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Audio book production
Matthew Whitman:
Due to an increase in my commute time, I've started borrowing audiobooks on CD from my local library. I didn't expect to note production value with each set (it's just people reading right?), but certain things have jumped out at me.
Some of them are impeccable. David McCullough's 1776 was flawless, made all the more impressive by the fact that he narrated it himself.
On the other hand, some of them contain edits that are laughable. Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard's Killing England, narrated by Robert Petkoff (which I actually thought was a good book) has many edits that seem to have been recorded after the original reading was completed, and with a completely different setup. You'd be listening, and all of a sudden the reader's cadence and tone would change drastically for a phrase or two, and then revert back.
I then listened to Killing Jesus, which was read by O'Reilly himself, and which made me wish he had stuck with another narrator. The subject matter was fascinating, but his delivery grated on my nerves.
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power was a great listen, read by the actor Edward Herrmann. The delivery was almost too formal for me, but I enjoyed it. He did well pronouncing all the French names, which I appreciate.
Bonnie and Clyde: The Lives Behind the Legend by Paul Schneider had a few sloppy cut-and-splice jobs where it seemed they were doing the best with what they had. I still found it highly entertaining though. The narrator's style was amusing, especially during the dialog where he attempted to mimic a 1930s woman. I also liked the addition of a tag at the end of each CD notifying you that "This is the end of the CD..." Most of them just jump back to the first track.
The most unique audio book I've heard so far is The Screwtape Letters, where Screwtape is played by Andy Serkis, the actor who played Gollum in The Hobbit films. This one featured music and different actors for each character, which of course made for a richer experience. It was very well done. It also contained a making-of DVD, which I watched with great interest.
I'm now on to 1493 - Uncovering the New World Columbus Created. It's narrated by Robertson Dean, whose voice I think will be an acquired taste. We'll see.
I didn't think that such things would matter, but when faced with investing 12+ hours in an audio book, I've come to realize that the various levels of production are notable.
Ike Zimbel:
--- Quote from: Matthew Whitman on January 05, 2023, 02:12:34 PM ---Due to an increase in my commute time, I've started borrowing audiobooks on CD from my local library. I didn't expect to note production value with each set (it's just people reading right?), but certain things have jumped out at me.
Some of them are impeccable. David McCullough's 1776 was flawless, made all the more impressive by the fact that he narrated it himself.
On the other hand, some of them contain edits that are laughable. Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard's Killing England, narrated by Robert Petkoff (which I actually thought was a good book) has many edits that seem to have been recorded after the original reading was completed, and with a completely different setup. You'd be listening, and all of a sudden the reader's cadence and tone would change drastically for a phrase or two, and then revert back.
I then listened to Killing Jesus, which was read by O'Reilly himself, and which made me wish he had stuck with another narrator. The subject matter was fascinating, but his delivery grated on my nerves.
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power was a great listen, read by the actor Edward Herrmann. The delivery was almost too formal for me, but I enjoyed it. He did well pronouncing all the French names, which I appreciate.
Bonnie and Clyde: The Lives Behind the Legend by Paul Schneider had a few sloppy cut-and-splice jobs where it seemed they were doing the best with what they had. I still found it highly entertaining though. The narrator's style was amusing, especially during the dialog where he attempted to mimic a 1930s woman. I also liked the addition of a tag at the end of each CD notifying you that "This is the end of the CD..." Most of them just jump back to the first track.
The most unique audio book I've heard so far is The Screwtape Letters, where Screwtape is played by Andy Serkis, the actor who played Gollum in The Hobbit films. This one featured music and different actors for each character, which of course made for a richer experience. It was very well done. It also contained a making-of DVD, which I watched with great interest.
I'm now on to 1493 - Uncovering the New World Columbus Created. It's narrated by Robertson Dean, whose voice I think will be an acquired taste. We'll see.
I didn't think that such things would matter, but when faced with investing 12+ hours in an audio book, I've come to realize that the various levels of production are notable.
--- End quote ---
Interesting observations. It's been my experience that production values always matter.
Scott Helmke:
Old comedy records (70's-80's) often had really bad edits from one night to another. Different venues, audience sounds, etc.
scottstephens:
Matthew,
I have recorded a dozen audio books and the editing can be a nightmare. Infact, just like an audio show, the whole thing can be a lot more difficult if it is not planned properly from the beginning. The author and the publisher have to agree ahead of time to actually have a recorded version and not just throw one out at the last minute. And that happens a lot!!! I always tell the reader or author and publisher that we need to record at the same time every day of the recording. As everyone in our field knows, voices sound different at the beginning of the concert and the end of the concert; this is especially true if it is at the end of the tour. I have readers who like the afternoons, most prefer the morning as their voices are a little deeper and richer sounding.
I always request/demand the script in hand before the recording starts so we can follow along and check for different lines/ words/ places whatever. There are some great readers out there and one of my favorites likes to put in different city names if he can't pronounce the one provided. And yes, a couple in the last 10 years have gotten by us. Another big difference can be mic choices. There have been a couple of times where someone decides: "oh, we need to redo this passage." And instead of nice Neumann or something a 58 is thrown up in a PR office.
Just my 2 cents.
Scott
Matthew Whitman:
--- Quote from: scottstephens on January 06, 2023, 11:35:07 AM ---Matthew,
I have recorded a dozen audio books and the editing can be a nightmare. Infact, just like an audio show, the whole thing can be a lot more difficult if it is not planned properly from the beginning. The author and the publisher have to agree ahead of time to actually have a recorded version and not just throw one out at the last minute. And that happens a lot!!! I always tell the reader or author and publisher that we need to record at the same time every day of the recording. As everyone in our field knows, voices sound different at the beginning of the concert and the end of the concert; this is especially true if it is at the end of the tour. I have readers who like the afternoons, most prefer the morning as their voices are a little deeper and richer sounding.
I always request/demand the script in hand before the recording starts so we can follow along and check for different lines/ words/ places whatever. There are some great readers out there and one of my favorites likes to put in different city names if he can't pronounce the one provided. And yes, a couple in the last 10 years have gotten by us. Another big difference can be mic choices. There have been a couple of times where someone decides: "oh, we need to redo this passage." And instead of nice Neumann or something a 58 is thrown up in a PR office.
Just my 2 cents.
Scott
--- End quote ---
Thanks, Scott! I can only imagine how challenging it is to turn out a product that is consistent from start to finish.
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