AUDIO
 
 
A. Audio
B. Audio Use
C. Microphone
D. Audio Collect
E. Audio Analyze
F. Voice Record
G. Audio Building

 

CONTACT:

Don Bergland
bergland@uvic.ca

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Voice RECORDING

 
1. BASIC VOICE RECORDING
  One of the easiest ways to use audio as a communication tool, is simply to record your voice in Audacity and save it as a wav file. This file can then be sent by email, or installed in a PowerPoint presentation.
  ACTIVITY
 
a. Make sure you have set up your computer for microphone recording (see C. Microphone).
b. Create a new Desktop folder called “voicetrack.” You will save all files connected with this project to this folder.
c. Think about what you will say. Most processed voice communication occurs best when the message has been designed in some way. Take a paper and pen and write down a brief script.
d. Read through the script and note how you will read it. Note where you want to pause for effect and sections you want to emphasize (slower, louder, etc.). Taking a few minutes will improve the final result.
e. Note - When you begin recording your voice and make a small mistake, you do not have to stop the recording and start again. Most audio producers know they can easily “cut” out the offending section from the waveform after the recording has finished. If you make a mistake, simply do the following:
 
1. A reading mistake was made.
2. Stop and pause.
3. Say some indication that a mistake was made and to cut the previous section
“Redo“
“Start Again”
4. After the recording has finished, replay the track, select the noted section, and eliminate it using the Delete key or the “cut” function.
In this way, you can record voice work quickly and then edit the final piece to sound effective.
f. Set the script where you can easily see it, Press the Record button and start reading. Make sure you see a waveform being created in the track window.
g. When you have finished your voice recording, press the Stop button.
h. Now Play the track analytically. You may wish to redo the entire track or edit the one you made. Using your splicing skills, you can edit out pauses, throat clearing, ums, ahhs, and other unwanted voice bits.
i. There is only one track in this Basic Voice Recording, so we can save it as a .wav file. Go to the TOP MENU BAR - FILE - EXPORT AS WAV. This will save the file as a .wav file.
j. Quit the program without saving.
 
2. SOUNDTRACKING VOICE
  The next level of voice recording involves adding a soundtrack “under” the voice track. As an evolving media producer, you should be aware of the dynamic difference a soundtrack adds to a voice composition.
  ACTIVITY - VOICETRACK COMPARISONS
  The following two audio tracks offer a comparison between a soundtracked voice composition and one that isn’t soundtracked.
  VOICETRACK ONLY
 
AUDIO 7E-3 -.Click on the icon to the left. A window will appear. Wait for a second or so and then click on the left side arrow (controller bar) to play the audio track. Listen to this audio selection. It is a voicetrack only.
  VOICETRACK WITH MUSICTRACK
 
AUDIO 7E-4 -.Click on the icon to the left. A window will appear. Wait for a second or so and then click on the left side arrow (controller bar) to play the audio track. Listen to this audio selection. It is voicetrack with an added musictrack.
  Although it is not always possible or even desirable to soundtrack voice communication, you should have the skill so that when you need to make dynamic audio constructions with integrated music, you can.
  ACTIVITY - MUSICTRACKED VOICE
  This production activity will take us through the process of constructing a musictracked voice project. In doing this, you will be introduced to the procedures for constructing good audio in Audacity. These procedures will be able to be used in all future Audacity productions whatever the content or genre. We will go through 7steps in this project:

1. Initial Setup
2. Preparing the Script
3. Constructing and Assembling the Source Files
4. Importing Source Files into the Master File
5. Fitting Voice to the Music
6. Trimming and Shaping the Music Ending
7. Enveloping the Music
  1. INITIAL SETUP
 
a. Make sure your computer is set up for microphone recording (see B. Setup above).
b. Put your Course CD-ROM in the computer and be ready to access it.
c. Create a new Desktop folder called “soundtrack.” You will save all files connected with this project to this folder.
  2. PREPARING THE SCRIPT
 
a. Although you will ultimately want to design your own voice scripts and messages, for this activity, let’s use a prepared script. Look over the following message:
 
