Instructional Videos

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Welcome to our comprehensive list of LibriVox video tutorials

Hey, you found our Instructional Videos!! Enjoyment and enlightenment is just a click away. Why be completely befuddled when you can watch a video and be slightly less befuddled??!!

Found a mistake or bad link? Got a need for a specific topic? Give us some feedback at the end of the VIDEO TUTORIALS FOR LIBRIVOX forum

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Help with LibriVox and Related Stuff

Welcome to LibriVox Videos

  • Welcome to LibriVox: Click to see video Just a short, stumbling but warm welcome from Phil to new people. Nothing technical but it does contain jewels like how to pronounce LibriVox, our niceness is awesome, we are all volunteers, we make the world a better place, and other neat stuff.
  • Welcome to LibriVox: An Overview - Who We Are and What We Do Click to see video An overview of LibriVox. Who we are, what we do and a bit about the kinds of audiobooks we have. Old, but like me, still contains good parts.
  • Welcome to LibriVox: Finding Audiobooks 'N Stuff in Our Catalog Click to see video Some tricks to find just the right audiobook, collection, or reader you like the most.
  • Welcome to LibriVox: Getting to Know Our Forums Click to see video A video that explains the basic parts of our forum and lots of good stuff about it. This was updated in 2018.
  • Don't Quit LibriVox - at least not yet! Click to see video Frustrated? Thinking of quitting LibriVox? Here's some encouragement to hang in there a bit longer and give it another try. You've made it this far, why quit now?

Getting Started with Recording

  • 7 Steps to Recording for LibriVox (by Phil) Click to see video Eager to get started? This video will walk you though the steps from just starting, all the way to recording your first section. And get your recording quickly!! This video has links to the videos you will need.
  • 10 Steps to Start Contributing to LibriVox! (by Andy Glover) - Click to see video This short video is a clear, step-by-step walk through from registration, through your 1-minute test, and finally uploading your first recording.
  • Installing Audacity Click to see video A short video on how to install Audacity 2.4.2 - done October 2020.
  • The LibriVox Recording Process: Is it Magic? Click to see video This video explains how a book progresses from being suggested to finally being recorded and cataloged. Jargon such as BC, MC, PL and DPL are explained.
  • Setting Up Your LibriVox Technical Specs in Audacity 2.3.0 and 3.2.4 Click to see video It is easy to do. Setting up your bit rate, sample rate and all that other technical stuff. This 4 minute video will walk you through it step by step. Note: for Audacity 2.3.0 version and it also works for 3.2.4!!! Let me know if later versions call for an update, OK?
  • How To Make Your 1 Minute Test + the Script! Click to see video. Well, this shows how to find the script and then to make and save your 1-minute test. What more can I say?
  • How to upload your 1-minute test Revised 2022 Click to see video This video explains how to upload your 1-minute test recording.
  • LibriVox: I'm New, What Should I Read First? Click to see video Just received the OK on your 1-minute test? This video shows you how to find our Weekly poem, record, and upload it successfully. A fun and easy way to start your recording career!
  • Doing Your First Solo Click to see video A saunter through the normal steps for setting up and doing stuff for your first solo. Mainly it concerns how to keep things up to date in the Magic Window since you are the Book Coordinator (BC) for your project. Revised Oct 2013.
  • File Names: Saving and Uploading a File to LibriVox Click to see video How to correctly name a file for Librivox. This video explains where to get the information to correctly complete file names before you upload a file; how to upload the file and then how to post the link in the project thread.
  • How I Edit My Recordings Click to see the video This video is a demonstration of how I use Audacity to edit my raw recordings. Not intended as a guide to follow, just as an example of how one LV recorder (me) has learned to clean up a track to produce the file I ultimately upload. This is the second video done in 2012 after I'd learned some new stuff.
  • Twisted Wave on an iPhone/iPad (by Mark Nelson) Click to see video Yes you can record and edit on an iPhone or iPad using Twisted Wave. This 5 minute video shows you how.

