The Audiobook Guy Tools

Tools for Narrators, Built by a Narrator... me!

Every tool on this page came out of a real problem I hit while prepping or recording an audiobook. I couldn't find something that worked the way I needed, so I built it — and I kept building until it actually helped. They're free to use, and they're still growing. If something's missing or breaks, let me know at the bottom of the page In the comments!

Some tools are hosted right on this website, and some link to my GitHub page, depending on what the tool needs to work! Either way, they help me, so I hope they can help you!

ACX Audio Checker

Check your audio against ACX submission requirements!

A tool to check your finished files against ACX's technical requirements before you upload — catching issues with peaks, RMS, noise floor, and file specs ahead of time. It is faster than the ACX checker on their site and some of the other checkers out there; I find it more accurate and clearer in the way it breaks down any issues it finds, too.

Try the ACX Audio Checker

ACX Audio Fixer

Master your audio to ACX requirements automatically!

Upload your RAW audio, and the tool applies a simple FX chain to automatically master the files to ACX submission requirements. It also supplies an ACX Audio Checker report so you can see the final Peaks, RMS and Noise Floor results!

Try the ACX Audio Fixer

Prep Suite

Audiobook Prep - Characters, Pronunciations and Notes

Prep Suite gives you a clear platform to keep all your Character voice samples, pronunciation notes and anything else you need for prep. You can record samples directly in the suite, and gather characters into scenes to easily review when they come up! It has a research tool built into the pronunciation page, so you can find sources quickly and copy notes and links easily.

It saves everything in your Google Drive: your prep notes as a Google Sheet, plus the MP3 recordings of your characters and pronunciations. Nothing is ever uploaded to The Audiobook Guy's servers, so your project stays private between you and your own Google account.

Try the Prep Suite

Research Tool

Pronunciation research from the sites I use every day!

Type in a word and get straight to the dictionaries and pronunciation sites that I use and give me the best results! — Oxford, Merriam-Webster, Collins, Forvo, Wiktionary, and more — each one opening pre-loaded with your search. When it's available, you'll also see a Quick Facts bar right on the page: RP and General American IPA, audio playback, and a short definition, so sometimes you won't need to leave the page at all.

Try the Research Tool

Accent Chart

See how a sound changes across accents — side by side

Pick any two (or twenty) accents and compare how they handle the same sound, from Received Pronunciation to Scouse to General American to New Zealand English. Select the accents you care about, and the chart lays out the IPA for each one so you can hear the differences instead of guessing at them.

Try the Accent Chart

IPA Chart

The full IPA chart, where you can hear every symbol!

A clickable IPA chart — vowels and consonants — where every symbol plays its sound. Built for quick reference when you're writing down pronunciation, accent notes, or just reminding yourself of a phoneme you don't use often.

Try the IPA Chart

The Audiobook Guy DAW

A full multitrack audio workstation built for narrators and voice over artists!

Often DAWs are built for musicians, so there is LOADS of extra stuff we don't need. This has punch and roll, and the editing shortcuts I find most useful. It saves files locally to your computer so they are backed up, and you keep your privacy. Just make sure you are using

Chrome or Edge for the best performance.

It also has these tools built in!

Recording Settings Checker - This checker will run you through a short guided test to ensure your mic gain settings are where they need to be for great audio! It will measure Peaks, RMS and Room Tone, and give you some advice if things don't sound 100%. You can also select any audio on the timeline and check that instead.

ACX Audio Fixer - An effects chain ready to go to get your audio to meet ACX requirements. Just hit 'Run ACX Audio Fixer', and it does the rest! None of the audio is sent to me or any AI platforms; it all happens in your browser, so there is no AI training happening at all on your audio.

Try The Audiobook Guy DAW

Audio Recorder

Hit record, give it a name, and save the MP3 to your computer or straight to Google Drive

I use this simple recorder for character voice reference or to remind me of a pronunciation. A simple browser-based recorder: not only can you upload straight to a Google Drive folder, but it generates the shareable link automatically! I put that in my Google Sheet to share with clients so they can check out the prep. No software to install, no faff.

Try the Audio Recorder

Narrator Earnings Calculator

Work out what a job really pays per hour worked

Enter the word count or estimated finished hours for your book and your PFH rate; the calculator will work out prep time, record time and post-production time, and then what you will really earn per hour worked on the project. It also has a Production Time estimator too so you can see the date you will finish the project!

Try the Narrator Earnings Calculator

PayPal Fee Calculator

Enter what you want to receive... because we need money...

Work out what to charge on a quote so that after PayPal's fees come out, you still land on the number you meant to. Enter what you want to receive, and it works backwards to the invoice total. I don't know why this is so complicated to work out, or why they don't have this on the site... but there you go... here is this one! Ha ha!

Try the PayPal Fee Calculator

Pomodoro Timer

Focus timer, built for Kev's ADHD brain!

A Pomodoro-style timer designed to keep you locked in for your best work, great for prep days! 25-minute focus blocks, short breaks, and longer breaks you control the length of. Add your task list, drag to reorder, and let the timer keep you moving through a session without watching the clock. I have pretty Intense ADHD, and find prep days the hardest. Reading a book, doing research without going to rabbit holes. This helps me stay on track and get the work done!

Try the Pomodoro Timer

Suggest a Tool / Leave Feedback

Got an idea, or found something broken?

These tools exist because I needed them and couldn't find something to do it, or other narrators told me what they needed — so if there's something that would make your prep/recording/life easier, or something here isn't working right, let me know In the comments, and I will try to get it sorted!

Thanks all!!!!