Peek Behind the Curtain of Audio Recording

Let me start by stating the obvious—I am not a professional audio recording artist. But I do have the chutzpah, Google, and YouTube to figure things out. Anyone can do just about anything using those sites, plus now, AI programs. I started recording The Focused Fight on July 12, 2023, using the Audacity Platform.

According to Wikipedia, Audacity is a free and open-source digital audio editor and recording application software available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and other Unix-like operating systems. As of December 6, 2022, Audacity is the most popular download at FossHub, with over 114.2 million downloads since March 2015.

The recording started out slow because the learning curve was steep. Once I started figuring out the buttons and doodads on the site, recording became less intimidating, and by the end of my recordings in August 2023, I was having fun! I got better with each recording, which is typical. Once I finished uttering the last word, I knew I needed to edit the whole thing—but not so fast.

Editing was as daunting (putting it off, and even more, I think) than the recordings. At some point, I thought I might hire a professional to "pretty" up the audio, including the errant pops, the "p's," and all the extraneous noise (call it the noise floor). However, I knew that could possibly cost over $1000. UGH!

In mid-August 2024, I took on the herculean task of editing and repurposing all audio in an episodic format using Substack. I had to convert (with a quick click of a button) all files from an aup3 file to a mp3 file. I learned from other writers and podcasters how efficient and "easy" it was to use Substack as the vehicle, from recording to RSS feeds to the various available platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Hubby Bill was often flabbergasted (I was away 17 days) at my relentlessness in getting them all done in September, which is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. But I just had to. Something bigger than me to honor September and all the families dealing with childhood cancer kept ringing in my heart to finish what I started last year.

In recording, or should I say, some re-recording and editing, I got up early and stayed up late on the 13 days I was in my hot seat doing the work. It was not for the faint of heart.

I must say, despite the blooper with Chapter 5 - Christmas Miracles (I posted it too early and with claps and no edits), I am proud of this miracle of the entire production—soup to nuts.

If you have listened to any part of the chapters/episodes, I Thank You from the bottom of my heart!

My plan in the next several weeks is to start working on finishing my second book, Joy Ride Journeys: Car Stories from Driveways to Highways.

bSoleille!

Terri