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Transcribe: Quality of the voice recordings for documenting it into a transcript is of paramount importance. It can be a daunting task for a transcriber to transcribe audio which has background noise or disturbances. The skills of an expert transcriber will however prevail, and in spite of the background noise, the transcripts will have the accuracy, because a professional transcriber has processed it, but the extra time taken by the transcriber will escalate the cost of the transcripts.

Therefore quality audio recordings, free from background noise or disturbances can make the task of the transcriber easier and the costs of transcriptions affordable. The recording of the audio, whether it is done outdoor or indoor has to be of the highest quality, and for that to happen the recording equipment plays an important part in generating quality audio recordings.

There are multiple brands of microphones used for recording audio such as, Audio-Technical, Sampson, Shire, and Rode, however what matters most is the ability of the microphones to reproduce the voice accurately without distortions. The microphones with a unidirectional cardioid pattern should be the ideal choice for recording interviews.

The microphone with heart shaped cardioid pattern captures sound which is in the front of the microphone and rejects the sound that is behind it, thus limiting room reverberation to the barest minimum when audio is recorded. The microphones with a condenser require phantom power, in a laymen’s term they need an external power source and the flat frequency plus the cardioid pickup pattern these microphones are built with, capture voice without distortions.

The unidirectional condenser microphone is a preferred choice of many television reporters, voiceover artist or radio station disk jockeys. An investment into a quality microphone for recording interviews will provide quality audio recordings, making the task of the transcriber that much easier in providing a clean and accurate transcript.

Once you have you tracks mixed it’s time to break out the Music Mastering Software and use this simple Audio Mastering System to give your track that extra bit of shine. Most musicians tend to think that all they have to do is record a track and transfer it to a disc and then they could send it off to producers as a demo. Well, unless the amateur audio recording combined with phenomenal vocals is a miraculous success, chances are the demo will not be kept for further listening. The final step should be music mastering, but sadly a lot of musicians tend to skip this step.

Not everyone knows what mastering is. Music Mastering, is when the tracks are being refined for auditions or production. Touch-ups and enhancements are made on the album to make sure that all audio listening tools can play the music clearly.

Audio engineers are not exactly cheap to hire since there are a lot of hopeful musicians willing to pay big bucks to ensure that their demos will not get scrapped within the first 2 seconds of play. Although sheer talent is very important, professional sounding tracks help a lot with auditions.

Audio mastering also involves audio evaluation which helps give unbiased perspective to music tracks. Even though mixing engineers do not come cheap, they are sure to listen and re-listen to home audio recordings for hours to make sure that no rogue sound is included in the final product. Recording engineers make sure that the sounds remain crisp all the way through its play.

Music Mastering Software – Leveling Audio Volumes and Noise Reduction

Mastering technicians make certain that the volumes of the songs are at the same level. Audio engineers are needed in order to avoid unwanted standout sounds or noises. Audio levels should not be taken for granted because mistakes in leveling often aggravate listeners.

Audio engineers can make a lot of reduction from audio signals. Professional music mastering techniques produce top of the line music with minimum disturbance. Analog audio recording produces a normal hiss-like noise. Even though it can be minimized by music mastering engineers, it cannot be altogether avoided.

Music Mastering Software – Encoding and Presentation

An expert mastering studio can even include the Universal Product Code (UPC), a barcode which allows an item to be tracked over the United States and Canada during trades. Music mastering studios can also encode the International Standard Recording Code (ISRC), an internationally accepted code used especially for audio and music video recordings. Important additional info about the artist and the CD can also be incorporated into the disc, such as the track names and the artist’s profile.

Music Mastering Software – Error Assessment

Audio technicians check and double check any track that comes out of their studios. The pros pore over the audio for hours on end. Any imperfection that might be left due to negligence is unacceptable. Musicians who trust their precious records are assured that their home audio recordings are fit to be heard and ready for critics.

If you want to learn about Converting your articles and/or eBooks to Audio products, this is a good place to start. Why would converting these products be of benefit to you and your business?

• Almost anyone can create an audio product. (If they know how to proceed)
• Most marketers won’t do it. (So you are already ahead of the game if you do)
• Most marketers don’t use the right techniques. (They don’t have or ever have considered using a director/producer)

Here are a few tips you should be able to apply right away, which will give you a good start at converting articles and eBooks into quality audio recordings.

If you can understand that almost anyone can create an audio product, then you will have the confidence to make your product a success. You just need to know the process.

The equipment you will need is important. Now you probably know or already have a good microphone and audio recording software, but did you consider your “studio environment”. By studio environment I mean a place or room that:

• Is quiet
• Not to big and has very little or no echo
• Has a chair that is comfortable, but in which you can sit in an upright position
• And has a music stand or table top for your script.

Once you have set this up. You now have your “studio” that you will record in.

Now… How do you improve your read?

Here are a few techniques directors use and you can use right away, to improve your audio narration.

Pretend to talk to someone across from you - A big mistake that most non-professional narrators do when reading a script is reading to a “crowd”. In most cases 1 person is listening to your narration at a time. So imagine that you are explaining your content to a friend or business associate. Be conversational and not just read the text.

A mirror in hand — When I was recording voice-overs in professional sound studios, we didn’t always work with professional narrators. And the best way to get someone to give the right style of read was to have them read a few lines while referring back to their facial expression while reading.

For example, a serious read put on a serious facial expression, upbeat and happy, then smile while you read, etc.

Use hand gestures — Be free with your hands. Use them to express yourself as you read. This will give more dynamic variation in the read. This is one reason why these article to audio software programs don’t really cut it… unless you are only interested in making a one time sale and then having customers who are less than impressed.

Also, print out your script and go over it and add or remove anything that will help you accomplish a better read.

Bonus tip: Don’t be afraid to use some natural pauses and put in a few seconds pause after a main point that you want your listener to really absorb.

Now this brings us to why most marketers won’t do it:

• Lack of confidence in their own voice
• Too time consuming
• Too much work

However, you now know that a few of the principal “director’s techniques” will build your confidence. And these same techniques can also be applied to on-camera narration in video. So get yourself setup and start applying these tips for better quality recordings.