The benefit of working/studying in a studio and having a lot of free time on my hands; I get to make really bad audiobooks of fanfiction. It's pretty ruff, the effects need to be fine-tuned and I couldn't find anyone to help me with the voice's so...yea.

Enjoy

Sorry jbern.

Edit: Surprising amount of double entendre. Crafty bugger that jbern is.

 

You mumble incoherently and sound-effects in audiobooks kill me.

Hate to be harsh but it needed saying.

 

Well part of the reason I posted this was to get some unbiased feedback from the harshest group of critics in fanfiction. And since the class I'm taking is all about sound design with an emphasis on effect driven works, that's what I'll usually be posting.

 

Almost as exciting and entertaining as when I had my gallbladder taken out and the doctors thought ibuprofen was enough to kill the pain of moving with stitches in my side. Is it not enough for jbern to be bland on his own, do we need a monotonous voice reading monotonous stories to us? :|

Check out an audiobooks done right: Anything from Stephen Fry or the Time-Traveler's Wife.

 

Oh dear god that was terrible. I listened to the first 20 or so seconds and couldn't stand any more. I love audiobooks. I've been listening to them since I was 4 or 5. I've heard great ones. I've heard terrible one. Yours is right down there with the worst.

First of all, slow down your speech. Focus on pronouncing the words. Don't worry about doing voices for people unless you...can actually do good voices. As you read it, remember to utilise all the punctuation included. Pauses and breaks are important for conveying context. And for allowing people to continue to follow what you're saying.

 

Yeah, they're not entirely wrong.

To begin with you're quite hard to follow. Having never actually read JBern's fic I still have no idea what the starting 20-30 seconds of that chapter was about. You do improve a little bit but more concentration on, as said above, saying things clearly would do a lot to help.

I'm not too bothered one way or the other by sound effects, but it was a bit surprising since I've never listened to an audiobook with them before.

 

I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and I have to echo what everyone else has said. I wouldn't expect your production to be professional quality, but there are a few things you need to do to make it even listenable.

1. No sound effects. Especially not ongoing "crowd noises" that just sound like background static.

2. Read more slowly.

3. E-nun-ci-ate.

4. Do not vary the volume of your voice so much. Actually, try not to vary it at all. If you listen to professional audiobooks, you will notice that the narrator usually does not raise their voice even when the characters are shouting. Shouting is conveyed by speaking with greater emphasis, not greater volume.

 

Dwitty raises a good point on the sound effects. They are really very rare in audio books. Any noise or background thats needed should be provided in the text, and if its not then its not a good book (audio or otherwise). Leave description to the text, don't try and add to it.

 

Audiobooks is probably the wrong word to describe what I do/am doing here. I put together effects driven productions (mini-documentaries, commercials, trailers, etc.) and I wanted to do something like that for some of the fan fiction I enjoy reading. Most All of the audiobooks I've ever listened to have either had no FX or a little FX between chapters. I thought I'd try something different and see how it went over.

@Dwitty: You might have no idea whats going on because I only used the duel scene from that chapter, instead of the entire chapter. It lose's some context and is probably why some people wtf'd when they heard it.

@Everyone: My voice work is probably the worst part of my skill set, and something I've spent years trying to fix. I will never be Stephen Fry, but that's like saying I'll never be a chimpanzee. Less a thing to shoot for and more just a statement of fact. I'm a motormouth, and slowing down has been the advice of many a voice coach, employer and friend for the last few years. I try, and the important thing is I keep trying.

 

To be perfectly honest, I can't even give you any feedback on the sound-effects. I probably wouldn't mind them that much, if you would just slow the fuck down. Going into that even knowing the material was very very hard because you just couldn't understand anything. So yea, you got to work on that. A lot.

 

You're speaking at the speed of a rich ADHD kid who's been popping amphetamine-based medication like candy. Speak slowly, clearly, like the footsteps of a dinosaur after a big meal.

Do the whole thing with the cadence of Dr House rather than Dr Who and you'll be fine - not mimicking the voice, but the controlled measure of speech.

 

If that was the case, You'd probably be better off going with the "Radio Drama" sort of thing. Get a few people to do voice work, sound effects and possibly a weekly/biweekly format.

 

Certainly if you are wanting to try and concentrate on the production and quality of it, get a couple of other people in to read the roles. Make sure they can speak clearly, and you should be fine.

 

Queue talks of DLP Drama Hour radio dramas that never go anywhere beyond ZOMG THAT WOULD BE ORESOME!

 

I'd love to be able to do a set weekly show, but since this is a personal side project I do in my free time between classes and work I doubt I'd be able to be that consistent. I will try and get other voices for other bits. I chose this one because it was almost all Harry's thoughts and no other voice's were needed (referees don't count).

 

Hell, do Monthly, then. But I'd advise away from existing fanfiction. Get a team to do voices, get a few dedicated to writing it out once you've got a plot and shit in mind. If nothing else, you could just do basic naration for non-character bits.

Im sure there are a number who would volunteer for it. And, of course, it will never go anywhere.

 

You are so cynical. And probably right, unfortunately. DLP doesn't have the patience for anything.

 

While I'd love to have a DLP cast reading the C2's stories for the love and lulz of it all, logistically and technically speaking it would be a nightmare.

Any voices I go and get would be from the 100 or so people I work and study with, seeing as they're always around the studios, have experience doing voice work and they all owe me favours for putting spots together for them.

 

Cynicism is just an unpleasant way of saying the truth.

 

Heh, this just makes me want to try my hand at reading fanfiction. I'd probably be completely terrible at it, but at least I have a good accent for the job. :>