Adam Oster, Novelist

I decided a while back that I wanted to record audiobooks for each of my published titles. While it’s definitely in part because of the want to extend additional opportunities for readers to be able to appreciate my books in the ways that work best for them, as well as, I suppose, becoming a little more accessible for those who can’t see or read well, it’s also, in large part, because I like to challenge myself with new artforms.

And while I’ve always been a little self-conscious about my lisp, I’ve been told in the past that I have a good voice for recorded content, so, you know, why not try it out?

So, for Christmas I put a new microphone on my list, something that I’ve been guaranteed should do an amazing job of capturing my voice.

What I didn’t really think about needing to ask for is a full-fledged recording studio…probably with locked doors.

While I’ve been a bit busy since Christmas with a few different things and haven’t exactly had much time to sit back and test out this new tool, I have managed to weasel out a few moments here and there. And what I’ve learned is that there’s a lot of noise in my house, between the furnace, animals, computers, air purifiers, that weird dripping noise, cars driving past, the wind howling, the creaking of my chair, that beeping from something I still haven’t identified, and just my own dang breathing, not to mention the kids being home a lot over the past couple months.

I honestly don’t know how anyone can record anything, based on how much noise I’ve been picking up with this big blue recording device.

I’ve spent far more time trying to find places where I can best eliminate background noise than I’ve spent reading and recording. And I’m still not quite happy with it.

However, I have recently learned that some people record with heavy comforters over their heads, so I guess that will solve the issue of being cold when I have to turn off the furnace and space heater, right?

I’m actually pretty excited to get down to business with some reading, and I think I’ve mostly figured out my recording space, and am nearly to the point where I can stop breathing long enough to get out a few sentences, and, in the next 15 years, I should have a chapter recorded. So, get excited folks, because in 2057 I’ll have an audiobook available. Just in time to finally be released from the pandemic! 🙂