Audiobook EQ & Mastering

[Elly]

The nice people over in the Mastering forum suggested I post this here. Here's what I originally asked:-

I have recorded an audiobook and pretty much done all the editing (bar a final listen through), but I am at a loss as to how best to finish.

What EQ should I use, if any? I have been a broadcaster for more than 20 years, and my voice sounds fine. Anything I seem to do to it, makes things worse, rather than better. My instinct would be to leave it alone, but I know studios tend to use EQ, even with top actors. So advice would be appreciated.

Compression seems to bring up background noise (inaudible in the recording), so I am disinclined to use it. It seems using the hard limiter would be better for me. I've had a little play and that seems to even out the sound. But what settings should I use?

The audio will be for internet download and CD.

I am using Adobe Audition 3.0 and I'm looking at what settings to use in that programme. I read about "cutting muddled low and mid range", but I don't know how that would relate to settings in audition. Plus, I maintain that my reading isn't muddled!

Please help. I've looked all over the net, but most discussion seems centred around music vocals.

Thanx,

 

[Bobbsy]

I had a listen--in Audition 3 as a matter of fact--and agree it doesn't need much.

However, with audio books and the spoken work, intelligibility it the key. Intelligibility comes from the upper mid range and I found your recording just a bit muffled there. Playing with a graphic EQ, I found some gentle, subtle cut in the lower mid (about 250Hz to 1k) then some equally subtle boost between 1.4k and 5.6k adds a bit of life (and extra intelligibility) to the sound.

Similarly, most people are listening to audio books either on some form of ear bud or headphone or in a car. In either case, you're probably fighting background noise and distractions so, as much as I hate the "loudness wars", I'd probably use Audition's hard limiting to cut the occasional peaks you have that hold the rest of the levels down. Limiting to -.1dB with 4 or 5 dB of boost seemed about right to me--when considering mobile listeners in cars or on trains or buses. With this audience, I think that (reluctantly) cutting the dynamics is the right thing to do.

Finally, the advice you had in the other thread to listen on a variety of systems is good, but I'll add one extra bit. With audio books, it can be hard to judge the intelligibility of material you know well and have read yourself. If you can get some people who don't know the story to have a listen, they can quickly tell you if they're missing words or whatever.

Hope this helps,

Bob

 

[Elly]

Thanks, Bob - that's really helpful. I think you're right about the audience - listen to a book while on the move.

I tried out your suggestions and they work - as long as I'm subtle in the EQ

 

[chrisharris]

I'm getting some "plosives" on monitors. Not bad, but noticeable. If you haven't rolled off everything below 100Hz, you should. 12 seconds is your first example.