Island Earth - The Microphone

It was about one year ago that I first wrote in my blog about my desire to become an audiobook narrator. I made a couple of blog posts about my concept for Island Earth Audio and outlined my first basic steps of finding material to narrate, finding a recording program for the computer, and getting a microphone. Well, at the time, my project hit a roadblock as good recording microphones were rather expensive and I just didn’t have the money for one. I ended up putting the whole thing on the back burner for a while.

However, last week I got to looking at microphones again at Amazon.com and came across something that looked pretty good. What I found was a Samson Go Mic Compact USB Microphone. It had some excellent reviews from other people who had bought and used it and several people said that it was good for recording voice and even music. Best of all it only cost about $35, much better than the $100 I thought I would need to spend for a good microphone. I decided to give it a try. I ordered the microphone and it arrived yesterday.

As you can see, the Samson is very compact. It’s attached to a clip so you can attach it to something, but the clip is also heavy enough to serve as a base, which will stand on any flat surface. It plugs into the computer via the included USB cord and also has a little jack on the side to plug in headphones so you can hear exactly what it’s picking up while you record. One way I typically judge electronic devices is by how heavy they feel. Some things feel very light and flimsy in your hand and that usually, although not always, indicates that it’s cheap and not very good. The Samson has a nice heavy and solid feel to it, which makes me think it’s a decent piece of equipment. In addition, the microphone came with a CD program for creating recordings so I can try that out as well and see if it will do what I want it to do. I haven’t installed the software yet or tried out the microphone but I’m anxious to do so.

I guess my next step is to find the quietest possible place in the house where I can make some recordings. This will almost certainly have to be in the basement. Our basement primarily consists of one large room with a couple of smaller rooms off to one side. One of these smaller rooms has carpet in it and I think that will be my best bet. What I’ll need to do is try to clear out a corner of the room and maybe hang some blankets or something around it to create some sound-dampening partitions. Then I can sit in there with Joni’s laptop and, hopefully, create some recordings.

So my project is moving forward again after a long wait. It will take a lot of trial and error as I learn how to use the microphone and the software, and most of all it will just take time. I’m okay with that; God taught me patience through my blindness and it’s a lesson I think I have learned well. This will be a fun project. Wish me luck!

Isaiah 40:31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. ESV

James 5:7-8 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. ESV

Island Earth - First Steps

So. I visited Project Gutenberg to begin looking through the books that are freely available. Actually I looked through the “short story” category. I figured short stories would be some good practice before moving on to a full-length novel. Several of the stories interested me so I downloaded the text as possible narrating projects. I even found one from one of my favorite sci-fi writers, Ben Bova.

I also started looking at some possible software packages for recording and editing. The industry standard in the audiobook world is Pro Tools, a very nice package that runs anywhere from $300 to $500 and on up depending on which features you want. That’s not in my budget obviously. I went to Google and searched for free alternatives (free is about all I can afford) and came up with several possibilities. They all sound good on paper and the only way to know if they’ll do what I want to do is to try them out, so I picked one basically at random and downloaded it. It’s called TrackAx. I’ll give it a try and see how it works.

I also looked at microphones. Like anything else, you can spend about as much money as you want on a microphone, and there are lots and lots to choose from. This isn’t like the free software where I can try one and if it doesn’t work try something else. This will be a purchase so I need to get it right the first time. I went to Audiobook Community for help. Real live narrators hang out there sometimes and they’re always pretty good about answering questions from people who are interested in the craft. I posted a question about microphones and got a few responses pretty quickly and a suggestion or two. I’ll probably be doing my narrating on the laptop since I can’t very well haul my desktop to the basement. The laptop doesn’t have a regular microphone jack in it so I’ll need a USB model. I also asked the crowd at ABC if USB mic’s are as good as the traditional type and got mixed responses. That will take a little more research (and budgeting) before I can dive in and buy one.

Finally, I’m also beginning to work out a logo for Island Earth Audio. I found a few pieces of clipart on the internet that might work well. I have a pretty good idea of what I want it to look like, but haven’t actually begun putting it together yet.

And those are my first steps. Not much action yet, just planning and preparing, important steps toward reaching any goal. More updates to come later.