By Douglas Taylor
In order to record anything on your software recording program you need to make sure everything is set up right. This can make a big difference in the quality of your finished product.
Today we will look at some of the things you need to consider before you hit the record button. Whenever you set up a new song I like to go over my options and set things up the right way.
Save as: This is absolutely the first thing you should do when recording a new audio file. I can’t tell you how many times I have nearly rewrote a previous saved file that would be a disaster if lost. All of this can be avoided if you get in the habit of saving your file with the proper name first.
Where to save: Be sure and save your file in the folder you want to keep it in. It is very easy to lose your audio if you are not careful with this step. Also it is a good practice to save an edited and unedited version of your audio.
Type of file: What file type you save your audio in depends on your plans for the audio. If it is going on a Cd you should save as a wav file. For most other uses you can get by saving in the mp3 format. I always save my audio as an uncompressed wav file first then I may convert to mp3 if the situation calls for it.
Sample rate: You should save your audio at least at 44.1 kHz. This is standard CD quality, which is important if your final product will wind up on an audio CD.
Bit rate: If you have a choice between 16 bit and 24 bit choose 24.
In and out settings: make sure you’re in and out routing is going to the right buss in your recording software. You don’t want to record a great audio file only to have it recording over your previous file.
Check out Best AVS Audio Editor here.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
High Definition Audio Post Production
By Marshal Sandler
While you may already be familiar with high definition audio from experiencing surround sound in movie theatres and in your home entertainment center, a new technology is bringing the same experience to your headphones. Dolby’s new surround sound system allows you to experience the feeling of surround sound right in your headphones.
Podcast listeners don’t necessarily have to own special new headsets to appreciate the quality of high definition audio. For the past few years, live music lovers have traded high definition music files online. Usually, these files are high quality field recordings made at live concerts, often sanctioned by musicians. In uncompressed, “lossless” formats, these files can take up huge amounts of space. Therefore, high definition audio post production systems must be equipped with large hard drives and maxed-out memory chips to process these files.
As a result, many podcast producers are introducing themselves to the world of high definition audio post production. While many of the free audio editing software programs on the market handle post production quite well, none of them adequately process the high definition elements required for true surround sound. To achieve true high definition audio post production on a desktop computer, many sound editors may end up purchasing full media production suites.
Windows users accustomed to post production software like Audacity can expect to spend a little more money to achieve high definition podcasts and audio recordings. The Vegas media production suite, while designed primarily for video and film production, contains a sophisticated high definition audio post production module. Using Vegas with the video elements turned off, editors can compose and edit audio in full 5.1 surround sound formats.
Apple users accustomed to using the popular GarageBand tool for podcasting must also invest in some new software for high definition audio post production. The popular Logic Pro software package offers podcasters and other audio producers a powerful set of tools for music creation in full surround sound. While this high definition audio post production tool is one of the most expensive packages on the market, editors using Logic often save significant amounts of money compared to renting advanced equipment at professional recording studios.
Whether you’re building your high definition audio post production system on a PC or on a Mac, prices for hardware and software will continue to drop, offering you the power to create audio just like the pros.
Check out Best AVS Audio Tools here.
While you may already be familiar with high definition audio from experiencing surround sound in movie theatres and in your home entertainment center, a new technology is bringing the same experience to your headphones. Dolby’s new surround sound system allows you to experience the feeling of surround sound right in your headphones.
Podcast listeners don’t necessarily have to own special new headsets to appreciate the quality of high definition audio. For the past few years, live music lovers have traded high definition music files online. Usually, these files are high quality field recordings made at live concerts, often sanctioned by musicians. In uncompressed, “lossless” formats, these files can take up huge amounts of space. Therefore, high definition audio post production systems must be equipped with large hard drives and maxed-out memory chips to process these files.
As a result, many podcast producers are introducing themselves to the world of high definition audio post production. While many of the free audio editing software programs on the market handle post production quite well, none of them adequately process the high definition elements required for true surround sound. To achieve true high definition audio post production on a desktop computer, many sound editors may end up purchasing full media production suites.
Windows users accustomed to post production software like Audacity can expect to spend a little more money to achieve high definition podcasts and audio recordings. The Vegas media production suite, while designed primarily for video and film production, contains a sophisticated high definition audio post production module. Using Vegas with the video elements turned off, editors can compose and edit audio in full 5.1 surround sound formats.
Apple users accustomed to using the popular GarageBand tool for podcasting must also invest in some new software for high definition audio post production. The popular Logic Pro software package offers podcasters and other audio producers a powerful set of tools for music creation in full surround sound. While this high definition audio post production tool is one of the most expensive packages on the market, editors using Logic often save significant amounts of money compared to renting advanced equipment at professional recording studios.
Whether you’re building your high definition audio post production system on a PC or on a Mac, prices for hardware and software will continue to drop, offering you the power to create audio just like the pros.
Check out Best AVS Audio Tools here.
Friday, March 6, 2009
How to Record Audio
By Zhigen Lin
Would you like to record audio? In this article, I will show you how. To create an audio product, you only need audio recording software and a microphone. Recording audio can be a time-consuming process, but even beginners can make a professional-looking audio CD or just a downloadable .mp3 file.
To find software, simply type these terms into Google, for example, search "Audacity" or "Sound Forge".
First of all, you need a microphone. Usable microphones cost about US$30 and very professional ones cost up to $180. Note that most computers can even use those large karaoke microphones.
