Gary, 2 years later and your info is still paying it forward. Believe it or not I have been wracking my brain for hours trying to figure this out and you made it so simple. God bless
I watched several videos claiming to help with this, only to spend time watching videos! You cleared it all up! Thank you so much. Another new subscriber!
Sweet Lord, you have another subscriber. I started narrating with a friend a year ago during a shutdown at my employer, Volkswagen, after a month he quit but I kept doing narrations because people said I had the voice for it so I tried out on ACX. After 40 failed auditions I landed my first job which was exhilarating to say the least but I found myself back at square 1 once again, Noise Floor? RMS? Peak? I had no idea what this was. After slaying that dragon I found myself with Bit Rate and encoding errors, then I found your video after countless searching, bravo sir. You really helped me out.
I am so pleased you didn’t give up. ACX do tend to bamboozle with their impenetrable metrics, but your tenacity has paid off and I am sure you will be narrating many more books in the future. Many thanks for subscribing.
Gary, Thank you for your kind information. You helped me come down from the panic mode on the kbps message! Now to fix the other two problems from ACX, and I hope that you have more videos about those. You have a wonderful voice and very easy to understand your teaching. Thanks again. 💃💃💃👏👏👏
Super helpful video!! I'm not very confident in editing audio files, but your instructions gave me a boost of confidence after being able to quickly edit my files. THANK YOU!!
Gosh, thank you so much for keeping this simple and straight forward to the point. It worked! You got a new subscriber:) Also, a fellow VO (10+ years) you have a great voice!
Thank you...but for those of you whose screen does not look like his. It still works, you just have to make sure you click on mp3 file and a screen will pop up that looks similar to his but is not the same. I have the latest version 3.2.4 that I downloaded on 12.13.23 and so some things look a little different so it's the same concept as he describes, the screen just looks a bit different. hope that helps for those whose screen does not look the same.
Thank you so much for this video! I'm working to be more proficient and effective in editing my voice over work in Audacity, and you really helped me out with this video!
Interesting. Just an observation, whilst ACX have set this as their preferred bit rate, and 192 kbps maybe considered higher quality, I doubt any one could pick out the difference between this and 128. (192 kbps Vs WAV, fair enough). Also, resaving to 192 from 128 does not intrinsically boost the quality, in much the same way transfering old VHS taps to DVD doesn't magicaly make the footage DVD quality. Although I'm sure you're aware of this, and this is a neat, clever work around for voice over people, that's likely saved a good few files from having to be re-recorded. Hope you don't mind the comment, thanks for upload :)
Yes I think you are right. A far bigger determinant of audio quality is room noise/reverberation. A listener probably wouldn’t notice a degradation in sound at 128kbps, but they certainly would hear the voice bouncing off windows and walls! Thanks for taking time to comment, it is much appreciated.
I have done all the acx requirements and it is ready for distribution. BUT, I would also like to sell my audiobook download on my own website. Do you know how to convert multiple mp3 files to a single m4b file so that is possible? How can I make an audiobook for download on my website that works as it should with chapters and bookmarked playback?
To convert multiple MP3 files to a single M4B file for distributing your audiobook on your website, you can use audio editing software or dedicated audiobook creation tools. One popular software option is iTunes, which allows you to import your MP3 files and convert them into an M4B file format. Once you have the M4B file, you can upload it to your website for visitors to download. To ensure proper functionality with chapters and bookmarked playback, you may need to use an audiobook player plugin or software that supports these features. Good luck!
I do video and have a good understanding of codecs and export settings in Final Cut. However, my understanding of bitrates in audio is poor. Do you have a video going into detail with audio in general? I remember a video from Larry Jordan where he shortly speaks about audio bitrates and how to save storage space.
Hi Mike, that sounds like one for the sound engineers. As my sphere of expertise is voice over where you only need to know enough so it sounds good. Audio recording is a huge, complex area, but I do have a few videos about achieving a good sound from your mic and setting up a home studio ua-cam.com/video/_3cbHGYyBsI/v-deo.html
ACX changed something and it's really frustrating, I can't figure this out. In their resolution section, they have changed the kbps to db. But on Audacity it still says kpbs. Do you know how to convert this or tell the difference? I've been searching the internet and don't know what to do. ACX customer service didn't even know what to do...
Bit rate, measured in Kbps, is all about quality - the higher the number, the better the quality. When ACX talks about db they are referring to the decibels… in other words loudness. They often quote RMS levels which stipulate how loud your recording has to be.
