Good video. But one point, Rob, after you cut out the loud breaths, you should replace them with "room noise". It can be jarring to the listener to hear absolute silence between the words. To get "room noise", just turn the microphone and recording software on and leave the room for a few minutes. Then you can copy and paste half a second or whatever of that track you need to into the gaps.
Yes! Thanks for the tip! (I'd add though that if your setup is like mine, I actually have a noise gate plugin activated, so when there is no speaking, there is NO background noise. I can cut breaths and such without a jarring empty space between. On my first audiobook, this was far from perfect, but for my next two books and my podcast, I've got it working really well. (listentothesignal.com if you're interested!) So just another option, it saves me a lot of cutting/pasting time, and I like the result.)
ACX specifically asks people not to gate for this very reason. I'm surprised you didn't get this kicked back. How did you ensure you hit the -18 RMS specification as well?
Wow, I had never seen that note from ACX, thanks for the heads up. From now on, I'll experiment with and try to perfect using room noise instead. You rock. And to anyone else reading these comments, I'd suggest reading up/watching more on the room noise issue, too. On the RMS spec, I've just played with Garageband plugins (Gain, Limiter, Noise Gate, etc.) a lot to try to get the right sound and volume. If you're interested, you can download my blank Garageband file with my setup... bit.ly/1Gxrvd0. Thanks again for helping me and the folks reading the comments out, dude!
Rob -- long time author here. People have been telling me for years that I have a great voice and that I should record my books. I just ordered a Blue Snowball USB mic and pop filter. It'll be here tomorrow. (I already have a MacBook Pro and Garage Band.) So looking forward to this, thanks to your help!
You're welcome Maria! Good luck! And as you can see from the comments on this video and my post, if you have questions along the way, don't hesitate to shoot me an email. - Rob
Thank you so much! I have no equitment and just started as a Librivox volunteer reader. I had the idea to do so a couple of weeks ago when my grandfather (who is in heart failure) fell suddenly and broke several bones and broke his nose. He listens to Librivox daily and loves long phone calls to hear my voice. since we live so far apart and because of quarantine I can’t make trips out to see him and read to him so I decided to start recording and posting my recordings to his favorite audio book platform. I will start recording ASAP!
I’m just about to begin recording my uncles books to audio book and I’m gathering equipment and ideas and this was a very resourceful watch. I’ve got everything I need now.
Thank you very much for making this video. I'm still in the writing phase for my novel, but I'm already doing research for when its finished. Most of the videos that I've watched on creating audio books have been fairly useless with the vloggers realizing during their own videos that they didn't know how to do things. Though I'm not completely sure I'm secure enough with reading my own book for recording, especially dialogue with male/female banter, my husband and I watched your video with great interest. He's a musician, so he already has a bunch of audio equipment, and I can tell he's seeing this as a good reason to buy more... self serving, but it works. We also went over to Amazon and listened to a clip of your book. Now, I think we're both intrigued with your book. ... I think you had us at the words "Nikola Tesla."
I'm interested in producing an audio book and thought I'd look for some 'how to' on youtube - was pleasantly surprised when my first hit was Rob Dircks! Loved his reading of Where the Hell is Tesla - very well done! Thanks for the tips!
My "producer" hasn't been very diligent in trying to produce my book. As a former opera singer with a supposedly "good voice," I'm playing with the idea of doing the audio for my book. I found this how-to video extremely useful. Now I just wish I had a MAC instead of a PC to make things a little easier. Thanks for posting, Rob!
You are a Teacher - TY - a gifted teacher - I get it at my unexperienced level - I do appreciate this summation - I have been looking two days to grasp an overview and you brought me peace in that search, the Hope I can do this and detailed budget options to strive for.
Your voice sounds so great on that microphone! I like how you touch on the fact that garageband and programs like that are simple to use, don't cost a lot, and work really well. Thanks for sharing!
omg thank you ! I will try this. My book is published but would love to have an audible. You totally made me have confidence that I can do this. I have a Mac book pro, we'll see how it goes.
This is exactly what I was looking for! Just published my first book and I was looking to record my own audiobook. Can't wait to try to do it. Thank again! J. R.
Thank you for your AMAZING video on Garageband narration. I'm following your instructions but I have a problem with "solo the track and export." Garageband will export the track but will add time to the end of the track for the duration of the longest track/chapter. So if chapter 19 is 28 minutes long, all exported tracks (chapters 1-19) export also as 28 minutes each. How did you export each track so it was only the duration of that track/chapter?