Additional Recording Tips

  • Getting to 89 Decibels the Easy Way for Audacity before 3.2.4 Click to see video I use this effect to quickly adjust all of my Audacity tracks to 89 decibels. It's quick and simple
  • 89 Decibels - Easy Peasy for Audacity 3.2.4 and later Click to see video Same as above: they just moved the Effect around a bit, so I made an updated video. Who says I'm not on top of things?! And it's still quick and simple. (as of July 2023)
  • How I Record: Some Videos Made by LibriVox Volunteers Showing their Set-up and Their Method of Recording. Click to see video of Phil's set-up We are all different and may have solved problems you are having. Done in 2022.
  • ReplayGain: How to Install it in Audacity Click to see video ReplayGain is an effect that shows you how loud or soft your recording (or any part of it) is in relation to 89 dB. This shows how to get the plug-in, and then get it to work in Audacity. Another video shows how to use it. Made Dec 2019.
  • How to Download the Checker Program & Find Your Decibel Level Click to see video The latest Clicker program as of September 2019. First 4 minutes about downloading it and the rest on how to find your dB (decibel) level. Have fun!
  • The Checker Program - Finding the Exact Decibel Level of Your Recording Click to see video
  • Keeping Track of Your LibriVox Commitments Click to see video Ever wonder what you've signed up to do? Here is a built-in tool to help you and me. Three tools built into the LibriVox Forums to keep complete control of your projects and commitments. May 2022.
  • Oh Dear! I Deleted my Recording! Click to see video If you've been told to edit your recording but can't find it, here's how to easily download it from our server (assuming you have ever uploaded it :))
  • Using Your Eyes to Tell Your Volume Level in Audacity Click to see video Using your eyes and ears to get a good volume level. It works for me.
  • A Quick Tool to Estimate Your Volume Level in Audacity Click to see video using a built-in tool to put those 0.5 lines across your track instead of having to guess where they are. Very useful.
  • Linking to Google Docs in the Magic Window Click to see video Using Google Docs allows Book Coordinators to make it easier for the readers. This video explains how to set up and use Google Docs to do this.
  • Is Anyone Listening to my Recording? Click to see video A simple way to see how many people have downloaded your recording.

Proof Listening Videos

  • Getting into the Magic Window for the First Time Click to see video New Book Coordinators and DPLs need a new password to do this. This video explains how to get that. It's really easy.
  • The DPL and the Magic Window: Getting In and Posting Stuff Click to see video New DPLs (Dedicated Proof Listeners) are sometimes not aware of how to get into the Magic Window and post their listening results. This video simply explains how to do that. It does not cover the actual duties of a DPL which are complex and wonderful.
  • Proof Listening 101 Click to see video The 3 main things a standard proof listener checks, plus what they do not need to check. For beginners eager to get started with proof listening.
  • Proof Listening 102 Click to see video How to find things to proof listen and then how to report your findings. Also for beginners.
  • Proof Listening 103 Click to see video Checking those technical thingies when you proof listen; for the more technically astute and not required for standard level, but appreciated by the Meta Coordinator if you wish to do it.

General Forum Videos

  • Put a Clickable Link in Your LibriVox Signature Click to see video Spiffy up your Signature with links to web sites or even to your LibriVox Personal Page! Let the world access your stuff!
  • Some Cool Things in our LibriVox Forum Click to see video This video explains ways to keep track of your projects using Bookmarks and Subscriptions, as well as your personal catalog page. Also covers some of those strange forum symbols.
  • Your User Control Panel Click to see video Want to add a signature? Want to change your location? Desire to surf our forums incognito? Bookmarks? Subscriptions? Smilies? Yes, all this and more can be controlled from your User Control Panel.

THE MAGIC WINDOW - How to get into it and keep it neat and tidy

  • Getting Into the Magic Window For the First Time Click to see video New Book Coordinators (BCs) and Dedicated Proof Listeners (DPLs] must make a password the first time. This video shows you how to do that. It is really simple.

