Showing posts with label Audio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Audio. Show all posts

Thursday, February 28, 2013

How to Become a Great Audio Book Reader

Although having a good voice and ability to pronounce words correctly may mark the beginning of a career in audio book reading, a person is required to exhibit many other features so as to make the necessary acoustic impact. Venturing into the sphere of audio book reading takes so much more than just having a good voice. In point of fact, the journey to becoming a good reader begins when the passion in you leads to the fundamental actions of reading out loud to interested parties and learning sound variation techniques. Listed below are a number of steps that a person should go through in the process of being refined into a creditable reader.


Relentless practice
If possible, read out loud to people across different age groups starting with the young to the old. Preferably, find a group of blind people and read to them as well. It's recommended that you tape every session for the sake of identifying strengths and weaknesses which may become evident after listening to the cassettes over and over again. The more people you read to, the more feedback that you will get. You will be criticized and praised in equal measure hence the reason to be prepared for any eventualities. However, you have to learn by heart that embracing criticism in a positive manner is the secret to identifying areas of weakness and the first step towards improving your skills.


Broaden your skills
The art of reading out loud to different groups of people is best managed by individuals who have experience in acting. Different content require different tone variations to sound correct and make the necessary impact. In view of that acknowledgement, a good audio reader is one who is capable of revealing character distinction by way of tonal variations and character development. Performing arts classes are very useful in facilitating character development and improving accents or dialects which the audience can use to tell between different personalities.


Listen to the works of distinguished readers
In order to gauge your standards, you have to listen to audio books that have been done by notable readers. Identify how the reader keeps his audience occupied and how different characters are brought to life. Listen to both fiction and factual audio books and work out the difference between the two varieties. Once you have gathered adequate and useful information, listen to your production and identify sections that require being improved on. Keep on doing this until you are comfortable with the standards that characterize your work.


Start recording
After you have what it takes to produce a great audio book, visiting the studio should be the next stop. Identify a studio with directors who can contribute to your success through offering advice and proper recording services. Sooner or later, you will be able to produce quality audio book recording that people will enjoy to read without getting bored. It's good to always remember that, earning reputation as a distinguishable reader takes time to achieve but once there; there is nothing to hold you back from achieving your goals.


 

Thursday, February 21, 2013

The True Essence of Audio Books!

Since the emergence of audio books, it could be said that listening pleasure has taken on a more noteworthy meaning. You will never have a dull moment. They are so handy they can be taken and used almost anywhere. They also make shrewd and creative gifts.

If you'd rather give your eyes a rest, then books in audio are just the thing. If book clubs can provide a way to keep friendships alive as well as an opportunity to make new ones then audio books can simply help you to find time to read more. Listening is not a hassle. You can still do it even with friends around. You can carry it with you and it can give you the opportunity to share your books with friends.

Books in audio format no longer have a negative stigma so why not take on this modern approach to storytelling and enjoy even more books. If you don't have a Smartphone or iPod ask your children or grandchildren to download a book and burn it to disk- this way you can listen to your favourite books on a CD player at home.

New devices such as the Kindle Touch boast a 'read to me' feature, which converts an eBook into an audio book. This will be particularly useful for people with visual impairments and lets you "read" while driving, for example.

Some people agree that audio books help children see the humour in writing. This is something children often miss when reading printed books. They are an excellent way to help children develop the reading habit. It has been said that reading aloud to children is beneficial to their success in reading. This can be confirmed by the fact that an enormous number of these kinds of books are used for teaching purposes today.

It has been proven that audio books allow the listener to retain their visualisation and picture-making skills. The listener's enjoyment of audio books doesn't stop with the visualisation - as they listen their understanding is also helped by the tone of voice, the accent and the emphasis and timing given to the text by the professional reader.

To add a special touch, modern audiobooks are narrated by actors or in special cases the books' authors, which is great if you happen to be reading an autobiography or memoirs because the subject could be telling you their story.

Everyone deserves the same access to books and literature regardless of disability, illness or learning difficulty. For many people, the spoken word can provide welcome relief from the pain and loneliness often experienced as a result of having a disability. For younger members with a learning difficulty such as dyslexia, audio books can be equally helpful.

Audio books are a practical and convenient way to fill your time with great literature. The only difference is you're listening rather than reading.

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