VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

Neil K. Hess

So, I have a client who I am doing elearning for (admittedly, I have very little experience in this area). They are wanting the files rendered in very small increments (Some as one page per file, others as specific words and phrases in individual files). During the alpha, beta and gold stages, they want each file rendered in different qualities (Alpha mp3 at 192 kbps, and the final Gold files as uncompressed wavs). If I end up doing this, it is going to be a BUTT LOAD of rendering in various formats even though I will not need to re-record the majority if I do them properly the first time around. Is this pretty standard for elearning? If not, what time saving suggestions would you recommend? I am using Audition.
_________________
http://neilkhessvo.com

Bish · Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 4:41 am Post subject:

File length on an elearning project can be all over the place... 10 seconds, 10 minutes... an hour. This can seem weird, but if they are putting it into a mixed suite of presentations... some may be interactive (with short responses and guides)... others may be just sit-back, follow along, and listen. Hopefully they gave you a good indication about the quantity of file splits when you bid. People have different methods of charging for splitting. I tend not to charge extra at all... but have a policy of providing one free split per 100 words... so, if a script is 3,000 words... they get up to 30 splits included. It's just my way and stops them taking the piss expecting 300 splits for free!

It seems like you are working with a company firmly ensconced in the 90s... where mp3 files were magic space-savers and storage space cost a fortune! Just record everything at your normal high quality and convert as necessary. I use Audition... but I do not use Audition for converting files... too many steps. I use a drag'n'drop program called MediaHuman audio converter on the Mac. I simply drag my aiff file onto the window and it converts to whatever I've set it up for (multiple custom options on drop-down menu)... it does it with one file, or one hundred, into the original folder, or a custom one... takes no time at all. Bottom line... if converting your files from wav to mp3 is taking time, being a pain in the butt, or disturbing your work-flow... then you need to look at your process because it shouldn't be. The converter I use is free... If you are on a PC, then I'm sure there are equivalents there as well.
_________________
Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

Kristin Lennox · Flight Attendant Joined: 30 Apr 2011 Posts: 858

Yes, it should be just a matter of a few clicks to export in wav vs. mp3, etc, if you're recording in highest quality to begin with. So that shouldn't take any time at all.

File splitting can be a pain, though, if you have to split, label and export each one... if the script is formatted correctly, you can use Word2Wav and save a lot of time in that area. It only works on a PC, though.

I'm on a Mac, so I mostly do it the old-fashioned way... and I usually charge $1 per file if it's more than 50 or so.
_________________
Always look on the bright side of life.

Dee doo. Dee doot doot doo dee doo.

my website

melissa eX · Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 7:43 am Post subject:

With a ton of small files I use Word2Wav to record, then I throw them all in Sound Forge's batch converter to convert to the required format and do other things like leaving a certain amount of head or tail room or normalizing etc.
_________________
www.melissaeXelberth.com
from crime...to the divine(R)
bilingual vo

todd ellis · Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 7:46 am Post subject:

peter pretty much nailed it. i DO, however, use adobe audition to convert. the "batch process" function allows you to do about anything you want.
_________________
"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?

Lee Gordon · Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 9:02 am Post subject:

All of the above. As long as you record and save everything in the highest quality format you are going to need (in this case, WAV), you can then do a "Save As" to make your 192 kbps mp3 copies, send those along, and if/when they're approved, send the original WAVs.
_________________
Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

Neil K. Hess · Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 3:39 pm Post subject:

Thanks a bunch guys. This was EXTREMELY helpful.
_________________
http://neilkhessvo.com