Hi Taylor, First, congrats on recording your own audiobook! Okay, this one’s an easy fix. 1. Turn on “Cycle” (it the little yellow button, I sent you a pick in email); 2. Drag the yellow band out to the length of the track you’re exporting; 3. Then, when you export, click the checkbox that says “export cycle area”. Boom!
Excellent guide. Downloaded GarageBand to my MacBook Pro, set it up as you suggested and really benefitted from all the shortcuts you gave. Many thanks.
If you want to distribute audiobooks through ACX (Audible/Amazon/iTunes), then yes, you'll need a book published in Amazon's database, and that's typically done through Kindle Direct Publishing.
I have a PC, (I use audacity -its free- and it has a noise cutting option) but I also have Magix music maker and I have the iRig mic studio with a thick foam box. works awesome!
Wow! Thank you SO much for this! I'm using a recording studio for my first audio book but I know there will be more! Can't thank you enough for this guidance!! You rock!!!
Just published a business book, so this is the right video at the right time! Two novels already published too ... so l long time for n the studio ahead. Many thanks for this clear guide
Hey Rob, Thank you so much for sharing this. I am recording the audiobook to my first book, "The Ink of My Soul and the Fire In My Bones" and it sounds so crisp because of your template!
Thanks for this! Today I started my profile and am eager to get started and try this but the whole idea of a studio and editing was getting me a bit discouraged before even starting so I thank you for showing me that this is possible from home. I have never used Garageband at all! I thought I'd have to pay $200 and more just to get started. I know this wasn't a full tutorial but this really helped. great vid! liked and subscribed, cheers! =)
Thank you so much for this, Rob!!! I'm both a voiceover artist (when gigs happen! LOL) and a writer. So, this is perfect for me. I have done a few audiobooks in the past (on ACX/Audible), but sure wish I'd watched this video first. I see now how much I overcomplicated things. Thank so much, again! Cheers!
This was a good video! I’m a self-published author and I desire to record audio books for all of my books. I just recently got an IPad Pro 12.9. So I am going to see if the recording will work on it. I’m excited to try! I will email you if I have questions trust me haha! Thank you!
Thank you, Rob! I like your voice to start with. I use a MacBook (and iPhone)on which I use iMovie to edit and upload my RU-vids. I don't have a book of my own (yet?) but have uploaded a couple of short stories (out of copyright DH Lawrence) to one of my channels. My laptop is a 2014 Retina and I can't see Garageband on it. Maybe I can get it as a free download for Macs. I'll check. Anyhow, I've been reading another out-of-copyright (RL Stevenson's 'Travels With A Donkey In The Cevennes') into my Zoom H100 recording microphone. During lockdown at night is a perfect time since the vehicles passing are extremely few. I use a Lavalier clip-on microphone plugged into the Zoom. Seems to work a treat. I get exactly what you mean about editing out gaps and the like. Several ties I have had to cut the odd swear word after I have fluffed my lines! I read aloud through each chapter once to make sense of it so I can put the emphasis in the correct places, prepare any accent needed and practise my French. But, and here's the tricky part, I have imported the chapters so far (I'm more than half-way) into iMovie. Was that a big mistake? iMovie enables me to cut out gaps that are too long and drop the volume but that hasn't been an issue since I was careful setting up the Zoom's input volume. What I had in mind, using RU-vid, was perhaps having a relevant few images appear as the person listens, perhaps even a rippling stream, or crackling campfire, sound in the background to make a production of it. I dread to think how long it will take uploading 3 hours to RU-vid - I may have to hit 'Publish' then go on holiday for a week! Thanks for your advice and demonstration of Garageband. I'll have a look for it. Best wishes (from Scotland) for your success.
Thank you for the great video. Just for your PC viewers. I have a PC and audacity is free and has a lot of great plugins to be a free software. Very user friendly because I was nervous lol
This tutorial is absolutely the best. I use it for Audacity. I had trouble finding where the noisegate and gain is on Audacity, but I think it's right in front of me bc I've seen these numbers.lol. If anyone knows exactly where these 2 are lmk. Thx
@@Grandmascookies10 Once you've claimed your title on ACX and begin production, you can use their "audiolab" tool to upload a file and check that it passes all their requirements -- www.acx.com/audiolab. I highly recommend everyone do this before recording it all!
pros) great visuals, didn't talk fast, made voice and equipment suggestions. Cons) slow down when clicking the buttons I cant where you clicked ex. the share button. Thx
Hi Rob, Thanks for taking the time to do this. I truly appreciate it as well as the resources you provided. I'll go grab a copy of your book as a thank you! Best of luck with everything! (My disclaimer, I had no idea who the heck Rob was until I found this. But the 'Where the Hell is Tesla' book looks interesting!) A quick edit, I also read a great tip that I needed to follow. Keep your laptop power cord away from your mic cord. I was hearing a low humming noise in my recording and found this tip and it fixed my problem.
