Record the audio book yourself - the best tips

You can easily record an audiobook yourself at home. We will give you the best tips to record a successful audio book:

Record the audio book yourself: The right hardware

If you don't want to sound like a bad tutorial video on Youtube, you should first choose decent hardware.

• A headset microphone is sufficient for communication, for example in online shooters, but is not suitable for audio book recording. The recording quality is simply too poor for someone to want to listen to your recording later. Instead, grab a large diaphragm microphone. Entry-level devices with a USB connection are available from around € 50.
• If you want to get a little more professional in the field of audio recording, invest in a large diaphragm microphone with an XLR connector. To connect such microphones to a PC or laptop, you also need an audio interface. The recording quality is usually much better with such combinations than with USB microphones.
• No matter whether USB or XLR connection: you should definitely get a pop protection. It is attached in front of the microphone and prevents you from suddenly blowing a lot of air into the microphone when speaking consonants. This way you can avoid "popping" sound peaks in your recording.
• Make sure to use a PC or laptop that is as quiet as possible for your recording. A rattling fan or a buzzing vibration of the hard drive does not look good on an audiobook recording and can only be removed to a limited extent later using software.

Makes audiobook recording easier: Functional software

In addition to the hardware, the software should also be correct. Make it easier for you to record and edit your audiobook by using audio production software that suits you.

• Audacity has long positioned itself as the top dog in the audio freeware sector. With the free tool you can create everything you need for an audiobook recording: recording, editing and playing the most popular audio formats. In a practical tip we show you the basics of audio editing with Audacity.
• If you frequently record audiobooks or would like to work with numerous effects, opt for more professional software: Audio workstations like Pro Tools or Adobe Audition offer significantly more functions, but are therefore sometimes less handy to use than entry-level software. And of course more expensive.

Crucial: the right place to take a picture

Professional speakers use either a professionally equipped recording studio or a sound booth to record an audio book or radio play, which is correspondingly insulated against outside noise. You don't have to make your house or apartment soundproof just to record an audio book yourself:

• Choose a room for your recording that is as far away as possible from acoustic interference sources such as streets, the front door or noisy neighbors. If you live on a busy main street or it is very noisy in your house during the day, simply postpone your recording to night.
• Try different positions in your recording room for your recording. Does your recording sound very tinny or does it echo too strongly in your room? Use plants or furniture to reduce noise on your recording. A bookcase, for example, can work wonders because it distributes the sound very diffusely in the room, in contrast to a closed wardrobe with a smooth surface.
• You can also get better acoustics if you pull a blanket over yourself and the microphone for the duration of the recording. In this way, you can largely avoid disturbing reverberation on your recording.

The most important thing: posture and concentration when recording

All your preparations for a professional audiobook recording are no longer necessary, for example, if you mumble or sound as if you were pressing the words breathlessly through your larynx.

• First remove all annoying sound sources again: Close windows and doors, disconnect connection cables from telephones and set your cell phone to "flight mode" or "silent".
• Stand or sit upright in front of the microphone. If your back is repeatedly bent while sitting, slide forward to the edge of the chair - this automatically gives you an upright sitting position. When recording, look as straight ahead as possible so that you can make room for your voice in your throat and you don't sound pressed.
• If you haven't already put a pop protection on: don't go too close to the microphone, leave a little distance and give your voice space.
• Adjust yourself: the most beautiful speech is of no use if the recording is overdriven, i.e. the volume level for your microphone input has been set too high. Before each recording, make sure that you do not overdrive when speaking into your microphone and that the maximum level swing in your audio recording software is between -18 dB and 0 dB.

When you have finished recording and editing your audiobook, you can still tag it properly. We will show you how to do this in another practical tip.