LibriVox

[Cori]

This book is now complete and can be downloaded from the LibriVox catalogue: http://librivox.org/little-women-by-louisa-may-alcott/

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

This project began life as a solo, but has now been moved across to be a collaborative.


BC Admin link

1. How to claim a part, and 'how it all works' here
   To find a section to record, simply look at the "magic window" above. All the ones without names beside them (in blue) are “up for grabs.” Click "Post reply" at the top left of the screen and tell us which chapter you’d like to read (include the section number from the left-most column in the reader list, please). Read points 5. to 7. below for what to do before, during and after your recording.
   
   
2. New to recording?
   Please read our Newbie Guide to Recording! And thankyou for your great choice of starting project!
   
   
3. Is there a deadline?
   Target completion date of this project: 1st September 2007 – 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?
   IMPORTANT! please only read from this version of the text: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/514
   
   
5. 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
   
   
6. DURING recording:
   Make sure you add this to the beginning and end of your recording:
   Start of recording (Intro)
   • "Chapter ## of Little Women. 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:
     "Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Chapter ## - [chapter title]"
   
   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 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott."
   
   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!
   
   
7. AFTER recording:
   Save files as
   128 kbps MP3
   littlewomen_##_alcott.mp3 (all lower-case) where ## is your section number. (littlewomen_21_alcott.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: 01 - Playing Pilgrims
   Artist: Louisa May Alcott
   Album: Little Women
   
   Please ignore tags for Genre and Track Number - these will be filled in automatically at the cataloguing stage.
   
   Transfer of files (completed recordings)
   
8. NOTE: It is important that you post here as soon as a chapter's been uploaded, so I can collect it and make a Listen link to it, as well as marking it complete.
   
   • Uploader access to David's server:
     http://librivox.earthcallingdavid.com/cgi-bin/uploader/upload.cgi
     password for uploads:- v0xateer (the o is a zero)
     NB - The uploader doesn't seem to work with Safari or Internet Explorer. It's fine with Firefox; others haven't been tested.
     
   • If you have ftp software already, please point it at the address following. (If you'd like to begin using it, take a look at this wiki page.)
     server:- librivox.earthcallingdavid.com
     username:- librivox@earthcallingdavid.com
     password:- v0xateer (the 0 is still a zero)
     folder:- cori/litwomen/
     
   • If neither of these options work for you, you'll need to transfer the file to one of the free servers available. For a list of options, please check our How To Send Your Recording wiki page. I prefer YouSendIt. Please do NOT use MediaFire.
   
   If this is your first recording, I'll also need your name/pseudonym as you want to appear in the LibriVox catalog, and your website URL if you like.

Any questions?
Please post below or PM me. The only stupid question is an unasked question. Seriously.

The original soloist, Elizabeth, has produced a sampler file which demonstrates how she created voices for key characters in the first six chapters of the book. (13MB).
_________________
Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing: Aristotle. . . My Saying--Doing--Being

[Claire]

I would like to read Chapter 7 - Amy's Valley of Humiliation.

This book was a favorite while growing up. I've lost count of how many times I read it.

[Cori]

Perfectly fine, Claire! Which chapter(s) can I sign you up for..?
_________________
Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing: Aristotle. . . My Saying--Doing--Being

[Claire]

Looks like we just passed each other, Cori!

I'd like to start with chapter 7!

[Cori]

Ooops - all yours, Claire!
_________________
Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing: Aristotle. . . My Saying--Doing--Being

[Claire]

Here's chapter 7. Hope everything's ok!

http://download.yousendit.com/8B709E2B473BC1F7

[Cori]

Tags, check.
Intro and outro, check.
Volume, good.

Ah, I do seem to be missing something...





... your claim for the next chapter. How about it?
_________________
Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing: Aristotle. . . My Saying--Doing--Being

[kayray]

Wow that was fast work! :)

I took the liberty of downloading to check the volume. It's still way too quiet. Are you using a Mac or a PC? Maybe we can find someone to help you get your mic input turned up higher. It's a pity not to let your lovely reading be loud and clear!

Meanwhile, I've boosted the volume on this recording by 12 dB -- uploading now, link in a minute :)

edit: here is link to littlewomen_07_alcott_louder.mp3
http://download.yousendit.com/5695675E3758DD04
_________________
Kara
http://kayray.org/
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"Mary wished to say something very sensible into her USB MacMice MicFlex, but knew not how." -- Jane Austen (& Kara)

[Claire]

Hi Kara,

This is so weird because when I listen to the file through my headphones or over my speakers, it sounds about right when the dial is just at the center for volume.

I'm going to experiment some more to get that volume up! My husband is having a laugh at the idea of my 'soft' quiet voice.

[Claire]

[kayray]

It's best not to rely on your ears too much. Everyone has a different audio setup. Take the file I just uploaded, and open it in your audio recording software. Compare the size of the waves in the "louder" file to the size of the waves in the original. Fiddle with your settings until you can get a recording with similar waves to the "louder" file. And let us know if you get stuck :)
_________________
Kara
http://kayray.org/
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"Mary wished to say something very sensible into her USB MacMice MicFlex, but knew not how." -- Jane Austen (& Kara)

[Claire]

Thanks, Kara! I will do that.

[winahath]

I am interested in reading Chapter 13, please. Castles in the air.

thanks,

Wina
http://conchshell.blog.com
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A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

[Cori]

Signed up and ready for you, Wina. Thanks!
_________________
Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing: Aristotle. . . My Saying--Doing--Being

[Claire]

OMG! I can't believe that the file I uploaded for chapter 7 has parts that are not edited. I'm so embarrassed. This will be a mess for anyone else to try to edit. When I went back to the Audacity file in order to 'up' the volume, I forgot that I did not save the edits to it. I only saved them to the first MP3 (the one that was too soft).

In the mean time, can my file for chapter 7 be removed from the magic box until I can fix it?