I often record my short Substack posts on my iPad without worrying about edits or the quality of the sound. If I mess up, I just re-record the whole thing. And I think my iPad's sound is fine. It works well in our more Substack space. But when I record audio of my Substack using my good mic and laptop computers—and I have strong editing capabilities—I'll edit out almost all the "ums" and "ers" but I'll keep a few. And I'l be careful about editing out breath sounds or lip smacking noises. If I edit out too many of those unintentional sounds then the recording starts to sound a little unreal. Strangely enough, I think those slightly imperfect recordings sound more real. More sincere.
That's really intriguing to read. And it is especially interesting that you can sense that too much correction comes across as unnatural—which I imagine is always harder to notice in your own work. That's a tough judgement to make. Thank you for the comment, Sherman.
I agree whole-heartedly. I do turn off the washing machine, though, and take the phone out of the room. Only so much ambient noise is called for. I always listen to your recordings,Sherman, even the ones voiced in a car in the parking lot.
"...the artificial reality of a glossed, mendacious perfection." ... "The sincerity of grime rather than the dishonesty of sterility." ... "Because it isn’t about technical perfection, the following of rules to achieve a precise result.....[it is about ] something that might be called human." Thank all the gods for that bit of wisdom! Sometimes it is good to tell instead of show. Sometimes those adverbs are necessary, not to mention a passive voice to shake things up. I had a teacher who advised us, ""Let's create errors and commit poetry." Thank you, Charles, for always provoking us.
Fabulously imperfect. Your post reminds me of my last bit of writing about the hand drawn murals in an Italian restaurant near my house in Albuquerque. The walls are filled with Roman drawings in what looks like #2 pencil from middle school and I absolutely love the murals.
i’m a small boat in a society that shifts quick as the sea, and is tossed about by the invisible winds of fate and culture which induce dangerous stress upon my fragile craft, so i luff and quiet quit and strike to try to find calmer waters where my boat won’t sink.
I often record my short Substack posts on my iPad without worrying about edits or the quality of the sound. If I mess up, I just re-record the whole thing. And I think my iPad's sound is fine. It works well in our more Substack space. But when I record audio of my Substack using my good mic and laptop computers—and I have strong editing capabilities—I'll edit out almost all the "ums" and "ers" but I'll keep a few. And I'l be careful about editing out breath sounds or lip smacking noises. If I edit out too many of those unintentional sounds then the recording starts to sound a little unreal. Strangely enough, I think those slightly imperfect recordings sound more real. More sincere.
That's really intriguing to read. And it is especially interesting that you can sense that too much correction comes across as unnatural—which I imagine is always harder to notice in your own work. That's a tough judgement to make. Thank you for the comment, Sherman.
Thank you, Charles.
I agree whole-heartedly. I do turn off the washing machine, though, and take the phone out of the room. Only so much ambient noise is called for. I always listen to your recordings,Sherman, even the ones voiced in a car in the parking lot.
Thanks, Sharron.
"...the artificial reality of a glossed, mendacious perfection." ... "The sincerity of grime rather than the dishonesty of sterility." ... "Because it isn’t about technical perfection, the following of rules to achieve a precise result.....[it is about ] something that might be called human." Thank all the gods for that bit of wisdom! Sometimes it is good to tell instead of show. Sometimes those adverbs are necessary, not to mention a passive voice to shake things up. I had a teacher who advised us, ""Let's create errors and commit poetry." Thank you, Charles, for always provoking us.
Thank you for the comment and the kind words, Sharron. And I do appreciate seeing what lines stood out to you.
Fabulously imperfect. Your post reminds me of my last bit of writing about the hand drawn murals in an Italian restaurant near my house in Albuquerque. The walls are filled with Roman drawings in what looks like #2 pencil from middle school and I absolutely love the murals.
Thank you for the comment and kind words, Joaquin.
i’m a small boat in a society that shifts quick as the sea, and is tossed about by the invisible winds of fate and culture which induce dangerous stress upon my fragile craft, so i luff and quiet quit and strike to try to find calmer waters where my boat won’t sink.
Dangerous stress on a fragile craft doesn't sound ideal, though that's probably a common sensation. Thank you for the comment, Brendan.
Loved it. Thought provoking and useful.
Thank you for the kind words, Cliff.