Home Recording FAQ
How do I check and adjust the volume?On what page should I start reading?
Where should my microphone be situated?
I'm hitting the record button but nothing is recording! What do I do?
What should I do if I forget to announce the page number?
Where should I "break" and start reading the next page?
Why doesn't the page number in GABR match the page I'm reading?
What should I do about blank pages?
What are these funny pencil markings and circled Ss and Ms in the book?
Do I need to read the notes, bibliography, or index?
Where do I read the footnotes?
How and where do I describe figures, tables, etc.?
How do I pronounce these names?!
How can I send files to the Georgia Studio?
How can I check to see which files were successfully uploaded from GABR?
What should I do when I start a new book?
How do I check and adjust the volume?
The new GABR has an automatic volume adjust feature that should adjust the volume up or down as needed. However, if you prefer to set the volume yourself, click the manual button in the Input Level section below the volume sliders and adjust it yourself by hitting record and say a few sentences, keeping an eye on the GABR volume meter (bouncing green, yellow and red bars in the upper right). You want the peaks to hit in the yellow most of the time. Occasional green or red peaks are OK as long as they do not occur regularly. To adjust the volume, move the slider below the microphone image up or down as necessary until your peaks are in the yellow. Once the volume is set, remember to go back to the beginning of the page to start the "real" recording.
On what page should I start reading?
You should start reading on the first page with a circled S. Enter the roman page number as it appears (roman page 3 = iii).
Where should my microphone be situated?
The microphone part of your headset should be off to the side of your mouth (or above your mouth). Please avoid having the microphone directly in front of your mouth as this results in poor audio quality.
I'm hitting the record button but nothing is recording! What do I do?
There are two common sources of this problem. First of all, check your headset to see if your mute button is on. There often is a small set of controls on the headphone cord that may have a mute button. Secondly, check your recording input by clicking the microphone image at the top right of the GABR screen or by going to Start/ All Programs/ Accessories/ Entertainment/ Volume Control. Make sure nothing is muted or down all the way, then go to Options/ Properties, select recording and make sure microphone is selected.
What should I do if I forgot to announce the page number?
Please make sure to read the page number at the beginning of each page! If the page starts at the end of the previous page, remember to announce the page number correctly, i.e., if page 4 starts at the bottom of page 3, announce page 4 even though it starts on page 3.
If you missed announcing the page number, go to the beginning of the page, hit the Insert button in the middle of the GABR screen, then hit record and announce the page number.
Where should I "break" and start reading the next page?
Most books should be marked as to where the page breaks occur with a slash. However, if your page breaks were not marked, and the page does not end in a period, break it at the last period on the page.
Why doesn't the page number in GABR match the page I'm reading?
The page number on the GABR screen should always match the page you are reading in the book! If it doesn't, you should be able to hit the New Page button to "go to" the correct page number and start recording on that page. Remember to hit the Next slashed button in GABR when you go to the next page.
What should I do about blank pages?
Simply announce "page # is blank" and go on to the next page.
What are these funny pencil markings and circled Ss and Ms in the book?
These are bookmarking notes for studio recording. The slash marks at the end of the page indicates where to start the next page. Please ignore the circled Ms and Ss as they do not apply to home recording.
Do I need to read the notes, bibliography, or index?
We do read footnotes, notes sections, bibliography, glossaries, and reference sections, but not indexes or picture credits. We know they are boring, but they gotta be read. =)
Where do I read the footnotes?
Footnotes are read at the bottom of the page on which they appear. As the reference in the text occurs, just read "note #" and go on. At the end of the page, read the footnote in its entirety.
If the notes are in a section at the end of the chapter, article or book, read the endnotes where they are and only mention the note number while reading the text.
How and where do I describe figures, tables, etc.?
Describe figures and tables at the bottom of the page on which they appear even if the figure is at the top or middle of the page.
See our Reading Conventions for some excellent material on how to describe figures and tables.
How do I pronounce these names?!
If a name is mentioned in passing, do your best to pronounce it and move on. If it is mentioned more frequently, spend a little time to ensure that it is pronounced correctly. Your first resource should be a dictionary. Then you can try Internet resources such as inogolo.com, wikipedia.com, pronouncenames.com, howtosaythatname.com, www.teachingbooks.net/pronunciations.cgi, and names.voa.gov. A simple google search of the name is also a last resort.
How can I send files to the Georgia Studio?
From the Pages or Files section at the bottom right, select the files you wish to upload by left clicking the first and then shift-left clicking the last (or ctrl left click each file) and then hit the Upload button. Please do not close the GABR screen while the upload is taking place.
How can I check to see which files were successfully uploaded from GABR?
In the Upload Files screen, successfully uploaded files will disappear; you can also hit the See All Files button and all uploaded files will have a green "Uploaded" note in the Upload column. Files that were not successfully uploaded will show an error and you may try uploading them again. You may also go to this section of our website that will let you see which files were successfully uploaded onto our server.
What should I do when I start a new book?
Hit the Books icon and then the New Book button and enter the shelf number (Two letters and three numbers found on the spine of the book or the inside front cover). You may enter a title as well if you wish. Then start recording the book! Start recording on the first page that has a circled S in pencil.