Audio: Sermon Editing Procedure

1. After the recording is stopped, Save the project (ctrl + s)

2. Select File -> Project Templates -> Sermon Editing

3. Enter Preacher and Passage in the popup window. If the passage that was actually preached is different from the published passage, use the actual preached passage. This is internal only; you can be informal with well-known preacher's names. e.g. "Liam on 1 Samuel 1:1-2" Note that you will not use a preacher's title anywhere here. (e.g. use "Liam Goligher", not "Dr. Liam Goligher")

4. Find the .wav file for the preacher from M:\Recordings\{date} {time}\xx-Liam-{date}_{time}.wav and drag it into the blue channel area of Reaper. It will remain in the blue channel throughout this process. (The grey channel exists for things like conference talks where someone else, with a different microphone, introduces the speaker or provides closing comments.)
   

5. Save the project (ctrl + s) to Quick Access > Sermon MP3s (C:\Users\tech\Tenth Presbyterian Church\Control Room - General\Sermon MP3s) and type a name similar to those you see there (e.g. 2019 01 31 11AM). Ensure the box for "Create subdirectory for project" is checked, but the box for "Move Files" is NOT checked.

6. Trim down to the sermon.
   Do include the scripture reading if it was done by the preacher immediately before the sermon.
   Do not include other announcements interjected into the start of the sermon. Edit them out if necessary.
   Some tips for editing:

   • 's' key will split the track at either the cursor position or the playback position depending on how you placed the cursor.
   • 'Spacebar' is play/stop.
   • 'del' removes selected pieces of tracks.
   • The mouse's scroll wheel will zoom in and out around the cursor (the red line).
   • The goal is for the sermon to start immediately when the played file starts, but without sounding oddly chopped.
   • If two items overlap in the same track (e.g. if you edited out a short bit), a crossfade will be applied automatically.

7. Add fade-in and fade-out curves of 0.5 sec or less to smooth the transitions between playing and not playing at the start and end. The fade-out should generally start during the amen at the end.

8. If Liam isn't preaching, or if Liam isn't sounding himself, you may want to adjust the EQ to improve clarity. Adjust only the effect labeled "EQ CHANGE ONLY THIS". Avoid adjusting this if Liam is preaching and sounds normal. This helps us maintain consistency.

9. Ensure the sermon item starts at the beginning of the timeline. Tip: to move selected item(s), press 'n' and set a time to move the item to (for the start, that'd be 0)

10. Save changes (ctrl + s)

11. Render the files. (ctrl + alt + r) or File -> Render. Click Render in the dialog box. (Do not adjust settings or change the file name.) This process will take a few minutes.

12. Set Metadata. Find the MP3 file in Windows Explorer. Right click on the file -> Properties -> Details tab. Open the details for another existing file to use as an example.

    • Title: {Sermon Title} ({passage})        🡄 REMEMBER THE PASSAGE!!!
    • Contributing Artists: {Preacher}
    • Album Artist: Tenth Presbyterian Church
    • Album:
      • If it's a series, the name of the series. See previous files for examples.
      • If it's not in a series, use "Morning Sermons" or "Evening Sermons" respectively.
    • Year: {current year}
    • #:
      • If it's in a series: {previous sermon in series + 1}
      • If it's not a series: {Today is the Nth Sunday of the year}
    • Genre: Sermon
    • Composers: {Preacher}
    • Part of set: {Current Year}

13. Close reaper. Save changes if it asks.

14. Leave computer running so files can be automatically uploaded.