For the FIRST time the basics of Buddhism presented in the form of lyrics and music. While there are no accolades for Sinhala audiobook, Dr. Mahendra Samarawickrama’s epic creation has won many international acclaims. This would not have been an epic if not for the involvement of musical greats such as Dr. Rohona Weerasinghe (Music), Visharada Amarasiri Pieris (Vocals), Sashika Nisansala (vocals), and Kasun Kalhara (vocals/Music). All these musicians have reached the pinnacle in their careers and therefore this audio book is worthy of awards and accolades. This blog will discuss and elaborate how it all unfolded: From start to the finish.

Voicing An Award-Winning Sinhala Audiobook

Certainly! Voicing this Sinhala audiobook required a combination of skill, technique, and understanding that I found hard to process at first. Reading (out loud) Buddhist words and adhering to the skill and the style Mahendra wanted was a tough ask for me at first. My first inclination was to turn this project down. But somehow Mahendra liked my voice and we continued to rehearse getting in rhythm with a style that suited this book. Here’s a general guide on how I approach voicing the script:

Preparation:

First, I Read the entire script thoroughly, understanding its themes, and overall tone. During the first read I had difficulty in maintaining a rhythm as the language was far too advanced for “normal” readers. I talked with Mahendra and we revised the language until we felt it was good. After rehearsing the difficult pronunciations or specialized terminology, I started to feel comfortable with how I sounded.

Rehearsing:

Rehearsing consistency in the narration was difficult (at first). What we noticed was the sentences was too long, that aided the difficulty of maintaining consistency. We fixed the lengthy sentences, and finished the very first take of the entire script. We felt that my natural (nasal) voice did not fit narration and tried a lower more monotone voice reading the script at a lower tempo.

I advise Practicing reading passages aloud to refine any delivery in any audio book read. Audio books can be lengthy and maintain the same voice (if you have to change your tone) is crucial. Record yourself and listen back for areas of improvement. Rehearse challenging sections until you feel confident in your performance.

Emotional Delivery:

A regular audio book is full of emotions and intonations. This book was not the “regular audio book” so we kept it simple as to limit the emotions and intonations. There were no variations in my tone as there were no buildup for tension or a crescendo. The emotional part of the audio book was the intermissions for the 3 songs. The songs became the entertaining aspect and the reading became the education aspect of the book.

Voicing:

The passive voice was maintained throughout. I also maintained a smooth and natural pacing throughout the narration, paying attention to sentence structure and punctuation to guide the delivery. As easy this may sound, the audio book took 7 different readings (starting from the very first read) until we thought we had what we were looking for.

Equipment Used:

Our recording studio was my office room. The first few readings I used a Shure MV7 microphone for a lower voice and a Moano AU-A04 for my natural voice recording, with a pop shield. I used a Tascam US-122 mixer/amp to connect the microphone to my desktop PC via USB. I used Sony Vegas pro23 as the recording software and Sony sound forge as the editing software. We had to use track EQ to bring my voice even lower to give it a more professional punch.

Feedback and Revision:

My feedback source was Mahendra as he did a lot of active listening and we also asked for feedback from peers, mentors, or listeners to identify areas for improvement. Be open to constructive criticism and willing to revise your performance as needed. Strive for excellence in every aspect of your narration, aiming to create a compelling and memorable audiobook experience.

Sinhala Audio Book As a Video:

By the time he came to me, Mahendra had already published his three songs. He not only wanted to present an audio book but also wanted to explain this through visual story telling. That is when we started to experiment with concepts on how to present an audio book using video. Since this was an audio book, and the subject was Buddhism, we thought of presenting it as an old book made out of parchment. Just like how it may have been documented back in the old days.

If you are an author who is thinking about creating an audio book and want to get started, please Contact me and let me know how I can help – Vijith