[Studiotalk] To correct or not to correct, that is the question.

[Stephen Lewis]

Howdy Linden.

It sounds like you don't do corrections "as you go along," but instead wait until the whole book has been recorded from beginning to end. Is that correct?

When I started running the Texas studio in 2003, I inherited the processes of my predecessors, who had incorporated the recommended processes of NLS audio / studio staff.

We have a recording team (Narrator and Monitor) work a set 2-hour recording schedule once a week. After each session the book's project-box is put out on a shelf for our volunteer Reviewers to review. The next time the recording team meets, they continue to record the book, but they take some time each session to perform corrections on errors found by the reviewers. In this way they keep up with the correcting of errors and aren't overwhelmed by having a huge backlog of mistakes to fix. It can also help the recording team record better / more accurately going forward as they see the types of errors they've let through - the monitor is the first line of quality control and should be stopping the narrator when they notice errors made.

Besides this first review process, we also perform a second review concurrently (never going past where the corrections to the first review have been made) so that we can create as polished a final product as possible.

There are a lot of reasons this process might not work for other studios such as not enough volunteer reviewers, etc. but this has worked extremely well for us the past 3-4 decades.

As for your question about "how far should I go with the editing the mistakes" ... that is a decision only you can make. In my time here in Texas, there have been moments when a repeated error (such as a mispronunciation) has only been discovered towards the completion of the book's recording and I've had to make the call as to whether we spend the time and energy to go back and fix all instances of that error in the recording.

If you have limited staff and limited volunteers it might be best to concentrate on quantity of produced materials over quality of those materials. It's a tough call.

- SMiles Lewis
Volunteer Recording Studio<https://www.tsl.texas.gov/tbp/vrs.html>
Texas State Library & Archives Commission
Talking Book Program
Audio Production Administrator / Studio Director
(512) 463-5546 voicemail
(512) 936-0685 fax
www.TexasTalkingBooks.org<http://www.texastalkingbooks.org/>
www.Tsl.Texas.gov/tbp/<http://www.tsl.texas.gov/tbp/>

From: studiotalk <studiotalk-bounces at islemail.org> On Behalf Of Coffman, Linden
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2018 11:46 AM
To: studiotalk at islemail.org
Subject: [Studiotalk] To correct or not to correct, that is the question.

Hi all,

    Today must be the day for throwing out questions .  After finishing a title, sending it out for review, and then getting it returned I am trying to balance whether I correct the errors and finalize the book or just have it reread.  The  reason I mention this dilemma is I get some books back with just a handful of corrections to make and some others I get back may have as many as 200 to 500 corrections to make. (Some of my reviewers are very, very through!)  I know that according to NLS standards we are to make the recordings as accurate as possible and I can be pretty OCD,  but how far should I go with the editing the mistakes.  (i.e. narrator said "a" instead of "the", or towards instead of toward).   As I am currently the only one doing the corrections and most of the monitoring as well, this presents me with this challenge, do any of you have any wisdom as to at what point you make the decision to not finish a title?  I hate the thought of having to spend several weeks finalizing one book, when I could be getting several titles done in the same amount of time  However, some of my longer titles will inevitably have more errors so I don't want to just do short books.?  Suggestions?  Advice?

Thanks,


Linden Coffman
Director
Indiana Voices
Indiana State Library
Talking Book & Braille Library
315 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
317-232-3683
E-mail: lcoffman at library.in.gov<mailto:lcoffman at library.in.gov>

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