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<p><span class="cm">Creating MP3 files from speech dictation recordings
is necessary for those who have not yet made the switch to digital voice
recorders (see our sections on <a href="../sound/sound_frameset.htm" target="_top" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('Digitizing Sound');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">Digitizing
Sound</a> and <a href="../transcription/transcription_frameset.htm" target="_top" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('Transcription Files');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">Transcription
Files</a>).</span></p>
<p><span class="cm">Like DSS (the file format for digital voice recorders),
MP3 audio files are are highly compressed - about one-twelfth the size
of Windows waveform files - and are therefore ideal for transferring over
the Internet.</span></p>
<p><span class="cm">Playing and creating MP3 files requires the following
programs:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span class="cm"><span class="bold">MP3 Maker</span><br>
This program converts Windows waveform files to MP3 format</span></li>
<li><span class="cm"><span class="bold">MP3 Line-In Recorder</span><br>
This program creates MP3 audio files from external sources, i.e. tape
dictation devices</span></li>
<li><span class="cm"><span class="bold">MP3 Player</span><br>
This program plays the MP3 file</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span class="cm"><span class="bold">MP3 Line-In Recorders</span> are
companion programs found within <span class="bold">MP3 Makers</span>.
The principal function of the <span class="bold">MP3 Maker</span> (commonly
referred to as a "ripper") is to grab - or rip - audio tracks
from a CD in your CD-ROM player, transferring these to the hard drive
of your computer as Windows waveform files. An <span class="bold">MP3
Encoder</span>, another utility generally found within the <span class="bold">MP3
Maker</span>, is then used to convert these same Windows waveform (.wav)
files to highly compressed MP3 (.mp3) files.</span></p>
<p><span class="cm">As we are concerned with creating MP3 files from sources
other than CDs, however, it is essential that the ripper, or MP3 Maker
program, contain an MP3 Line-In Recorder, a utility that allows recordings
- such as those from external tape dictation devices - to be created in
MP3 format.</span></p>
<p><span class="header">MP3 Makers</span></p>
<p><span class="cm">Adjusters Asia has tested two of the most popular MP3
Makers (rippers) on the market, MusicMatch Jukebox and Audiograbber, each
of which was found to contain the following features:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span class="cm">MP3 Recorder</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Line-In function for external tape machines or microphones</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Ripping feature</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Built-in MP3 encoder</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span class="cm">Of the two, only MusicMatch Jukebox was found to contain
a built-in MP3 Player. This, however, should not deter you from the Audiograbber
product, in that one of the best MP3 players on the market, a product
by <a href="http://www.winamp.com/" target="_blank" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('Download Winamp');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">Winamp</a>,
is available free of charge and integrates perfectly with Audiograbber.</span></p>
<p><span class="cm">Test results for the 2 programs were virtually identical,
with each permitting direct MP3 recording at (a) high compression/low
quality for speech files; or at (b) low compression/high quality for CD
comparable music files. One disappointing finding — with each program
— was the absence of a <span class="bold">Pause</span> button on
the MP3 Recorder. Stopping and then restarting the Recorder creates an
entirely new track (file), with the result that if you intend to do microphone
to PC recording, Windows own <span class="bold">Sound Recorder</span>
program would be a better option.</span></p>
<p><span class="cm">For software with advanced recorder control functions,
visit <a href="http://www.cakewalk.com/" target="_blank" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('Cakewalk');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">Cakewalk</a>
or <a href="http://www.sonicfoundry.com/" target="_blank" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('Sonic Foundry');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">Sonic
Foundry</a>, both leaders in professional digital audio editing products.
One particular product by Cakewalk — <span class="bold">Cakewalk
Pyro</span> — along with a second by Sonic Foundry — <span class="bold">Sound
Forge XP Studio</span> — appear to have all the necessary MP3 recorder
functions.</span></p>
<p><span class="cm">The CD-ROM developers at Adjusters Asia currrently use
the <span class="bold">Sound Forge 5.0</span> product by Sonic Foundry.
