LibriVox

[John Lieder]

This project is complete! All audio files can be found on our catalog page:
http://librivox.org/a-short-life-of-abraham-lincoln-by-john-g-nicolay/

A SHORT LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
by JOHN G. NICOLAY


John G. Nicolay was Abraham Lincoln’s private White House secretary. With assistant secretary, John Hay, he wrote the two volume definitive biography of Lincoln, “Abraham Lincoln, a Biography”. Although this is a condensation by Nicolay of that biography, it is still a sizable work and a fairly thorough treatment of the life of the 16th president of the United States.

1. How to claim a part, and 'how it all works' here
   To find a section to record, simply look at point 5 below at the sections. All the ones without names beside them are “up for grabs.” Click "Post reply" at the top left of the screen and tell us which section you’d like to read (include the section number from the left-most column in the reader list, please). Read points 6. to 8. below for what to do before, during and after your recording.
   
2. New to recording?
   Please read our Newbie Guide to Recording!
   
3. Is there a deadline?
   Target completion date of this project: September 30, 2008 – but try to send your recordings as soon as you can. If you cannot do your section, for whatever reason, just let me know and it’ll go back to the pool. There’s no shame in this; we’re all volunteers and things happen.
   
4. Where do I find the text?
   Source text (please only read from this text!): http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/16332
   
5. Please claim sections (the numbers in the first column below)!
   If this is your first recording, please let me know under which name or pseudonym you'd like to appear in the LibriVox catalogue. We can also link to a personal website/blog.
   
   (BC admin)
   
   
6. BEFORE recording:
   Please check the Recording Notes:
   http://librivox.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6427#6430
   
   Set your recording software to:
   Bit Rate: 128 kbps
   Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz
   
   
   
7. DURING recording:
   Make sure you add this to the beginning and end of your recording:
   Start of recording (Intro)
   • "Chapter [number] of A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln. - This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit: librivox DOT org"
   • If you wish, say:
     "Recording by [your name]"
     
   • Say:
     "A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln, by John G. Nicolay. Chapter [Number]”
     Please also read the chapter topics listed at the beginning of each chapter.
   
   End of recording
   • At the end of the section, say:
     “End of [Chapter]"
     
   • If you wish, say:
     "Recording by [your name], [city, your blog, podcast, web address]"
     
   • At the end of the book, say (in addition):
     "End of A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln, by By John G. Nicolay. "
   
   Please leave 5 seconds silence at the end of your recording, or 10 seconds for files longer than 30 minutes!
   Also, please remember to check this thread frequently for updates!
   
8. AFTER recording:
   Need noise-cleaning?
   Listen to your file through headphones. If you can hear some constant background noise (hiss/buzz), you may want to clean it up a bit. The new (free) version 1.3.3. of Audacity (Mac/Win) has much improved noise-cleaning. See this LibriVox wiki page for a complete guide.
   Save files as
   128 kbps MP3
   shortlifeoflincoln_##_nicolay.mp3 (all lower-case) where ## is your section number. (e.g. shortlifeoflincoln_01_nicolay.mp3)
   ID3 V2 tags
   (To find out more about ID3 tags, go to our wiki: http://librivox.org/wiki/moin.cgi/WhatIsID3)
   Add the following tags to your .mp3 file (how you do this depends on which software you use – if you are unsure about ID3 tags, send me a message). Please mind upper and lower case!
   Title: ## - [Chapter Number]
   (Use a two-digit number for section number and Roman numerals for the Chapter Number.) Example: 10 – Chapter X
   Artist: John G. Nicolay
   Album: A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln
   Please ignore tags for Genre and Track Number - these will be filled in automatically at the cataloguing stage.
   Transfer of files (completed recordings)
   Please always post in this forum thread when you've sent a file.
   Also, post the length of the recording (file duration: mm:ss) together with the link.
   
   • Upload your file with the LibriVox Uploader (when your upload is complete, you will receive a link - please post it in this thread):
     http://upload.librivox.org
     
     (If you have trouble reading the image above, please message an admin)
     You'll need to select the MC, which for this project is: law - chocoholic
     
   • If this doesn't work, or you have questions, please check our How To Send Your Recording wiki page.

Any questions?
Please post below or PM me.
_________________
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. C. S. Lewis

[chocoholic]

OK, all set up! Give me a shout if you need anything.
_________________
Laurie Anne

[alana]

May I do sections 37 and 38?

