Audacity For use with MFL Speaking Tests User Guide (Microsoft Windows version)
Table of Contents Introduction... 3 1 Installation... 3 1.1 Installing Audacity... 3 1.2 Installing Lame MP3 Encoder... 6 2 Getting Started... 9 3 Considering Recording Conditions... 10 4 Using a USB Microphone... 11 5 Starting Recording... 14 6 Saving your Recording... 14 7 Recommendations... 17 2
Introduction AQA have packaged the software ready for use, included the mp3 encoder, and placed it on our website at the location below. www.aqa.org.uk/audiorecorder If you do not wish to use this version, Audacity is free software that is available to download from the internet from the website http://audacity.sourceforge.net. There are currently 2 versions available and we recommend that you use the latest stable one (version 1.2.6). The version on the audacity website does not include the mp3 encoder by default, to export this in MP3 format (recommended to generate smaller audio recording file) you will need to download another application from the website http://lame.buanzo.com.ar/ from this page, you will have to click on the link under For Audacity on Windows. 1 Installation 1.1 Installing Audacity Once you have downloaded the file from the website, double click on the icon Audacity-Win-1.2.6 to start the installation. A security message will be displayed on some versions of windows, you should click Run. 3
You will now arrive at the welcome Wizard screen (below), click Next to continue the installation. The License Agreement will be displayed; select I accept the agreement and click Next. Once you have accepted the agreement, an information box will list the technical information of the software, click Next. 4
The installation destination will be, by default, the program files folder, you can change this path by clicking on the Browse button. Select both options (shown below) and click Next. A list of all options selected will be displayed, click Install. 5
At the end of the installation tick the box launch Audacity to start the application. Click Finish to quit the installation. 1.2 Installing Lame MP3 Encoder Once you have downloaded the file from the website, double click on the icon Lam_v3.98.2_for-Audacity to start the installation. Note: The name could be different if a new version has been released. A security message will be displayed on some versions of windows, you should click Run. 6
You will now arrive at the welcome Wizard screen (below), click Next to continue the installation. The License agreement will be displayed, select I accept the agreement and click Next. 7
The installation destination will be, by default, the program files folder, you can change this path by clicking on the Browse button. IMPORTANT: Please make a note of the installation path as you will need it for your first export in MP3 with audacity. The destination location will be displayed, click Install. 8
At the end of the installation, the confirmation window will appear, click Finish. 2 Getting Started When you first launch Audacity it will ask you to select the language for the application, the default is English, click OK. The screen below will appear. There are four toolbars Control Toolbar, Mixer Toolbar, Edit Toolbar and Meter Toolbar and a pick list to select the input device (which is set to Microphone by default). 9
Control Toolbar This toolbar works very much like a video or cassette recorder. Record Initiates the recording of an audio file. Pause Temporarily stops the recording or playback. This comes in useful if you record one part of your podcast and then want to prepare yourself for the next section. To restart the recording press the pause button again. Stop Ends the recording or playback. This must be done before any further editing is carried out. Play Plays back a recording. Back Skip Skips to the beginning of the recording. Forward Skip Skips to the end or to a position where the cursor is placed. Input Device The only other feature that is important at this stage is the input device. If you click the drop down arrow you ll see a list of options. You should select the appropriate option for the tool you will be using to record the tests. If you are using the internal microphone of the computer select Microphone, if you are using an external microphone which is plugged in the computer select Line in. 3 Considering Recording Conditions When making a recording you need to remember the microphone will pick up most of the sound made around it during that time. Here are some things to consider: Background noise - the recording will pick up other sounds made in the room including other people talking, machine noise and telephone rings. To avoid this it is best to record in a quite and secluded room. Microphone position - the microphone doesn t have to be to close to your mouth as it tends to pick up unwanted noises like inhaling and exhaling, plus the recording tends to be loud if the microphone is to close. When making a recording try to keep the microphone at a constant distance from your mouth, varying the distance changes the volume of the recording. 10
4 Using a USB Microphone Before starting your recording, plug the microphone into the computer (shown below). Right click on the audio icon on the toolbar to open the menu. Once the menu opens select Adjust Audio Properties. This will open a window called Sounds and Audio Devices Properties. Once in this window select the Audio tab (shown below). 11
Change the default device to the USB Device you plugged in (our example below is C-Media USB Headphone Set). Click on OK to save the changes. To start the AQA Audio Recorder, click on the Edit menu and select Preferences. 12
This will open a window called Audacity Preferences. Once in this window select the Audio I/O tab (shown below). In Recording, select the USB Microphone (our example below is C-Media USB Headphone Set). Click on OK to save the changes. You can now start recording using the USB Microphone, selecting the Stereo Mix as input device from the interface. IMPORTANT: If you reboot the PC with the microphone plugged in, the input device on the AQA Audio Recorder will be greyed out (shown below). The settings will be available only from the preference tab Audio I/O. 13
5 Starting Recording Before you start recording it is important to make a few final checks If you are using an external microphone, ensure that it is plugged in correctly. Check that the Input Device is set appropriately (either Microphone or Line in see para.2 above). When you are happy that the environment is correct, you should begin recording. Press Record and start speaking. As you talk, you should notice the sound wave trace (shown below) is produced. You may also notice the Meter Toolbar will move to the sound of your voice, and the Timer Positions at the bottom of the screen will be counting. It is recommended that you listen to your recording in case you need to adjust some of the parameters. For instance, if you think the volume of the recording is too loud or too low, you can adjust the volume level by moving the tab on the microphone section of the Mixer Toolbar. It is suggested you test this until it is at a level that is suitable to you. 6 Saving your Recording We recommend that you export your recording in MP3 file which is the most accessible format. You will then be able to listen to your recording with any audio player on a pc. 14
You can save your recording by going to the File Menu and selecting Export as MP3. On the File Menu select Export as mp3. This will open a window (shown below), you will then need to select the directory you want to save your recording and give it a name. Please ensure that you give your recording an appropriate name in the File name box (shown in red below). Once this has been done click SAVE. Audacity does not recognise/export MP3 files, and will need the Lame MP3 to be installed before you can continue (See the installation part of this user guide). The message below will be displayed asking you to locate the lame file on your computer. Click Yes to browse for the files. 15
Locate the folder where the file lame_enc.dll is (this is the path shown during the installation of Lame, see 1.2 Installing Lame MP3 Encoder) and click on Open. DO NOT CHANGE THE VALUE in FILES OF TYPE. A further window will open which will let you personalise the recorded file by adding a tag which will then display in most mp3 players, see the example below from Window Media Player. This is optional information but it could help to recognise your recordings while playing using an mp3 player such as Windows Media player, itunes or Winamp. For example, you could fill the Artist field with the candidate name, and the title field with the examination name. Once this has been done click OK. When closing the application AQA Audio Recorder will ask if you want to save changes before closing. All your recordings will have been exported into MP3 files, there is no need to save. Click No. 16
7 Recommendations Described below is how the software should be set up to provide high quality recordings in small acceptable file size. The settings can be altered by clicking on the Edit Menu and selecting Preferences. A window will open called Audacity Preferences. Once in this window select the Quality tab (shown below) and change the Default Sample Rate to 44100Hz and Default Sample Format to 16-bit. These settings are used by the BBC to produce their Podcasts. The other important variable that can be altered is changing the Bit-Rate of the mp3 created. (An mp3 is a computer sound file and the Bit-Rate is how many bits, or how much of that file is played back to you in one second.) 17
Still using the Edit Menu and Preferences, select the File Formats tab and change the Bit Rate value to 128 (shown below). Click on OK to save the change. 18