Awesome video! So helpful. A few questions: What text do you need to say before and after the book? Do you need to say "Chapter 1" in the audio before chapter one? Do you need to add any other sounds?
Yes, if you're using ACX to publish, you'll need to announce "Chapter 1," etc. The opening credits minimum requirements: "[title of audiobook]", "(subtitle if applicable)", Written by [name of author], Narrated by [name of narrator]. Your closing credits minimum requirement is a separate file that reads: "The End" Here's a link to ACX's full requirements: help.acx.com/s/article/acx-audio-submission-requirements
Hi. I hope you're well. This video is almost a decade old. But the crazy thing is, I came across your website yesterday when I was searching Google for presets for GarageBand, as I forgot I had it, but I started using it as I was switching from Adobe Audition. I then randomly came across you on RU-vid tonight as well, and this video did in fact answer some of my questions before I even asked you. I have one book in review on ACX, and I wanted to have a narration preset for GarageBand. So thanks for providing your presets for me. However, for the life of me, I can't seem to move the tracks when I'm editing like you just did in this video. When I try to move the track closer to the other clipped track, it just stretches the original deleted audio back onto the track, looks like. I'll try again, but editing on GarageBand is a bit different than doing it on Adobe, but I do like how GarageBand overall just seems easier to use, IF I can just figure out this editing thing on there.
Yes, editing on Garageband can be a bit tricky. When moving the region to shorten the edit, you have to make sure to select the region at the top, otherwise you'll get that stretching. (Believe me, it's happened to me a million times!) Good luck!
@@RobDircks Good morning! Thanks for your response. I somewhat figured it out. It just seems like sometimes I have to click several times before it wants to work lol. It might be the settings on this new MacBook Pro. Even dragging icons on the desktop into GarageBand or from finder is a chore compared to windows. I’d click an mp3 icon to drag it into GarageBand and instead of dragging, the audio file would just start to play in Apple Music. Yesterday was supposed to be a day of shuffling my audio samples on my different audition platforms. Maybe today lol. Thanks again.
@@RobDircks I figured it out after I sent my last response. These newer trackpads have different sensitivity settings. If I press down softly, the selector pops up. If I press down hard as I have been, then you’re ready to throw your $3,000 MacBook Pro out the window because you don’t think it works lol.
Thanks for an awesome video! I have been wanting to create an audiobook for some time, but the cost of it put me off. Hopefully, with some practice, I can do it this way.
Hey Rob. You are now my go-to guy. Thanks for all your help. Would you recommend converting each finished chapter immediately into an mp3 or wait till the end to send it to ACX? I am ready to start again and do not wish to make this another long mistake. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.
You can do it however you want, I tend to batch work, so I'll record it all, then edit it all, then export it all, then upload it all to ACX. But if you're uncertain about getting past ACX's quality control, I would definitely do one chapter, upload it, test it in their audiolab tool (www.acx.com/audiolab) and make sure your setting are good before recording/editing/exporting/uploading the whole thing.
@@RobDircks Perfect. Just what I needed. You just saved me months of futility and wasted time. Thank you Rob. You are a true friend to the new writers club. and I might add a Godsend. Wishing you much and continued succes.
Should avoid condenser mics and use dynamic if you're not set up in a sound-sterile environment. Dynamic mics are much more forgiving of background noise.
Thanks for the comment! As I've said, I'm not a pro narrator or audio engineer, so I appreciate all new information for folks who stumble on this video.
Hey man, thanks for this! Been go through all the how to vids and info and your name kept popping up. I listening to your book and was laughing the whole time! Great performance, well written, just all around fun story. Then I found this video! Perfect! I was gonna go to a studio but then Covid hit and the world shut down.. I will be recording at home now. This video made me feel confident it's the right move. Best of luck to you homey!
Thank you, very helpful even today six years later! Please can you advise on 'RMS', as in the ACX RMS requirement range of -18dB and -23dB RMS? Thank you.
