Lauren Hug, J.D., LL.M.’s Post

📢What is Vocal Cleanup and Editing? Vocal cleanup and editing is the process of removing unwanted noise and artifacts from a vocal recording. It can also involve enhancing the vocal recording to improve its clarity, presence, and character. 📢Why is Vocal Cleanup and Editing important? A good vocal cleanup and editing job can make a big difference in the quality of your vocal recording. It can help to: 👉 Remove unwanted noise: This includes things like background noise, traffic noise, and even the sound of your own breathing. 👉 Correct mistakes; 👉 Enhance the vocal recording. 📢What services do we offer? 📌 Noise removal: We can remove unwanted noise from your vocal recording. 📌Mistake correction: We can fix any mistakes that you make during your recording. 📌Vocal enhancement: We can add EQ, compression, and reverb to make your vocal sound better. 📌Tuning: We can correct any pitch issues with your vocal recording. 📌Time stretching: We can adjust the timing of your vocal recording to fit your needs. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you polish your vocals to perfection! #vocalcleanup #vocalediting #audioproduction #musicproduction #podcast #audiobook #qubesoundlab #mixingStudio #soundlab #audioediting

Audiobooks are incomplete without background music. Here’s why 👇 ✅ Emotional Engagement: Music influences readers' emotions, enhancing the storytelling experience. ✅ Mood Setting: It helps establish the book's tone, supporting characters and plot development. ✅ Cinematic Experience: With narration by famous actors and added sound effects, audiobooks can feel like movies for the mind. ✅ Pacing and Transitions: Music aids in managing the story's pace and smoothing chapter transitions. ✅ Cultural Context: It can reinforce the cultural significance of the narrative. ✅ Intensity Amplification: Background music can heighten the story's dramatic moments. However, choosing the right music is critical. It should complement, not overshadow, the narration. Ambient pieces often work best, especially during transitions. Remember: Proper licensing is crucial! You'll need both synchronization and master-use licenses for commercial use. You can easily create apt background music for audiobooks using Beatoven.ai. Here’s how:

Started narrating my fourth audiobook project this morning, garnered through ACX for Amazon Audible. Upgraded my Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software to Adobe Audition, and I love the ease and precision with which I can erase errant noises, adjust levels, and equalize the track for a clean, natural, sound. Continually working to increase my quality, and therefore my value to publishers and readers. Next step: revolutionize the acoustics of my studio. It’s good now. It can, and will, be better. QUESTION: If you’re an audiobook listener, do you evaluate the narrator’s production, and if so, how?

Top authors consider an audiobook essential. Increases your impact, income, and influence. I can help you by your side every step of the way wherever you're located or you can take my DIY online self-paced course. I still offer my DIY and Hybrid customers an hour of personal coaching. I'll listen to your sample file and we'll adjust before you get too far into the process. I'm here for all levels of service: DIY, Full Service, or a Hybrid of those two. Reach out if you're curious. I'm a real person. An audio engineer with 40+ years experience. I help authors. I love authors. I'm even married to one. #audiobookproduction

When prices for a service differ? Audiobook rates are weird 🤔 They're the main reason I didn't touch the genre for the first seven years of my voice acting career. Why? Because the 'per finished hour' (or PFH) rate for a narrator can be two to three times as much in one market than another. For example: In the UK, a rate of £100 PFH is considered pretty respectable.  Whereas in the US market, it could easily be more like £200 PFH+. Obviously this depends on multiple factors such as timelines, material complexity, whether you're just recording or editing/mastering as well. But it was precisely this disparity that stopped me from focusing on the genre, however much I loved the idea. So what did I do? Waited until I had leverage. With my social media following, I get a lot of audiobook enquiries from self published authors.  With these I charge a rate that makes it financially viable for me - and the authors know that because I BELIEVE in every title I narrate - I'll happily promote them to my followers. I still work with UK publishers. I still work with US publishers. If I love the writing, then the rate comes secondary to me building a body of work that I want to be proud of. But it shows there's often a regional variance in the 'going rates' for the work that I do.  It's up to the supplier how they come to terms with that. Do your rates change depending on the genre or market? #audiobook #audiobooknarrator #voiceactor ----------------------------- 🎙 Need an assured, relatable voiceover? 🎙 Connect, DM me or check out my website link. 🎙 Schedule a virtual coffee about VO: https://lnkd.in/edi8UpkY 🔹 Check out my monthly newsletter 'Lend Me Your Ears', covering performance and voice: https://lnkd.in/eV3eu_V5 🔹