Hello Sir, I use to record live stage programmes through amplifier and edit audio in audacity before uploading it in my channel through which I comment here. All the songs are clear but the volume/bitrate is low. Can you please make a video on it?
Yes it does. The higher the bit rate the better the audio; audiobooks can be very long and take up huge amounts of server space, which is why Audible uses the compressed MP3 format. If they were to opt for WAV (the finest lossless quality) they would need 10 x the number of servers.
If they wanted the highest possible quality why aren't they stricter about the types of microphones the narrators use and insist that it be sent 24 bits instead of only 16?
If they wanted the very best quality, then WAV would be the preferred choice. However this file type would be 10X the size of an MP3 and as such prohibitively expensive for ACX to operate due to the extra number of server storage required.
@@GaryTerzza I work in a Canadian television broadcast centre. We talk about file sizes in gigs. Other audio book sellers support higher bit rates and rich media. However, they have become the site where authors really must list their books. Hopefully they will make changes soon.
@@seanwebb605 I am sure they will eventually, but to be honest so long as the mic, acoustics and recording quality are good, most listeners wouldn't notice the difference between a Wav and 192 kbps mp3.
@@GaryTerzza A listener whose ear hasn’t been trained to tell the difference between various types of microphones and their pickup patterns, frequency and sample rates probably won’t bat an eye. If the quality is poor enough it will impact their experience even if they can’t qualify what is wrong. Now when the cost of good media devices, headphones and such goes down they will have higher quality media available to them. It will be like switching your TV channel from a true 4K image to and old 525 scan line analogue channel. Or worse you’ll have the old antiquated content loaded with the new superior quality content on a device that really focuses on the contrast. Imagine upconverting items to VHS and playing them on a quality display.
I have a mono record at 16bit 44.1Khz and need 8 bit 8Khz How I can change this? I tried changing the sample rate but the sound change as an 45RPM disc running at 16RPM.
As a humble voice over coach, that question is beyond my knowledge base I’m afraid, but I’m sure there will be an audiophile out there who can provide a solution…
![[Tutorial] Audacity for ACX - Remove breaths, mouth noises and meet ACX Requirements](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wnutKoBzmpA/mqdefault.jpg)
Gary, 2 years later and your info is still paying it forward. Believe it or not I have been wracking my brain for hours trying to figure this out and you made it so simple. God bless
I’m so pleased you found the info useful Kathy. Thank you for taking the time to write your kind comment.
I watched several videos claiming to help with this, only to spend time watching videos! You cleared it all up! Thank you so much. Another new subscriber!
Glad to be of service and thank you for the sub!
Sweet Lord, you have another subscriber. I started narrating with a friend a year ago during a shutdown at my employer, Volkswagen, after a month he quit but I kept doing narrations because people said I had the voice for it so I tried out on ACX. After 40 failed auditions I landed my first job which was exhilarating to say the least but I found myself back at square 1 once again, Noise Floor? RMS? Peak? I had no idea what this was. After slaying that dragon I found myself with Bit Rate and encoding errors, then I found your video after countless searching, bravo sir. You really helped me out.
I am so pleased you didn’t give up. ACX do tend to bamboozle with their impenetrable metrics, but your tenacity has paid off and I am sure you will be narrating many more books in the future. Many thanks for subscribing.
Not me on the phone with a whole music engineer trying to figure this out! Thanks, Gary!
I hope you got it sorted 👍
Gary, Thanks a lot for your sharp, straightforward, no-b/s excellent tutorial !
And thank you for your supportive comment. It’s much appreciated 🙏
Gary, Thank you for your kind information. You helped me come down from the panic mode on the kbps message! Now to fix the other two problems from ACX, and I hope that you have more videos about those. You have a wonderful voice and very easy to understand your teaching. Thanks again.
💃💃💃👏👏👏
Thank you for your lovely comments and I hope I can provide more solutions to VO questions in the future.
Thank you so much. Huge sigh of relief after all my hard work.
Phew - I’m pleased you got it sorted. Good luck 🤞🏻
Hello Mr. Terzza wow you are very good w explaining.. been trying all week to understand it from others. thanks for being so thorough!
Thank you 🙏 I am pleased the video was useful.
THANK YOU!!!! I don't know why my settings changed, but you just saved me from so much headache!!!!!!!!!!!
I am pleased you have managed to get your settings back to normal (sounds like a nightmare 😧 trying to remember what they were)
Thank you! Thank you!! I'm a new audiobook producer and was hitting the "PANIC" button.....but you saved me!! Thanks!👍👍
I am pleased the video was useful. Good luck with your audiobook production!
