Introduction
The recordings on Poetic Voices range from those made over Skype and in a professional studio. All vivify the poems, bring the dimension of sound to the words. Syllabic writing was fully established in 3,000 BCE and before that there was 50,000,000 years of oral communication including poetry, so sound is the natural place for a poem.
Better recordings are more pleasant but all are worthwhile and great to listen to.
Equipment
Smart Phones are excellent recording devices as are tablets, laptops and desktop computers with a microphone. Again the better the microphone the better the recording. I have a Rode Videomic ME-L for use with my iPhone ( there is the Videomic ME for phones with a jack) and it is wonderful but the smart phone mic is fine and can produce a good recording.
Dictaphones are also excellent and there are many good digital recorders now. If you digitise an analogue tape recording so the file can be emailed to me that is good also.
Recording Technique
What ever you use there are a few basic aspects to bear in mind:
Practice reading the poem and do not speak to quickly. Take your time.
Do not hold the microphone/phone too close to your mouth. This can sound too breathy and create popping noises. If using a dedicated microphone use a pop shield if you have one.
Be aware of ambient noises and turn off anything that is noisy. That is, of course, if the noise is unintended. You may want the background noise.
File Format
I can deal with most file formats. I load the file into my Sound Editor to check sound levels and remove tuts and clicks where possible and add 2 seconds at the front and trim the end. It is then saved as an MP3 file which is loaded on to the archive. Though not essential, a photograph and biographical detail of the poet adds to the page and interests the visitor.
Finally
When you have the recording, photograph and biographical details please email them to me at: acuf@acufisher.com
Anthony Fisher