LibriVox

2013-07-01
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librivox-logo.png

Entertainment > Audio > Audio recording >

(on Wikipedia)
Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/librivoxaudio
https://librivox.org/

A public domain narration community.

See also:

Table of Contents [hide]

2019-09-22 updated workflow ∞

Learning more ∞

Joining LibriVox ∞

Setup ∞

Spoiler
Sample Frequency 44,100 Hz
File format MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer III)
Bit rate 128 Kbps constant bit rate (CBR)
Recording Mode Mono (make sure completed file is audible in BOTH EARS when heard through headphones)
Volume 89 dB
Sample size 16 bit

  • Launch Audacity

  • Preferences (control-p) >

    • Devices >
      — Channels [1 (Mono)]
    • Quality >
      — Default Sample Rate: [44100 Hz]
      — Default Sample Format: [16 bit]

  • Position the microphone:

    • If you have a pop filter (screen, sponge, etc), then position it in front of your mouth. Take your hand and spread your fingers apart. Point your thumb at your mouth, and your smallest (pinky) finger should be touching or very near the mic.
    • If you do not have a pop filter, then position it at an angle so it’s pointing at your mouth, but your breath won’t go directly at it. So it will be at an angle to you.
    • However you position your microphone, a consistent placement and distance is important!
  • Press r to begin recording
  • Say anything
  • Press space to stop.

  • File > Export > Export as MP3

    • Save as type [MP3 Files]
    • Format Options
      — Bit Rate Mode: (o) Constant
      — Quality: 128 kbps
      — Channel Mode: [x] Force export to mono

  • Use MP3Gain:

    • Launch it
    • Drag your file into it
    • Select your track.
    • Click “Track Analysis”
    • Click “Track Gain”
    • Exit

  • Use Checker:

    • Launch it
    • Drag your file into it
    • Click the “Validation” tab
    • You will need to follow the advice given to correct your file.
    • If your validation passes, select your track inside of Checker, and press delete to remove it from the list.
    • Exit

  • See also Technical help and improving

1-minute test ∞

  • Make sure your setup is correct
  • Start Audacity

  • Follow the setup instructions above to record the following:

    “People were pleased to find that Peter Piper had picked a couple pages for fable fans at LibriVox. Thankful that this was Thursday the thirtieth, the Piper anticipated forum fun and a wonderful weekend of recording! This is a test by YOURNAME. Had it been an actual LibriVox contribution, it would have been a Public Domain text, previously published and probably interesting.”

  • Speak a little junk text of your choosing to pad it out to a minute or so.

    • Talk about yourself, your day, whatever. It’s just some extra stuff to give more to listen to for technical problems.
  • Leave the mic running for 3-5 seconds at the end, where you don’t say anything.
  • Export it as test_yourforumname.mp3, where “yourforumname” is the login name you use on forum.librivox.org

  • Listen to your recording. See if you can judge any problems on your own.

  • Upload your recording

    • See How to Send Your recording
    • Visit https://librivox.org/login/uploader
    • As of 2019-09-29 it is librivox / upload2lv
    • In the [ - - - Select MC - - - ] dropdown, select [tests - tests]
    • Click Add files...
      — Your web browser must allow popups for this website.
    • Navigate to your file, select it, and click Open
      — You will see your file added to the list.
    • Next to your file, click Start
      — Once uploaded, you will see your file turned into a link.
      — e.g. https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/test_yourforumname.mp3
    • Right-click on the file, and copy the link.

  • In a new tab, post a new topic in the Listeners & Editors Wanted forum.

    • Log in if you need to.
    • Call it “1 Minute Test”
    • Provide the following information:
      — The software you used, e.g. Audacity, Garage Band, etc
      — The operating system you used, e.g. Windows or Mac
      — The microphone type you used (USB or Analog)
      — Paste the link to the file you uploaded
  • Once you submit your post, return later to check for feedback.

  • Listen to your feedback to make any recommended adjustments. Ask for help! An example change is removing the DC offset in Audacity:

    • Select the track (control-a)
    • Effect > Normalize
      — [x] Remove DC offset
      — [_] Normalize peak amplitude

  • If you needed to make changes, record with the same process as above, and then upload any changes you make.

    • You may need to rename future uploads like https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/test_yourforumname01.mp3 etc. Ask for help if needed.

Technical help and improving ∞

There are documentation and people as resources to help you.

TODO – Picking content to record ∞

Reading ∞

  • Read your script before you begin recording. This will help make your voice more confident and conversational.
  • TODO – opening silence
  • TODO – closing silence

  • TODO – Is post-processing done by me or my listener?

TODO – Post-production ∞

TODO – stuff to examine ∞

December 2012‎-12-08 ∞

  • They’ve always used MP3s, ignoring the fact that that format is patent-encumbered until at most 2017.

  • They use CBR and not VBR because reasons. Sigh.

    • As of 2019-09-22 they still do.

questions to find answers for ∞

  • Why use the patent-encumbered mp3 format if the content is meant to be public domain?

    • research: I saw some references to OGG elsewhere. I haven’t found anything on this issue specifically, but have neither looked very hard nor asked.

  • Using CBR is Wrong. Use VBR.

    • Everything recent can play VBR. Those with format constraints can do the conversion.

To get an admin to do ∞

The forum account welcome email has:

One of our volunteers has created a number of videos that you might find
helpful to learn more about the workings of Librivox. You can find a
listing of those here: https://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/User:Philchenevert

That link is better as: https://sites.google.com/site/librivideo/home

delayed ∞

There is a lot of behind-the-scenes tech stuff going on thanks to funding from [http://librivox.org/2012/09/25/librivox-mellon-grant-update/ the Mellon Grant], so these items are pointless until all of that effort goes live.

I still think their user stories could be useful.

  • The wiki lockdown experience can be improved.

    • [[Special:UserLogin]] can be edited to include the text to PM those administrators for an account.
      — research/confirm, possibly delayed: This may require editing of the installed files.
    • Instead of PMing one of a list of administrators, set aside a forum for this purpose. A requesting user creates a new thread there, and whichever administrator who will perform the action then deletes the thread and performs it. This way any of the admins can do it, and it’s not just an inbox action for whichever single person got PMed.
    • delayed: The Wiki can have its database linked to the forum.
      — research/confirm: I may be wrong about this possibility.
      — Also, this may be entirely invalid depending on the changes being done on the technical side.

  • https://librivox.org/pages/feedback/

    • User comments should be possible to make right in the catalog.
    • Some issues don’t need to be acted on because they’re so minor, but it would be wonderful to note them so that others can know it’s been reported already or a particularly keen person can fix the issue.

  • https://wiki.librivox.org/ (SSL) links to the forum. There’s no SSL version of the wiki.

    • Something like wiki: Torrents also links to the forum but in a broken form – probably because the paths to the CSS files are wrong.

  • Each major topic in the catalog should link to a forum topic for community discussion.

3 comments

3 comments on “LibriVox”

  1. Did some updates.

    Ported some old notes which I made on their wiki.

    Beginning some new notes and rewriting my notes from scratch here and not on their wiki, which has clearly been in “maintenance mode” since at least 2012. If I had taken this project seriously back then, I would have been running it by now.

    Reply

  2. Did a little reworking of things. I intend to write my own instructions from scratch. Theirs is awful and hasn’t been improved in years.

    Reply

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