A long day working on The Intangible Man audio. I've had to re-record everything.
There are three stages to performing or rehearsing: First; tentative, slow steps as the material is read and learned. For newsreaders, public speakers, and myself when presenting on the radio for example, this is the only step. There are no chances for a second take here. Second; we know the material, so move more quickly, but, for me, usually too quickly, too eagerly because it's 'easy'. Several musicians fall into this too. I've heard bands who struggle with a song at first, but as they master it end up playing too quickly. This can also be audible in classical recitals, a sort of over-confidence. Third; full knowledge of the material, so we can move at any pace we choose.
My recordings of yesterday tended to be too fast. They felt fine, perfect, brilliant, on the day when read, but today, when listening back, they needed to be slower. An audiobook is not like a conversation. Each word should be audible and clear, so it should be spoken slower than normal. This improves clarity at the expense of (for me) some personality. This is the aesthetic balance.
So, today, I started to record everything again, and this time re-listened and edited each one after each one. This has pros and cons. The biggest pro is that it allows learning from a previous story for reading the next story, but the biggest con is inconsistency in sound, in volume levels and tone, due to the ultra-slight variations in recording volumes (vs. the playback between) and the distance of the mic. Less than a centimetre difference in mic-mouth difference can influence bass levels. A closer, quieter, voice has more intimacy and bass, but in this case consistency is more desirable.
Well, most of the stories are re-recorded. How ropey some seem now. My writing improved during writing them, and in the years since. I've found many errors of various minor sorts, so that's another side benefit to these readings.
