Just ONE page on the Collecting Books and Magazines web site based in Australia.
Page finalised 9th October, 2010.

This article came about thanks to the need to record the Elsie Oxenham books for a member of the Abbey Club of Australia. The member concerned is no longer able to physically read a book, but enjoys listening to her favourite stories.

LEARN FROM THE PROFESSIONALS
Visit your local library and borrow an audio book. My personal favourite audio series is 'All Creatures Great and Small', read by Christopher Timothy. He really instills the feeling of the original books and, of course, the TV series.

IF USING CASSETTE TAPES
Use C90 (45 minutes a side) top quality new tapes (e.g. TDK).

RECORDING INSTRUCTIONS
Many of these won't apply if you're recording directly into the computer, or a handheld MP3 device.
The cassettes are going to be copied onto CDs, so on each side, before beginning the book, speak the name of the book and the CD number. Only one side of each cassette will be put onto each CD. This does waste some space but it makes it much easier to copy initially. Also, if anyone wants to copy them back onto cassettes, it is very simple. So the first cassette will be CD1 & CD2, the second cassette CD3 &CD4, and so on.

You can add your name after the title, if you wish - “read by …” on the first cassette.

Read all the Chapter numbers and headings. When you come to the end, speak the words: "The end." It makes the final edit easier!

Finish each tape at the end of a paragraph. If you get to the end without realising just go back and erase to the end of the previous paragraph. Then start again on the next tape.

Label each side of every cassette with the name of the book and the side number; e.g. 6 cassettes should be labeled sides 1-12.

Set the volume level for recording on about half, but record several minutes and play it back. This may vary for different voices or machines.

Place the tape recorder as far away as possible when recording . If you have it close, the microphone picks up the sound of the motor. If you have an inbuilt microphone as well as a plug-in one, it will be necessary to put adhesive tape over the inbuilt one to stop it picking up the whirring of the motor. The whirring is magnified when copies are made of the tapes.

If you stumble badly, or make a mistake over a word, just rewind to the beginning of the sentence and tape it again.

If you have a clip-on microphone/headphones, clip it to your collar or neckline, but make sure nothing is rubbing or knocking against it like jewelry or your hair. If you leave the headphones on after checking the last bit, have the wire coming down you back, otherwise each time you move your head, the wire creates interference by knocking on the microphone.

If you have a hand-held microphone, experiment with various microphone positions to get the best recording.

A pronunciation tip: If you're recording a book with local variations in place names, etc., check first with locals as to the correct pronunciation.

If you want to transfer your tapes to CD, read on.

RECORDING ONTO CD via your COMPUTER which must have a CD or DVD burner!
You'll need a lead to connect the two. Normally a cassette player will have a 'line out' socket on the back. If not, connect to the 'headphone' socket. The other end of the lead should be connected to the 'mic' or 'line in' socket on the back of the computer.

YOU'LL NEED A RECORDING PROGRAM.
We use and recommend Musicmatch Jukebox Plus. The basic version is available as a free download on the Net, but you'll need to upgrade to 'Plus' to access the recorder. This is relatively inexpensive.

IF YOU WANT TO SAVE SPACE, YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BURNING as MP3.
MP3 compresses you recordings, enabling in many cases an entire book to be burnt onto one CD, instead of using 8 or more. We use and recommend MP3 Direct Cut which is available as a download on the Net. But remember, not all portable CD players enable MP3 discs to be played. Many DVD players do, though.

Keep records of each stage of your task. The following is Barbara's version.

REMEMBER, this is a very basic introduction to recording your favourite books to audio. If you have questions, ask via the CB&M Yahoo list, or via any other lists with which CB&M is involved.

COPYRIGHT: We recommend you limit such recordings for personal use only and only if commercial recordings aren't available.

VINYL and other RECORDS TO COMPUTER
Some general advice on this subject From Stephen Fleay

I can offer some hints re the audio capture of records to computer....first stage here is to physically wash the records..using a mild hand detergent (diluted with tap water) and spread it over the record gently with a soft / fine fibred paint brush....gently run the paint brush over and into the grooves..all this has to be done quickly as the records need to be rinsed promptly again using the paint brush - a very fine one...to thoroughly rid the grooves of the detergent.

Dry off in a clean area...and after an hour or so, wipe the record with a fine clean, white cotton cloth. All this gets rid of built up dust and dirt in the grooves...takes out lots of crackle and even some clicks and pops.

Wait for a few more hours before recording to computer....

Join our COLLECTING BOOKS and MAGAZINES FACEBOOK GROUP .

Back to Collecting Books & Magazines Main Index