editing tips?

[atamascolily]

Does anyone have any tips to make the editing process a more enjoyable experience? I love podficcing, and I have zero problems rambling into a microphone for an hour, but editing consistently takes 3-4x as long as the recording, and I find it the most tedious part of the process. Is this just How It Is, or is there something I'm missing that would streamline the process? I'm really curious how other people handle this. I would post so many more podfics if I could figure this out, or at least make peace with it.

For the record, I am using Audacity, which is generally pretty intuitive. I have been recording podfics off and on for the past year.I still grind my teeth at getting the transition for music and sound effects right, but I'm mostly talking here about the routine work--clipping out clicks and pops, long gaps, and vocal stumbles--not anything fancy. I've definitely heard a lot of improvement in my work, but I'm in awe of how quickly I've seen other podficcers get their work from idea to finished product, and I know I have a lot more to learn!

Comments

[luzula]

For me, the editing takes shorter time than the recording! I edit mostly visually, and only occasionally listen to make sure. The way I do this is to clap my hands once after a stumble, which will show up as a spike in the recording. And then you can tell by the shape of the sound what needs to be cut. For a pause, I clap twice. I guess I don't have that many clicks/pops, or don't care about the ones I have.

[atamascolily]

Wow, that never occurred to me! I make a lot of edits visually, but I still end up listening to everything anyway. I'll try that and see if it works.

I didn't care about clicks and pops when I first started, but a beta pointed it out to me and now I can't stop hearing them. It's not the be-all, end-all if I miss one here and there, but in general, I like the end results better when I cut them out.

[luzula]

I suggest you try to improve your environment or your recording equipment, if possible, so you don't get so many clicks and pops! It's such soulless work to edit them out...

I see someone below recommended noise removal--I don't like that at all, because it affects the sound quality. It often leads to a sort of dull, metallic sound to the recording. But YMMV.

And of course I still proof-listen, but I do it while I'm washing dishes or something, all in one go.

[desireearmfeldt]

I share your experience -- I'm somewhat perfectionist about editing, and it takes a long time. :/ Other than doing re-takes on the spot without stopping the recording (and I've recently started using the clap/snap marker luzula describes), I don't think I have any particular efficiency tricks, alas... I'll be interested to hear if others do!

[atamascolily]

Honestly, just knowing that I'm not the only one is super-helpful! Thank you!

[smirkingcat]

i am not sure if i am fast in editing; and i got most of my tips from the lj-page: here

what i do is i edit from the back: first when recording, when i make mistakes, a passage doesnt feel right i make a klicking noise that it spikes, and rerecord what i messed up not just the word but the last good entry point - then when i am done, i find the spikes and so cut my mistakes and cut out all the stuff i do not want;

for long gaps i think there is no easy fix, you just have to cut them - but if someone has an idea i take it;

clicks are easy if you start your recording - first let it run for a bit; that is what you can use for basic noise removal (like the fan, my fridge and stuff is filtered out that way (even the rain); if you have consistent clicks you can add them out the same way: find one good example (that fits most of your clicks) and put it into noise removal;
i am not sure this works on pops though because for me my pops happen due to my accent - if i cut them i cut the letter... a more simplistic approach if feasible will be a panty hose over the mic

not sure if there was anything new ;) but yay for more podficcing! always go for more podficcing XD

[atamascolily]

I have not played around with the noise removal features in Audacity at all - I'll have to try that and see what happens! Thanks!

[smirkingcat]

noise removal is awesome
once you start using it you will never stop
and it is super easy! as you just have to click to get the noise profile you want to remove, and then remove it ^-^
if i can help in any way, let me know
also there is a podficcer discourt - if you do not know about that yet

[aceoftigers]

Hi! I’m pretty new at this, but I’ve been reading and listening to podfic discussions for a few years now. A great listen on this is the Auralphonic podcast episode on editing, where the three hosts compare their very different editing methods.

I see several folks here have already mentioned the snap/clap method, and I know it’s very popular but it’s just not a good fit for me. What made a huge difference was learning that at least a couple (pretty prolific) podficcers actually edit as they record. Now, obviously, that’s also not for everyone, but I decided to give it a shot and it’s been so much better for me. It means that my recording sessions take a little bit more time, and of course, it is a “destructive” method of editing, in that you won’t have a saved copy of the bits you delete (though you could paste them into a new track to be muted/removed later). But it means that when recording is done, I feel like all of the heavy lifting is over. I do one additional editing pass, listening all the way through, just for timing and mouth/background noises (and once or twice something that I missed while recording!), which is minimal enough that I can often do other computer work simultaneously. I just don't trust myself if I don't listen all the way through at least once.

Oh! And I use a label track to note, at the very least, the start of each chapter, as well as anywhere that I want to add sound effects. During my editing pass, I'll add notes when/if I still need to rerecord something, so that I can easily find where it goes.

I have tens of hours of podfic recorded from before I started editing as I went, and I don’t know when (or if ☹) they’ll ever see the light of day, because the thought of editing them is just So Much.

[atamascolily]

Oooh, thanks for the link to the Auralphonic podcast! I am kinda embarrassed to admit that I don't listen to nearly as many podcasts and podfics as I should... so much out there, so little time. But I will definitely listen to this and see if anything resonates.

I generally record once without stopping except to pause and drink water. Occasionally, I'll playback a phrase I just finished, but mostly I read straight through, and if I make a mistake, I just pause and start over, and then edit it out afterwards. Then when I edit, I just listen, pausing to delete bits that don't sound right or any pauses that are too long, until I get to the end. Then I level, and add music/sfx if I'm doing that. I generally listen to a sample of the level just to make sure it's okay, as well as any transitions.

I am not using labels and bookmarks nearly as much as I should, so thanks for the reminder!

