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John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Audacity – Soundscapes for Literacy
Audacity – Audio Editor
Primary Inset – Westbrook Old Hall Primary
Tuesday 18th October 2011
John Oates
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Before you begin 1Download Audacity from the following internet website;
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
You will be given an option to download an advanced version or a more stable version, the stable version is what you will use today.
Click on download and then open, the installation process will then be initiated.
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Further downloadingTo enable conversion of your work to MP3 another file needs to be downloaded; this is called a LAME MP3 Encoder.
This file looks like this – lame_enc.dll
It can be downloaded onto your computer from www.free-codecs.com
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Before You begin 2
The file size of your recorded work is very important considering it might need to be put on the internet. We can make some adjustments to limit the size of our files and so reduce the download time when they are accessed.
Go to Edit > Preferences > Quality
Make sure the sample rate is set to 44100Hz and the sample format is set to 16-bit. These are the rates used by the BBC for their Podcasts and CDs so it should be OK for us.
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Before you begin 3Nearly there!!
A final setting to make, especially if you are recording voice, is to set the bit rate for MP3 Export.
Go To – Edit > Preferences > File Formats
In the section headed ‘MP3 Export Setup’ lower the bit rate if you are recording voice and other sounds with a microphone. You can experiment here to see what sounds best – lower the bit rate = lower quality (I’ve been setting this to 80.)
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Before you begin 4I think we are nearly there, honest!!!
Microphones – I’ve been using a normal audio microphone used at school (Phillips SBC MD150) plus a USB microphone (Logitech AK5370) I got this from Amazon but you can go to www.logitech.com for more details.
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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USB Microphones – win 2000
To set up the microphone go to: Edit > Preferences > Audio I/O
Click on the Recording > Device tab and select the model of the microphone used, if shown.
* Make sure the ‘Play other tracks while recording new one’ is ticked
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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USB Microphones 2 – win 2000
To set the recording input level:
Right click over the speaker icon, bottom right of computer screen, select Open Volume Control.
Make sure the volume is up and not muted on each channel.
Now click on Options > Properties > Recording
With Microphone box ticked, click on the Mixer Device tab and select the microphone being used. Click OK and then raise the input volume of the microphone.
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Normal Microphones – win 2000
To ensure a strong recording signal, right click over the speaker symbol in the bottom right of the computer screen.
Click on Open Volume Controls.
Go to Options > Properties
Tick recording and microphone. Then click OK.
Check that the recording control is high and then click Advanced. Tick number 1 Mic Boost then close.
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Vista – Microphone Set Up
Open control panel
Click on hardware and sound
Click on Manage Audio Devices > Recording > highlight microphone if shown and click configure.
Click > set up microphone > select microphone you intend to use.
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Loading Audio from a FileGo to Project > Import Audio > select folder containing sound file.
Once loaded - click on the green arrowhead on the control panel to listen to this clip of audio.
Audio files can be found at: www.wavcentral.com
or www.partnersinrhyme.com
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Principal Editing FunctionsSelecting – click on the selection tool and then click at any location within the audio displayed.
Highlighting – click onto the audio and drag
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Principal Editing Functions 2
Cutting – Highlight the section to be removed and press delete on keyboard or click on the cut tool.
Copy & Paste – Highlight the section to be copied and then click on the copy function. Now click in the space under the track then click on the paste function.
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Principal Editing Functions 3
Paste Continued – If you now click to the right of this copied section and press paste again, you will make a further copy.
Time Shift Tool
This tool allows the audio to be shifted to a new location.
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Principal Editing Functions 4
Deleting a whole track – click the cross in the top left hand corner to remove the track.
Undo/Redo – a very useful tool.
Track Volume Adjustment
Move the slider to the minus.
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Cleaning up your recording
Using the select tool – highlight the whole of your recording and then click on Effect (found at top of screen) > Noise Removal
This effect allows you to clean up any hiss on your recording caused by the poor quality of the mic.
This shouldn’t be as much of a problem with USB mics.
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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More EffectsHighlight a section of your recording then go to:
Effects > Reverse. Now listen to the result.
Next, highlight another part or word and then go to: Effects > Repeat. Listen to the result.
There are many more interesting effects to try.
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Mixing your tracks together.
When you have used multiple tracks you can mix them together.Highlight all the tracks you have used with left
click and drag. Then go to Project > Quick mix
Make sure you are happy with your recording before you do this.
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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Saving your work.To save the project as an Audacity File: go to File > Save As > (place in your specified folder) Save
To save as an MP3 File: go to File > Export as MP3 > locate a folder and name > Save
You will then have to fill in the ID3 tags for the MP3 file.
If this is the first time you have saved as an MP3, you will be asked to locate the LAME DECODER – lame_enc.dll (Web or on Inset CD)
John Oates AST Primary Music [email protected]
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ContactJohn Oates – Old Hall Primary – Tel:01925 415544
www.sanquaypublishing.co.uk