Next, you need software. Audacity is an award-winning free digital audio editor application. Audacity won the SourceForge.net 2007 Community Choice Award for Best Project for Multimedia. Audacity was created by Dominic Mazzoni of Google, while he was a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University, and it is licensed under the GNU General Public License. Dominic Mazzoni is still the main developer and maintainer of Audacity, with help from many others around the world. I recommend you download the latest stable release, because beta versions may have bugs.
If you want to pay for more fancy audio software (although I think that Audacity can fit pretty much everyone), you can choose from several options. Sound Forge is award-winning audio software made by Sony. Sonar is another option, from Cakewalk.com.
Audacity is pretty easy to navigate. The buttons are very clear. You can find an introduction on using the software under "Contents" in the help menu.
Check out Best AVS Audio Tools here.
Would you like to record audio? In this article, I will show you how. To create an audio product, you only need audio recording software and a microphone. Recording audio can be a time-consuming process, but even beginners can make a professional-looking audio CD or just a downloadable .mp3 file.
To find software, simply type these terms into Google, for example, search "Audacity" or "Sound Forge".
First of all, you need a microphone. Usable microphones cost about US$30 and very professional ones cost up to $180. Note that most computers can even use those large karaoke microphones.
Next, you need software. Audacity is an award-winning free digital audio editor application. Audacity won the SourceForge.net 2007 Community Choice Award for Best Project for Multimedia. Audacity was created by Dominic Mazzoni of Google, while he was a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University, and it is licensed under the GNU General Public License. Dominic Mazzoni is still the main developer and maintainer of Audacity, with help from many others around the world. I recommend you download the latest stable release, because beta versions may have bugs.
If you want to pay for more fancy audio software (although I think that Audacity can fit pretty much everyone), you can choose from several options. Sound Forge is award-winning audio software made by Sony. Sonar is another option, from Cakewalk.com.
Audacity is pretty easy to navigate. The buttons are very clear. You can find an introduction on using the software under "Contents" in the help menu.
Check out Best AVS Audio Tools here.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
A Brief Guide to Audio Conferencing Services
By Steve Valentino
Audio conferencing provides a way for businesses and other groups to interact, without having to travel to each other’s offices. The savings in time and travel expenses quickly make up for the cost of audio conferencing services and equipment. Audio conferencing usually involves other types of teleconferencing technology, such as video and collaborative software. Collaborative software is software that one user may send to other users for simultaneous viewing and modification. For example, if the group wants to work on a diagram, it can be seen and drawn upon by anybody in the conference via a special electronic whiteboard.
An audio conferencing system can be rented, bought from a vendor or reseller, or hired as part of a full audio conferencing solution. Such full-service packages include human support services like management, marketing, and tech support.
When audio conferencing services are rented, the communication is routed through the vendor’s server software. The client is charged according to the number of users or “seats” who will be participating, the length of time each seat will be participating, and any initial equipment rental or purchase costs. The vendor can charge a per-seat and per-minute fee (for example, $0.15/seat/minute). Alternatively, a client can rent the service by the week, month, or year, with a maximum allowed number of seats per conference or session. For example, a one-week service for five seats could cost $100 a week, while a one-year service for 100 people could cost a few thousand dollars. Rental audio conferencing services are best for small to medium sized businesses where the initial equipment purchase costs would far outweigh the savings on travel.
When audio conferencing services are bought, the communication is routed through the client’s server software, which is bought and licensed from the vendor. The client chooses how small or large a package he or she wants. For example, the client can buy software that allows for 100 seats, 1000 seats, or much more. The client can decide whether to include any of a number of high-tech add-ons such as whiteboard capabilities, and whether expandability is important. The client buys all the necessary equipment and software to run the system. The initial cost can be tens of thousands of dollars, so these are best suited to larger numbers of seats over the long term. However, tech support will always be a necessity, so the client should subscribe to the vendor’s expertise.
Check out Best AVS Audio Converter here.
Audio conferencing provides a way for businesses and other groups to interact, without having to travel to each other’s offices. The savings in time and travel expenses quickly make up for the cost of audio conferencing services and equipment. Audio conferencing usually involves other types of teleconferencing technology, such as video and collaborative software. Collaborative software is software that one user may send to other users for simultaneous viewing and modification. For example, if the group wants to work on a diagram, it can be seen and drawn upon by anybody in the conference via a special electronic whiteboard.
An audio conferencing system can be rented, bought from a vendor or reseller, or hired as part of a full audio conferencing solution. Such full-service packages include human support services like management, marketing, and tech support.
When audio conferencing services are rented, the communication is routed through the vendor’s server software. The client is charged according to the number of users or “seats” who will be participating, the length of time each seat will be participating, and any initial equipment rental or purchase costs. The vendor can charge a per-seat and per-minute fee (for example, $0.15/seat/minute). Alternatively, a client can rent the service by the week, month, or year, with a maximum allowed number of seats per conference or session. For example, a one-week service for five seats could cost $100 a week, while a one-year service for 100 people could cost a few thousand dollars. Rental audio conferencing services are best for small to medium sized businesses where the initial equipment purchase costs would far outweigh the savings on travel.
When audio conferencing services are bought, the communication is routed through the client’s server software, which is bought and licensed from the vendor. The client chooses how small or large a package he or she wants. For example, the client can buy software that allows for 100 seats, 1000 seats, or much more. The client can decide whether to include any of a number of high-tech add-ons such as whiteboard capabilities, and whether expandability is important. The client buys all the necessary equipment and software to run the system. The initial cost can be tens of thousands of dollars, so these are best suited to larger numbers of seats over the long term. However, tech support will always be a necessity, so the client should subscribe to the vendor’s expertise.
Check out Best AVS Audio Converter here.
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