Aftersight Volunteer Guide and Expectations

Artifacts are undesirable sounds around words, such as random, humming noises and metallic sounding breaths. Artifacts are usually created from excessive or incorrect noise reduction. To correct, ensure you have noise reduction turned off on your microphone and/or computer settings. In some cases, you may need higher quality recording equipment.

To ensure the highest quality audio recordings, volunteers must use the recording standard of -12dB peak. This guideline helps maintain consistency and clarity across all audio content produced.

To determine the dB levels of your audio recordings in Audacity, you can use the built-in metering tools. By default, the Meter Toolbar should be visible near the top of the Audacity window. If you can’t see it, go to “View” > “Toolbars” > “Meter Toolbar” to enable it. As the audio plays, you will see the meter levels on the Meter Toolbar moving up and down (The bouncing green bar).  Take note of the highest peak dB level displayed on the meter. This represents the maximum level reached by your audio.

Why -12dB peak?

1. Optimal Audio Levels: Setting the peak at -12dB ensures a balanced audio level, avoiding any distortion or clipping that might occur at higher levels.
2. Compatibility: Many audio processing systems and platforms are designed with -12dB peak as a standard reference point. By adhering to this level, your recordings will be compatible with a wide range of systems and devices.

Tips for Achieving -12dB Peak:

1. Microphone Placement: Quiet audio may be caused because you are too far from your mic. Position your microphone correctly to capture clear and direct audio. Experiment with microphone distance and angles to find the sweet spot for optimal sound.
2. Test Recording Levels: Before starting your official recording, conduct a quick test recording to gauge the audio levels. Adjust your microphone gain or input settings accordingly to achieve the desired -12dB peak. You can adjust your microphone volume in Audacity settings or device settings.
3. Monitor Levels: Use headphones or monitor speakers while recording to ensure you can accurately monitor and adjust the audio levels in real-time.
4. Avoid Distortion: Watch out for any distortion or clipping during your recording. If you notice distorted peaks, adjust the microphone gain or move further away from the microphone to prevent overload.

Clipping is an undesirable, loud, distorted sound, and should always be avoided. To avoid clipping, you can try speaking further from the mic or decreasing your mic volume. Adjust your mic volume and place your mic so it is about 6″-10″ and slightly off camber (Slightly aimed to the right or left of the mic) and do a test recording to see if it’s resolved.

Room ambience and reverb is often caused by your microphone being too far away from your mic or your mic being to “hot” (loud). This will aso cause your voice to sound thin, “tinny”, and cause sharp “ess” sounds. Lower your mic volume to 50% and place your mic so it is about 6″-10″ and slightly off camber (Slightly aimed to the right or left of the mic) and do a test recording to see if it’s resolved.

Distortion is an audio garble, and should be avoided. It usually occurs when you are too close to the mic or the mix volume is too high.

Phasing is a phenomenon that creates an undesirable in-and-out effect. This is most commonly heard when forcing a stereo audio file into mono. You should be recording and exporting in mono, instead of recording stereo and exporting mono.

Background hum, noises, or echo are often caused by the space you are recording in. Ensure your recording space is free from things that cause ambient noise, such as a fan or a road outside. If you are experiencing echo, try to cover any hard spaces in the room with blankets and close the curtains on the windows.

You MUST use an external mic. You don’t need a fancy microphone unless you are setting up a permanent studio. A gaming mic or simple USB microphone will be adequate. Here are some microphones we have worked with or have been suggested. You can find these at your local Best Buy or on Amazon.

• Blue Snowball Ice USB mic ($30-$50)
• Corsair HS80 Premium Gaming Headset. ($80-$130)
• Blue Yeti USB mic ($100-$150)

DO NOT USE a built-in laptop mic!

We can’t support mobile. For audio quality issues, we prefer volunteers to use a Mac or PC.

We only support Audacity (PC/MAC). Audacity is free professional-level software, exceptional editing controls, great sound quality.  Click here to see a video to begin using Audacity. We have instructional videos available in the volunteer portal, along with helpful tips.

If you already are a professional voice-over artist, have your own professional studio, equipment, and software you prefer, you may use your own software as long as you meet our audio requirements, but we will not be able to provide technical support if you run into issues. 

Remember, recording is just 1 step of the process. It is critical you submit your completed file to us via the portal!

There are a few ways to do this:

• Use 2 screens, or record from your computer while reading from your mobile device or tablet.
• Use split screen.
• Minimize Audacity after hitting record (Because you won’t get a visual of your levels while you record, use caution to ensure you are in fact recording and at the proper levels)

This could be due to a variety of culprits. Here are some common causes:

• Restart your computer just before your next recording session.
• Close unnecessary tabs and programs.
• Update Audacity to the latest version (You can see what version you have in Audacity by clicking “help” and then “about Audacity”)
• Check if your operating system has any updates available.

Yes, but you must follow our strict guidelines.

• 100% copyright free, royalty free, no accreditation required music and you send AINC a copy of the copyright code for the track before using it.
• Edit it in professionally with proper levels (It’s gotta sound good!).
• Has to be the same track for every episode.

If you don’t feel you can meet any of the above expectations, simply don’t add music. Don’t worry, you won’t be marked down or anything! Adding music can be a good bonus, but is most definitely not required by any means.