At a cost of US-$350.00, however, this product is recommended only for
professionals looking to create studio quality sound tracks.</span></p>
<p><span class="cm">Below are the prices for the other products mentioned
in this section:</span></p>
<p><span class="cm"><span class="bold">US-$</span><br>
<span class="bold">60.00</span> — Sound Forge XP Studio by Sonic
Foundry<br>
<span class="bold">19.00</span> — Cakewalk Pyro by Cakewalk<br>
<span class="bold">20.00</span> — Audiograbber<br>
<span class="bold">20.00</span> — MusicMatch Jukebox</span></p>
<p><span class="cm">Review the product specs and download trial versions
of the software by clicking the links below:</span></p>
<p><img src="images/go.gif" width="8" height="9"> <span class="cm"><a href="http://www.sonicfoundry.com/" target="_blank" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('Sonic Foundry');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">Sonic
Foundry</a></span><br>
<img src="images/go.gif" width="8" height="9"> <span class="cm"><a href="http://www.cakewalk.com/" target="_blank" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('Cakewalk');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">Cakewalk</a></span>
<br>
<img src="images/go.gif" width="8" height="9"> <a href="http://www.audiograbber.com-us.net/" target="_blank" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('Audiograbber');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">Audiograbber</a><br>
<img src="images/go.gif" width="8" height="9"> <a href="http://www.musicmatch.com/" target="_blank" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('MusicMatch Jukebox');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">MusicMatch
Jukebox</a></p>
<p><span class="cm"><span class="header">Caution</span> — Freeware
and shareware applications often contain <span class="bold">spyware</span>,
an intrusive little utility that monitors your travels on the web and
then relays this information back to the developers. From there, the information
is generally sold to advertisers who, after adding your name to a spam
list, proceed to bombard you with unwanted e-mail advertisements. The
more destructive and dangerous versions of these stealth utilities are
programmed to scan the files on your hard drive or — worse —
monitor keystrokes, such as those used for passwords and credit card information.
Whenever possible, <span class="cm_i">never</span> download freeware programs
— buy the full version. If you suspect that spyware is active on
your computer, click the link below for information on removing these
hidden applications.</span></p>
<p><span class="bold">— Spyware Removal Information —</span><br>
<img src="images/go.gif" width="8" height="9"> <a href="http://www.cexx.org/adware.htm" target="_blank" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('Spyware Removal');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">
http://www.cexx.org/adware.htm</a></p>
<p><span class="cm">To search for similar MP3 products, enter the words
<span class="bold">mp3 maker</span> in the text box of your favourite
search engine.</span></p>
<p><span class="cm">After installing the Maker/Recorder program, select
from the following to begin creating MP3 files:</span></p>
<table width="450" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="cm">
<tr>
<td><img src="images/clear.gif" width="20" height="1"></td>
<td><img src="images/clear.gif" width="14" height="1"></td>
<td><img src="images/clear.gif" width="416" height="1"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td><img src="images/arrow.gif" width="14" height="7"></td>
<td><a href="#mic" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('Mic-In Recording');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">
MP3 Mic-In Recording (Microphones)</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td><img src="images/arrow.gif" width="14" height="7"></td>
<td><a href="#line" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('Line-In Recording');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">MP3
Line-In Recording (Tape Machines)</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p><span class="header"><a name="mic"></a><br>
MP3 Mic-In Recording</span></p>
<p><span class="cm">Microphone to PC recording is <span class="cm_u">not</span>
recommended for professionals, as this requires constant use of a mouse
as well as interaction with a software control panel. Use the <a href="#line" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('Line-In Recording');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">Line-In
Recording</a> method or - better still - treat yourself to a new digital
voice recorder (see our section on <a href="../sound/sound_frameset.htm" target="_top" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('Digitizing Sound');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">Digitizing
Sound</a>).</span></p>
<p><span class="cm"><span class="bold">Important:</span> Speech dictation
(transcription) files should <span class="cm_i">never</span> be recorded
in Stereo Mode at High Quality. Use this setting only when creating CD
quality music tracks. For speech dictation files, adjust the settings
