Prepare a narration manuscript, approve a sample, record consistent chapters and verify the complete audiobook against its actual delivery requirements.
Identify the approved manuscript, pronunciation notes, chapter structure and narration rights. Record the actual distributor’s file and audio requirements, including credit and sample files. Count the supplied text if useful for planning; a duration-based word estimate cannot verify the manuscript or produce a transcript.
Choose a representative passage with character changes, quiet speech and difficult names. Record it through the intended chain and listen for pronunciation, pacing, noise and room coloration. Agree the performance and technical sample with the rights holder or reviewer before producing the complete book.
Use consistent mic placement, room conditions and session settings while maintaining natural performance. Log mistakes and pickups by chapter and manuscript location. Keep raw takes, room tone and chapter IDs together; estimate storage from recorded hours and channels rather than final book length alone.
Assemble approved takes, repair edits and maintain intentional pauses. Listen while following the approved text to catch omissions, repeats and mispronunciations. Apply only cleanup that improves the narration without damaging quiet syllables. Record remaining corrections for a targeted pickup pass.
Measure each finished file with the required RMS, peak and noise conventions in audio software. For an ACX delivery, its current specification includes RMS −23 to −18 dB, peaks no higher than −3 dB, noise floor no higher than −60 dB, and 44.1 kHz CBR MP3 at least 192 kbps. Check the linked current requirements and the actual encoded files.
Listen to the exported files in order and check chapter boundaries, headers, opening/closing credits, retail sample, filenames and total coverage. Use destination analysis tools as one check, with human proof-listening for content and edit errors. Archive approvals, source sessions, master files and a correction log.
Count words in the actual reviewed transcript or script text that you paste into the tool.
Write and download the task brief, measured results and handoff decisions as Markdown.
Compare measured low-band levels at two mic positions after normalizing to the same reference band.
Compare the measured sample or true peak with an explicit ceiling; keep crest factor separate.
Estimate byte-aligned PCM payload and entered overhead for the planned recording inventory.
Estimate delivery or backup size from the actual encoded bitrate or PCM format.
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For ACX submissions, verify the current audio, chapter-file, credit and retail-sample requirements directly. These numeric requirements do not apply to every podcast or distributor.
A noise-reduction profile and settings need listening checks for damage to wanted narration; automated level checks cannot replace proof-listening.
Keep the following evidence with the actual version used for this task.
| Record | Include | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Content | Chapter, manuscript version and pickups | Proof-listen against text |
| Audio | Meter convention and encoded-file measurements | Check the actual destination requirements |
| Package | Chapters, credits, sample and ordering | Listen through the delivered sequence |
Use a chapter manifest so a corrected file replaces the intended chapter.
Narration time excludes proof-listening, retakes, editing and delivery review.