Your most popular pod?

[adistantsun]

I've seen a few people talking about their most popular fics in relation to viewcounts on AO3, and how widely that can differ from their own opinions on their fic.

So, take a look at your download counts: what have been your Top 3 most popular podfics to date? And how do the numbers compare with your thoughts on which have been your best readings? :D
 

Comments

[adistantsun]

My Top Three thus far have been:

#1 - Database Unavailable by unrequitedangst
#2 - Child Stars by soundczech
#3 - (actually 5 Times Darren Tried to Make Chris Stop Smoking, but if we're talking JE) Again tonight, embraced by the stars... by me

This is pretty accurate to what I would expect if you take into account the relative popularity of the fics themselves. In terms of what I would consider my best readings, Database Unavailable is right up there - it was only my third or fourth podfic, but I still think it's one of the best readings I've done. The other two... well. I haven't listened to Child Stars in awhile, but I remember being pretty frustrated with it during editing. There were at least two instances where I wanted to throw my hands up, trash the file, and go back and record the whole thing over again. At the time, I didn't think the reading managed to draw out enough of the humour, making the story a whole lot more angsty than the written version. Again tonight isn't bad in my opinion, but my fic does not read easily, and I think a lot of the angstier fic suffers from my being too close to it. The volume in my head needs to be turned down several notches for the sake of a reading, but sometimes it creeps up into the melodramatic registers regardless ^^;;;.

The podfics I would list as my Top Three Best (JE) Readings, in no particular order, are:

* Database Unavailable by unrequitedangst
* Red Balloon by hilaryscribbles
* and They Met

(with The Way We Fall and All of the Dreaming Goes On as close runners up)

[absinthe1213.livejournal.com]

I agree...

I love how you did DATABASE UNAVAILABLE>...

Child Stars is also great...

They Met is great too though I think there was a change in your voice.

I have all your 21 podfics in my iPod, on repeat for when days are boring...

Great job...

[becquinho.livejournal.com]

In terms of downloads my top three are:

#1. Shogun
#2. Verona
#3. If you were gay

'Shogun' rather baffles me for being the top one...I suppose it makes sense as it's long-ish and one of my oldest etc. but it has quality and editing issues that make me wince, despite the fact that the fic is extremely fun. 'Verona' I'm actually pleased it's on there though as it's one of my personal favorite readings, despite the less than stellar audio quality I actually am rather pleased with how the dialogue and interactions were captured and the fic's atmosphere drawn out. As for 'if you were gay'...I think the fic is absolutely charming but frankly this was a late night recording done after I'd been doing recordings all day and barely had any voice left. Also my grasp of editing wasn't fabulous...it's not one I'm especially happy with to say the least.

In terms of my top thee favorite readings, in no order of preference.

- 'Verona'
- 'I won't write it in the sky'
- 'Dentistry for Lovers'

'Skin Bared', 'Drops' and 'The Cigarette Lighter Lovesong' (which actually has the dubious honour of being my least downloaded podfic) are also close favorites someone is terrible at picking favorites XD;;. Ironically with the exception of Verona most of these are among the least popular ones I've done.

[kattunberry.livejournal.com]

Of my four posted so far, my top three have been:

#1 - Aureolin Fields of Solace (http://je-podfic.livejournal.com/10350.html) by prologuesized
#2 - My Garden, Your Garden (http://je-podfic.livejournal.com/2460.html) by me
#3 - Mikans (http://je-podfic.livejournal.com/12013.html) by

I suppose it's not really surprising, it could have gone either way with only four to rate ^^" I too preferred my recording of Aureolin simply because it didn't sound too broken in terms of reading ability.
I personally don't really like my recording of My Garden, Your Garden; the quality is less than pleasant, and the music a little startling at the beginning.

My top 3

#1 - 'Aureolin Fields of Solace' by prologuesized
#2 - Warmth (http://je-podfic.livejournal.com/4437.html) byacchikocchi
#3 - 'Mikans' by adistantsun

Though the mic is rather more crackly in Warmth, and the sound of my voice changed a little partway thanks to my little drink-break, I don't think it turned out too shabby overall. Mikans would've been better, I think, if my editing system hadn't decided to trail off the ends of words when I cleared it up; it sounds a bit jolting at times, and the same goes for Aureolin really. I'd prefer a smoother reading.