on your MP3 program to record in <span class="bold">Mono at Low Quality
— no higher than 32 kBit/s, 22,050 Hz</span>, as these files are
less than half the size of MP3 stereo recordings.</span></p>
<ol>
<li><span class="cm">Connect a microphone to your computer</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">If the microphone is equipped with a jack plug, connect
this to the <span class="bold">Mic-In</span> input jack of your sound
card.<br>
For SoundBlaster compatible cards, this input jack is pink in colour
</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">If the microphone is equipped with a USB connector,
connect this to an available <span class="bold">USB Port</span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm"><span class="bold">Note:</span> The following tutorial
focuses on the use of Windows <span class="bold">Sound Recorder</span>
for microphone to PC recording.</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Start <span class="bold">Sound Recorder</span> for
Windows<br>
Go to <span class="bold">Start > Accessories > Entertainment > Sound
Recorder</span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm">On the menu bar of Sound Recorder, click <span class="bold">File
> New</span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Click the <span class="bold">Record</span> button
(red circle) to begin recording</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Say a few words in your microphone to test the setup</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Click the <span class="bold">Stop</span> button (black
rectangle) to stop recording</span></li>
<li>Click the <span class="bold">Play</span> button (single arrow) to
listen to your recording</li>
<li><span class="cm">If necessary, adjust the audio levels by going to
<span class="bold">Start > Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices</span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm">In the <span class="bold">Sounds and Audio Devices
Properties</span> window — <span class="bold"> Volume</span> folder
— check the box to <span class="bold">Place volume icon in the
task bar</span><br>
Volume settings can now be accessed from your task bar</span></li>
<li>In this same folder, click the <span class="bold">Advanced</span>
button under <span class="bold">Device volume</span></li>
<li>A new <span class="bold">Play Control</span> window appears</li>
<li><span class="cm">If nothing is shown for <span class="bold">Microphone</span>,
click <span class="bold">Options</span> and then <span class="bold">Properties</span>
on the menu bar of this window</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Scroll through the list to ensure that <span class="bold">Microphone</span>
has been checked</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Click <span class="bold">OK</span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm">The volume control for <span class="bold">Microphone</span>
should now be displayed in the <span class="bold">Record Control</span>
window</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Adjust the volume control if necessary</span></li>
<li>Ensure that <span class="bold">Mute</span> has <span class="cm_u">not</span>
been checked for Microphone</li>
<li><span class="cm">Without closing this window, return to <span class="bold">Sound
Recorder</span> to test your new settings</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">If nothing is heard, check your <span class="bold">Default
device</span> in the <span class="bold">Sounds and Audio Devices Properties</span>
window — <span class="bold">Voice</span> folder</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">This should display the device to which your microphone
is attached, i.e. SB Wave Device</span></li>
<li>Click the <span class="bold">Test hardware</span> button under this
same folder to run the Windows <span class="bold">Sound Hardware Test
Wizard</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Still nothing? Check your cable connection to ensure
that your microphone has been connected to the correct input jack</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">When finished recording, click <span class="bold">File</span>
on the menu bar of <span class="bold">Sound Recorder</span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Select <span class="bold">Save</span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm">In the <span class="bold">Save As</span> window,
browse for a target location on your hard drive</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Under <span class="bold">File name</span>, enter
a name for your new digital sound file</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Click <span class="bold">Save</span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm">You have now created a Windows waveform (.wav) file</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">To convert this to MP3 format, start your <span class="bold">MP3
Maker</span> program</span></li>
<li><span class="cm"><span class="bold">Important</span> — Adjust
the MP3 settings<br>
For speech (dictation) files, adjust your MP3 settings to record in
<span class="bold">Mono at Low Quality — no higher than 32 kBit/s,
