The Recording Tutorial
New technology and falling costs now enable people to put audio on their websites or in their blogs. Here's a simple tutorial on how to make a recording on your computer.
Step one: Procure the hardware
Your computer should already have a sound card. If it doesn’t, get one installed from the nearest computer hardware store.
You will then need a microphone and speakers. If you intend to make recordings only of your own voice, you may buy a cheap, uni-directional microphone – even a simple, clip-on (lapel) microphone will do. That’s what I use to make my podcasts. If you intend to record conversations – interviews, for example – you will need a microphone that can capture sound from multiple directions. Ask your hardware person for advice on the best microphone to buy.
The best way to listen to your recording is with headphones. Some of them come equipped with a built-in microphone, but I do not recommend them. Microphones that are attached to headphones cannot be held at varying distances from the mouth and you will need this flexibility to make good recordings.
If you’re not comfortable with headphones, speakers will do, but if you can afford it, go in for the ampli-speaker system with a sub-woofer. This plugs into your sound card in the normal manner, but has an external amplifier and sub-woofer that will give you auditorium-quality sound. You’ll love how good your music sounds on this speaker system too.
Step two: Get the software
You will need good recording software to help you capture your recording, “clean” it up (remove hiss, ambient noise, add bass if desired, etc.) and export it to mp3 format.
If you intend to make your recording available over the internet, exporting it to the mp3 format is an absolute must. Podcasting sites usually do not accept files in any other format. The Windows Sound Recorder is incapable of exporting files to this format, so you will need additional software that will do this for you.
I recommend Audacity from Sourceforge, an Open Source recorder that is pretty easy to use. It allows you to record a piece in multiple takes, edit the file to remove hiss, add bass, echo and other effects and can export the file to mp3 format. Being Open Source software, it is free to download and use indefinitely. You may make a donation to Audacity to encourage such projects.
You can download Audacity from the following page:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/audacity/
It offers two types of download for the Windows Operating System, source files and zip file. If you have constraints of bandwidth, download the zip file. Then simply unzip the file to your hard disk. This will extract the files to a folder called Audacity, which you can place anywhere on your hard disk. There is no other installation procedure and the program is not placed in your Start menu. To run the software, go to the Audacity folder and double-click the exe file. Or go to Start --> Run, then click the Browse button to go to the folder, select the audacity exe file and OK your way out.
Step three: Record your piece
Start your recording software, click the Record button and speak. When you wish to stop the recording, hit the Stop button. Click the Play button to listen to your recording. If it doesn’t record, make sure you have selected the correct recording source. If your microphone is slotted into the “mic” port of your sound card, you must select “mic” as the recording source. If it is slotted into the “Line-in” port, select “Line-in” as the source.
If you’re recording in multiple takes, make sure the cursor is at the end of the wave shown in the window before hitting record again. If you don’t, the recorder will either record over the current piece (i.e. delete your previous recording and record afresh) or it will add the new recording as a track parallel to the existing recording, giving you two voices speaking at the same time. What exactly it will do is determined by the software you’re using and the settings you’ve made. Audacity, for example, adds a new track, while Soundforge (not to be confused with Sourceforge) inserts the recording wherever the cursor is placed or records over the current piece, depending on the method of recording selected.
You will have to play around with the software for a while to get the hang of things. Experiment with hiss removal, bass boost, flange effects, reverb, etc. Your recording software should also allow you to import a music clip and add it or mix it into the piece. Make sure you save the original file and make a copy of it to try the effects. That way, if you make some major goof-up, you can simply dump the experimental file, re-open the original, SAVE IT AGAIN as a copy and experiment some more.
Once you are happy with the piece, export it to mp3. This option is usually under the File menu. It is called “Export as MP3” in Audacity and “Save As” in Soundforge. Other recorders may use different prompts. Ultimately what you have to do is save the file so that it gets the “extension” mp3. For example, you may export your file as “myfile” and it will be saved to your hard disk as “myfile.mp3”.
NOTE: Do not attempt to rename a file in a different format to mp3. If your file gets saved as “myfile.wav,” for example, you cannot go through Windows Explorer or My Computer and change it to “myfile.mp3”. You MUST open it again with your recording software and EXPORT it to the mp3 format.
Step four: Upload your file to the internet
This is where things start to become a bit tricky. You cannot upload your file directly to your blog. At least, not yet. As podcasting becomes popular, blogger.com may come up with its own audio file hosting service, the way it has done with images, but as of now, your file has to be hosted on a different server and only referenced in your blog post as a link.
The quickest (and most hassle-free) way to do this is with Audioblogger. This is a free service that works in tandem with blogger.com. What you do is go to http://www.audioblogger.com and create an account for yourself. It’s free. You will need to give audioblogger your login name and password for your blog, so there is a security issue here.
Once you create your account, Audioblogger gives you a phone number that you call and play your recording to (you can also bypass the whole recording bit and read your piece directly into the phone, but you won’t be able to add effects and/or remove unwanted stuff).
The disadvantage with this is that the sound quality goes down because you have to hold the phone near the speaker as you play your file. The advantage is that Audioblogger takes care of the whole business of hosting the file and posting the link to your blog. It creates a new post, which you can then edit to put in an explanation of your piece. It does this in minutes.
Other disadvantages of using Audioblogger are:
If you are not confident about uploading your file to a server and referencing the link in your blog, I recommend you use this option.
If you would like to be a bit adventurous – and professional, the next tutorial on is on using a podcasting service to upload your file to a server and posting the link in your blog.
Step one: Procure the hardware
Your computer should already have a sound card. If it doesn’t, get one installed from the nearest computer hardware store.
