My voice is too quiet!

Hold the mic closer to your mouth, but not too close! About 20cm is right. Speak in a clear steady voice. Pretend you are speaking to someone on the other end of a dining table!

My voice is too loud!

Hold the mic further away. Holding the mic too close to your mouth can cause distortion and ‘popping’. Popping is the effect of ‘plosive’ sounds such as P and T sending a rush of pressure to the mic causing a sudden overload of level. In the MIC SETUP section, you can select the mic level. We have preset to an optimum level but you can simply adjust up or down to suit your voice. You can also do a quick test recording here and play it back. Don’t worry if you see the odd RED colour in the level indicator. If it is constantly red, you need to bring the mic level down!

My voice sounds echoey!

Choose the most quiet place possible to make your recording like a bedroom or lounge. With a standard tower computer which obviously can’t be moved, try closing the curtains and door to ‘deaden’ the room.
If the phone rings or the cat meows, remember, you can record a section again and again, and listen to it with or without music and effects, until you are satisfied with the results.

You can even go back and re-record an earlier section after moving on as long as you haven’t clicked ‘FINISH’

There is a buzz or hum on my recording!

Try unplugging and re-plugging your mic a few times as the input may be dusty. Your mic may be picking up fan noise from your computer. Try using a different computer or laptop for your recording if possible. Remember, many laptops have microphones built in.

Here at The Magical Story Machine we are constantly looking for feedback on the stories available, the recording process and the quality and enjoyment of the end recording. If you have any comments or further questions please contact us at info@magicalstorymachine.com