Hello all! I’m back for any and all feedback. Learning Audacity settings in particular and getting used to the mic. Let me know what you think. Thanks for the help!
Mary
Excedrin
Headaches. We all get them. We all wish they would go away. There is a solution. Excedrin. I just take two and there’s no more tension, no more throbbing, no more pain. My headache is completely gone.
Hi Mary, nice job.
You might want to change the tone on the very first word: “Headaches.” To me, you sound a little excited instead of being in constant pain.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the feedback Kevin! I will work on the tone for this one. I was trying to put a lot into “headaches” but I will work on a more pained sound next time instead of excited – no one is excited about headaches hopefully! Thanks!
Hey Mary, Great read! My only feedback would be that when you get to “Excedrin” the first time, maybe there could be a more audible tone shift towards relief. Overall a great tone and pace – wonderful job!
Hi Maurizio, good read! I liked the energy you brought to this script. For the last “Sandals” the tone got really low and dropped off; I would suggest hitting that a little more to make the product you are selling stand out a bit more. Good job!
Hi Mary, I like the pacing on your read and your change in tone on ” Excedrin” was good! It sounds a bit as if you are reading this. Imagine you are speaking to a friend. It may help you sound more connected. I enjoyed it!
Ed
Hi, Mary. Less clipping in this recording but still an issue (“We all wish they…”). Levels need to be set so that the loudest part does not clip (exceed 0db). You can always boost volume in Audacity but you can’t effectively repair clipped/distorted audio. I’d turn down the gain setting on your mic a bit more. Or, you could back away from the mic by an inch or two. Or you could bring down your speaking volume, project less. That NT1A is a super sensitive mic and will capture more details in your voice if you speak less forcefully. I like the subtle change in your tone when you introduce the solution to headaches. Nice. Bill A.
Hi Bill! Thanks for the feedback! I will try turning down the gain setting and backing away from the mic separately and together. Yes, at times I feel like I’ve been projecting possibly more than I need to for the script to sound realistic. I’ve been turning up the gain setting to get the halo to register to green (vs. not at all, too low?); I’m not seeing it register otherwise, but like you say there must be a better way, because I don’t want it to sound distorted.
I’m glad you could hear a little bit of a tone change starting with “I just take two…”, seems like it was the pivot in the storyline to propose a solution after the problem. Thanks again for the specificity on what I can do; there seems like so many subtle adjustments and I’m excited to practice and get better. Thanks!
Hi Alicia, again, good read! I listened a few times and kept hearing “…anyone elts” instead of “…..anyone else”; it made the “s” sounds stand out a little sharply the two times that “else” was said. Your tone is very good for this genre, keep up the good work!
Hello all. So far, I’ve only been uploading commercial scripts so I thought I’d try my hand at Narration scripts. Am I narrating it well? Is my recording setup still serving me well, I appreciate any advice.
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Hi Tim! Good job on this one. I liked the pace and tone of the read, and it made me want to learn more about knee replacement. The recording setup sounds good. “osteoarthritis” sounded like “aresteoarthritis” (an extra r?) small detail; medical terms can be difficult to say them with complete confidence / familiarity at least for me. Keep up the good work!
Hey everyone, I’m still practicing and appreciate any feedback I can get. I think this script is unusual for me in that it’s about business. I’m still trying to perfect my strike zone of warmth and friendly. Does it sound like that to you? Is it fitting for this script?
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Hi all! Posting another practice script. Appreciate any feedback on all aspects. Also, does this sort of job suit my voice? What do you think my voice might be best suited for? Don’t be shy…I have thick skin 🙂 Toque
Mondavi Script (Backdrop – Video of family sharing old photos and reminiscing, while drinking wine):
Life is measured in moments. Make the most of them. Woodbridge, by Robert Mondavi –
I like the way you lower your speaking volume and get close to the mic. This adds an intimacy to your delivery that works well with this script. Nice job! Bill A.
