It’s very important. There are some YouTube videos that have such an annoying voice on them that I turn off or switch to close-captioning and mute the voice if it’s interesting enough to keep watching.
I’ve never listened to a podcast, but when I listen to audiobooks the narrators voice is definitely important. If they have an annoying voice in seriously inhibits my ability to enjoy the book. I’m guessing this holds true for podcasts as well?
@ruouttaurmind I’ve had books ruined cuz I listen to it first, hate the reader’s voice, then when I go to read the book instead the voice in my head is the dude from the audiobook and I can’t hang.
@farfromfunny This. Exactly. Readers like Dion Graham where every word is spoken with overacted urgency. Or Katherine Kellgren who seems to be scolding me the with every sentence.
I like Katherine Kellgren as a narrator;
but I’ve only listened to her narrate books where her vocal style was well matched to the material (UK aristocracy books etc).
But, maybe: forgive her and that narrator’s voice of hers that you don’t like so much; if you are willing.
She died recently, and at a far-younger-than-one-would-wish age. (Died last year perhaps? I forget). I think it was cancer.
@ruouttaurmind definitely. It’s been a while but there is one female narrator that always sounds like she’s potentially actually a text to speech engine, throws me off a bit. Maybe she’s the one that reads the Repairman Jack series (not the audible version, some lesser version), or maybe I’m disparaging someone off of a faulty memory. Or maybe it’s a pretty good text to speech engine and not an actual narrator.
@ruouttaurmind RU, yes exactly. I listen to both audiobooks and podcasts on the regular and the voice can make or break it for me by far. I think some people doing podcasts don’t even consider this, and think of what they’re saying is good enough- wrong.
While I can’t say vocal timbre is irrelevant, as a sound engineer (or video editor), I’ve had to edit some… rather uninspiring material, so I can listen to anything without too much effort. However, poor recording quality or basic mic technique mistakes can ruin an otherwise decent performance for me. I’ll agree with @ruouttaurmind on matching timbre to the tone and texture of a book, though; I’ve been pulled right out of several stories that I assume were otherwise decently engaging because the narrator was very much not the right one for the job. Concentrating more on the technical merits than the narrative flow isn’t really why I listen to audiobooks.
Nothing kills a podcast more than poor audio quality!! I’ll give a podcast 5 minutes…If the host(s) sound like they’re in their mother’s basement recording using a Ronco Karaoke machine, it’s over!! Just FYI: I’m a music buff & my current favorites are “Shout It Out Loudcast” & “Growin Up Rock” & “Rock Talk with Mitch Lafon”.
I’ll try anything once. I even listened to Gilbert Gottfried’s podcast… once. Poor audio quality will kill it faster than an annoying voice, and excellent production can elevate something from okay to must listen.
If something is interesting enough and well-produced, I can get over not liking the voice. Tyler Mahan Coe’s storytelling and production won me over from wanting to slap him to thinking “ooh, good, here comes something else interesting”. I was hoping 2020 would have granted him the time to put out season 2 of Cocaine and Rhinestones.
I can think of way more excellent podcasts that are almost amazing that they are out there for free than ones I hate, but maybe that’s because I forget the bad ones quickly. I know I’ve started some that sounded interesting and removed them from my feed inside of 5 minutes because awful. But for every one of those there are more Roman Mars and 99% Invisible or Justin Robert Young and Raise the Dead or Reggie Osse and Mogul (well, him and future hosts since he passed) just waiting to be discovered.
A more humane Mikado never
Did in Japan exist
To nobody second
I’m certainly reckoned
A true philanthropist!
It is my very humane endeavour
To make, to some extent
Each evil liver
A running river
Of harmless merriment!
My object all sublime
I shall achieve in time –
To let the punishment fit the crime –
The punishment fit the crime!
And make each prisoner pent
Unwillingly represent
A source of innocent merriment –
Of innocent merriment!
All prosy dull society sinners
Who chatter and bleat and bore
Are sent to hear sermons
From mystical Germans
Who preach from ten till four!
The amateur tenor
Whose vocal villainies
All desire to shirk
Shall, during off-hours
Exhibit his powers
To Madame Tussaud’s waxwork!
The lady who dyes a chemical yellow
Or stains her grey hair puce
Or pinches her figure
Is painted with vigour
And permanent walnut juice!
The idiot who, in railway carriages
Scribbles on window-panes
We only suffer
To ride on a buffer
In Parliamentary trains!
My object all sublime
I shall achieve in time –
To let the punishment fit the crime –
The punishment fit the crime!
And make each prisoner pent
Unwillingly represent
A source of innocent merriment –
Of innocent merriment!
Chorus:
His object all sublime
He will achieve in time –
To let the punishment fit the crime –
The punishment fit the crime!
And make each prisoner pent
Unwillingly represent
A source of innocent merriment –
Of innocent merriment!
Mikado:
The advertising quack who wearies
With tales of countless cures
His teeth, I’ve enacted
Shall all be extracted
By terrified amateurs!
The music-hall singer attends a series
Of masses and fugues and “ops”
By Bach, interwoven
With Spohr and Beethoven
At classical Monday Pops!
