Wednesday 30 May 2012

Constant Reader?

For many years I worked in a recording studio, mostly as a reader of factual stuff - news, financial information, features, public service material - that sort of thing. But I also read fiction, and always enjoyed it. I thought I might liven up this blog by introducing some audio content, but of course people might not like the sound of my voice. 

At the moment I only have a cheap microphone that's nowhere near good enough for even amateur audio work. But I thought I'd record a brief sample of my voice so you could hear it and let me know what you think. If the consensus is that I sound okay I could go ahead, get a decent mic, and record extracts or even whole stories from ST, and of course other stuff. So, let me know what you think. 

(In case you were wondering about the video presentation - Blogger doesn't allow you to upload audio files but does allow you to include videos. Why? I've no idea, it's very stupid. However, for short pieces it's easy to use Windows Movie Maker to get them straight onto the blog. For longer pieces I suspect I'd have to set up a site to host files elsewhere and provide links, or maybe put some sort of player on this blog if I can figure out how to do it. End of boring aside.)

The piece I read is the introduction to 'Let Loose' by Mary Cholmondeley. Published in 1890, it's a Jamesian ghost story penned before M.R. James got going. You can find the story in quite a few anthologies or online here.


12 comments:

Michael Kelly said...

David,

Love the sound of your voice. You're a natural. I'd certainly listen in to any audio content.

Todd T said...

I agree with Michael. Sounds great!

Todd T said...

I agree with Michael. Sounds great!

valdemar said...

Thanks Todd - you're in stereo, entering into the spirit of things.

lynda said...

Wow, you have a lovely reading voice! I'd definitely listen to more audio content like that.

Anonymous said...

Your voice is perfect for stories. Looking forward to hearing the stories.

valdemar said...

Thanks, Oscar and Lynda - I'm glad I sound okay. Of course nobody is likely to say 'Shut up, you sound crap!' but still, it's reassuring. I'm getting some technical advice and will have more content in the near future, I hope.

Adam Golaski said...

Good indeed.

It's funny. I knew, of course, that you'd speak English as an Englishman does, but I read your emails, blog posts, etc., with an American accent.

The visual, by the way--the candle--is quite satisfactory. If you were to read with a single image like that for the listener to stare at or ignore, I think that would work well.

Perhaps a CD with the "best of" collection? Or an audio "best of"?

valdemar said...

Thanks, Adam. I could try an American accent, as it would extend the range of stories I could try from ST.

Anonymous said...

Late to the party here, but go for it. Sounds great.

valdemar said...

Thanks, Iain. I'm wondering if any writer would like to let me record one of their shorter stories? Ideally it should only be 1,500 to 2,000 words, as upload times might be prohibitive above that...

Sam said...

You've got the voice and the professionalism for it, so why not give it a try. Am sure any of us would be pleased to have one of our stories covered.

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