Summary of Behind the Scenes: In the Recording Studio for “Life in Five Senses”:
The author narrated the audiobook for his book Life in Five Senses and found the recording process fascinating. He sat in a small dark recording booth with his director and engineer in the next room. He read from a script on an iPad and had to concentrate on reading with expression, while articulating clearly and at the right pace. The director provided a list of words she had checked for pronunciation, but they still had to stop and check some challenging words. The author also experienced an amusing example of a sensory illusion related to how our brains match sights and sounds. He kept a pillow in his lap to muffle stomach noises and had to take breaks while recording the last few pages because he was overcome with emotion. Reading aloud is also a great way to catch issues during the editing process. In the author’s view, listening to an audiobook still counts as “reading” a book.
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Recording an Audiobook: Behind the Scenes with Gretchen Rubin
As an author and narrator, Gretchen Rubin shares her experience of recording the audiobook for her latest publication, Life in Five Senses. Here is a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes.
Preparing for Recording
Rubin, who has narrated most of her works, sat in a small, soundproof booth for three days with a director and engineer monitoring her from the next room. Before recording, the director provided a list of 59 challenging words to check for pronunciation. Rubin also read important passages aloud to catch errors in rhythm, cadence, and flow.
The Nitty-Gritty of Recording
Rubin read from a script on an iPad and paused often to keep hydrated and maintain energy. She concentrated hard not to hurry through dialogues, while keeping her voice expressive with emotions. She continuously reminded herself to relax by keeping her body and shoulders loose and taking deep breaths.
Pronunciation Hacks
The director recommended a pronunciation website, youglish.com, which helps users see various clips of real people pronouncing difficult words or names. Rubin found it especially helpful for words such as “centaur,” “Worcestershire,” and even the word “tastes”, which came up often in her book.
Overcoming Challenges
When Rubin found a particular phrase (“park’s refurbished spring landscape”) hard to read, she practiced until she got it right. She also kept a pillow on her lap to muffle any stomach noises that distracted from recording. However, she struggled with the intensity of the last few pages of the book, which led to several emotional breaks.
The Final Delivery
There was one line in particular that Rubin found challenging to deliver at the end of the audiobook. After reading and re-reading the words and practicing, she finally captured the essence of the experience of reading them to herself. Rubin ultimately hopes her passion for her audiobook will move her listeners as much as it has moved her.
The Aftermath
Recordings usually take a toll on Rubin, but they are also fulfilling for her. Though she finds the process to be draining, it is incredibly rewarding. After all, it is not every day that one is given the opportunity to bring her words to life. Rubin hopes that everyone will enjoy her audiobook as much as she enjoyed recording it.
In Conclusion
Recording an audiobook is not as easy as it sounds. It takes concentration, dedication, patience, and a lot of practice to create a perfect end product. As one of the best-selling authors of our time, Gretchen Rubin is no stranger to hard work and dedication, and her experience recording the audiobook for Life in Five Senses has shown just how much effort and energy goes into making a multi-sensory experience for her listeners.
