Post-production starts with an organized narration session
A strong audiobook edit starts before anyone opens an editing session. Chapter names, manuscript notes, pickup markers, pronunciation decisions, and a consistent recording setup give the post-production team a map. That map makes it easier to preserve the narrator's performance instead of spending time reconstructing the intent of a take.
Treat each chapter as part of one continuous listening experience. A clean handoff includes the approved manuscript, clear chapter boundaries, any opening or closing credit language, and notes on retakes. Organization protects consistency when the project spans multiple recording days.
- Name every chapter clearly before handoff
- Identify pickups and approved alternate reads
- Keep narration notes with the matching chapter
- Confirm the intended distribution destination before final export
Editing protects performance while removing distraction
Audiobook editing is more than deleting silence. The goal is to remove false starts, unintended mouth noise, distracting clicks, and technical interruptions without flattening the natural rhythm of the narrator. A clean edit should still feel like a real person telling a story, not an overprocessed sequence of perfect fragments.
The editorial pass also checks continuity. Listeners notice abrupt room-tone changes, uneven pauses, altered microphone distance, and a pickup that no longer matches the surrounding sentence. Careful editing blends these moments so the performance remains believable from chapter to chapter.
Mixing, mastering, and quality control prepare the chapter set
Mixing stabilizes narration tone, intelligibility, and noise management. Mastering then brings every approved chapter into a consistent delivery range. For ACX-oriented work, the process is planned around current loudness, peak, noise-floor, file-format, and chapter requirements rather than relying on a last-minute conversion.
ACX makes the final acceptance decision. Lunar Mansion's ACX post-production workflow is built to support human narration, chapter-based delivery, loudness between −23 dB and −18 dB RMS, peaks no higher than −3 dB, a noise floor no higher than −60 dB RMS, and 192 kbps or higher CBR 44.1 kHz MP3 output. Quality control verifies the complete delivery package before it is handed off.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in audiobook post-production?
A typical workflow includes editorial cleanup, tone and noise management, mixing, mastering, chapter organization, format preparation, and a final quality-control pass.
Can ACX accept a file that only sounds loud enough?
No. ACX review involves multiple technical and delivery requirements. A proper workflow accounts for narration, chapter structure, loudness, peaks, noise floor, and the required MP3 format before submission.
Can I send already-recorded audiobook chapters for post-production?
Yes. An organized chapter set can be evaluated for editing, mixing, mastering, and delivery preparation even when recording happened elsewhere.