by listening through the audio track by clicking the "play" button or pressing space while in the audacity file.

  • To delete a section audio, you can simply highlight the mistake and press the delete key.
  • To move a section of audio, you can use your typical edit keys "CTRL-X" to cut the selected audio from the file. Move your cursor and click on a different area of the file and press "CTRL-V" to paste it back in.
  • Don't delete the 3-5 seconds of silence yet!
     


Post Processing Editing:

As you get deeper into podfic and audio editing, you will find there are a dozen different effects all of which can cover two scenarios: reducing background/unwanted noise and making your audio louder.

The two effects I would recommend when starting out are: noise reduction and normalize.

Noise Reduction:

  1. Hopefully while recording, you have that 3-5 seconds I mentioned a couple of times. This is where it comes into play. Highlight that section of audio (it should not include your voice). Go to Effects -> Noise Reduction and a window will pop up. Click "Noise Profile"

  2. Now select the whole audio (you can do this with CTRL-A) and either press "CTRL-R" (this will rerun the effect) or go to the Effects -> Noise Reduction and click "OK" at the very bottom of the popup.
  3. Caution: running this repeatedly can cause your audio to get distorted or "tinny". I recommend listening back and make sure you still think the audio sounds fine.


highlight only the silence for the first run. This is where you choose 'noise profile' at the top of the dialogue window

now highlight all the audio. This is where you choose 'ok' at the bottom of the dialogue window

[link to larger image]


Normalize:

  1. This will (hopefully) make your audio louder. Go to Effects -> Normalize. Click OK when the window pops up.

  2. If you find it is not making your audio as loud as you like, look for peaks and try to select sections that do not include those peaks. I recommend going to "View -> Show Clipping" to more easily see when you are peaking out.


the normalize window

an image of a peak

[link to larger image]


 




Exporting:

In general when exporting, the .mp3 file type is standard. I have some detailed meta on file types and quality, but for your first one, don't worry about that and just use the defaults.

Go to File -> Export -> Export as MP3.


the export menu

[link to larger image]


Audacity will prompt you with metadata options while exporting. Again this is optional, but most people will include:

  • Your pseudonym and the author's in the artist or composer field.

  • Title of the fic in the title field.

You can include more information. I typically include:

  • Fandom in the album field (though some put it as a prefix to the title).

  • A link to the fic in the "comments" section.

  • The year the podfic was made.

  • And genre as "Podfic".

However, that's all personal preference and feel free to do as much or as little here as you like. If people feel strongly about particular formatting, they'll update the metadata themselves after downloading your podfic.


the metadata window

[link to larger image]
 


Uploading

AO3 will not host your audio or images for you. You will need to upload somewhere else before posting to ao3. I have a fairly comprehensive breakdown on your options (though I'd generally recommend archive.org or dropbox.com).

Detailed instructions for how to upload and get the links from these sites (if you are unfamiliar with them) can be found here:
[Meta] A Breakdown of Podfic Hosting Options


Posting

Once the audio is uploaded you are ready to post.

Tags:

  • Typically you copy the tags/rating/summary from the original work. This can be made simpler if the SHARE button on the original work is
    available:     Copying Ao3 Tags

  • Additional tags of "Podfic" and "Podfic Length: xx - xx" are added in the additional tags section.


Title:

The title of your work will usually be "[Podfic] Title of Original Work".

Summary:

The summary is usually copied from the original work. Some people will also include a link to the original work in the summary like:
Podfic of "<a href="LINK_TO_TEXT">"Title of Original Work</a>" by Author

Link to original text:

There is an "Association" section of in posting. Here you will want to tick the checkbox of "This is a remix, a translation, a podfic, or was inspired by another work." This will expand a menu where you can paste in a link to the original work.

the association section

[link to larger image]

Posting Body:

The posting body can be as simple as:
<a href="LINK_TO_PODFIC">LINK_TO_PODFIC</a>

My personal post is a little more complicated and can be found here:


Final Words

This guide hopefully helps those who feel overwhelmed at the possibilities, but don't limit yourself to this process.

As you get comfortable try new things out! Try adding sound effects or learn about other people's editing styles (mine certainly has changed over the years). Try participating or running a multivoice. Start recording longer fics or perfect a drabble. There are so many things you can do with audio and a hundred things more to explore.

Also, you might end up feeling like "normalize doesn't do what I want it to do" or "I have to do all these manual steps and or else it doesn't work!!" or "I have a click in my audio and it takes hours to edit out, is there an easier way to remove it?" There are other effects that can cover those scenarios! I don't recommend starting with them just because effects are an area that can easily get overwhelming.

Below, I have linked to some additional guides. Some of these go into more
detail, or cover things like coverart, music mixing, or just generally different processes that I have gone into.


 


General Resources:


Podfic - A Resource Index
 
- this isn't a specific guide, but a fan website that has done a great job collecting and organizing resources and guides! Has resources for finding sound effects, music, cover art, and more.

https://discord.gg/ssHXsjVkUU
Here's a link to the podfic discord where me and a lot of other podficcers hang out. There are also a ton of resources that get shared there too. Feel free to hop in and ask any questions you have!


Extras bells and whistles:


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