The Complete Audiobook Production And Narration

Whether you be an Author, Actor or Enthusiast - Learn How to Produce and Narrate Audiobooks

Last updated 2022-01-10 | 4.6

- Make great audiobooks using proven techniques
- Know the fundamentals of what makes audiobooks flow and work well
- Understand how to create impactful and emotional audiobooks

What you'll learn

Make great audiobooks using proven techniques

Know the fundamentals of what makes audiobooks flow and work well

Understand how to create impactful and emotional audiobooks

Discover the psychology behind why certain narration techniques work

Develop a skill that can be applied to promote and enhance many areas of activity

* Requirements

* Students should know that they want to make quality audiobooks
* Students do not need a fancy microphones or editing software to follow along with this course
* The software we will use (Reaper) is available for $60 - the full version is a free demo for 60 days; however you will benefit from this course if already using another DAW

Description

* COURSE UPDATED NOVEMBER 2021 *

Want to produce audiobooks that catch attention and praise?

This online Audiobook Production and Narration course teaches you how to make audiobooks using proven techniques and approaches.

This course is designed to teach you audiobook production and narration by showing you how to plan, record, perform and produce them.

It is taught by a professional documentary filmmaker who has also personally narrated and produced 26 audiobooks - principally long-form fiction - on Audible.

Learn what makes great audiobooks
Discover software and resources to help make your audiobooks shine
Learn how to use the principles and psychology of performance and acting to create outstanding audiobooks
Make your audiobooks using proven techniques
Discover tips on how to use a highly effective workflow when making your audiobooks
Make money using the audiobooks you make using the techniques and methods you will master in this course

What makes me qualified to teach you?

I'm Paul, a professional documentary film director with 25 long-form film credits. Some of these films I narrated personally. I have also solo-produced and narrated 26 audiobooks on Audible. Plus, I'm the creator of popular courses on Udemy - with over 36,000 students and hundreds of 5-star reviews.

Learn techniques that I have used along the way (and avoid mistakes I made) drawn from my experience making audiobooks and from decades of professional media experience.

Is this coaching or instruction from an 'audiobook industry professional'?

No. Such coaching and programs are often highly priced and may be better suited to those coming from a professional acting background or those who have accrued enough experience to know that audiobooks is a path for them.

There are free resources on the Internet. This course aims to serve as a useful start, and as a resource for those engaging in audiobook production and narration. It is based on my own experience and the best of what I learned elsewhere.

The course indicate ways of saving time and energy along the way.

My Promise to You

If you have any questions about the course content or anything related to this topic, you can always post a question in the course or send me a direct message.

The software we use, Reaper, is available for $60 one-time fee - the full version is a free demo for 60 days. If you are already using another DAW, don't worry - you will still get great value out of the workflow and lessons in this course.

Dive Right In

Learn how to prepare and interpret books.

Learn how established acting principles and techniques can be used to amplify the impact of your audiobooks.

Learn how to use freely available (free and paid) apps to improve your audiobook quality.

Learn how to use a workflow that can save you time, money and energy.

Learn how to use your audiobook production and narration skills online.

Start making audiobooks today!

With our 30-day 100% money back guarantee, there is nothing holding you back from jumping in right now and trying the course out.

Go ahead and click the enroll button, and I'll see you in lesson 1!

Cheers,

Paul

Who this course is for:

Anyone wanting to make better audiobooks
Anyone wanting to make some money with their audiobooks
Anyone wanting to know more about key concepts in the audiobook industry
This course is NOT for people who aren't interested in making better audiobooks

Course content

14 sections • 92 lectures

Introduction to Audiobook Production and Narration 5 lectures

Welcome to the Course Preview 11:38

A Growing Market and Opportunity Preview 04:22

How to Use This Course Preview 04:57

The Main Audiobook Production Platforms Preview 03:41

Your Responsibilities as an Audiobook 'Producer' Preview 03:24

Production - Recording Space & 'Treatment' 6 lectures

Room Treatment Preview 09:48

Two Ways to Set Up Your Gear Preview 00:20

My acoustic space Preview 05:56

Alternative (and Better) Gear Setup Preview 02:10

Exercise - Set up your recording space and Treatment Preview 09:35

Vocal booth setup Preview 05:29

Production - Recording Hardware & Software Setup 12 lectures

Minimum Recording Gear and Software Preview 11:54

Exercise - Get Your Minimum Gear and Software Ready to Set Up Preview 01:01

Setting Up the Digital Audio Interface Preview 05:55

extra note re Digital Audio Interface settings Preview 00:46

Exercise - Set Up YOUR Digital Audio Interface (if using one) Preview 01:03

Setting up the Microphone Preview 04:45

Exercise - Set up YOUR Microphone Preview 01:00

Review of the new Zoom ZDM-1 dynamic microphone Preview 08:00

Microphones, digital audio interfaces and headphones Preview 22:15

Stands and shockmounts Preview 08:43

Gain and amplitude - Part 1 Theory Preview 09:26

Gain setups for different types of microphone - Part 2 Preview 11:38

Make Your Digital Audio Workstation (Reaper) a Dedicated Voice Over Machine 13 lectures