I just don't trust myself if I don't listen all the way through at least once.

I know exactly what you mean!! And I also have a backlog of recorded podfic to edit that I haven't gotten around to doing.

[aceoftigers]

Yeah, your process sounds very similar to what mine used to be, and I know a lot of people work similarly. But the main edit was just so tedious to me that stuff piled up.

When I edit as a go, if I stumble (frequent) I re-read until I get it right, keep reading until the end of the sentence or paragraph, or whatever seems like a good place to pause, but then I can remember right away that, "oh yeah, it's this bit, and I redid it 4 times," whereas if I waited to edit, I wouldn't necessarily remember which parts and how many versions there were, or what I was thinking.

Also, I think the fact of relistening to pieces as I go may help me catch mouth noises or other things that I'd otherwise want to rerecord (which I loathe doing), so that I can rerecord during the same session.

But to give you an idea of the time difference, I spent almost exactly two hours tonight recording and editing as I went, which resulted in about 45 minutes of playback. From past experience, final runtime will be within a couple minutes of that length. In comparison, I have an older recording which I believe was done all in one sitting (not editing as I went), which ran about and hour and 15 minutes, and the edit cut it down to 50 minutes. So it is a lot of added time on the recording side.

While I don't know how long I spent editing the old one, I wouldn't be surprised if it was about two hours, and that was focused, not-doing-anything-else editing, whereas my final editing pass on tonight's will probably only be about 5 minutes more than the current runtime as I adjust pauses and take out mouth noises, and I'll be getting other (non-language-oriented) things done on the computer while I listen. I expect I'll be able to upload it before I go to bed.

And yeah, just because I can't scan audio easily to find a particular spot the way I could with writing, I find labels super-helpful to orient myself.

Sorry, I got really long there, and I don't mean to evangelize, I'm just excited to be talking about my process with other podficcers. I hope you find a method that works for you!

[desireearmfeldt]

One reason "snap now, go back and edit later" is more efficient for me is that I record in a closet with the mic inside the door and the computer outside the door, so it takes a non-trivial amount of time to get to the stop button. I started doing this when my computer was making a lot of fan noise, which I think is actually no longer an issue, so maybe I don't need to set it up this way after all...on the other hand, there's only so much room in the closet. :)

[chestnut_pod]

Definite second to Luzula and others about the clapping thing! If, every time you stumble or notice a real mistake/unwanted sound, you clap, the spike in the visual representation of the sound waves can tip you off to an error. If you do that consistently, you don't have to listen through.

I also find that a pop screen makes editing much shorter. If there are no/fewer pops, then you don't have to edit them out!

I also tend to have multiple podfics on the go -- I record when I'm in a recording mood, so I have several raw audios just hanging out waiting to be edited. And then, if I'm in an editing mood, I can pick and choose what I want to listen to, which doesn't make it shorter but does make it feel like less of a chore.

[atamascolily]

The idea of being able to edit without listening through is just blowing my mind here. I'm going to have to try this!

My problem is that I'm so so so so rarely in an editing mood, so there tends to be a big backlog there. I'm happiest when I can record and edit in one go, and just be done. But that's not always possible, especially with longer works.

It's gotten to the point where I honestly wonder about teaming up with someone who loves editing (if such a person even exists!). I am so jealous of professionals who don't have to do their own editing.

[desireearmfeldt]

I use the visual, but with listening, not instead of. I can't imagine doing it without listening.

I do multiple editing phases. That is, the "snap now and edit later" step, I do in the same step as recording. If it's a longer piece I'm recording in chunks, a single recording session includes editing out all the junk. But then after I have a complete rough draft, I listen through for errors & lines I don't like for whatever reason, noting the time stamp and the problem in a text file. Then I do an editing pass (which for a long podfic, would also be multiple sessions) fixing all the problems. Once I have a final draft, I do things like putting in music or sound effects if I'm using those.

[adastra03]

My process is a lot like yours, desiree, in that I do multiple sessions of recording and editing. For me, the first draft rarely makes it into the final completed podfic file. I use that draft mainly to familiarize myself with the character voices, the narration, the acting beats I want to hit, figuring out where transition sounds/music fit, etc. I still do the typical snapping to visually denote a place in the audio where I am going back to try something again (because of a mistake or just wanting another pass at some dialogue), because I always pretend that some of this first draft might make it into the finished podfic. It never does! But I live in hope. :)

At that point, I start my editing process. Usually I just start at the beginning cutting dead air or pops or snap-marked mistake zones as they arise, but by listening to the whole thing from the beginning I am essentially giving myself a rough beta-listen. I can hear where the cadence is off, or the subtext I intended to convey didn't make it into the spoken dialogue, or I missed an opportunity to make a good acting choice. This feels like the most important part of the process, because it's where I figure out what work actually needs to get done in order to make a successful podfic.

Later I return to the fic and rerecord the entire thing again, usually in a different track on the same document. That way, when I do my next editing pass, I can cut and paste bits from both recording sessions together if I want to. Sometimes I need a third pass of all or parts of the fic to get it perfect. Without those editing passes forcing me to listen to what I've already done, I wouldn't necessarily know how my reading is coming across or what to do differently to get the podfic just how I want it.

To me, editing feels like an active part of the creative effort of making podfic--not the passive chore it seems that some other folks are describing. I wonder if combining the more creative-feeling elements of editing, such as finessing character work, with the more practical ones, like removing mistakes, might help to enliven editing while it's happening.

Alessnox

[(Anonymous)]

Some tips.
Click your tongue or clap twice when you make a mistake. This makes a clear mark you can see to go back to for editing.

Re: Alessnox

[(Anonymous)]

Didn’t see the above comments. Sorry for repeating. New Tip: I suggest you edit from the end backward. Since mistakes are often corrected on the second pass, you can delete the early ones.