“Good morning and welcome to our Training Session. Our work today will deal with the extended power that can result when effective media is used in your presentations. We hope that you enjoy the new skills and will use them in your future work.”
b. Read through the script and note how you will read it. Note where you want to pause for effect and sections you want to emphasize (slower, louder, etc.). As mentioned above, taking a few minutes will improve the final result. You might want to print this script out in order to read it while recording.
  3. CONSTRUCTING AND ASSEMBLING THE SOURCE FILES
 
a. For this production, we need a voicetrack and a musictrack. Let’s create the voicetrack first. We need to record the script in order to create the voicetrack.
b. Launch Audacity. Have your script ready for reading (Note - you should already have experienced some microphone recording in previous activities).
c. Now, RECORD this track in Audacity by clicking on the red RECORD button. You should notice the Playback head starting to move. As you speak, you should see a waveform appearing in the track.
d. When you have finished recording, click the yellow STOP button. Now let’s examine the track we created. If there were any pauses, or mistakes you want to remove, go through and remove them using select/delete.
e. Save the file as a .wav file to your “soundtrack” folder. To do this, go to the TOP MENU BAR - FILE - EXPORT AS WAV. A window will open. Locate your “soundtrack folder on the Desktop. We will name this file, “voicetrack01.wav.
f. Quit Audacity. When it says, “Save Changes,” say NO (you have already exported a .wav version of this file to your folder).
g. You have your voicetrack in your project folder. Now, you want to select a musictrack that fits the nature of what it is you read. The Course CD-ROM contains a variety of Royalty-Free musictracks to choose from. These tracks can be found in the folder AUDIO - SOUNDTRACKS. Although you want to develop the skill to listen through these tracks and make the right choice, we will use a predetermined track for this activity. You can replace it later if you wish.
h. Locate the Soundtracks folder on the CD-ROM. Find the file called, “201-84.wav.” Copy (or Duplicate) this file to your Desktop “soundtracks” folder. Remember, in audio, all the files you work with have to be present in your source folder.
i. You have now created and assembled all the source files necessary for this project. They are all contained in your Desktop folder called “soundtrack.” The files in this folder are:
- 201-84.wav
- voicetrack01.wav
  4. IMPORTING SOURCE FILES INTO THE MASTER FILE
 
a. We have our source files. Now let’s import them into a Master file
b. Re-launch Audacity. When the program opens, this will be the new file which will be our Master file.
c. First, let’s import the voicetrack into our the master file. In Audacity, go to the TOP MENU BAR - PROJECT - IMPORT AUDIO. A window opens. Locate your folder and the file called “voicetrack01.wav.” Click OPEN. The voicetrack will be imported into the file.
 
d. Now let’s bring in the musictrack. Go to the TOP MENU BAR - PROJECT - IMPORT AUDIO. A window opens. Locate your folder and the file “201.84.wav.” Click OPEN. The musictrack will be imported into the file. You should now have both tracks in your production.
 
e. We now need to SAVE this as the Master file. Like we did in Photoshop, we will save this as a work file that keeps all tracks active for future use. We will save this as a “.aup” file. This is the equivalent of the Photoshop .psd file.
f. To save the Master file, go to the TOP MENU BAR - SAVE PROJECT AS. A window opens. Note that the file format is listed as “Audacity Projects (.aup). This is a master file, much like the .psd file in Photoshop. The .aup file will save all your tracks as a work file so you can return to them and work on them later. Name this file “mastersound.aup” and save it to your Desktop folder.
g. Note that as you Save an .aup file to a Desktop folder, another folder is created inside the Desktop folder. This folder is a DATA folder. In your case it is called “mastersound_data.” This is a folder containing all the data connected with the master file. Do not open it or even think about it. It always has to be in the same folder as your source files and your .aup file.
  5. FITTING VOICE TO THE MUSIC
 
a. We now need to examine the relationship of the voicetrack to the musictrack. Note that the musictrack is much longer than the voicetrack you created. It is also much louder. In order to create good soundtracked voice audio, we need to know how to:
- fit the voice over the music
- trim and shape the ending
- envelope the sound (lower the audio volume while speaking is occurring).
b. Let’s first look at the voicetrack. When you recorded this, unless you started speaking at the instant you hit the RECORD button, there will be some silent space before the voice actually starts. This is represented by a flat waveform.
 