RMS stands for "Root Mean Square," which I've understood basically as the average volume of a chapter file. In Garageband, there isn't (that I know of) a way to specifically target those dB levels, so I use the color levels to gauge, keeping the average volume to the high end of green, hitting into the yellow for louder parts, and avoiding red. After you export your MP3s, there are a couple of ways you can check the RMS: 1) I found this great tool (and it’s free!) called AudioLeak. You can download it here: www.channld.com/audioleak/ Just drop a sample MP3 export on it, and make sure you’re viewing the graph, and it’ll show you where your peaks are and where your average volume is (RMS), to make sure it’s within ACX’s limits. or. 2) Use ACX's audiolab feature (www.acx.com/audiolab). Once you have a project set up, you can upload individual MP3s (you can start with one to make sure you're all set), and the tool will return the thumbs up or thumbs down. Good luck! - Rob
Nice job on what appears to be a Neuman 103 mic. Beware however - you will have fan noise in your recordings because that Mac laptop definitely has a fan inside, the Neuman will hear it for sure. This is why I dont recommend having a computer in the booth (not only the fan noise, but excessive heat becomes an issue after awhile).
The good news on my system is i've got flash storage, so fan is not an issue. But you're right: if you have a laptop with a fan, very good idea to have the computer OUTSIDE whatever booth/area you're using. It's a little bit more of a PITA, but eliminates the computer sound. Thanks for the tip dude!
Hey Rob, you are most welcome. Just FYI - flash storage has been around on Apple laptops for years now, but that factor doesnt mean your fans wont kick on (they still will, as OSX decides when the system temperature is "too hot", and especially in any enclosed environment). The ONLY Apple laptops that DONT have fans are the "new" ones introduced with USB-C ports. Although its true the purists out there dont like any electronics in a vocal booth (because they can add hum and distortion to audio signals behind the scenes), I find a happy medium is to use the iPad Pro in our booth. It doesnt generate much heat, doesnt seem to muck up the audio signal in any detectable way, allows us to get our scripts up on screen from Dropbox, last a long time without another charge, and its high rez screen is a beaut to look at. hth to anybody considering options
Yes, excellent reply - thanks. I was incorrect. But I do find that, thankfully, my fan does not kick in, even during longer recording sessions (I must have a lower-temperature recording space). Thanks!
Thanks Rob! This is really helpful and very well explained. You have a nice voice for this type of thing too. I would like to record my audiobook since I know what inflections etc I'd like but I do have a bit of a lisp. It's not super noticeable in person, but definitely more pronounced when I do any audio recordings. Any tips to do this with a lisp? Or should I just hire someone without any speech impediments? I don't want my voice to be distracting to listeners.
Hi Candace, hard to tell without hearing an actual sample, but if you can hear it, I think your average listener will hear it too, and if you're afraid it'll be distracting, then look for a pro narrator to help you. That said, if you're not too self-conscious about it, and the content is engaging, go for it! Listeners can be very forgiving of things if they're hooked and being taken for a great ride. Good luck!
Thank you so much. As an author and actor, I was inspired to record my own books. I have had a challenge connecting with Amazon from an older account - is there a link to contact for sellers.
For self-publishing authors, it's your normal Amazon account. You can, I think, create a new Amazon account and start from scratch using that as your "author" account. I don't know of any seller contact/link, although there is Amazon Author Central (uses the same basic Amazon account), where you can get in touch with them regarding publishing issues -- author.amazon.com/home
Hey Rob. It's been a while and your help in the past has been most appreciated. As I watch you on this video, you are not wearing headphones. I prefer to refrain from using them. However, I just realized that I recorded at the top of my Mac output to get the sound I want. But when I put headphones on, I could hardly hear anything. Has tyhat Ever happened to you and if so what the hell now?
I may not be the best person to ask this question, as I record narration in my own way: once I get my levels/eq/plugins exactly where I want them and do some quick tests, I do NOT keep my headphones on. I like the way it feels and sounds without them. Then when I'm reviewing/editing I put the headphones back on. If you want the headphones on all the time (how most people do it I imagine), you'll have to find where your device has a headphone levels control. (My audio interface has separate input/output volume controls.)
One other thought.( please forgive me) I am assuming the video I saw of you was done on Garageband and was successfully transferred to ACX via mp3. Thanks for your patience
Hi Alan, yes that video is of me with a macbook pro and Garageband. In the past couple of years I upgraded to Logic Pro ($200), but really? For voice recording an audiobook, Garageband is totally up to the task.
Rob, you helped me so much. I'm now almost ready to hit the closet! Wondering if I can do ACX AND Findaway Voices. I like the 40% but not the exclusivity. Can I do both or gotta be one or the other?
As far as I know, you can go with Findaway Voices, and they'll include ACX (Audible/Amazon/iTunes) in their distribution, at the non-exclusive royalty rate.
