--- Forwarded Message from Damion Renner <[log in to unmask]> ---
>Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 10:58:34 -0500
>From: Damion Renner <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Recording Drills and Sound Recorder
Warren and Marisa,
We use a windows 2000 server with shared network folders for each
course that uses our labs. - The permissions are set up so that students
cannot delete or overwrite files with the lab login they use. The
instructor has different permissions and is allowed to delete files from
the instructor workstation at the front of the class. This is to prevent
students from tampering. Once a group of files is saved to the server,
they can be burned to CD and taken home for evaluation...
We primarily use Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net) for
student recordings because it works, it's free, and can run on almost all
platforms. The only drawback to using audacity is that a student cannot
stop and start their recording without the program opening a new waveform.
There are ways around this by copying and pasting the waveforms, but since
audacity mixes all the tracks to one track, the end result is sometimes an
incomprehensible mix of several recordings all merged together. So we have
to ask the students to only have ONE wave open at a time when saving.
This isn't all that convenient. Purevoice and Windows Soundrecorder
however both will allow for appending and inserting audio into an existing
recording.
However, because of the way our directory permissions are set up
on the server, we cannot use either Purevoice or Sound Recorder because
they both create a temp file on the server, and that temp file is deleted
by the program after the file is saved. Because we do not allow students
to delete files, a program cannot do so either - the end result is a bunch
of what appear to be saved files on the server, but in fact they are all
empty 0k files. Audacity and other programs allow you to specify the temp
directory which helps us get around this problem.
We encountered a few problems when using Sound Recorder
under Windows 2000 (I'm not sure if they've addressed these problems in
XP), for recording drills. First off, the setting always reverts to the
default of 8000kHZ 8 Bit Mono whenever the program is closed and reopened.
As far as I can tell, there was no way of saving the default settings if
you wanted to always use a higher bitrate. Secondly, Sound Recorder only
allows one to record for 60 seconds at a time, and the only way to add
more time is to click on the Record button again - this is sometimes
confusing and annoying for students in our labs.
My other suggestion - and I'd like to hear about what others think
about this - is to use High Criteria's Total Recorder Standard Edition -
which by the way I discovered through this mailing list.
Sure it costs something, but it's still very affordable - it allows for
appending and inserting audio, it allows for dual track recording
(microphone + web based audio), it allows you to save in wav and mp3, it's
got line levels, and you can specify the temp directory. This is the
program of choice for us at the moment since it addresses all the
problems I mentioned above, unless there's something better
out there?
Damion Renner
University of Toronto
Computing in the Humanities
416-926-1300 x.3256
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>Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2003 13:47:46 -0600
>Thread-Topic: #7354 Recording drills
>Thread-Index: AcO0PhAYRcWlyf2QQCqtg7hwcVD3jgAFl3NA
>From: "Warren Roby" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: "Language Learning and Technology International Information =
Forum" <[log in to unmask]>
------------------
Marisa,
I am using a Telex M-560 USB microphone and am very pleased with =
it. It is available for about $30 from various suppliers.
I am running Windows XP. The built-in SoundRecord utility is =
adequate for my needs, so I have not needed to invest in additional =
software.
A 21 second file recorded in PCM format at the lowest rate (8000kHZ =
8 bit mono) makes a file 168011 bytes big. It is rather scratchy.
A middle-of-the road rate is 22,000 kHz 16 bit stereo. A 21 second =
file comes in at 1830316 bytes. The quality is very good.
The highest rate possible with SoundRecorder (at least in PCM =
format)is 48,000 kHz 16 bit stereo.
Warren
Warren B. Roby, Ph. D.
Professor and Chairman of Language Studies
John Brown University
2000 W. University
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
479-524-7309 (direct line)
479-238-8580 (FAX)
[log in to unmask]
http://faculty.jbu.edu/wroby/
Solvitur ambulando
Damion Renner
Language Lab and Computing Support, Development and Training
CHASS / Multimedia Centre in the Humanities
Phone: 416-926-1300 x.3256, 416-978-2535
Email: [log in to unmask]
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