c. Let’s cut this silent space out so that the voicetrack starts instantly. Select this space from the start right up to the beginning of the waveform. Hit you DELETE key to remove it. Now when you Play the entire track, the voice should start instantly.
d. There may be some difficulty in that the musictrack is much louder than the voicetrack. Note the voice over the music. If the voice is too low in volume, you can always raise the volume of the voicetrack by moving the small slider found at the far left of the track.
 
e. Raise the volume slightly so you can just hear your voice over the music. If you want to just hear the voicetrack alone, remember to click on the Track MUTE Button for the musictrack, just above the Volume Slider. This will mute the musictrack so you can just hear the voice. Turning the MUTE button off and on is a good way to listen to selected tracks (again, this is like SHOW/HIDE LAYERS in Photoshop).
f. In good soundtracking, we usually want a bit of a music introduction before the voice starts. The music should begin, and then at an appropriate place, the voice should come in. The length of this introduction is up to the producer, but it should not be too long. It should also try to coordinate with the actual music itself, i.e., the voice comes in at a time that seems logical.
g. You want to listen to the start of the music track so you can find the appropriate place for the voice to enter. Start by MUTING the voicetrack. Now just listen to the musictrack and try to determine where you want the voice to first come in. You can note an appropriate place by watching the Playback head move and noting the time at the top of the track.
h. Now, we want to MOVE the voicetrack along so that it starts at the place we selected. To find the MOVE tool in Audacity, look at the TOOLBAR in the top upper left of the interface.
 
  The MOVE TOOL is on in Row 2, column 2. Click on the MOVE TOOL. You will now be able to move the individual waveform along the track.
i. Click and Drag the voicetrack to the right to the spot you picked for its entry. This will allow a bit of a musical introduction at the start of the production. You can Rewind and Play to see if it is right. Keep adjusting until you have your voicetrack come in at the right time.
 
  Note the position of the voicetrack in the example above.
j. Now SAVE by going to the TOP MENU BAR - FILE - SAVE PROJECT (or by using the keyboard command - On a PC - CONTROL-S. On a Mac - APPLE -S).
  6. TRIMMING AND SHAPING THE MUSIC ENDING
 
a. We now have fixed up the start of the composition, but the ending needs work. The audio is far too long for the voicetrack. We need to cut the track and then process the ending of it.
b. In the same way we allowed a bit of a musical introduction before the voice came in, we usually allow a bit of music to trail out after the voice has ended. You need to listen to the ending of the music and figure out how much you want as a trailer.
c. Let’s go out of the MOVE TOOL and get back to the SELECTION TOOL. In the TOOLBOX in the upper left of the interface, select the SELECTION TOOL.
 
  The SELECTION TOOL is on Row 1, column 1. Click on the SELECTION TOOL. You will now be able to use the cursor to SELECT parts of the waveform.
d. Determine the part of the musictrack ending you don’t want and then select it with the cursor.
 
  Note the section selected in the example above.
e. Hit the DELETE key on the keyboard to delete the selected section.
 
  Note that the section has been deleted, but that the entire visual track is smaller in appearance. To FIT the entire production into the screen space available, click on the FULL SCREEN button (the far right magnifying glass).
 