Help with Audacity: A few short videos about this great editing program

The Basics

  • Audacity: Setting Up Your LibriVox Technical Specs Click to see video It is easy to do. Setting up your bit rate, sample rate and all that other technical stuff. This 3-minute video will walk you through it step by step.
  • Audacity: Basic Editing Click to see video The basic editing tasks explained: noise reduction; cutting out mistakes; recording and pasting in new phrases; cutting spaces; compression; amplification.
  • Audacity: An Overview for the Completely Bewildered Click to see video New to Audacity? Wonder what all those buttons and funny thingies are? This video will get you recording in just a few minutes and explain which buttons are most useful and which to avoid. Intended mainly for LibriVox recorders.

More Editing

  • Audacity: May 2022 Getting to 89 Decibels the Easy Way: Click to see video I use this effect to quickly adjust all of my Audacity tracks to 89 decibels. It's quick and simple.
  • Audacity: Replacing wrong words with right words Click to see video Title says it all. October 2022.
  • Audacity: "Not Enough Room" error message - how to fix Click to see video Frustrated by this error message? Not any longer!
  • Audacity: Replacing words in Audacity Click to see video Everyone needs to remove wrong words and replace them with the right ones. This 3-minute video shows you how I do it. 2022
  • Audacity: Fixing Your DC Offset Click to see video. Have you been told that you have DC offset? Don't worry, it's not serious and it's an easy fix; watch this.
  • Audacity: The Notch Filter Click to see video The Notch Filter is designed to eliminate hums and whistles; anything that is centered around one frequency. A useful tool.
  • Audacity: The Compressor Effect Explained Click to see video Spikes-Be-Gone. Reduce or remove those annoying spikes from your track without bothering the low parts. Next to Noise Reduction, one of the most amazingly useful effects.
  • Audacity: Some Parts of My Recording Are too Loud and Others too SoftClick to see video. This video describes how to use Compressor to bring down those loud parts of a whole file so that you can amplify the rest if needed.
  • Audacity: Finding Those Elusive Clicks and Pops Click to see video. Sometimes clicks and pops are hidden inside words and are hard to find. This is a simple technique I use to find and eliminate 'em.
  • Audacity: How to Install ReplayGain into AudacityClick to see video ReplayGain is an effect that shows you how loud or soft your recording (or any part of it) is in relation to 89 dB. This shows how to get the plug-in and then get it to work in Audacity. Another video shows how to use it; in fact, it is right below this one!! Made Dec 2019.
  • Audacity: ReplayGain: Getting your Volume to 89 dB the Easy Way Click to see video. A built-in Effect that shows you exactly how much to amplify your track to get it very close to 89 dB.
  • How I Edit Plays and Dramatic Works Click to see video Just a video showing how I edit plays and stuff to show how easy it is.
  • Using the Notch Filter to Remove A 90 Hz Hum Click to see video Nothing fancy; just had a perfect track to show how an annoying hum can be identified and then zapped out.
  • Audacity: Plosive Repair or Killing the Popping P's Click to see video It's best to avoid plosives, but if you do find some, here's how to get rid of them.
  • Audacity: Removing An Unwanted Sentence Click to see video Just a quick video showing how to remove an unwanted sentence from a track. At the special request of Tom Heckhaus! Hi Tom!

Fixing Technical Problems

  • Audacity: Changing Your Bitrate Click to see video Have you been told your bitrate is wrong? Well, if you use Audacity, it is easy to fix. New video October 2020
  • Audacity: Fixing Your Sample Rate for LibriVox Click to see video. LibriVox needs the sample rate of 44100 Hz. If you have been told yours is wrong this is how to correct it with Audacity. Very quick and easy.

NEW *Audacity: Converting a Stereo Track to Mono 2.3.0 Click to see video In one easy click in Audacity! Yes, this is finally an update done in August 2019 with the version shown above. Still fun and still gluten-free.

