Recording and Editing Audio

Overview:

In this lab, you will learn how to take advantage of an open source application called Audacity to record and edit audio.  Additionally, you will have the opportunity to experiment with web-based audio recording and publishing.

Objectives:
  1. To familiarize yourself with the basic features of Audacity as an example of sound editing software.
  2. To record and edit your own own audio clips.
  3. To upload and store your audio files on a server.
The More You Know:

Fortunately, recording and editing audio has become a relatively simple and cheap activity.  Many computers today come with built-in microphones, and those that don’t can be supplemented with cheap plug-in mics.  You also don’t need to purchase expensive software to produce good quality audio.  In fact, one of the most popular audio editing applications is an open source (free) program called Audacity.

Audacity

In addition to being free, there are a couple of other benefits to using audacity for sound recording and editing.  The first is that it is cross-platform, meaning that you can run it on both Macs and PCs.  The second benefit is that there are lots of tutorials on Audacity already on the web so you won’t need to create your own resources if you use it with your students (although you might want to depending on other factors — like TPACK!).

Some resources that you might consider include:

  1. Download page for Audacity.
  2. Atomic Learning (Mac version / PC version) tutorials on Audacity. (un: MAETY2, pw: atomicUS08)
  3. In addition, the Audacity Wiki Page includes information about Audacity including tutorials and tipsheets.
  4. How-to-podcast-tutorial.com – Jason Van Orden has a pretty thorough set of resources that will show you how to download and install Audacity and the LAME encoder (needed to covert files to .mp3) as well as how to set up, record, and edit using the program.

Specifically, focus your exploration of the Audacity resources on the following topics:

  1. Download and install Audacity and the LAME MP3 encoder
  2. Adjust your microphone (recording) levels if necessary
  3. Record your voice
  4. Delete or move sections of audio
  5. Remove background noise
  6. Silencing portions of the audio
  7. Altering volume levels
  8. Importing an audio clip (e.g., music)
    1. ccMixter – Remixed music licensed under CC (video: finding content on ccMixter)
    2. Jamendo – Remixed music licensed under CC
  9. Fade volume up and down with the Envelope Tool
  10. Export audio in MP3 format
GarageBand

GarageBand is a commercial application that comes standard on most Macs.  If you have downloaded and used Audacity frequently in the past and want to try a different application then you may use GarageBand to complete the performance task for this lab.  Note that a drawback of using GarageBand is not cross-platform.

Again, focus your exploration on the tasks 2-10 listed above in the Audacity section.

Web-Based Audio Tools

Given the attention we’ve given to free web-based technologies, you may be wondering if there are any sites that allow you to record your audio directly online.  There certainly are!  Aviary’s online Audio Editor is currently one of the most popular and robust tools available.  Aviary has a whole suite of tools that you may wish to explore at some point as well.  A simpler tool aimed a podcasters is PodOmatic.  Be aware, however that this tool does not allow you to edit your recording so you won’t be able to complete the performance tasks below with it.

Uploading Files to a Server

Once you’ve polished your audio file and saved it as an MP3, you will need to store it on a server if you want others to be able to access it.   If you wish to put your MP3 in your AFS space, now is a good time to experiment with Netfiles.  If you are unfamiliar with Netfiles, here is a tipsheet that should help.  Remember to put your MP3 somewhere in your “web” folder as the other folders are not public.

If you want to look into options outside of the two mentioned above, OurMedia could be an option.  Another option might be purchasing server space.  Whatever you decide, it is always a good idea to check what your school’s policy is on student work and make sure you are in accordance with those policies.

Your Performance Tasks:

After exploring the resources above, you should:

  1. Craft your own audio file that:
    1. Begins with a 5-10 second music clip that fades in and then fades out
    2. A 1-2 minute polished audio segment of you talking about a topic of your choice (e.g. one of your ReLATe Sessions, your plans for using a particular technology in your teaching, etc.)
    3. End with a 5-10 second music clip that fades in and then out.
  2. Export your audio as an MP3 file
  3. Upload your MP3 file to a server (such as your AFS space) so that it can be accessed by others
Submission and Due Date:

All tasks for this lab must be completed by 8:00 a.m., Friday, July 9th.  Please link to your audio file in the comments below.

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