The billiard sharp
Who any one catches
His doom’s extremely hard –
He’s made to dwell –
In a dungeon cell
On a spot that’s always barred!
And there he plays extravagant matches
In fitless finger-stalls
On a cloth untrue
With a twisted cue
And elliptical billiard balls!
My object all sublime
I shall achieve in time –
To let the punishment fit the crime –
The punishment fit the crime!
And make each prisoner pent
Unwillingly represent
A source of innocent merriment –
Of innocent merriment!
Chorus:
His object all sublime
He will achieve in time –
To let the punishment fit the crime –
The punishment fit the crime!
And make each prisoner pent
Unwillingly represent
A source of innocent merriment –
Of innocent merriment!
I have never actually listened to one so I don’t know the answer!
I never listen to podcasts, so I give zero fucks.
/giphy zero fucks
@shahnm Looks like"Karen" the dog
It’s very important. There are some YouTube videos that have such an annoying voice on them that I turn off or switch to close-captioning and mute the voice if it’s interesting enough to keep watching.
Not really sure what a podcast is, so…
I’d say very important.
A good speaker with something interesting to say will keep my attention. A great speaker with nothing to say bores me.
“I’m Michael Barbaro, something something The Daily”
Voice is so deep and smooth it sounds absolutely forced. Drives me bonkers.
I’ve never listened to a podcast, but when I listen to audiobooks the narrators voice is definitely important. If they have an annoying voice in seriously inhibits my ability to enjoy the book. I’m guessing this holds true for podcasts as well?
@ruouttaurmind I’ve had books ruined cuz I listen to it first, hate the reader’s voice, then when I go to read the book instead the voice in my head is the dude from the audiobook and I can’t hang.
@farfromfunny This. Exactly. Readers like Dion Graham where every word is spoken with overacted urgency. Or Katherine Kellgren who seems to be scolding me the with every sentence.
@farfromfunny @ruouttaurmind Do you ever wonder why Gilbert Godfrey doesn’t read audio books?
@rtjhnstn Ya, that would have my ears bleeding in short order!
@rtjhnstn @ruouttaurmind
I like Katherine Kellgren as a narrator;
but I’ve only listened to her narrate books where her vocal style was well matched to the material (UK aristocracy books etc).
But, maybe: forgive her and that narrator’s voice of hers that you don’t like so much; if you are willing.
She died recently, and at a far-younger-than-one-would-wish age. (Died last year perhaps? I forget). I think it was cancer.
@farfromfunny @rtjhnstn @ruouttaurmind
He did read parts of 50 Shades.
/youtube Gilbert gottfried 50 shades of grey
@ruouttaurmind definitely. It’s been a while but there is one female narrator that always sounds like she’s potentially actually a text to speech engine, throws me off a bit. Maybe she’s the one that reads the Repairman Jack series (not the audible version, some lesser version), or maybe I’m disparaging someone off of a faulty memory. Or maybe it’s a pretty good text to speech engine and not an actual narrator.
@ruouttaurmind RU, yes exactly. I listen to both audiobooks and podcasts on the regular and the voice can make or break it for me by far. I think some people doing podcasts don’t even consider this, and think of what they’re saying is good enough- wrong.
While I can’t say vocal timbre is irrelevant, as a sound engineer (or video editor), I’ve had to edit some… rather uninspiring material, so I can listen to anything without too much effort. However, poor recording quality or basic mic technique mistakes can ruin an otherwise decent performance for me. I’ll agree with @ruouttaurmind on matching timbre to the tone and texture of a book, though; I’ve been pulled right out of several stories that I assume were otherwise decently engaging because the narrator was very much not the right one for the job. Concentrating more on the technical merits than the narrative flow isn’t really why I listen to audiobooks.
Everyone’s Audio has to be good, if the host is fie, but the guest volume or Quality is not matched, I can’t listen.
Tom Waits
Nothing kills a podcast more than poor audio quality!! I’ll give a podcast 5 minutes…If the host(s) sound like they’re in their mother’s basement recording using a Ronco Karaoke machine, it’s over!! Just FYI: I’m a music buff & my current favorites are “Shout It Out Loudcast” & “Growin Up Rock” & “Rock Talk with Mitch Lafon”.
I’ll try anything once. I even listened to Gilbert Gottfried’s podcast… once. Poor audio quality will kill it faster than an annoying voice, and excellent production can elevate something from okay to must listen.
If something is interesting enough and well-produced, I can get over not liking the voice. Tyler Mahan Coe’s storytelling and production won me over from wanting to slap him to thinking “ooh, good, here comes something else interesting”. I was hoping 2020 would have granted him the time to put out season 2 of Cocaine and Rhinestones.
I can think of way more excellent podcasts that are almost amazing that they are out there for free than ones I hate, but maybe that’s because I forget the bad ones quickly. I know I’ve started some that sounded interesting and removed them from my feed inside of 5 minutes because awful. But for every one of those there are more Roman Mars and 99% Invisible or Justin Robert Young and Raise the Dead or Reggie Osse and Mogul (well, him and future hosts since he passed) just waiting to be discovered.
Re podcast voices
The punishment must fit the crime.
/youtube Mikado Let the punishment fit the crime
mikado:
Chorus:
Mikado:
Chorus: