Why Build a Home Audio Booth?

Most writers by now know that they need to jump on the audio book bandwagon ASAP. The audiobook industry is booming. That’s swell, but what about those of us who can’t afford to spend $6000 paying a professional narrator to narrate, edit and master an audiobook for you? Well, we can do it ourselves. I’m seeing more and more indie authors taking the proverbial bull by the horns and DIY’ing audiobooks. And it’s not like we haven’t seen this kind of behavior before. Look what happened with video proliferation and the rise of YouTube. iPhone home movies and the growth of DIY authenticity on YouTube exploded. I think it’s happening with audio too.

Here’s my quick tips on building a home studio.

Find Somewhere Small

First up, you’ll need a small space. If you’re lucky enough to have a walk in wardrobe you probably won’t need to build a booth, you can use this because it has all the sound muffling you need from your clothes. If however, you’re like me and limited on space. Then consider a small office, or cupboard. Don’t use a bathroom. The sound will bounce off tiles and mirrors and you can’t fix that stuff I post recording editing.

I have a tiny office, so I decided to create an even tinier audio booth. I didn’t have a space to build a booth completely. So instead I created four walls instead. I used the normal office wall and the side of my bookcase as the first two walls. They essentially created a faux corner.

Cost: FREE

Create Fake Walls

Next, instead of using MDF or wood to box myself in, I bought an isolation shield.

An isolation shield is a curve filled with acoustic foam that your mic sits inside. It means any sound travelling behind the mic gets absorbed rather than bouncing off walls. I chose a mid-range shield. There are cheaper ones you can get for half what I paid.

Isolation Shield Amazon UK, Amazon USA

Cost: £72

Muffle the Mumbles

Next, you need to reduce the number of walls and hard surfaces that your sound can bounce off. Your best option is acoustic foam. Or if you want to do it for free, try egg boxes. Though you’ll be collecting for a while. I bought this acoustic foam Amazon UK, Amazon USA. I only foamed part of my wall – the part that would be behind my head while recording.

Make sure you think about your head height and don’t start laying the foam from the bottom or you’ll have to buy more than you need. Measure your head against the wall and build a few pieces above and below to make sure you capture any sound trying to escape.

Cost: £17.99

A Home Audio Booth

It really is as simple as that. You can see in the photo I’ve attached the acoustic foam to my wall using 3MM Command tape because it will come off the wall without damaging it you can get that from AmazonUK and AmazonUSA.

In the image on the left hand side, you can see a set of cupboard doors. I’ll be hanging blankets over those doors, and likewise with the front of the bookcase you can see on the right hand side. That should more or less mop up any stray sounds.

Other Equipment to Consider

You’ll obviously need a microphone to record on, I use the AT2020, which is about £75. You can get one from Amazon UK or Amazon USA.

I then have a blue icicle to ensure it connects via USB to my computer. Which you can find here UK or here USA. The blue icicle connects the mic to the computer.

Last, because my laptop and computer are noisy, I have an extra long XLR cable so I can put my laptop outside the office while recording. You can grab one of those from Amazon UK or Amazon USA.

The last piece of equipment you’ll need is a mic stand for your isolation shield to sit on. You can grab one of those from Amazon UK or Amazon USA.

Other popular mics include the blue yeti which you can find here (UK) or here (USA).

 Software to Edit Your Audio Book

Last but by no means least, you’ll need editing software. I was using Audacity software which is a free program that works on Mac and Microsoft PCs. Though please note MacOS 10.5 Catalina does not support Audacity software, so if your version is that or higher, you’ll need to invest in different software.

I’ve recently upgraded Amadeus Pro which was $59.99 (£54.99) which I actually find much more intuitive. You can purchase a copy of it here.

Please note I have used affiliate links in this post.

If you enjoyed this post, you might like these.

https://sachablack.co.uk/2019/10/21/resources-for-creating-audiobooks-and-podcasts/

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Resources for Creating Audio books

ONE – Narrated by the Author by Renee Conoulty

If you’ve listened to my podcasts, you’ll have heard me mention this one before. But Narrated by the Author is going down as one of the best instructional nonfiction books I’ve read this year.

The book is a step by step guide starting at the beginning with audio booth set up through to post production, mastering and publication of audio books. It will take you through the settings and levels you need, all the terminology that’s confusing and

I HIGHLY recommend this book if you want to DIY your own audio book.

Grab a copy at Amazon USA or Amazon UK.

 TWO – So You Want To Start a Podcast by Kristen Meinzer

I listened to this as an audio book and I thought it was a fantastic, thought-provoking book. It’s not a technical guide nor will it teach you how to edit or publish a podcast. What it will do is take you through the basics of podcasting, help you find your ‘thang’ / angle and give you a grounding in how to be as strategic as possible when creating your podcast. It doesn’t cover technical specifics on kit and tech you need, though it does give you an idea of what you need.

The book will also help you:

• Work out whether podcasting is for you
• Find the angle or theme of your show
• Identify your audience
• How to create the perfect show structure

You can grab a copy of the book or audio book on Amazon UK or Amazon USA.

 THREE – Storyteller: How to Be an Audio book Narrator by Lorelei King and Ali Muirden

I absolutely adored this book. I did a fair amount of voice acting as a teenager, so this book was a fantastic reminder of the tools and techniques I used to use as well as a whole bunch of new ones.

If you want to create audio books of your fiction novels, then this book is a no brainer purchase. While there is a companion script you can buy on Amazon, I recommend you listen to the audio book. This is because Lorelei actually demonstrates several voice acting techniques and tricks during the audio book, so you won’t understand them from reading alone.

She covers the following:

• What a narrator does.
• Determining if you have what it takes.
• Getting experience.
• How to prepare.
• Marking up scripts.
• Research.
• Creating voices.
• Handling sex scenes.
• How to behave in studio.
• Challenges and troubleshooting.
• Marketing yourself.
• Future-proofing.

Get your copy on Amazon USA, Amazon UK.

FOUR – Writing for Audio Books: Audio-First for Flow and Pace by Jules Horne

This book is for BEFORE you start recording. It looks at the basics of crafting stories purposely for audio. If you know you want to produce audio, then why not create your work for audio in mind? It will save you the time and effort of having to edit your books when you start recording and trip over long tricky sentences.

This book will show you how to:

• Edit with your narrator in mind
• Use audio flow words and phrases
• Convey information with clarity
• Write from an audio-first viewpoint
• Handle visual book elements
• Engage split-focus listeners
• Shape sentences to hook listeners

Get your copy from Amazon UK or Amazon USA.

FIVE – Quick Links to Useful Articles

Last but by no means least, I’ve included a few links to some great articles on the topic. They’re higher level over views rather than technical how-tos though they do contain a large amount of how-to on the publishing end of audio book creation. Next week, I’ll be taking you through the building and creation of my home audio studio as well as the kit and equipment you need to DIY your own audio books.

First in, Dave Chesson at Kindlepreneur is a hive of information. This post takes you through the basics of uploading and publishing as well as marketing your audio book and tons more.

There’s a similar jam-packed article from Chandler Bolt at the Self-Publishing School taking you through the steps of creating and publishing an audio book right here.

There’s also all the Amazon guidance right here. But let me point you to some specifics, you’ll want to look at the guidances and submission requirements for your audio files here.

And of course, you’ll want to check out ACX and Findaway Voices as that’s where you’ll publish your audio books.

5 Resources You Need for Creating Audio Books and Podcasts #amlistening #podcasts #audiobooks #indieauthor #selfpublishing #IARTG #ASMRG #writingcommunity
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If you enjoyed this post, you might like these from my archive:

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