Hi Toque, really nice! I like the warmth and smoothness of your voice – I think it sounds really good for this one. I agree that Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi could be emphasied a little more, like as the peak in the performance to let the listener know that even though people and hanging around quietly drinking wine, you want them to know what type of wine, so they too can share this type of experience. Well done!
You definitely have a fitting voice for this script and I do think you hit good wards and had the right tone. However, I think you’re pausing a lot and that makes it sound choppy. Also, I the phrase: “Woodridge, by Robert Mondavi” sounds a tad bland. If they’re the client, you need to sound like your praising them. Hope this helps.
Hi all, thanks so much for your feedback. I really appreciate it! Just working on my technique right now, thanks.
Script:
This is the story of a small planet in space called Earth.
Today it has mighty oceans; scorched deserts; and frozen wildernesses.
It supports a multitude of diverse creatures, and is home to more than 6 billion people and their technological civilization.
But how did all this come about? Where do we come from?
Hello! I like how well you articulated and added some feeling into the script. I also noticed the sound was a little glitchy (not sure if this is the correct word to describe, sorry!) which kind of threw off the tone a bit.
I love that you sound genuinely interested in the topic! It sounds like a narration, perhaps for middle schoolers?
That said, I bet you’re one of those folks whose natural joy comes through (guilty here!) so I don’t think you need to work so hard at it.
When doing narrations about something I can visualize, I like to imagine I’m painting a picture as I go. It slows me down because I picture the brush strokes. I think you can speak the lines a little slower, and space them out further to give time for the visuals, and viewer reflection.
Your voice and enunciation are well performed. Although, I think your tone is sarcastic and that doesn’t fit this script in my opinion. Also, you sound as if you’re trying to excite an auditorium of children and I’m not sure that’s the target audience. Also, I can tell you recorded the script at different intervals and that makes it sound choppy, you should make sure the script flows. Keep up the good work, I think you’re on the right track.
Hi Kevin. From a technical aspect the volume is a tad loud, which distorts the read. Not sure if it’s your volume settings, you’re too close to the mic, or maybe a combination of both? Also, in terms of editing, there was some noticeable transition between segments that sound like they were recorded at separate times. For example the transition at 0:09 to 0:10, I felt was noticeably at a different volume. Keep at it! Toque
Hi everyone! I took a short break to get new equipment set up (yeah!) Let me know what you think – is the tone right for the script? I was trying for conversational, and somewhat humorous towards the end. This is my first time recording with the Rode NT1-A mic and Scarlett 2i2 interface, not sure how loud or soft it is coming across. Thanks for any and all feedback!
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Hi Mary. Out of curiosity, I went back and listened to one of your older posts to compare. Feels to me like the new mic somewhat deepens and mellows your voice. The Rode sounds like a good choice for you! Toque
Regarding your set-up, you have set the microphone gain too high on your interface causing the audio to clip/distort. The halo light indicator on the input k**b should never turn red and only occasionally turn yellow while you are speaking. Super important to set your record level correctly so you don’t clip the audio.
Regarding the performance, I think a softer, conversational delivery with maybe a flirtatious tone makes sense. This appears to be a scene where the listener is buying a drink for someone they’d like to meet at a bar/club. Perhaps you’re the person sitting right next to them, offering this advice. Just a thought about a different way to perform this script.
Congrats on your new gear. Solid choices. Looking forward to hearing more of your work!
Thanks for the feedback Bill! The issue I’m having so far is that I can see that the halo light is green when I start, but because of how I have my room set up for soundproofing (portable isolation booth) I can’t see the light while I record. I will probably need to rearrange some things for sure. I’m trying to get the levels between -12 and -9 db but I definitely do not want the distortion, so I will have to work on that. A softer tone sounds good for this one, I agree with you. I felt like I was somewhat yelling into the mic to get the levels to hit at least -12 (it was lower on the playback). Anyway, more practice is clearly needed. Thanks for the suggestions!
Just a practice script from the Edge Library. Thanks for any feedback on this read!
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