Supertone Clear is a paid plugin for Audacity, designed to eliminate background noise that can’t be resolved with traditional methods like soundproofing or using a higher quality microphone. It’s a valuable tool for ensuring high-quality audio in our productions. While it’s not a required tool for our volunteers, it’s available for those who wish to enhance their audio quality further. Purchasing the Clear plugin is entirely optional. Volunteers may choose to invest in this tool if they feel it will significantly improve their audio quality.

Download and Install:

1. Open Audacity.
2. Navigate to ‘Tools’ > ‘Add/Remove Plugins’.
3. Click on ‘Install’ and select the downloaded Clear plugin file.
4. Once the file is selected, click ‘OK’ to install the plugin.
5. After installation, find ‘Clear’ in the plugin list and enable it.

Activation Steps:

1. Initial Setup: Before activation, the plugin inserts static noise every 30 seconds. Activation is necessary for proper functionality.
2. Record a Brief Audio Clip: Open Audacity and record a small audio clip. This step is required to access the plugin.
3. Accessing Clear: Navigate to the ‘Effect’ tab in Audacity and locate ‘Clear’ in the dropdown list.
4. Activating the Plugin:
   • In the Clear plugin interface, click the three lines at the top right corner.
   • Choose ‘Activation’ from the dropdown menu.
   • Click on ‘Activate’. A textbox will appear for the license key.
   • Enter the license key provided by Supertone.
   • Press the ‘Activate’ button next to the textbox. Activation takes about 30 seconds.

Additional Notes:

• The Clear plugin replaces the previously used Goyo plugin. However, having both installed does not cause any conflicts.
• If required, instructions for removing the old Goyo plugin can be provided upon request.

Support: For any questions or assistance with the installation and activation process, please reach out to Evan@aincolorado.org

Our Volunteer Portal is optimized to make uploading your audio file as fast as possible, but depending on your home environment (Such as your internet speed, Wi-Fi, or device capabilities) the upload speed can sometimes be inconveniently slow or time-out before the upload completes. If it is a known issue on our end, you will find a notice about it on the volunteer portal dashboard. If there is no notice, check your internet speed. You should have an upload speed of 10mbps minimum (Test internet here). You should expect uploads to take anywhere between 1 and 20 minutes. If uploading takes longer than that, here are some tips to increasing your upload speed:

• Unplug our internet router, wait 1 minute, and plug in again. Wait a few minutes and see if your internet is back up.
• Close any extraneous tabs on your browser, or extraneous programs that are running on your computer.
• Disconnect other devices from your internet. Your internet speed may be getting throttled by internet related activities on other devices such as mobile phones, other computers, and online gaming on a console.
• Upload during “off hours” when less people in your household are using the internet.
• If you use Wi-Fi, use a wired connection using an Ethernet cable to connect your upload device directly to your internet.
• Clear your cache and cookies in your browser.
• Contact your service provider to check for widespread outages.
• Check if you have any antivirus software on your computer that may affect your internet connection.
• Check your firewall restrictions for any web-content filtering that may be slowing down your internet.

Still not working?

• Record in our studios in Boulder, CO! We have everything you will need to record and submit.
• Use your phone as a personal hotspot.
• Upgrade your internet plan to a faster service.
• Consider changing your broadband provider. Different providers perform better in certain areas of the country, and it could be worth switching.
• Try uploading your audio in a Starbucks or somewhere with a modern internet infrastructure (generally larger cities).
• Try putting your audio on a flash drive and using a different computer. The source of the issue could be your computer itself.

If, for example, you are going out of town next week so you wish to submit 2 weeks worth of your program, you must name your files accordingly. The one you wish to play next will be your normal naming convention – that is, with no numbers.

The one you wish to play soonest will be went.mp3

The one you wish to play next week you will need to name went2.mp3

The one you wish to play the week after next week you will need to name went3.mp3.. etc.

If you submit or anticipate you will submit your file after the “first air” day and time, it is critical you contact alex@aftersight.org. Not doing so will likely result in your episode not airing at all.

It depends. If you do a weekly, you can turn it in up to 6 days early. However, if you do a daily, you cannot turn it in more than a day early because it will overwrite your fellow volunteers file that is meant to air on that day. If you are unsure if you are reading a weekly or daily, ask alex@aftersight.org.

That being said, we encourage volunteers to submit audio several hours before the due day/time of your program, and absolutely not later than 30 minutes before airtime.

Every volunteer has access to a shared folder called “ZZ Other Audio” – you will find it on the left side of your account when you log in to the volunteer portal. This folder is only to be used for things outside of your regular program assignment, such as special one-off assignments, test files, etc. Only use that folder if you have been instructed to do so by Aftersight staff (not common).

All of Aftersight’s publishing platforms  (podcast, broadcast, stream, and telephone access) run on very specific weekly schedules. Each program has a “first air” day and then will repeat the same episode for a 7 day cycle. When you submit your program does not affect when it is published as long as it is before the “first air” day and time. Contact aflynn@aftersight.org to inquire about what this time is for your program. If you are still concerned that it is publishing the wrong episode, please contact aflynn@aftersight.org

Please double check the email sent from Aftersight to ensure you are entering your correct username. If you do this and it still doesn’t work, contact aflynn@aftersight.org.

Please double check the email sent from Aftersight to ensure you are entering your correct password. If you do this and it still doesn’t work, contact aflynn@aftersight.org.