it seems a proper time to bring in ---

[judih]

Great! That works fine Sasha! We can record our reading parts and upload them here on this thread, then you can download to your computer and assemble them! Yay! I’m excited.

Roy, are you able to accept the task?

I'll record something and write the lines I've chosen.

[judih]

cecil's poem darque 9 (online-audio-converter.com).mp3

(2.38 MiB) Not downloaded yet

Here's the poem again. Just a note, recording this, I find it almost impossible to divide it. I ended up recording it all. I kept a rhythm by hitting my thigh (more quiet than using my djembe).
I'd love to see some overlap in voices.
Anyway, if you listen to me, see what you think. Comments. Record yourselves - maybe your favorite bits.

[sasha]

Just a note, recording this, I find it almost impossible to divide it. I ended up recording it all. I kept a rhythm by hitting my thigh (more quiet than using my djembe).
I'd love to see some overlap in voices.

I like the idea of everyone recording the entire thing - maybe even multiple times - so I can pick out the good bits and splice them together. And I like the idea of overlapping voices! I can easily cross-fade tracks for the kind of overlap you're looking for.

Roy, are you able to accept the task?

You know, I don't miss the workplace one whit - the posturing & jockeying for power, the ruthlessness, the blatant dishonesty - but I do miss the occasional sense of contributing, of doing something useful. This is something I can do, something I'm kind of good at, and something I enjoy - sculpting with sound. I'm delighted to take this on because I know I'm capable of it, and have hopes it will be enjoyed. I've got a few other commitments coming up - my annual review with cardiology, vehicle registration/inspection (the former takes 10 minutes, the latter - who knows?) - at least the IRS has granted a reprieve on filing income taxes! But I'll get it done. I'm curious to hear what y'all sound like in person!

[judih]

fantastic! I'm so glad you're willing, able and enthusiastic.
Good luck with the other elements of your life and may we all let our indoor voices out!

[saw]

when I downloaded sasha's insects trilling I got no audio.....I will try to see if my brother or my daughter can help me....I can definitely record something on my phone through my camera....but from there have no idea how to post that....

[sasha]

BTW - the attachment editor does NOT appear to recognize .WAV files... they must be in .MP3 format. I record all of my sound effects as WAV to get the cleanest sound, but I had to convert to MP3 in order to upload to S8. If it's just a fluke on my system, then you may use either format... caveat emptor.....

[Doreen Peri]

I can add .wav files as acceptable ... at one time they were until the site died and the host restored it to default settings. I just need to go in the admin panel to do that. Can’t do it right now but later tonight. I’ll post when .wav files are added.

[sasha]

Cool - no hurry. I can use either, but I usually convert them to WAV when editing because they load into Audacity faster without having to decompress them each time. And they're lossless, which is why I record & save all my found sounds as WAV despite being 10x bigger than an MP3!

(Are we going to get to hear your voice again?)

[judih]

BTW - the attachment editor does NOT appear to recognize .WAV files... they must be in .MP3 format. I record all of my sound effects as WAV to get the cleanest sound, but I had to convert to MP3 in order to upload to S8. If it's just a fluke on my system, then you may use either format... caveat emptor.....

Yes, I also had to convert my .wav to MP3 but it was no problem doing so using an online site.
But thanks, Doreen, if you can make it possible to use .wav.

Steve, your phone should also have a voice recorder. That would create a smaller file for you to upload or share in an email as an attachment.

[Doreen Peri]

I can’t figure out yet how to change the settings to accept.wav files. I’ll keep looking. But... Can you use mp3s instead, Sasha?

[sasha]

I can’t figure out yet how to change the settings to accept.wav files. I’ll keep looking. But... Can you use mp3s instead, Sasha?

I can use either - in fact, MP3's might be easier to up- and down-load because they're smaller. Once I've got them, I'll pull them into Audacity, then export them to a work folder as WAV.

[judih]

great.
Now we need some vocalizations. Please folks - Jack, Steve, Doreen, Roy. And those who want to try, Cecil! and others. I can re-record without the thigh-beat, if necessary.

[sasha]

I've been recording mine today. My first take was way too fast - like I was playing a tenor sax solo in my head. It was also way too loud - the mics were cranked all the way up for capturing bird calls. So I had to make a few level checks before I got the volume down to about the same as yours. I also stumble, trip over words, inhale at the wrong time, and generally have a lot of false starts, all of which will have to be edited out. I've got to take a break for PT and to check the dryness of the laundry on the line, but I'm getting there!

Re-the thigh slaps - they were loudest & most intrusive at the beginning, but as you got into the rhythm, became nearly unnoticeable by the end. Any musical accompaniment I add will mask them further, so if I take your lines from the 2nd half of the poem, there shouldn't be a problem.

Just for laughs, here's a snippet from one of my level checks:
 

TASCAM_0284.mp3

(484.08 KiB) Not downloaded yet

 
Oh, I forgot to add - if any of you other contributors have a particular preference for your rendering of a particular group of lines, don't hesitate to let me know which, and I'll give them priority.

 

[stilltrucking]

chain my brain to a hurricane and I will take a stab at it

[sasha]

Now we need some vocalizations. Please folks - Jack, Steve, Doreen, Roy. And those who want to try, Cecil! and others...
 

OK, I think I've finally got a take I can use - my problem has been trying to imply some literal meaning into the verse through inflection (one of my many blind spots) - which makes my cadence inherently different from yours, judih. But my last take comes within 10 seconds of yours (2:25 for mine vs 2:35), so the pace of my delivery matches fairly closely. By inserting pauses - or judicial use of Audacity's tempo control (EDIT: but of course I meant judicious...) - I might be able to come even closer. Or maybe it'll be close enough. We'll just have to try it on for size....

I had picked out a few pieces of avant-garde hard bop to score it, but they're all incompatible with your unhurried delivery - so I'm thinking maybe John Coltrane's "Psalm", from A Love Supreme. Hard to go wrong with 'Trane.....

But that's a few miles down the road yet......