Noise Removal

  • Audacity: Noise Removal in Audacity - 2.3.0 Cclick to see video An updated version of how to lower that pesky background noise in version 2.3.0 of Audacity. It's easy! Watch this. April 2020.
  • Audacity: How Much Noise Reduction Should I Use? Click to see video. Noise reduction can be overdone. Using the built-in Spectrum Analyzer, you can see how many dBs would be best to use to reach -72 (my personal level).
  • Audacity Noise Removal: What Do Those Slider Thingies Do? Click to watch video The 4 adjustment bars in Noise Removal can be confusing. This video explains what each of them does: Noise Reduction, Sensitivity, Frequency Smoothing, and Attack/Delay.

Keyboard Shortcuts and Macros

  • Audacity: Using the "Z" Key for Smoooth Cuts Click to see Video How to use the Z key to avoid those annoying clicks when our cuts don't fall on zero crossings.
  • Audacity: Use the "C" Key Before You Cut Click to see video The C key in Audacity allows you to listen to what your track will sound like with the selection removed. An easy way to be sure you are removing the exact section you want to get rid of. Like the Z key, this is a sort of built-in hot key and invaluable for quick accurate editing.
  • Audacity: How to Personalize Your Keyboard Shortcuts Click to see video. Keyboard shortcuts can make editing much easier and smoother, especially if you personalize them to fit your style and preferences. This video explains how to make almost any key perform a command.
  • Audacity: Installing AutoHotKeys on Windows Click to see video How to install AutoHotKeys and a working script in 10 minutes. If you use Audacity and Windows, this is your key to faster editing using macros.

Librivox Users’ Zoom Discussions (More Help with Librivox and Related Stuff)

LibriVox volunteers get together face-to-face on Zoom at irregular intervals to chat, share tips and tricks they've learned, ask questions, offer solutions, brag on their latest projects, etc. New invites are posted at the end of the Zoom Announcements Only forum. All volunteers are welcome to attend, and bring a friend. These sessions are recorded and posted to YouTube (and linked here) for LibrVox members to watch later.

This page lists links to all the Zoom meeting videos. It also contains brief descriptions of each session so you can find topics that interest you.

Zoom Recorded Videos

  • 2020

Sept 19: Chit-chat about using Zoom, with a brief digression into knitting - Punch and roll editing demonstrations using Reaper and Audacity - more chit-chat. Click to see video

Sept 27: Tips on making recording space more comfortable - Tongue-twisters - Public domain poetry - Poetry generally - Discussion of topics for next meeting - What a dramatic reading is. Click to see video

Oct 4: How to edit after recording the entire track - Noise reduction - Word counts - Dramatic readings - Difference between dramatic readings and plays - Creating scripts for dramatic readings. Click to see video

Oct 11: Using advanced search in Internet Archive - Editing dramatic readings together to sound great. Click to see video

Oct 18: Using the LibriVox Audiobook app to listen to audiobooks [app not created by LibriVox] - The joys and methods of being a Book Coordinator. Click to see video

Oct 25: Zoom meeting process for future sessions - chit-chat. Click to see video

Nov 8: How best to help those starting on LibriVox - how to do a Zoom play recording - Various folks talking about how they got into LibriVox, and what they get out of participating - Favourite literature - Recording studio setups. Click to see video

Dec 6: What editing program people use - Normalization - How to stop sharing - Keyboard shortcuts - Changing your preferences - Make your own macro - Auto hotkeys - How to know if you're addicted to LibriVox. Click to see video

  • 2021

Jan 24: Adding Wikipedia links to author pages - Create Wikipedia page links to LibriVox authors and books - Becoming a Wikipedia member - Discussion of books coming into the public domain in 2021 - 200th anniversary of the Saturday Evening Post. Click to see video

Feb 12: An introduction to dramatic readings and how they work, including proof listening, cast lists, editing and more - Editing in Adobe Audition. Click to see video