You will then need a microphone and speakers. If you intend to make recordings only of your own voice, you may buy a cheap, uni-directional microphone – even a simple, clip-on (lapel) microphone will do. That’s what I use to make my podcasts. If you intend to record conversations – interviews, for example – you will need a microphone that can capture sound from multiple directions. Ask your hardware person for advice on the best microphone to buy.
The best way to listen to your recording is with headphones. Some of them come equipped with a built-in microphone, but I do not recommend them. Microphones that are attached to headphones cannot be held at varying distances from the mouth and you will need this flexibility to make good recordings.
If you’re not comfortable with headphones, speakers will do, but if you can afford it, go in for the ampli-speaker system with a sub-woofer. This plugs into your sound card in the normal manner, but has an external amplifier and sub-woofer that will give you auditorium-quality sound. You’ll love how good your music sounds on this speaker system too.
Step two: Get the software
You will need good recording software to help you capture your recording, “clean” it up (remove hiss, ambient noise, add bass if desired, etc.) and export it to mp3 format.
If you intend to make your recording available over the internet, exporting it to the mp3 format is an absolute must. Podcasting sites usually do not accept files in any other format. The Windows Sound Recorder is incapable of exporting files to this format, so you will need additional software that will do this for you.
I recommend Audacity from Sourceforge, an Open Source recorder that is pretty easy to use. It allows you to record a piece in multiple takes, edit the file to remove hiss, add bass, echo and other effects and can export the file to mp3 format. Being Open Source software, it is free to download and use indefinitely. You may make a donation to Audacity to encourage such projects.
You can download Audacity from the following page:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/audacity/
It offers two types of download for the Windows Operating System, source files and zip file. If you have constraints of bandwidth, download the zip file. Then simply unzip the file to your hard disk. This will extract the files to a folder called Audacity, which you can place anywhere on your hard disk. There is no other installation procedure and the program is not placed in your Start menu. To run the software, go to the Audacity folder and double-click the exe file. Or go to Start --> Run, then click the Browse button to go to the folder, select the audacity exe file and OK your way out.
Step three: Record your piece
Start your recording software, click the Record button and speak. When you wish to stop the recording, hit the Stop button. Click the Play button to listen to your recording. If it doesn’t record, make sure you have selected the correct recording source. If your microphone is slotted into the “mic” port of your sound card, you must select “mic” as the recording source. If it is slotted into the “Line-in” port, select “Line-in” as the source.
If you’re recording in multiple takes, make sure the cursor is at the end of the wave shown in the window before hitting record again. If you don’t, the recorder will either record over the current piece (i.e. delete your previous recording and record afresh) or it will add the new recording as a track parallel to the existing recording, giving you two voices speaking at the same time. What exactly it will do is determined by the software you’re using and the settings you’ve made. Audacity, for example, adds a new track, while Soundforge (not to be confused with Sourceforge) inserts the recording wherever the cursor is placed or records over the current piece, depending on the method of recording selected.
You will have to play around with the software for a while to get the hang of things. Experiment with hiss removal, bass boost, flange effects, reverb, etc. Your recording software should also allow you to import a music clip and add it or mix it into the piece. Make sure you save the original file and make a copy of it to try the effects. That way, if you make some major goof-up, you can simply dump the experimental file, re-open the original, SAVE IT AGAIN as a copy and experiment some more.
Once you are happy with the piece, export it to mp3. This option is usually under the File menu. It is called “Export as MP3” in Audacity and “Save As” in Soundforge. Other recorders may use different prompts. Ultimately what you have to do is save the file so that it gets the “extension” mp3. For example, you may export your file as “myfile” and it will be saved to your hard disk as “myfile.mp3”.
NOTE: Do not attempt to rename a file in a different format to mp3. If your file gets saved as “myfile.wav,” for example, you cannot go through Windows Explorer or My Computer and change it to “myfile.mp3”. You MUST open it again with your recording software and EXPORT it to the mp3 format.
Step four: Upload your file to the internet
This is where things start to become a bit tricky. You cannot upload your file directly to your blog. At least, not yet. As podcasting becomes popular, blogger.com may come up with its own audio file hosting service, the way it has done with images, but as of now, your file has to be hosted on a different server and only referenced in your blog post as a link.
The quickest (and most hassle-free) way to do this is with Audioblogger. This is a free service that works in tandem with blogger.com. What you do is go to http://www.audioblogger.com and create an account for yourself. It’s free. You will need to give audioblogger your login name and password for your blog, so there is a security issue here.
Once you create your account, Audioblogger gives you a phone number that you call and play your recording to (you can also bypass the whole recording bit and read your piece directly into the phone, but you won’t be able to add effects and/or remove unwanted stuff).
The disadvantage with this is that the sound quality goes down because you have to hold the phone near the speaker as you play your file. The advantage is that Audioblogger takes care of the whole business of hosting the file and posting the link to your blog. It creates a new post, which you can then edit to put in an explanation of your piece. It does this in minutes.
Other disadvantages of using Audioblogger are:
- Limitation on length of recording: Your recording cannot be longer than five minutes
- Involves a call to the USA: If you are outside the US, this can become an expensive proposition
- Involves keying in a PIN after you dial: You have to remember the PIN (Personal Identification Number) you gave Audioblogger when you registered with it and key this number in after you dial, so that Audioblogger can identify you and post the recording to your blog. My experience is that people are more comfortable with logins and passwords on websites than with keying the PIN into the phone. If you’re already doing this for phone banking or other applications, this may not be a problem for you
If you are not confident about uploading your file to a server and referencing the link in your blog, I recommend you use this option.
If you would like to be a bit adventurous – and professional, the next tutorial on is on using a podcasting service to upload your file to a server and posting the link in your blog.
posted by Deepak Morris at 2:01 PM
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