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Digitizing Audio- Using Audacity
http://www.arhu.umd.edu/technology/workshops/mmpublishing/dva-audiohowto.html
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Setting Up

Download Audacity (free multipltform sound utility),
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Download library item needed to export MP3 files from Audacity
Mac: http://www.proteron.com/n2mp3pro/,

Click on "Free Demo" link, this will download the software.
Win: http://www.maindex.com/lame/pages/beta_Win32_DLL.html
• Drag the LAMELib (mac) or lame_enc.dll (win) file to your Audacity folder.
• Launch Audacity. Go to the File Menu >  Preferences Options > File Formats tab, select "find library button the point to the LAMELib file so that Audacity can use it. (Call Janel or Catherine if this doesn't make sense!)




Digitizing Audio from Microphone
 

• Make sure your microphone is attached and input is working.
• 1. Control Menu/  Sound
• 2. Input : Sound In, check input.
• Launch Audacity
• File Menu > Preferences >
• Audio I/O Tab,
• Device: Built in
• Input: Sound In
• Check Play while recording and record in stereo if needed.
• Sample Rates Tab,
• Sample Rate: 44,
• File Formats, Tab Uncompresses Export Format Section
• AIFF or WAV
• Click the record button, then talk in the microphone. When youíve finished recording, click Stop.
• Play the sound by clicking Play in the Controls window.
• Save the Audacity Project (File Menu/ Save).
• Experiment with selection portions of your recording, copy/paste, cut/paste, apply filters from the effects menu.
• Save Project for future editing, Save as WAV, AIFF or MP3.


Mixing background music with a voiceover: Audacity makes it very easy to mix two different sounds together.

 
• Open one sound (for example, the background music, track1.mov).
• Select the track, Filter, Amplify, -5 to lesson volume.
• Hit the record button to do a voice over. Audacity will play the existing tracks and allow you to record an additional track.
• You could also Select Import Audio... from the Project menu and open the other sound (for example, the voiceover).
• Listen to your sound using the Play button. Audacity automatically mixes them together.
• Choose the Time Shift tool and adjust the position of one track or the other until they're synchronized the way you want them. You can even move tracks around while they're playing.
• If you hear clipping which wasn't present in either of the original files, it means that the combined volume of the two tracks is too loud. Select one or both of the tracks and then use the Amplify... effect to reduce the volumes until you don't hear clipping anymore.
• Export as a WAV or MP3 file.
• Track1Movie.mp3

 

Processing and Editing a Quicktime Soundtrack
Open a QuickTime Movie
File Menu/ Open, Choose Movies from the Show pop-up menu.Select a movie to open.
Press spacebar to play the movie.
Click the audio track name (it might be "untitled), click edit.
File Menu/ Import to add sound file in a new track.
Insert Menu/ Track to add a new blank track into which sound can be recorded or pasted.
(Note: When you close this window, SoundEdit mixes all tracks to a single track. Just leave window open, save file and review changes in the Quicktime window.)

To listen to all the sound tracks at once: type command+a to select all tracks, then press the spacebar.
Hold down the option key to get the hand to move the position of the tracks.
 
 

Transferring Sound files from CD-ROM-Mac
Insert CD-ROM and launch Movie Player
File Menu/ Import Select desired track, select convert button.
Select options button. Try settings at 11khz, 8 bit, mono. Adjust starting and ending points by dragging beginning and ending squares.
Click OK button.
Select destination for saving file, then save.
 

Problems?
Can't hear the sound?
Quit Sound application.
Go to the Apple Menu/ Control Panel/ Monitors and Sounds, Sound Monitoring Source, select appropriately (Sound in, CD, etc.)

Can't access Recording Options from SoundEdit?
I have never been able to access that option; just quit and follow steps above.
 
 
DigitalMediaWorkshopSeries,CollegeofARHU,University of Maryland
chays@deans.umd.edu

 

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