Alana

[John Lieder]

37 and 38 are yours, Alana.
_________________
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. C. S. Lewis

[LeonMire]

Okay, there's no way I cannot contribute to this project. Could you sign me up for 3 & 4? I may take more later, but I've got a lot on my plate right now.

Have you ever been to the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, John?
_________________
I remember how, in college, I got that part-time job as a circus clown, and how the children would laugh and laugh at me. I vowed, then and there, that I would get revenge.
-Jack Handey

[John Lieder]

Sections 3 and 4 are yours, Leon. Welcome aboard.

I actually have NOT been to the Lincoln Museum yet, I'm quite ashamed to say. I've been to the home and New Salem a few times, and to the tomb several times. I think Lincoln's Tomb is one of the most dignified and most somber places on the planet. I have a couple co-workers who have been to the museum and they praise it highly.
_________________
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. C. S. Lewis

[prob63]

May I have sections 5 and 6, please? This will be my first recording for LibriVox.

[John Lieder]

Wonderful! Welcome to Librivox and welcome to "A Short Life of Lincoln". This is my first attempt at Book Coordinating, so we'll be learning together.

I have assigned you chapters 5 and 6. Since this is your first reading, please record just a couple paragraphs and upload via the instructions. It won't matter what you call the mp3 filename for this sample. We just want to check out the technical aspects of your recording to help you make it as technically good as possible, to get the most out of your equipment, so to speak. We aren't so much concerned with how you read, but how you record.

If you haven't already done so, you'll want to read through the Newbie Guide to Recording.
http://librivox.org/wiki/moin.cgi/NewbieGuideToRecording

A small warning for a newcomer: These are rather long chapters. Looks like, once I'm done editing, my Chapter 1 at 5000+ words is going to be almost 40 minutes. If you get through Chapter 5 and decide you don't want to do Chapter 6, there is no shame in that, just let me know and we'll open it back up.

I need to know how you want your name in the catalog. Some of us use our real names, some their forum names and some use another "alias".

One last thing, if you haven't already done so, you are welcome to introduce yourself to the Librivox family in the forums. You can share as much or as little information about yourself as you want or just say "Hi".

Again, a hearty welcome. I hope you enjoy volunteering for Librivox as much as I do. If you have any questions, you can post them here or send me a private message (PM).

John
_________________
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. C. S. Lewis

[prob63]

Hi John,

Thanks for the welcome. Here is the beginning of the chapter as you've requested (put in as a non-project file)

http://upload.librivox.org/share/uploads/xx/rob powell test.mp3

You can use my real name, Rob Powell, in the catalog.

*****
edited by admin (choco) w/filename:
http://upload.librivox.org/uploads/xx/rob%20powell%20test.mp3
(the uploader doesn't like spaces )

[John Lieder]

Thanks, Laurie Ann.

Rob, that sounds terrific! I'm looking forward to hearing your finished recording. Have at it!!

John
_________________
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. C. S. Lewis

[John Lieder]

Trying to set a good example:

Section 1 is ready:

http://upload.librivox.org/share/uploads/law/shortlifeoflincoln_01_nicolay.mp3

Duration: 36:49
Size: 33.7 MB
_________________
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. C. S. Lewis

[prob63]

Section 5 is ready:

http://upload.librivox.org/share/uploads/law/shortlifeoflincoln_05_nicolay.mp3

Duration 25:40
Size 23.4 MB

I have no idea what kind of example this will be

[John Lieder]

This is an excellent recording, Rob. Good work!

I still need a proof listener (PL) for this project. As soon as we get your chapter proofed and approved, I can mark it complete. I've listened to the first half and I certainly haven't heard anything that needs editing.
_________________
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. C. S. Lewis

[chocoholic]

[John Lieder]

Rob,

I finished listening and I didn't hear any long gaps, repeats, coughs, sneezes, etc. Don't know if you used a noise remover, but I hear virtually no background noise.

It looks, though, that the track title is not complete. I believe you just have "05" and I would like it to be "05 - Chapter V". I know that's a little redundant since in this case the section number is the same as the chapter number. I'm pretty sure we can fix it at our end, so you won't need to resubmit your file, but keep that in mind for section 06.

You're off to a great start! I hope you become a frequent contributor; you have a nice voice and you certainly have a knack for the technical end of recording.

John
_________________
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. C. S. Lewis