Super helpful video!! I'm not very confident in editing audio files, but your instructions gave me a boost of confidence after being able to quickly edit my files. THANK YOU!!
I am pleased the video helped with your editing - glad to be of service👍
Thank you! I could understand what you were trying to explain and it worked! Saved me a lot of angst.
I am pleased the explanation worked 👍
I subbed!
Easy and straight to the point.
Hell yeah.
Thanks for subscribing and for your kind comment. Much appreciated 🙏
Gosh, thank you so much for keeping this simple and straight forward to the point. It worked! You got a new subscriber:) Also, a fellow VO (10+ years) you have a great voice!
You are welcome - I am pleased it worked. Thank you very much for subscribing 🙏
Thank you...but for those of you whose screen does not look like his. It still works, you just have to make sure you click on mp3 file and a screen will pop up that looks similar to his but is not the same. I have the latest version 3.2.4 that I downloaded on 12.13.23 and so some things look a little different so it's the same concept as he describes, the screen just looks a bit different. hope that helps for those whose screen does not look the same.
You are correct, Audacity has been updated since I recorded the video. Thank you for providing the useful update👍
Thank you so much for this video! I'm working to be more proficient and effective in editing my voice over work in Audacity, and you really helped me out with this video!
You are most welcome 🙏 Good luck with your voice overs and your Audacity editing!
This was great Gary T !! Peace my brother
Glad it was useful DJ Fingers!
Thank you so much! I have been trying to figure this out for a week!
I am glad you found the video helpful.
You just saved my podcast and my peace of mind, plus: you earned a subscriber!! THANKS A LOT!!
I am pleased it worked! Good luck with the podcast.
Thank you SO SO MUCH! I was ripping my hair out trying to figure this out.
I am pleased you got the issue sorted. Thank you for taking time to comment.
Thanks for your tutorial help..I never wouldve known how to change it otherwise to "pass" on ACX
My pleasure - I am pleased the video was of some use.
Interesting. Just an observation, whilst ACX have set this as their preferred bit rate, and 192 kbps maybe considered higher quality, I doubt any one could pick out the difference between this and 128. (192 kbps Vs WAV, fair enough). Also, resaving to 192 from 128 does not intrinsically boost the quality, in much the same way transfering old VHS taps to DVD doesn't magicaly make the footage DVD quality. Although I'm sure you're aware of this, and this is a neat, clever work around for voice over people, that's likely saved a good few files from having to be re-recorded. Hope you don't mind the comment, thanks for upload :)
Yes I think you are right. A far bigger determinant of audio quality is room noise/reverberation. A listener probably wouldn’t notice a degradation in sound at 128kbps, but they certainly would hear the voice bouncing off windows and walls! Thanks for taking time to comment, it is much appreciated.
Thank you, Gary!!!
My pleasure 😇
Thanks so much for the explanation. This tutorial helped me a lot
My pleasure José. Good luck with your home recordings.
Thanks very much from Costa Rica
Thanks for watching from your beautiful country👍
Another tip-top tip, thank you Gary :)
Thanks for the kind comment Helen.
So simple and easy, thanks so much!
I am pleased it worked for you Kevin.
Very helpful. Thank you so much * Cheers
I’m pleased the video was useful. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Thank you for the help!!
You’re welcome and thanks for taking the time to comment.
Thank you Gary 😘
You are welcome 🙏
thank you so much for this :)
Glad to be of service and thank you for taking time to comment.
Amazing, Thnk you SO Much!
I hope the video was useful and thanks for the comment Morgan.
Thank you so much!
You are welcome. Thank you for taking time to comment - it is much appreciated.
Very helpful, thank you 😊
I am glad the explanation helped - thanks for taking time to comment.
Awesome - thank you!!!
Glad the tips were useful.
I have done all the acx requirements and it is ready for distribution. BUT, I would also like to sell my audiobook download on my own website. Do you know how to convert multiple mp3 files to a single m4b file so that is possible? How can I make an audiobook for download on my website that works as it should with chapters and bookmarked playback?
To convert multiple MP3 files to a single M4B file for distributing your audiobook on your website, you can use audio editing software or dedicated audiobook creation tools. One popular software option is iTunes, which allows you to import your MP3 files and convert them into an M4B file format.
Once you have the M4B file, you can upload it to your website for visitors to download. To ensure proper functionality with chapters and bookmarked playback, you may need to use an audiobook player plugin or software that supports these features.
Good luck!