📚 56 Auditions In… and the Journey Continues 🎙️ Starting as an audiobook narrator has been an incredible journey, filled with both challenges and triumphs. Setting a goal of 100 auditions in my first year, I’m now 56 auditions in, with 44 more to go. It’s been a lesson in patience, resilience, and dedication to the craft. One of the most challenging aspects? The reality of submitting audition after audition—sometimes 30, 40, or more—without receiving feedback. It’s easy to feel like you’re sending your work into a void, but the key is to keep pushing forward without expecting immediate validation. ✨ High Moments: Receiving my first offer for “The Evolution of Physics” was a turning point. While producing that, I continued auditioning and, a week after finishing, I received my second offer! Even better, it was from the same author, solidifying a growing professional relationship. This is proof that perseverance can lead to meaningful and rewarding opportunities. As I continue this journey, with 44 auditions left to hit my goal, I’m also branching out into the commercial and corporate voice-over world. Expanding my horizons in this industry is exciting, and I’m eager to see where this next chapter takes me. The journey is far from over, and I’m grateful for every step along the way. If you’re starting something new, remember: perseverance pays off. 🚀 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e-U8RjJm Check out my work and feel free to DM me to discuss potential projects. #VoiceOver #AudiobookNarration #Perseverance #FreelancerLife #VoiceActor #CommercialVoiceOver #CorporateVoiceOver #CreativeJourney #Inspiration #LinkedInCommunity

‘Oooo Charlie, your audio is a dream to edit,’ say my techies, audio producers, audio publishers and such folk. How do you mark up audio so it’s easy for the client to edit? Dog clicker and the Charlie code (simple, clear, straight forward, nothing to do with cocaine, Tom Hanks or religion). FYI, I hate editing, so I think due to the rage it has endorsed in me over the years of having to edit the odd book I came up with a super precise way of marking up audio. Try and add a charge if people ask you to edit and you hate it as much as I do. And yes lots of people prefer punch and roll and yes if you can learn it awesome but if you know your craft really well and have ADHD like me, and can’t face learning it, just trust yourself to keep the flow and work it your way. #editingaudio #voicetalent #audiobook #longform #audioques #dreamreader #voice #homestudio

Although landing a job out of town can over time involve a repetitive and tiresome drive, there is a way to take advantage of the opportunity and improve the experience. In the last couple of months I have had the chance to utilize that time for personal growth. How? Listening. I have had the privilege and pleasure of listening to numerous podcasts focused around my interests, as well as two audiobooks and on my way to finishing a third that have been on my “To Read” list. By listening to these books one chapter at a time, I have noticed I’ve been awarded another benefits: digesting the information more thoroughly, examining the lessons, and utilizing the newly gained knowledge in my daily life. If you are experiencing the same situation and your music playlist has become mundane, it is my suggestion to find alternative ways such as above to stimulate your mind, capture the opportunity, and make the most of the time you’ve been granted.

Transitioning From Decoding To True Comprehension Did you know? Learning Ally's Human Read Audiobooks empowers students to move beyond simple word decoding. By engaging with narrated content, K-12 learners can enhance their comprehension skills, fostering a deeper understanding of the material. #literacyforall #teachers https://lnkd.in/d_5MBH_6

Kyle Poyar post about spotify premium price increases inspired me to write about risks in marketing. Kyle mentioned in his post several elements in Spotify's email that weren't unclear. Unclear messages = risk for the user. If marketing is about influencing user decision-making, we'd better understand the factors that shape it. Perceived risks are one of these crucial elements. Here's the thing: we're used to talking about gains and pains. But the arena of pain and gain doesn't always make room for risks. For example, my primary concern may be ineffective communication within organizations, while the percieved risk is potential organizational knowledge loss. So what exactly is risk in marketing, and why is it a crucial factor influencing customer decision-making? Risk in marketing refers to the potential negative outcomes or uncertainties that customers perceive when considering a purchase or engaging with a brand. It's the collection of doubts, fears, and concerns that might prevent a prospect from moving forward in the customer journey ✋ Whether it's soft soda or enterprise cybersecurity, every purchase decision carries some level of risk for the customer. Why should this matter to us? Mismanaging these risks can lead to: 🎠 Increased friction in the customer journey 🐌 Lower customer progression through the marketing funnel/flywheel ⏬ Reduced conversion rates ✂️ Decreased customer engagement With high-touch products, you might think that the sales team would resolve these risks during customer interactions. However, the key issue is that these perceived risks can prevent customers from communicating with sales at all, causing them to simply churn. The stakes are high. So, how can we identify these perceived risks? Here are 4 key tactics I've found effective: 👂 Listen to your sales team: They're on the frontlines, hearing objections daily. 💫 Analyze your funnel: Where are prospects dropping off? That's where the perceived risk might be highest. 🗣 Conduct customer interviews: Nothing beats direct feedback from your target audience. 🚦Monitor social media: What concerns are people voicing about products like yours? By understanding these risks, we can proactively address them in our marketing strategies. #RiskMitigation #MarketingStrategy #CustomerInsights #DesicionMaking