This assignment will give you practice recording audio, but, more important, use it as a chance to become familiar with the Audacity user interface.
Record an introduction of yourself using Audacity. This will go on your blog, so tell the listener whatever you think is important for them to know about you. You might mention your studies, work, family, hobby -- whatever you wish to be part of your introduction.
Don't settle for a low-quality recording. Experiment with microphone placement and recording level so that there is no clipping, but you are using the dynamic range of the recorder. You are not finished until it sounds good.
When you are proud of your recording, export it with the name intro.mp3 and upload it to your account at SoundCloud. Check to be sure it sounds good.
(Do not record it using the SoundCloud online recorder -- record using Audacity and upload it to SoundCloud).
Write a post on your blog with a link to your audio introduction on SoundCloud. Don't forget to make the link "hot" so I can click on it to hear your introduction.
Link to topic module
Showing posts with label audio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label audio. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Experiment with .mp3 compression
Record a few sentences using Audacity. Make a monaural recording with a sample rate of 44100 Hz and 32-bit, floating point samples and export it as a 128 kbps .mp3 file.
That should be a CD-quality recording.
Compress the file by saving it at 112 kbps. Unless you have excellent ears and an excellent playback system, you will not be able to hear the difference between the compressed version and the original.
Compress the original further, trying different data rates until you can hear the difference.
Print a screen shot of the .mp3 option set at that data rate.
Turn that in along with answers to these two questions:
What was the file size of the original recording?
What is the file size of the compressed version in which you can begin to hear a difference?
Link to topic module
That should be a CD-quality recording.
Compress the file by saving it at 112 kbps. Unless you have excellent ears and an excellent playback system, you will not be able to hear the difference between the compressed version and the original.
Compress the original further, trying different data rates until you can hear the difference.
Print a screen shot of the .mp3 option set at that data rate.
Turn that in along with answers to these two questions:
What was the file size of the original recording?
What is the file size of the compressed version in which you can begin to hear a difference?
Link to topic module
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Install and test the LAME .mp3 encoder
In this assignment you will download and locate the LAME .mp3 encoder, enabling you to create .m3 files using Audacity.
After installing Audacity, download the LAME encoder and locate it in storage.
Test that it works by recording a sentence or two and exporting them in an .mp3 file.
When you save the file, it will ask you for values of several metadata fields.
The value of the Artist field should give your name and the Title should be ".mp3 test".
Play your test file to be sure it worked.
Turn in a printouts of the metadata form and a listing of the directory you saved the file in, showing its size and the date you exported it.
Link to topic module
After installing Audacity, download the LAME encoder and locate it in storage.
Test that it works by recording a sentence or two and exporting them in an .mp3 file.
When you save the file, it will ask you for values of several metadata fields.
The value of the Artist field should give your name and the Title should be ".mp3 test".
Play your test file to be sure it worked.
Turn in a printouts of the metadata form and a listing of the directory you saved the file in, showing its size and the date you exported it.
Link to topic module
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Audio editing -- Mary had a little lamb
This assignment will give you practice with audio editing.
You are to record Mary Had a Little Lamb. See if you can make it sound as good as my grandson Lucas' rendition.
Use earphones so you can listen to the music as you sing.
Pay attention to the volume levels -- don't let the music drown your singing out, but don't make the music too quiet.
When you finish, save a screenshot of your Audacity session and upload the song to Soundcloud. Add a post with the screenshot and link to the song to your blog.
Here is the instrumental sound track.
Link to topic module
You are to record Mary Had a Little Lamb. See if you can make it sound as good as my grandson Lucas' rendition.
Use earphones so you can listen to the music as you sing.
Pay attention to the volume levels -- don't let the music drown your singing out, but don't make the music too quiet.
When you finish, save a screenshot of your Audacity session and upload the song to Soundcloud. Add a post with the screenshot and link to the song to your blog.
Here is the instrumental sound track.
Link to topic module
Audio editing -- Nixon speech
This assignment will give you experience with audio editing.
This is an excerpt from Richard Nixon's Watergate "I am not a crook" speech:
Let me just say this. I've made my mistakes, but in all of my years of public life, I have never profited from public service.
I've earned every cent.
And in all of my years of public life, I have never obstructed justice.
And I think too that I can say that in my years of public life that I welcome this kind of examination because people have got to know whether or not their president's a crook.
Well, I'm not a crook.
Cut the sound file and move a few words around, until it contains:
I have profited from public service, and welcome every cent.
I have obstructed justice.
People have got to know their president's a crook.
I'm a crook.
When you have the words correct, add a second track with patriotic music. (Not too loud, so we can hear Nixon).
When it sounds good to your ear, save a screenshot of your Audacity session and upload the audio to SoundClound.
Finally, create a blog post with the screenshot of your Audacity session and a link to the audio file on SoundCloud.
You will need two sound files to begin with:
Link to topic module
This is an excerpt from Richard Nixon's Watergate "I am not a crook" speech:
Let me just say this. I've made my mistakes, but in all of my years of public life, I have never profited from public service.
I've earned every cent.
And in all of my years of public life, I have never obstructed justice.
And I think too that I can say that in my years of public life that I welcome this kind of examination because people have got to know whether or not their president's a crook.
Well, I'm not a crook.
Cut the sound file and move a few words around, until it contains:
I have profited from public service, and welcome every cent.
I have obstructed justice.
People have got to know their president's a crook.
I'm a crook.
When you have the words correct, add a second track with patriotic music. (Not too loud, so we can hear Nixon).
When it sounds good to your ear, save a screenshot of your Audacity session and upload the audio to SoundClound.
Finally, create a blog post with the screenshot of your Audacity session and a link to the audio file on SoundCloud.
You will need two sound files to begin with:
Link to topic module
Monday, November 15, 2010
Audio recording -- host on your server
This assignment will give you practice recording audio, but, more important, use it as a chance to become familiar with the Audacity user interface.
Record an introduction of yourself using Audacity. This will go on your Web site, so tell the listener whatever you think it is important for them to know about you. You might mention your studies, work, family, hobby -- whatever you wish to be part of your introduction.
Don't settle for a low quality recording. Experiment with microphone placement and recording level so that there is no clipping, but you are using the dynamic range of the recorder. You are not finished until it sounds good.
When you are proud of your recording, export it with the name name intro.mp3 (so I can check it) and upload it to your Web directory on sws.csudh.edu. Check to see that you can play it back in a browser.
When it is working, print out an Audacity screen shot of the recording to turn in.
Next write a post on your blog with a link to the recording on your server.
Print out a copy of that post to turn in as well.
Link to topic module
Record an introduction of yourself using Audacity. This will go on your Web site, so tell the listener whatever you think it is important for them to know about you. You might mention your studies, work, family, hobby -- whatever you wish to be part of your introduction.
Don't settle for a low quality recording. Experiment with microphone placement and recording level so that there is no clipping, but you are using the dynamic range of the recorder. You are not finished until it sounds good.
When you are proud of your recording, export it with the name name intro.mp3 (so I can check it) and upload it to your Web directory on sws.csudh.edu. Check to see that you can play it back in a browser.
When it is working, print out an Audacity screen shot of the recording to turn in.
Next write a post on your blog with a link to the recording on your server.
Print out a copy of that post to turn in as well.
Link to topic module
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