Tell me about your ear

[emeraldsedai]

Who here likes audiobooks? Can I ask you some questions?

What's important to you in a reader/narrator/actor--particularly in fiction? Have you ever figuratively thrown an audiobook across the room because some particular thing about the reading bugged the crap out of you?

For example, do you value voice quality above all? Can't stand certain types of

Comments

[roxymissrose]

Oh wow! How cool!

I wish I could be of help to you, but I've only recently started listening to ebooks, and I must confess, only fanfic, which is worlds different than the pro world. :)

I am attracted to the quality of voice, am more attracted to someone who has a mild accent, someone who acts out the story but doesn't make me redo the story in my head as I'm listening. I had the incredible experience of having had one my stories recorded and the person did an amazing job!

Of course, since I only listen to fanfic and fanfic is a woman's world, I've never heard a story read in a male voice. But I would listen to the late, great Rickman read the back of a cereal box.

[emeraldsedai]

Oh, lucky you! I had a fic of mine podficced once and it was truly one of the great moments of my creative life. I'm so glad you've had the same experience. Isn't it a thrill?

I think I know what you mean about being made to redo the story in your head. Even in the pro world, it's all too common to get an audiobook reading where the voice actor doesn't seem to understand the text--intonations and inflections and emphases are wrong, and I find myself re-reading the sentence in my head. That's very frustrating, because it's as if this supposed professional never even looked at the text till they walked into the studio!

The pro audiobook world seems to be largely male dominated. As someone on DW said, I have enough Man Voices in my head without going out of my way to get them on audio, but if a book is well read, the gender of the voice soon disappears.

I'll probably be posting some voice actor samples and taking a poll pretty soon. I'll be sure to let you know about it!

[roxymissrose]

Oh good! I look forward to it! :)

I kind of hate audiobooks so I am not a good judge

[cattraine]

Usually because the pace is wrong (too slow) which drives me nuts, or the voice drones on and on and on or a combo of both. As far as voice quality, I'd definitely listen to James Earl Jones over most female voices, which are often to thin and high pitched.

Re: I kind of hate audiobooks so I am not a good judge

[emeraldsedai]

One of the reasons I'm putting this little survey in the field is that I sent some voice actors' samples to a friend to vote on, and he rejected each of them on the grounds that he couldn't bear this one's accent or that one's vocal tone, or some other objection that was completely invisible (or rather, inaudible) to me.

When questioned, he admitted that he couldn't bear audiobooks in general because there was always something insurmountable for him in every one of them he'd ever tried.

It's a curious phenomenon: are audiobook listeners more auditory, or less? On the one hand, I have a music background; I'm keenly aware of pitch, rhythm, and auditory word choice--I write to be read aloud, and I learn better through my ears than through my eyes. Even when reading, I often literally read aloud

[meus_venator]

I'm not sure what I like about audio books, I know I LOVE juice718's voice. She could read the phone book and I'd listen to it. Smooth, melodious, just the right amount of action in her voice as the script requires, but not excessive. She's a great example that you can listen to her and slip into the story.

So, I think for me, a low toned voice, like juice's. I personally like both men's (I've listened to non spn audiobooks LOL), and women's voices. If it was a man I wouldn't want his voice too deep. I listened to a series of John Grissom novels and they were wonderful. Maybe take some out from a library and do a taste test.

Not too heavy accents. Sometimes it's hard enough holding the words in your head without fighting through an accent, so I'd go classic newscaster voice style, in either British or North American english.

My two cents : )

[emeraldsedai]

Can you recommend a couple of Juice 287's top podfics? I'd love to listen!

[meus_venator]

juice817 has hundreds posted here on AO3
https://archiveofourown.org/users/juice817/pseuds/juice817/works?fandom_id=2031

Now, she might be too 'American' sounding for your story. I don't think I've heard her read a period piece.

They are all pretty awesome.

[emeraldsedai]

I know that voice! I downloaded a couple of her things and she's really familiar. I must have listened to some of her things in the past. She's very good!

Restraint does call for a genuine British voice. Once upon a time, Fayjay/Pandarus podficced the first three-quarters of the fanfic version and it was one of the greatest joys of my creative life: a transformative work of my own work! Amazing experience.

[freekydj]

I know I'm late to the party, but I was curious; did you ever find the voice of Restraint? I listed to the podfic years ago, and since have reread the story many times.

I have become an almost exclusively audiobook/podfic person due to neck issues making it hard to read for extended periods. I've even resorted to the just bearable text to speech programs in order to continue to "read" stories I wish to. I would love to purchase a copy of the finished audiobook once it is released!