Before you start
- Download the project and unzip it. Each script's folder has its takes as
001 Narrator.wav,002 Mara.wavand so on, in script order. - Install Audacity (free, Windows, Mac and Linux). The steps below use Audacity 3.
- Check the CSV's Status column: anything not Saved might not be final.
1. Import the takes
Use File › Import › Audio, open the script's folder, select all the WAV files and import them. Each becomes its own track, all starting at zero. Check the tracks are in number order from top to bottom; if not, move them with each track's menu.
2. Put them end to end
Select all the tracks (Ctrl+A, or Cmd+A on a Mac) and choose Tracks › Align Tracks › Align End to End. Each line now starts where the previous one ends, on its own track, which makes them easy to adjust individually.
3. Add the pauses
Lines placed end to end have no gaps, which sounds breathless. To add a pause before a line, click at the point where it starts, select all tracks, and use Generate › Silence for the length you want. Everything after that point moves along. Rough guides:
| Between | Pause |
|---|---|
| Quick back-and-forth dialogue | 0.1 to 0.3 seconds |
| Sentences or paragraphs of narration | 0.4 to 0.8 seconds |
| Sections or scene changes | 1.5 to 3 seconds |
| A meditation's rests | 5 seconds or more |
You can also drag a single line's clip left or right with the mouse, which is handy for overlapping an interruption.
4. Trim and tidy
- Trim any extra silence at the start or end of a take by selecting it and pressing Delete.
- Fade the very start and end of the whole piece with Effect › Fading › Fade In and Fade Out, a few milliseconds each, to avoid clicks.
- Even out levels between voices if one sounds louder: select its track and use Effect › Volume and Compression › Amplify with a small negative or positive value.
5. Combine and set the loudness
- Select all and choose Tracks › Mix › Mix and Render, which turns everything into one track.
- Apply Effect › Volume and Compression › Loudness Normalization, with the target for where it's going, such as -16 LUFS for a podcast. See loudness standards.
- If you're adding music, do that before this step. See mixing with music.
6. Export
File › Export Audio. Export a WAV as your master copy, and an MP3 or whatever format the platform asks for. Save the Audacity project too (File › Save Project), so you can swap in a re-take later without starting again.
Swapping in a re-take
If you re-take a line in abcVoiceover after assembling, download again and find the file with the same number. In Audacity, select the old clip on its track, delete it, then import the new file and drag it into the same place. Keep the gaps as they were, and the rest of the edit is untouched.