  All tracks will be sized so they all appear in the screen space available.
 
f. The last thing we have to do is to process the ending of the musictrack. To make it seem like the production has come to an end, we will simply FADE OUT the audio. We want to have the voicetrack end, the music rise a bit in volume, and then fade out.
g. Make sure you are still in the SELECTION TOOL. Use the cursor to select a piece of the ending of the musictrack. Note the end piece selected in the example below:
 
h. Now go to the TOP MENU BAR - EFFECT - FADE OUT. The selected section will be processed so it fades out in a smooth manner.
 
i. Now REWIND (purple arrow) and PLAY. Listen to the whole production. Remember to use the slider to turn up the volume of the voicetrack if needed. We have not yet processed any of the audio levels, so just listen for the basic structure.
j. Now SAVE by going to the TOP MENU BAR - FILE - SAVE PROJECT (or by using the keyboard command - On a PC - CONTROL-S. On a Mac - APPLE -S).
  7. ENVELOPING THE SOUND
 
a. We have the start and the end of the composition organized, now we need to give some attention to the middle of the track. This involves the relationship of the music to the voice. Usually, the standard protocol is that when there is no voice, the music is louder (higher volume). When the voice starts, the music should grow softer (lower volume). Imposing higher and lower volumes on one soundtrack is called “enveloping” the sound. We want to envelope the musictrack so that it is high when there is no voice, and low when there is voice. We basically create and envelope in the music right beneath the voicetrack.
b. First of all, adjust the slider of the voicetrack volume as close to the center as possible, still allowing the voicetrack to be heard over the musictrack.
c. We are now going to “envelope” the musictrack so it is loud where there is no voice and soft where there is voice. We visually “shape” the music track so the musictrack has a dent in it where the volume goes down. The volume of the music is reconstructed to be softer where there is voice.
d. To do this, we select the ENVELOPE TOOL in the TOOLBOX.
 
  The ENVELOPE TOOL is on Row 1, column 2. Click on the ENVELOP TOOL. You will now be able to use the cursor to ENVELOPE parts of the waveform. The use of this tool is a bit tricky, so follow the instructions carefully.
e. Look at the two tracks you have in the file. Note that when you activated the ENVELOPE TOOL, blue lines were placed at the top and bottom of each track. For this enveloping project, we are concerned only with the blue line in the top of the musictrack.
 
  These are envelope lines and the ones we will shape to change the volume of the track. When you click on one of these lines with the cursor, an envelope point will be placed on the line.
f. Find where the voicetrack first starts. The cursor is now the envelope tool. When we click the cursor on the blue line, we create points. Move the cursor to the top blue line in the musictrack. Position it right at the point where the voicetrack starts. As soon as the cursor intersects with the envelope line, it changes into a double triangle. As soon as you have the spot you want, click once. A point will be placed on the line.
 
g. Now move a bit to the left of this point and click on the line once again to add a second point.
 
  You now have two points on the envelope line on the start of the musictrack.
h. If the cursor is now lined up over one of these points, you can move the line. Move the cursor so the two arrows line up right over the SECOND point. Now drag the line down to get something that looks like the following example.
 
  Note that the whole section of the waveform diminishes. In an envelope, this indicates the lowering of the volume. You can continue dragging these points to get the volume shape you want from the track.
i. We want the volume of the musictrack to rise after the voice ends, so we need to add two more points at the end of the production. Find where the voice ends. On the top envelope line in the musictrack, click to make a third point. A little to the right of that, add a fourth point. Now adjust the points to get something that looks like the following:
 
j. Keep testing the envelope by playing and listening. Keep adjusting the envelope points until the audio sounds the way you want. You want the audio to be very low during the voice and to rise in volume after the voice ends.
k. Now SAVE by going to the TOP MENU BAR - FILE - SAVE PROJECT (or by using the keyboard command - On a PC - CONTROL-S. On a Mac - APPLE -S).
l. Make a .wav file from this master file by going to the TOP MENU BAR - FILE - EXPORT AS WAV.
 
Click on AUDIO categories at the top left side of the page to access further knowledge and skills.

 

© 2006 University of Victoria