Acknowledgement and a Recommendation Preview 00:19

Setting up Preferences in Reaper Preview 12:48

Exercise - Setting Up YOUR Reaper Preferences Preview 00:09

Customising Reaper - Part 1: Simplify the Interface and Create a Custom Menu Preview 10:21

Exercise - Simplify YOUR Reaper Interface and Create Custom Menu Preview 00:15

Customising Reaper - Part 2: Set Input and Output channels and Set Tracks Preview 14:11

Exercise - Set your Input and Output paths and create and customise Tracks Preview 00:18

Customising Reaper for Voice Over - Part 3: Screen Layout Preview 13:02

ADDENDUM TO PART 3 LECTURE ABOVE - detailed explainer of docker and FX browser Preview 14:35

Exercise - Create the custom layout in YOUR Reaper and save it as a template Preview 00:16

Customising Reaper for Voice Over - Part 4: Setting Up Default FX chain Preview 07:04

Exercise - Set Up Your Basic FX in Reaper Preview 00:14

ADVANCED: Izotope RX settings Preview 00:43

Recording 11 lectures

Setting Recording Options and then Recording Preview 10:52

Exercise - Set Your Recording Options and Record Some Test Tracks Preview 00:25

Introduction to the 3 Methods Used for Recording Audiobooks Preview 03:04

'Open Recording' method #1: The 'Dog Clicker' Preview 07:52

Exercise - Practice the Dog Clicker method Preview 00:18

'Open Recording' Method #2: the Marker Method Preview 07:59

How to get markers to 'follow' edits in the timeline Preview 00:17

Exercise - Practice the Marker Method Preview 00:22

Punch and Roll Recording - Part 1 Preview 10:29

Punch and Roll Recording - Part 2 Preview 10:51

Exercise - Set Reaper as per the #1 Punch and Roll lecture and practice! Preview 00:28

Performance and Narration 19 lectures

The Art of Storytelling (and being a Storyteller) in Audiobooks Preview 16:38

Framing and General Performance Preparation Preview 08:33

Exercise - Listen to some Audible Samples Preview 00:12

Volume and Finding Your Mid Range Voice Preview 07:14

Exercise - Find Your Mid Range Voice Preview 00:15

Pacing Preview 06:58

Exercise - Pacing Preview 00:18

Tone Preview 05:04

Exercise - Tone Preview 00:16

Emphasis Preview 07:15

Exercise - Emphasis Preview 00:13

Find one fiction, and one non-fiction, text - needs only be about a paragraph or so - and underline where you feel the emphasis needs to be in that paragraph. Which word, or short phrase, do you wish to 'hit'?

Then try recording it in Reaper. Listen back.

Did it work?

Did you hit the right emphasis?

Mouth Placement and Posture Preview 05:20

Exercise - Placement Preview 00:33

Inflection Preview 03:59

Exercise - Inflection Preview 00:12

Lilt and Cadence Preview 05:41

Exercise - Lilt and Cadence Preview 00:11

A Crash Course in Acting Preview 12:15

Self Care and Voice Care - IMPORTANT! Preview 13:14

Characters 2 lectures

Introduction to the Character Section of this Course Preview 02:11

How much character background do I need? Preview 05:54

Noise (and how to Reduce or Eliminate it) 5 lectures

Dealing with Noise Preview 06:39

Using the (free) Reaper Noise Gate Preview 09:45

Using ReaFir (free) to eliminate noise in a targeted way Preview 04:52

Controlling Noise using an Expander (paid) Preview 07:04

Controlling Noise using Spectral Noise reduction (paid) Preview 09:35

Editing and Mastering Process 14 lectures

Creating a Room Tone Track Preview 11:01

Editing - Sorting Out Chapters Starts and Ends Preview 14:14

ADDENDUM: How to create the custom action, Make 4 Points and Decrease Envelope Preview 01:22

Preface to the next lecture re Converting Chapters to regions Preview 00:14

Editing - How to convert Chapter Markers to Regions, ready for Rendering Preview 07:26

UPDATE: Installing SWS Step 1 Preview 06:24

UPDATE: Installing SWS Step 2 Preview 01:39

UPDATE: Installing SWS - Windows Users Preview 00:03

Three-Step Audiobook Mastering in Reaper (using the free supplied plugins) Preview 17:49

Batch Exporting (Rendering) Mastered Chapters from Reaper Preview 12:01

Batch processing Reaper exports to comply with ACX technical specifications Preview 14:41

Batch Converting ACX-ready audio files to MP3s Preview 05:50

Checking that MP3s comply with ACX and uploading files to ACX Preview 11:21

This lecture shows how to use the free Audacity software to check that your audio files comply with ACX's delivery requirements. However - make sure you also watch the next lecture on batch checking files, because it can be a lot faster (and is the method I personally now use).