UPDATED: Markmasters Trilogy Promo and Demo

[Scribe]

Hey there. I've done a promo for my podiobook using my trilogy's blurb, but I'm not sure how it is length and pacing wise. Is it too long/fast? Is the music too loud or distracting? Anything I should add or leave off?

Also, I've recorded a demo version of my prologue, just to get some comments and criticism. I would really appreciate some help in knowing where I can improve!

Here's the script for the promo:

Princess Arianna is set to inherit a broken kingdom, whose ruling class is more concerned with appearance and finery than reconstructing a land ravished by five centuries of war. Barely two months after her fourteenth birthday, she abandons the overwhelming responsibility in search of the confidence she needs to become a worthy ruler for her people. But when she discovers that her trusted companion intends to hand her over to a hostile kingdom, Arianna’s journey of self-discovery becomes the catalyst for war.

Now, pursued by Magic-wielding enemy soldiers, Arianna puts her trust in a wandering Mage and a timid but clever slave-boy and embarks on a journey that force them to see beyond class and country, and test their courage on the breaking wave of conflict.

The Markmasters Trilogy - Book I - The Mark of Flight, by L. Scribe Harris. For more information, please visit markmastertrilogy.blogspot.com

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for all the great comments! Taking your advice, I've redone the promo, and I've also adjusted the balance of the prologue. Hopefully, it all sounds much better. What do you think? Any further suggestions? Thanks so much!

[Chris Tinniswood]

Hello Scribe,

Firstly, your voice comes over clearly and confidently, so well done there. It felt it a bit odd when the music ran out before the end of the promo, though. Perhaps a fade in on the music might help, too, although that's probably down to personal taste.

When I listened to the beginning of the first episode, all the music came out of the right ear of my headphones, and then the voice came over in the centre, but after the music ended, the voice switched to the left ear and stayed there.

I had a similar problem with my first attempt at a promo. I ended up recording the voice in mono (which made it a lot louder too) and the music in stereo, keeping the voice dead centre.

Also, when I visited your website address, it came up with Blog not found!

Hope this helps.

Chris

[Scribe]

Ah. Okay. I got really confused when the site said it wanted everything in stereo. I had been recording in mono, but then I switched it over to stereo after that...maybe I should switch it back to mono, record, and then switch it back to stereo when I export.

Thanks for the advice! I appreciate the time you took to listen. :)

[Albert Steve Frye]

Hi, Scribe.

I, too, thought it felt a bit odd when the music stopped.
I'd also like to add that to me it sounded like you were speaking just a little too fast. I like to sit back, relax, and listen to a voice moving at a comfortable pace. Unfortunately, I felt myself getting tense and concentrating on catching what you were saying. On the other hand, you may have been trying for that affect, in which case it worked for me :-)

[Scribe]

Haha, I wish I could say that was what I was going for. Honestly, I was trying to finish before the music ran out. Oops... XD

I'm going to try to extend the music clip, or figure out a way to cut the promo's length. Thanks for the reinforcement on that--the second opinion has made up my mind to work on the pacing and the music for the promo. It's important. Thanks a lot!

[Craig Robertson]

Strong work. I did not have a chance to listen w/headsets, but Evo wisely advises we listen loud w / headsets when editing or making critical decisions, so make certain you do. I too like you voice. I think a bit more enthusiasm /energy would help; experiment, digital recordings are cheap. In the sample and even more in the promo, I think I'm hearing some echo. Make certain you record is as padded a place as you can make, hang blankets on the walls, on the floors, make it look like a boy's dorm room. In terms of mono vs stereo, I'm not a techy, and one will probalbly write here also, but I've learned that some Podiobook listeners only use one ear bud (driving for eg.) so make sure everything is present in both. The 'dual stereo' recommendation has to do with how your recording software and itunes stores your file, it is done automatically if you transfer the files correctly, so don't worry about that in recording. Again, strong work. PS: In terms of energy in narration, I always suggest listening the Chris' voice in The House of Grey. It's also a great story, but check out his narration style....craig

[Scribe]

Thanks for those suggestions! I wish there were something I could do about the echo...but I live in Japan, where the walls are supremely uninsulated, and my landlord doesn't allow pins or nails in the wall, so covering the walls with blankets is out. I wonder if I can work out recording in my closet...XD My only other option, I suppose, is to cover myself and my microphone with a blanket--living-room-tent style. Oh well, I'll think of something. Thanks for noticing that--I never would have.

I'll give a listen to the book you suggested--I'm currently quite enjoying Philippa Ballantine's narration style. The prologue doesn't have as much energy, because I was going for more age and gravity with the character. Maybe that's a mistake...I will try a second recording when I get the chance.

Thanks so much for the helpful comments. "make it look like a boy's dorm room" <--*lol*

Scribe

[Nathan Lowell]

If you create your narration track as a single mono track, you can then duplicate it and turn the two into stereo that matches perfectly. That'll avoid the track swapping problem.

Mix the music after your narration.

The promo is good, but you're speeding up as you go and that change in pace is a bit distracting.

The "Now" gets bitten off and loses it's punch. Since you're trying to get it done within the frame of the music, what would it do to cut out that whole middle paragraph.

[Scribe]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try doing that with the narration. I ran it past my roommate as well, and she said the same thing as everyone else--too fast, and the music doesn't match.

Thanks for the tip on mono and stereo. I'll give that a shot. I'll likely invest in nicer headphones when I get paid next.

As for cutting the middle paragraph...I can see where that would work. Unfortunately, I'm not really sure that sacrifice is going to give back as much as it takes away. I think I'll cut out a few adjectives and see how it reads. ;)

Thanks for the listen and the suggestions/advice. I appreciate it. :)

[Nathan Lowell]

ya .. that's a tough balance. . trying to find how much of the overall arc and how much of the current story to pimp out.

as it sits, this promo is barely what? 55 seconds? can you fudge the music to give yourself a full minute of bed music? I've done that more than once and if you're careful to keep the splice underneath a bit of narration and keep the beat of the music consistent, very very few people will notice if you add in a few bars by repeating a refrain. Get the best of both worlds that way.

[Scribe]

Thanks for the input. I've redone the promo and it's now just over a minute. I fudged the music a bit an d added in a few measures to give myself more time. My roommate said exactly the same thing you all did, and she thought it sounded much better after the update. :) Thanks for the advice!