So I’ve been tossing up ideas about what I’d like to do for MASQUE’s 1st birthday, and I’ve found a few things that I want to do.
Firstly and most importantly, I’m setting up a giveaway (1x signed pb of MASQUE, 1x rose gold plated masque earrings, 1x Tea-Time necklace by Purple Bird Creations, & 1x I am ALWAYS up to something MASQUE t-shirt).
The giveaway doesn’t start just yet (so don’t go clicking on the collage above–it won’t take you anywhere helpful) but it won’t be long. It will run from January 1st, so keep watching this spot!
Also, bloggers, if you are interested in hosting my giveaway for one day in January, please let me know! I already have a few lovely bloggers who are willing to help out–thanks guys!
Secondly, MASQUE is on a 99c special for the entire month of January, right up until Feb 2nd.
Thirdly, it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to release MASQUE in audio as a series of podcasts. I say it occurred (in the past tense) because that was before I knew how much hard work it would be. I spent about half an hour in my car this afternoon (somewhere enclosed,
My recording equipment…for now
insulated, and with a buffer of soft, sound-swallowing things that won’t echo) and besides heat stroke, I now have a very good idea of what I’ve let myself in for. It is exhausting. Also, my voice sounds horribly Australian. Yeah, yeah, I know: I am Australian. I just didn’t expect to sound quite so okker. My voice is naturally pitched low, which doesn’t really work, either. Listening to the whole thing has given me a pretty good idea of what I need to work on, though, so it’s not all bad. So far in my list of things to remember is:
- Pitch voice higher.
- SLOW DOWN.
- Leave a buffer between paragraphs and–most importantly–between dialogue and prose.
- Drink lots of water.
- Don’t shuffle around. Like at all.
- Do it at night when the neighbours won’t look at me oddly. This will hopefully also help with the heatstroke issue.
- It’s gonna take at least 25 minutes for each chapter. Get really comfortable.
I’m sure there will be more, but those are the big ones. My iPad Mini and a set of bluetooth headphones w/mic have proven to give reasonably good results so far, but I’m leaving my options open.
If you want to hear the okker, rasping, uncertain sounds of me attempting my first reading, go ahead. Check it out, you masochist, you. Be warned, however: I’m not just saying this–it’s awful. I can only promise that I’ll try to do better in the real thing!
Also give me a yell out if you’ve done anything similar and have any advice to offer. Your expertise will be appreciated. As will any snide/sarcastic/witty/and/or/clever remarks upon my first foray into recording.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and wish you a similarly wonderful new year!
Nooo! Your Aussie accent is wonderful! Don’t downplay that asset one bit! (Haha, Americans are suckers for accents because our pronunciation is all blah-blah-blargy-diphthong.)
I went to a class on audio book recording last February. You can create a “studio” in your house by enclosing an area in sound-proof materials: foam walls covered in fabric, assembled together with velcro flaps, if you’re ambitious. A poor man’s version would be a blanket fort on a carpeted floor. Could save you the odd looks from your neighbors *and* the late-night forays sitting in your car. Plus you’d have an excuse to build a blanket fort.
(Not that an excuse is needed, mind you.)
Oh, nice! I wish there were classes for how to do audiobooks here! Thanks 🙂 I’ll definitely try the blanket on carpet thing: I have my own room in which to do so, but I’ll have to make sure the Hubby isn’t home. He does like his loud music and video games…
Also, is ‘blah-blah-blah-blargy-dipthong’ the technical term? 😀 😀 😀
It is now.