Feb 28: Mark Nelson's Narrator Workshop. Click to see video

Mar 21: GIMP & Inkscape for covers. Click to see video

Oct 22: Wikipedia links - LibriVox audiobook app - How do you listen to LibriVox books? - Discussion of The Mysterious Island, read by Mark Smith - Who listens to LibriVox books? Click to see video

Oct 23: Chitchat - How LibriVox books get onto YouTube. Click to see video

Dec 10: Zooming in on microphones. Click to see video

  • 2022

Jan 3: LibriVox Beginners Group morning session: How to set up a Rode mic on a Windows 10 computer - Introduction to Collections - Where to find latest 10 audiobook releases - Loudness Normalization - Dramatic readings and creating scripts - What the Book Coordinator does - How much time does it take readers to make recordings. Click to see video

Feb 7: LibriVox Beginners Group morning session: How best to get started (reader or listener?) - What would you like to read? - Why some books on Project Gutenberg are PD though they were published in the '50s - What's most fun about doing dramatic readings? Click to see video

Feb 7: LibriVox Beginners Group evening session: Where the LibriVox servers live - A look at the forums - Intro to 1-minute test forum - Chit-chat. Click to see video

Mar 7: Morning edition -- editing tips and tricks: How to use Filter Curves and Graphic EQ to flatten spikes in recordings - How to use Analyze Plot Spectrum to get specifics about spikes and use Notch Filter to fix them - Providing guidance to new users about editing - How to find the LibriVox Welcome Letter. Click to see video

Apr 4: Librivox Beginners Group morning session: New users' experiences with LibriVox - How to use Loudness Normalization in Audacity - Where to find the Suggestions, News, Discussion forum - How to subscribe to forums - How do readers edit their recordings - Where to find the LibriVox Wiki and what does it contain? - More on editing - How did Phil Chenevert record his how-to videos? - Pre-reading text to find hard-to-pronounce words. Click to see video

Apr 4: LibriVox Beginners Group evening session: How hard it is to get started on LibriVox - How administering LibriVox is like a group of people digging a hole, giving away the dirt for free, and deciding amongst themselves how to proceed - Stumbling blocks for new users. Click to see video

Jun 6: Voices going bad - Tempo effect - Prooflistening - Epistomology - Anniversary edition - LibriVox forum - Books we are reading. Click to see video

Dec 12: Tour of Libriversaries, Staff Picks, Control Panel [set up signatures - account settings - Board preferences] - Use your signature to advertise for readers, Zoom sessions - Report text errors to Gutenberg - Back-up and storage concerns of LibriVox catalog - Fund drives and donations. Click to see video

  • 2023

Jan 9: Neat Tricks - Public Domain Day - Libriversaries -Tour of the member list - Usernames vs catalog names - Metadata - Search forum using " " - Wiki Search feature - Handling plosives using high-pass filter - De-Clicker and De-Esser. Click to see video

Feb 6: Tour of Libriversaries - Sore throat remedies - De-Clicker and De-Esser effects demonstrated - Adding Labels to waveform - Introducing BRAGS [what each of us has been doing on LV]. Click to see video

Mar 6: Demo of Audacity's De-Clicker effect by quartertone using "isolate changes" feature - PL'ing new vs seasoned members - Customizing the project template regarding Prooflistening Levels - NOTE: 1st 20 minutes missing on how to "Create live text link to PL Notes in Magic Window" [copy and search this on forum instead]. Click to see video

Apr 3: "Conversational Recording" -- 1 of 5 tutorials with Mark Nelson - BRAGS - How to "sus out" any LV member - How to add PL Notes link to the Magic Window. Click to see video

Jun 7: "Character Voices" -- 3 of 5 recording tutorials with Mark Nelson - Tour of the Word Count wiki page and demo of the Gutenwords script by quartertone - BRAGS - Congrats to Michele Fry (msfry) for 10th Libriversary. Click to see video

  • 2024

Oct 10: Adding Librivox recordings to Wikipedia author pages (kudos to Quartertone for creating a script to speed the process) - Wide-ranging discussion of Dramatic Readings - How editing DRs is like quilting. Click to see video

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