Audio stories are back!

It is with great pleasure that we announce the return of the ability to have audio files attached to stories for Silver members and higher.

In the short term, it is not yet fully automated. To add audio to a story:

1. Write and push the story to the moderators as normal.

2. Send an email to audio@lushstories.com with your .mp3 as an attachment. Also include the link to the story in your email body text.

Someone behind the scenes will attach the audio file to the story you link. Other file formats are permitted, so if you've recorded it on your phone as an .aac or something, then send that over instead and someone will convert it. But mp3 is ideal if you can, please. And remember the link to the story. Without that, your file will be ignored.

Hopefully this will become more automated over time but for now, it's a welcome return. So get your microphones melting with sexy heat for us all to enjoy...

Thank you!!! 😊

That's excellent! A big fan of audio here.

Super news! Missed by many to create and those who wish to listen to new ones.

I am interested in having a go at this at some point in the future. However, I have a question.

Can you submit an audio file for an old story already up on the site?

Or does it have to be a new one that just gone for moderation?

Quote by wxt55uk

I am interested in having a go at this at some point in the future. However, I have a question.

Can you submit an audio file for an old story already up on the site?

Or does it have to be a new one that just gone for moderation?

An old one is fine.

starts building home studio 😊

A bit much? Not sure I want to do it or when I would do it. Me reading a hot story into a microphone might just attract attention from those who do not know I am on here. Thought about it back in the old days, though.

That's great news! 😊 - A quick question: If I have a particularly long story, can I break it into two or three audio files?

Quote by TheShyThespian
If I have a particularly long story, can I break it into two or three audio files?

An excellent question. I don't know if there's an attachment limit to stories but I'll ask the dev team and get back to you.

Quote by TheShyThespian

That's great news! 😊 - A quick question: If I have a particularly long story, can I break it into two or three audio files?

That is a good question. My stories tend to be pretty long, but there are a few I wouldn't mind doing audio for (some of the one-sided dialogs for a start). I'll also need a better recording set up since what I've attempted so far has sounded like shit.

Quote by TheShyThespian
If I have a particularly long story, can I break it into two or three audio files?

Sadly not, says the dev team. One story, one audio file. Nothing to stop you recording it in multiple takes and stitching them together in post-production. I do this in Audacity.

Quote by WannabeWordsmith
Nothing to stop you recording it in multiple takes and stitching them together in post-production. I do this in Audacity.

Except my appalling technical skills 🤣 - thank you for asking, WW - I will endeavour to find the right software.

Can we do audio for a comp entry?

Quote by Ensorceled

Can we do audio for a comp entry?

Yes you can. Stories will be judged on the writing, so it won't make a difference to the judging.

It is rather coincidental that I came to the forums asking this precise question! I have heard many an audio story and I have noticed the different emotions and feelings listening to a story had in comparison to reading. I want to add this new layer to my stories.

Look out for a submission soon!!!!!

Suppose somebody writes a story that features an original song and wants to record himself in multi-track, singing it as a barbershop quartet. Is that an appropriate use of this feature? Asking for a friend... and his three clones.

Quote by Chet_Morton
record himself in multi-track, singing it as a barbershop quartet. Is that an appropriate use of this feature?

If it turns people on, sure 😃

great news! I just submitted a couple.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is easy peasy. Just got my first one on Lush 2.0 attached to my poem.

Quote by BNW

great news! I just submitted a couple.

Who does the voice belong to? You are male, right? Just curious

I'm having trouble getting an audio file attached to my story that published today. I followed the procedure outlined above, emailing the mp3 and including the story link. I have been messaging with the mod who approved the story but I'm still in limbo, with a story that's been up all day but is missing the key component that was sure to earn me praise and accolades. Is the tech team wicked busy, or did my email go to spam, or ... ?

Quote by Chet_Morton
Is the tech team wicked busy

This. And they won't be back in the office till Monday morning unfortunately.

As Seeker4 alluded above, I don't want people who know me IRL to know I'm on here - and I can guarantee you that in the very foreseeable future, reverse voice search will become commonplace and people who attach their natural voices to stories will be "found." My voice is fairly distinctive and I don't want to use it as-is

I also don't want to use a fully-generated AI voice devoid of emotion. If I'm going to use AI to create voice narration, I want it to disguise my voice but allow me to use my own intonation and pacing. Besides the ubiquitous voice-changing apps that make you sound like a chipmunk or Elmo or Darth Vader, I see that there may be a few that actually let you change your voice into a different natural-sounding one (most of these promise "celebrity" voices of dubious quality and accuracy).

Anyone have experience with these apps? And anyone get a clear idea of what it costs to use them? The ones that appear to actually deliver what I'm asking for seem to be incredibly opaque in terms of pricing, forcing you to pay in "gems" like they're a game. God only knows how many minutes of voice-change $20 worth of gems translates into. FWIW, the app called "Voices AI" is the one I've spent the most time looking into. Anyone dip their toes in these brave new waters yet?

You could try recording it and using something like the free Audacity app to subtly pitch shift or time stretch the file.

If you do that, I would be tempted to record it directly into Audacity as a wav file to benefit from its lossless nature. Then export as mp3 (224 kbps minimum if you want to maintain the quality) in the final step

Quote by Chet_Morton

Suppose somebody writes a story that features an original song and wants to record himself in multi-track, singing it as a barbershop quartet. Is that an appropriate use of this feature? Asking for a friend... and his three clones.

Okay, my July 4th, 1926 barbershop quartet recording has been released! Please give it a listen and a laugh. I recorded the four men's voices in multi-track with no audio trickery, then used kits.ai to transform my fifth voice into a slightly nasal female version.

I have to say that getting the audio attached was not a quick or smooth process. I'll spare you the details, but I pulled the story after the first day and it sat in draft status for six days in part because it wasn't clear to me or my moderator that the audio will not get attached until after the story gets published.

Quote by Chet_Morton
I have to say that getting the audio attached was not a quick or smooth process ... it wasn't clear to me or my moderator that the audio will not get attached until after the story gets published.

I don't know the reason it has to be attached post-publication but I guess the admins need a published story link to attach the file to. All the while it's in your drafts (and that includes while it's being moderated) nobody but you can access it.

Hopefully when the dev team have more resources to divert our way, they can add a direct upload so it can be bundled up and moderated together at story submission time.