Audiobook Narrator
  • Home
  • About
  • Audio Books
  • Reviews
  • Just Sayin
  • Talk To Me

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

7/28/2013

3 Comments

 
Picture
My husband and I have recently started recording audio books.   I have logged many (many) years of acting on stage and in film and Doug has put in an equally large number of years performing and recording music.  We both love reading books and listening to audio books, so when the opportunity arose to narrate and produce an audio book, we thought, "Absolutely!  This is right up our alley(s)". 

 I mean, how hard could it be, right?  Little did we know . . . .

When I was asked by the author of that first audio book to write as a guest blogger about my experience, we thought it would be a nice short piece, but (as you can probably tell by this long-winded introduction) I just couldn't seem to stop writing, so it became a 4-part series.  

This is Part Two in that series
Part Two: We're Recording an Audiobook!?!

With the first hurdle cleared (getting the contract to produce a book), the real work began.  Now we had decisions to make.  How do we set up the recording space?  Which microphone do we use?  Which pre-amp?  Do we use a compressor?  Which program will we record into and edit with?  How do we map out a schedule?  It seems with every question we answered, a new one materialized.

Fortunately, for me, we had my husband’s experience to guide us.  As a musician, songwriter, and composer, he’s logged hundreds, possibly thousands, of hours recording, editing, and manipulating sound.  He already had the basics we needed to produce a quality recording.  The fact that his expertise was in music rather than the spoken word, meant we had some adjusting to do; but for the most part, we had all the tools we needed.

We set up a spare bedroom as our sound booth.  Old duvets lined the walls and hung in strategic positions to baffle the sound and muffle outside noises.  After testing various microphone/pre-amp combinations, we settled on the one we liked the best.  We set it up in a portable isolation box to isolate the sound even more.  I brought in my water and green apple slices (which I’d been told I would need, but wasn’t really sure what to do with), sat down in my chair, my copy on the music stand in front of me, eager to finally get into the “fun” part.

I couldn’t see or hear my husband.  He was in front of the computer in the room adjacent to mine, holding a copy of the manuscript in front of him so he could follow along for continuity. 

“Are you ready?” he yelled. 

“What?” 

“I said, are you ready?” he yelled, louder. 

“Yes” I yelled back.

“Ow!  You don’t have to yell!  I can hear you through the headphones!”

We were off to a great start.


3 Comments

WE’RE RECORDING AN AUDIOBOOK!?!

7/21/2013

1 Comment

 
Picture
Doug and me with our youngest daughter, Kelly
My husband and I have recently started recording audio books.   I have logged many (many) years of acting on stage and in film and Doug has put in an equally large number of years performing and recording music.  We both love reading books and listening to audio books, so when the opportunity arose to narrate and produce an audio book, we thought, "Absolutely!  This is right up our alley(s)". 

 I mean, how hard could it be, right?  Little did we know . . . .

When I was asked by the author of that first audio book to write as a guest blogger about my experience, we thought it would be a nice short piece, but (as you can probably tell by this long-winded introduction) I just couldn't seem to stop writing, so it became a 4-part series.  

What follows is the first in that series.


Part One: We're Recording an Audiobook!?! 

Books have always been a passion of mine.  My family moved a lot when I was young, so making friends was hard.  My books became my best friends.  In the summers, I would climb the nearest tree and sit for hours reading; imagining myself living the lives of the characters in my books.  As I grew older, and busier, I no longer had hours for reading, but had to steal the time from my grown-up responsibilities.  

Then I discovered audiobooks.  Wow!  I can read and clean the bathroom?  Or read while I drive to work?  Or read and weed the garden?  Heaven!

And then one day I realized, “I can read and share my passion with the world”.  I wanted to narrate those audiobooks I loved to “read”.  So, I started auditioning.  

Now, I’m no stranger to rejection.  I’ve been singing and acting on stage since I was seven years old, and I know how brutal the audition process can be.  So, I didn’t expect much to happen at first.  I was prepared for weeks, maybe months to go by before I was offered a book to narrate.  

After a long night of recording and editing, I sent off my first audition, tried to tell myself not to expect anything, and went to bed.  Six hours of fitful sleep later, I went downstairs to find a message waiting.  They loved my audition and would I accept a contract to narrate and produce the book? 

“I’ve been offered a contract.  S**t!  What do we do now?” I practically screamed to my husband, who was to be my director and engineer.  

Excitement.  Terror.  Anticipation.  Trepidation.  Insecurity.  Emotions were flying around inside of me like dust in a Kansas windstorm.  I mean, I was as confident in my abilities as any actor (we can all be crushed for days, even weeks, at the whim of a scathing critic or director), but I’d never done anything quite like this before.  This was true storytelling, an art in and of itself.   What if I really suck at this?!  I took a deep, calming breath and said to myself, “There’s only one way to find out.”  

And thus begins our journey into the world of audiobook production. 




1 Comment
    Picture

    Hello!

    My name is Karen.  My passions are theatre and books, and I've finally found a way to combine the two.  My venue: audio books.  

    This is a place for minds to wander and ponder, with a focus on voice over and audio books, but may include any aspect of the world of creative arts, including acting, theatre, music, voice over, narration, books, audio books, and related topics.

    Archives

    April 2018
    April 2015
    August 2014
    December 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    RSS Feed

Rosters

AHAB
Spoken Word
​Findaway. Voices
Deyan Audio
Picture

What listeners Are Saying

"Karen Krause's buoyant tone and gentle pacing carry listeners serenely through an ever shifting universe in the maze of a young girl's subconscious mind."
"Whether Krause is imbuing bizarre adversaries with throaty stubbornness, lending humor to talking sheep, or unfolding the details of each intricate challenge, listeners will be glad to have her graceful guidance throughout Annalise's voyage."
                        - Audiofile Magazine 
Karen Krause on Audible
site by Website Creations
  • Home
  • About
  • Audio Books
  • Reviews
  • Just Sayin
  • Talk To Me