You are a STAR! THANK YOU!
Glad it solved your problem 👍
thank you
You’re welcome.
Thanks you!!
My pleasure 😇
I do video and have a good understanding of codecs and export settings in Final Cut. However, my understanding of bitrates in audio is poor. Do you have a video going into detail with audio in general? I remember a video from Larry Jordan where he shortly speaks about audio bitrates and how to save storage space.
Hi Mike, that sounds like one for the sound engineers. As my sphere of expertise is voice over where you only need to know enough so it sounds good. Audio recording is a huge, complex area, but I do have a few videos about achieving a good sound from your mic and setting up a home studio ua-cam.com/video/_3cbHGYyBsI/v-deo.html
File is encoded at an incorrect sample rate. Re-encode the original source audio to 44.1kHz. - how is this part changed? thanks
If you want to change the project sample rate, simply press the down arose and you will say various alternative Hz options.
Thanks!
You are welcome 🙏 I hope the video was useful.
@@GaryTerzza yes it been to the point. You have my like :)
Thank you!
You are welcome 🙏
thanks!
You are welcome and thanks for the comment.
i like this
Thank you!
ACX changed something and it's really frustrating, I can't figure this out. In their resolution section, they have changed the kbps to db. But on Audacity it still says kpbs. Do you know how to convert this or tell the difference? I've been searching the internet and don't know what to do. ACX customer service didn't even know what to do...
Bit rate, measured in Kbps, is all about quality - the higher the number, the better the quality. When ACX talks about db they are referring to the decibels… in other words loudness. They often quote RMS levels which stipulate how loud your recording has to be.
Hello Sir, I use to record live stage programmes through amplifier and edit audio in audacity before uploading it in my channel through which I comment here. All the songs are clear but the volume/bitrate is low. Can you please make a video on it?
That sounds like something I might do in the future. Thank you for making the time to comment.
@@GaryTerzza Mike Russel advised to normalise and gain audio. May I do that only?
But that works. I got a better bit rate with good sound.
@@baulfakiri I would always defer to Mike Russell's advice. He is the master😉
2;48 minutes for this?
I like to keep the videos short ‘n sweet.
So basically if I import audio that’s 132kbps into audacity but then export it out at 192kbps, ACX will still accept my audio?
So long as you export to 192 Kbps, this should be fine for ACX requirements.
Does it really improve any significant differences with quality?
Yes it does. The higher the bit rate the better the audio; audiobooks can be very long and take up huge amounts of server space, which is why Audible uses the compressed MP3 format. If they were to opt for WAV (the finest lossless quality) they would need 10 x the number of servers.
@@GaryTerzza BUT If I change 128 to 320, that would improve the quality?
@@maxmahaney6963 Yes indeed.
you didn't tell us what software we need to D/L to view change the bit rates ? Thanks
I use Audacity as the DAW
If they wanted the highest possible quality why aren't they stricter about the types of microphones the narrators use and insist that it be sent 24 bits instead of only 16?
If they wanted the very best quality, then WAV would be the preferred choice. However this file type would be 10X the size of an MP3 and as such prohibitively expensive for ACX to operate due to the extra number of server storage required.
@@GaryTerzza I work in a Canadian television broadcast centre. We talk about file sizes in gigs. Other audio book sellers support higher bit rates and rich media. However, they have become the site where authors really must list their books. Hopefully they will make changes soon.
@@seanwebb605 I am sure they will eventually, but to be honest so long as the mic, acoustics and recording quality are good, most listeners wouldn't notice the difference between a Wav and 192 kbps mp3.
@@GaryTerzza A listener whose ear hasn’t been trained to tell the difference between various types of microphones and their pickup patterns, frequency and sample rates probably won’t bat an eye. If the quality is poor enough it will impact their experience even if they can’t qualify what is wrong. Now when the cost of good media devices, headphones and such goes down they will have higher quality media available to them. It will be like switching your TV channel from a true 4K image to and old 525 scan line analogue channel. Or worse you’ll have the old antiquated content loaded with the new superior quality content on a device that really focuses on the contrast. Imagine upconverting items to VHS and playing them on a quality display.
I have a mono record at 16bit 44.1Khz and need 8 bit 8Khz How I can change this?
I tried changing the sample rate but the sound change as an 45RPM disc running at 16RPM.
As a humble voice over coach, that question is beyond my knowledge base I’m afraid, but I’m sure there will be an audiophile out there who can provide a solution…
320 is better
Of course - the higher the bit rate, the better the quality. However that is not always the requirement in voice overs.