July 2014 News - back to News Flash
THOTH Recording Project
Many tablets of THOTH have audio recordings of them listed on the website. For example, the audio for O Son Of Man can be listened to by clicking on "Audio" at the top of the page. This allows anyone to listen to THOTH rather than read it, if they would prefer (similar to the idea of an audiobook).
However, we do not yet have audio recordings for every tablet of THOTH. Furthermore, many of the recordings we do have are low quality and not read professionally (contain static and interference, mistakes by the reader, etc.). This is the natural result of recording online readers, which is how we have been doing it so far. Even with a reader's best effort, many factors affect and reduce the quality and perfection of such readings, including the internet connection, the computer system used to read through, the computer system used to record, the ability and preparedness of the reader, etc. Such recordings simply cannot match the quality of recording directly into one's own computer offline, or even better, in a true sound studio.
We have therefore decided to use what works best and begin a new Mission project to do so. The project is: To read every tablet of THOTH as perfectly and professionally as possible in order to have audio for every tablet on the website, as well as to replace those recordings we have that are not perfect. What this means is:
This has become the primary focus and project of the Mission at this time. Therefore, if you can get involved, it would be a great service. Your voice could eventually help millions listen to THOTH and learn the Mission. Eventually we might even use the best of these readings to create a full audiobook for THOTH! So you can see why it is so important to have this project done as professionally as possible.
If you would like to be one of these readers, please let us know ASAP by emailing us at: reading@maitreya.org. We will send you more information and details at that point (also see the below suggestions).
We surely appreciate everyone's efforts and will choose the best voices to post on the website.
Suggestions for More Perfect Readings
In the course of reading and recording THOTH in the mornings (through the internet), we have learned of many tweaks that can be made to improve the quality of one's readings. Here are our suggestions so far:
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There are good quality, free programs you can use to record yourself, such as Audacity. However, if you can obtain professional recording software, that is of course better.
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Built-in computer microphones are very poor quality, so buy a good microphone or headset. You can buy a decent headset for $20-25 or less. There are even fairly good recording microphones available for less than $100.
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If you are recording over the internet, improve your internet connection so there is as little lag as possible. (This will not apply if, as highly recommended, you are recording yourself offline rather than over the internet.)
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Read in a quiet place and environment. Better yet, read in a room set up for studio-quality audio recording.
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Stay as still as possible (do not move around). This will cut down on noises created by shifting in your seat, hitting the microphone, or other disturbances your movement may create.
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Use the wheel on your mouse, or the scrolling gesture on your laptop trackpad, to move the page you are reading from up and down (practice this so you are efficient at doing it, it is easy once you get used to it). That way, there will not be any audible clicking sounds of the mouse or trackpad on the recording.
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Many people accidentally make "popping" sounds while reading because they are too close to the microphone and/or have loud breathing. Experimenting with the placement of your microphone next to your mouth (below, above, to the side, etc.) as well as adding a windscreen or foam cover to your microphone (such products exist for both stand-alone microphones and headsets) should help eliminate this problem.
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Keep a glass of water nearby so if your voice starts to change and/or your throat becomes dry, you can take a drink to hopefully prevent any issue.
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If you practice the part you are going to read and master it before you start recording, you will not have awkward pauses when you read and will flow much better and read with greater confidence.
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If you have any trouble with or are unsure of how to pronounce a word in the reading, you can look up the word on the internet to find pronunciation explanations and audio samples. For example, this link provides the pronunciation for the word "clothed": http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/
us/definition/english/clothed. For pronunciation of the words uniquely used by the Mission, check the Glossary in THOTH for audio samples. -
Read at least one full tablet at a time. You can read as many tablets as you like, but be sure to complete every tablet you read (so there is no need to splice together different readers for individual tablets).
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When reading more than one quoted verse together in a row (from the Bible, Qur'an, etc.), read all the verses and then at the end state the chapter (surah, etc.) and verse numbers. In THOTH, each quoted verse is followed by its chapter and verse number. This works well when one is reading THOTH silently, but in an audio recording it becomes tedious to hear the chapter and verse number after each quoted verse (when more than one is quoted in a row). So read all the verses together and then state the chapter and verse numbers of all of them (e.g. for John 1:1 to 1:5, read them all and then say "John 1, verses 1 to 5").
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When stating the chapter and verse number of a quoted verse, it is better to spell them out completely. For example, for John 1:2, say "John 1, verse 2" (not "John 1, 2").
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After you have finished reading, master the recording (edit it, use software tools to improve the sound, eliminate background noises, etc.) and then send it to us (reading@maitreya.org). If problems arise in sending it by email, let us know and we will find another way for you to get it to us.
In summary: Create a professional (or near-professional) recording environment. Read the material and prepare it well before recording it. Check the pronunciation of words you will be reading so you can say them as correctly as possible. Edit and master the audio you create and then send it to us. The theme is: Prepare, prepare, prepare!
If you think of or come across anything else that might improve this reading and recording process, let us know so we can add it to and further perfect this list!
God Bless,
MOM (Mission Of Maitreya)