40 Hours in the Recording Booth
My experience recording my first audiobook
If you haven’t heard, my new book, This Dog Will Change Your Life, is coming out in less than a month! This is not my first book, but it is my first narrative book, and thus brought with it some others firsts.
As my first two books were photographic, they did not include an audiobook component, so I never had the experience of reading in front of a microphone for 8 hours straight (we did break for lunch). I suppose I could’ve “woofed” my photo books to make a first ever audiobark for the dogs. Maybe one day. I would play that for Elsa.
I was lucky enough to get to create my audiobook at CDM Sound Studios, a world class recording studio that many famous names have worked in – Bono, Sting. Alec Baldwin came in while we were having lunch and we chatted about how his dogs, Dama and Gitana, were featured in my first book.
My director, Scott Sherratt, would put photos of Elsa up on the monitor to make the studio feel like my home away from home (which is kind of was for a week). He also helped me get warmed up with some classic vocal exercises. RED LEATHER, YELLOW LEATHER. I shared with him one of my favorite videos of Jack Black’s vocal warmup.
During our last session, Elsa joined me in the studio to help me cross the finish line. I called her from inside the studio, and she would hear my voice playing over the speakers and see me through the sound-proofed glass window, but she would be totally confused as to where I was. When I say this studio was sound-proofed, it was completely sound-proofed. The entire room was literally elevated on “hockey pucks” and the door I’d close behind me was more of a vault-door. It was wild how quiet it was in there and the microphone would pick up every little rustle and gurgle I would make.
And, of course, I had a blast reading my book! It really is its own performance piece that brings the book to life in its own way. The comical parts of the book (there were many) were fun to verbally act out, and the more emotionally heavy parts were, of course, more difficult to get through. By the end I felt like a pro and I was honesty a bit sad I had finished. I guess I’ll have to keep writing books! Whether you’re a reader or an audiobook listener, be sure to check it out – This Dog Will Change Your Life – it’s officially out June 3rd but it’s available for pre-order now!