22,050 Hz.</span> MP3 recording in Stereo Mode at High Quality should
be used only when creating CD quality music tracks</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">On the menu bar of Audiograbber, click <span class="bold">Settings
> MP3 Settings</span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm">A new window — <span class="bold">MP3 Settings</span>
— appears</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Under <span class="bold">Grab To</span>, select <span class="bold">MP3
file via intermediate wav file. Delete the wav file</span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Under <span class="bold">Mode</span>, select <span class="bold">32
kBit/s, 22,050 Hz, Mono</span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Ensure that <span class="bold">Encode with Highest
Quality</span> has <span class="cm_u">not</span> been checked</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">In this same window, click the <span class="bold">Browse</span>
button to <span class="bold">Create an MP3 now</span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Browse to locate the waveform (.wav) file recorded
earlier</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Click <span class="bold">Open</span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm">The conversion process begins automatically, and
a new file — in highly compressed MP3 format — is created
and saved under the same file name</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Follow this same method of converting wav files to
MP3 format if using another MP3 Maker program</span><span class="cm"><span class="cm"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm">You are now ready to transfer your audio recording
over the Internet </span></li>
</ol>
<p align="right"><a href="#top" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('Back to the top of this page');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">Back
to the top of this page</a></p>
<p><span class="header"><a name="line"></a><br>
MP3 Line-In Recording</span></p>
<p><span class="cm"><span class="bold">Important:</span> Speech dictation
(transcription) files should <span class="cm_i">never</span> be recorded
in Stereo Mode at High Quality. Use this setting only when creating CD
quality music tracks. For speech dictation files, adjust the settings
on your MP3 program to record in <span class="bold">Mono at Low Quality
— no higher than 32 kBit/s, 22,050 Hz</span>, as these files are
less than half the size of MP3 stereo recordings.</span></p>
<ol>
<li><span class="cm">Connect a cable from the <span class="bold">Line
Out</span> (Output) jack of your external tape recorder or transcription
device to the <span class="bold">Line In</span> (Input) jack of your
sound card</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Start your <span class="bold">MP3 Recorder</span>
Program</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Select the <span class="bold">Line-In</span> option
on your sound recorder program</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Using <span class="bold">MusicMatch Jukebox</span>,
go to <span class="bold">Options > Settings > Recorder</span>
folder, and then in the bottom left-hand corner — under <span class="bold">Recording
Source</span> — select <span class="bold">Line In</span> from the
drop-down list</span></li>
<li><span class="cm"><span class="bold">Important</span> — Adjust
the MP3 settings<br>
For speech (dictation) files, adjust your MP3 settings to record in
<span class="bold">Mono at Low Quality — no higher than 32 kBit/s,
22,050 Hz.</span> MP3 recording in Stereo Mode at High Quality should
be used only when creating CD quality music tracks</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Above the Line In selection — under <span class="bold">Custom
Quality</span> — select <span class="bold">MP3 CBR</span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Adjust the toggle control to the right of this until
it reads <span class="bold">32 kbps</span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Click <span class="bold">OK</span> to return to the
main window</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Click the <span class="bold">REC</span> button on
the MusicMatch Recorder to begin recording</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Click the <span class="bold">Play</span> button on
your external tape dictation device</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">The creation of a new digital audio file, in highly
compressed MP3 format, then begins</span></li>
<li><span class="cm">Follow this same line-in recording method if using
another MP3 Maker program</span><span class="cm"><span class="cm"></span></span></li>
<li><span class="cm"><span class="bold">Troubleshooting</span> —
Refer to our <a href="#mic" onMouseOver="MM_displayStatusMsg('Mic-In Recording');return document.MM_returnValue" class="cm_link_2">Mic-In
Recording</a> tutorial, steps 11 through 25. The word <span class="bold">Line-In</span>
should be used in place of <span class="bold">Microphone</span></span></li>
</ol>
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