Narrative Audio Editor for Family Oral-History Project

Narrative Audio Editor for Family Oral-History Project Project Overview I’m looking for an experienced narrative audio editor / dialogue restoration engineer to help create a polished family oral-history album from recordings of my grandfather telling stories around the dinner table. The recordings cover his childhood, military service during WWII, college, family life, etc. This is a personal family project rather than a commercial podcast, but I’m looking for a professional-quality result. Source Material The current plan draws from approximately 15 files / 4.5 hours of source audio. The recordings were made informally, primarily on an iPhone/Voice Memos, so they include typical dinner-table challenges such as: Room noise Varying speaker levels Cross-talk Dishes and table noise Interruptions and unrelated conversation Occasional difficult transitions between usable sections The finished piece will likely be approximately 60–75 minutes. Editorial Work Already Completed I am not looking for someone to start with several hours of raw audio and determine the story from scratch. The recordings have been professionally transcribed, and I have already created a detailed editorial/story plan that includes: Overall narrative structure and sequence Source files to use Specific stories and sections to include Approximate timestamps Guidance on transitions and pacing Notes on important family moments and lines that should be preserved The editor will still need to use judgment where planned cuts do not work naturally in the actual audio. Scope of Work I’m looking for someone who can: Assemble the selected material into a cohesive narrative Make edits and transitions sound natural and unobtrusive Clean up and restore dialogue where appropriate Reduce distracting room noise while preserving natural ambience Balance speaker levels across recordings Handle cross-talk and difficult sections intelligently Preserve the character of the original recordings Apply light sound design or transitions where they genuinely improve the story Mix and master the finished piece for easy listening on headphones, speakers, and phones Creative Direction The most important goal is authenticity. I do not want the recordings processed so heavily that they sound artificial or studio-recorded. The dinner-table environment is part of what makes the material meaningful. The ideal finished piece should feel like the listener is sitting at the table with my grandfather—only clearer, more coherent, and much easier to listen to. I’m especially interested in editors with experience in: Narrative podcasts Audio documentaries Oral histories Dialogue editing/restoration iZotope RX or comparable restoration tools Long-form storytelling Deliverables At minimum: One full-length final master in high-quality WAV Individual chapter files in high-quality WAV MP3 versions of the full album and each chapter for easy sharing/listening Editable project/session files and associated assets I would also like the editable project/session files included in the final delivery. Process Before committing to the full project, I would prefer to begin with a paid short sample edit using a representative portion of the source material. If the sample is a good fit, we can then agree on a fixed-price scope for the complete project. When responding, please include: Examples of relevant narrative/dialogue work Your approach to cleaning imperfect recordings without over-processing them Your availability A rough estimate or pricing approach for a project of this scope The DAW/restoration tools you typically use