[kattunberry.livejournal.com]

Missed off adistantsun on the first Mikans ref -_-" I sware I'm half asleep today.

[randomicicle.livejournal.com]

By download count, my top 3:

#1 Sleep Aid, in Spanish.
#2 Care
#3 First things first (which actually surprised me because it's Kame/Junno and no one seems to be very enthusiast about them).

My personal top 3:

#1 Play me a memory
#2 First things first
#3 Starlight

I don't think the quality or reading is perfect in any of them and I actually need to work a lot both in voice acting and my own pronunciation, but I still think those were the best in the end. What really surprised me is how those from rare pairings actually get more downloads than they got comments when first posted, so.. maybe podfic is good for spreading the rare pairing love?

[notaverse.livejournal.com]

Well, I've only posted three so far, of which my Gokusen 2 one is slightly in the lead simply, I suspect, because I posted it first. It doesn't surprise me that it and the Akame one have more downloads than the Jinda one, though. Maybe I should record one of my Kokame ones and see how that does. :-)

I don't know; I mean, I don't think I read anything particularly well, and the fics most people tell me they like are the ones that are too long for me to even consider reading, so I just read what I fancy, post it, and have done with it.

[adistantsun]

though I think there was a change in your voice.

Hehe, not a change in voice but a change in microphone ^_~

Thank you so much!

[adistantsun]

Interesting, yeah. 'Shogun' does have the advantage of being a bit older, and as a story it's a lot of fun and pulling on 'Entourage' as well as JE, so people can relate to one if not the other.

'The Cigarette Lighter Lovesong' (which actually has the dubious honour of being my least downloaded podfic)

The comm is still very KT-centric (anyone feel like pimping on other JE comms? XD), and with that comes a very heavy bias toward Akame fic - my Kame/Yuya and Pin pods have download counts less than half that of the Akame ones :|

What we're getting out of this it seems is that for listeners, audio quality is very much second to content, and that podficcers tend to judge more on performance aspects. Which is as it should be I guess XD

[adistantsun]

Hehe, yeah, from such a small sample pool it is a little hard to judge XD

I guess part of being a podficcer is getting to know all these little blips and tricks to be aware of when recording - 20+ recordings later, I only just feel like I've got the hang of doing it.

Clearly, the solution is to record more podfic ;D

[adistantsun]

I'm a little surprised by how popular your rarepair pods have been, cos Mec, Becs and I have had the opposite reaction - Akame stacks up way more downloads than the less common pairings. I wonder if that has something to do with the fandom circles we run in? A good number of fannish people I know have a pretty strong Akame bias, whereas just judging from the response you got to the INP Day project, people seemed a bit more open in what they were willing to read?

But podfic is good for spreading all kinds of love! Some people have writers they will follow so far as into different fandoms; I feel that way about certain podficcers ;D

[adistantsun]

Despite my feelings on KoKame, I would be interested to see how that one would fare in terms of numbers ^_~

Hehe, considering your fics tend to run into the tens of thousands of words, I don't blame you for being reluctant to read them XD. I admit, I'm intrigued by the podfic community as a whole and its place in the madhouse that is Fandom at large, but the most fun part will always be sitting down in front of a mic and throwing your voice around a story you enjoyed, and that's exactly how it should be :D

[randomicicle.livejournal.com]

Maybe? But I think most of our fandom circles are pretty much the same? Although when it comes to readers, it may be true.. I'm not moving in the Akame circles much lately. Maybe that's why? Whatever the reason, it just makes me happy people on some side of fandom is willing to try rare pairings, I love them so much ♥

(And me too.. I'll probably listen to anything you or Becs may podfic, luckily you don't seem to be venturing into completely uncharted territory for me ♥)

[randomicicle.livejournal.com]

Well, Database unavailable was fab. Your reading was delish, I'd also expect it to be right up there on top.

[randomicicle.livejournal.com]

What we're getting out of this it seems is that for listeners, audio quality is very much second to content, and that podficcers tend to judge more on performance aspects.

At least for first time downloads from a podficcer. I think they'd dl more stuff from the same podficcer based on the reading later. Or I do that anyway /random talkative mood.