LSCI 110: DIGITAL ORAL RESEARCH PROJECT

Directions for creating audio files for the segments you select

If working at school, you need to use a USB flash drive to save your files.

If working at home, you need to download and install the Audacity program from the following site: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ (Click on the “Download” tab and follow directions.)

1. Before you begin using Audacity to export audio to MP3 files, you need to save the LAME file (“lame_enc.dll” for Windows or “LameLib” for Mac). To do this:
- For Windows, follow these instructions: Instructions for installing LAME for Windows.

- For Mac, follow these instructions: Instructions for installing LAME for Mac

2. If your audio file is on CD, put your CD in the CD drive.

3. If working on a school computer, put your USB flash drive in the USB slot. Identify a folder you will use to save all files for your project.

4. Start Audacity. (On the demonstration area computers, click on the >>> on the bottom quick launch task bar Audacity icon.

5. After the Audacity program starts, select Open from the File pull-down menu and browse to find your file.

6. Click on your file and click OPEN. Loading may take a minute or so.

When it’s loaded, you will see a waveform display of the audio for the entire interview.

• The green triangle button “plays” the audio from the beginning and the yellow square is the “stop” button.
• You can select a section (to play or to cut or copy) by clicking and dragging from the beginning to the end of a section. (The audio must be stopped to do this.)
• You can get a closer, more precise view of specific sections of the audio by using the zoom in and out buttons (magnifying glass icons);
• You can adjust the beginning and ending points of a segment by pointing the cursor at the beginning or end of a segment and then use the pointing finger to shorten or lengthen your segment.
• **Increase the volume of any sections of your interview that are not loud enough by highlighting the section and then click on Amplify from the Effect pull-down menu.

7. Listen to your interview and create your audio log (if you have not already done so.)

8. Select audio segments to save as separate files by doing the following steps

• highlight the audio segment and then
• select Export Selection as MP3 file from the File pull-down menu.
  (Try to keep segments under about 3 minutes in length and about 10 - 20 minutes total for all segments.)

9. Change the file name from your name, to either a segment number or something that would briefly identify what the segment is about, with no spaces, e.g. segment1.mp3 or whycame.mp3 . Always end the file name with .mp3

10. Click on the “Save In” pull-down menu and select the folder for your audio files

11. Click Save.

12. The first time you export a file as MP3, a dialog box will be displayed that says:
“Audacity does not export MP3 files directly…. Would you like to locate lame_enc.dll now?”,
click YES.

13. Then browse to find the file name: lame_enc.dll (Windows) or LameLib (Mac) and double-click on it.
(You should not have to repeat steps 12 and 13 again.)

Your segment should be saved.

(Note: A dialog box to “Edit the ID3 tags” for the file may be displayed. You can just click OK, or you have the option to label the audio by doing the following:

• In the Title box, enter a descriptive title for the segment
• In the Artist box, enter the name of the narrator/interviewee
• In the Genre pull-down menu, select “Speech” or “Other”
• Click OK
• Repeat the above steps for each segment you want to include in your project.)

If you want to cut some audio from the beginning or the end of this new file, you can open this file with Audacity, cut the part(s) that you want and then select Export as MP3 file from the File pull-down menu and save the exported file with the same name as previously used. You will be asked if you want to replace the previous version of the file. Click YES.

Repeat steps from #8 – 11 for all additional audio segments.

14. When you finish exporting segments, click the X in the upper right corner to Exit Audacity.
You will be asked if you want to: “Save changes before closing?” Click: NO

If you have any problems or questions, please contact Eric Brenner at: brenner@smccd.edu

COURSE HOMEPAGE

II SKYLINE COLLEGE LIBRARY II SKYLINE COLLEGE HOME II

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Last revised: 4-24-11 by Eric Brenner, Skyline College, San Bruno, CA

These materials may be used for educational purposes if you inform and credit the author and cite the source as: LSCI 110: DIGITAL ORALRESEARCH PROJECT. All commercial rights are reserved. Send comments or suggestions to: Eric Brenner at brenner@smccd.net