DIGITIZING AND TRANSCRIBING AUDIO FILES

©Copyright 2012 by Donald R. Snow
Sections of the Class Notes This page was last updated 2012-07-30 for class on 2012-08-01.
Return to the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group Home Page or Don's Class Listings Page.
    WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION

  1. These classes are free and usually on 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 1-2:30 PM in Provo.  See the schedule in the E9 Ward Bulletin and on the website http://uvtagg.org/classes/dons/dons-classes.html where the notes are stored; easy to set an icon on your desktop to click to open your browser and go to the schedule and notes page.  Each class is independent, so attend when you can.  Instructors are Donald R. and Diane M. Snow (snowd@math.byu.edu , dmsnow34@gmail.com) , of Provo and St. George, Utah.
  2. Tip: holding down the Control Key while clicking on a link in these notes opens the link in a new window so you don't lose your place where you were.
  3. Don and Diane's classes coming up
    1. Thu 2012-08-02, 11 am-noon -- Your Personal Genealogy Library: Family History Books Online -- at BYU 2012 Conference on Family History and Genealogy, 31 Jul - 3 Aug 2012, Provo, Utah
    2. Fri 2012-08-03, 11 am-noon -- The Best Things in Life are Free: Freeware for Family History -- at BYU 2012 Conference on Family History and Genealogy, 31 Jul - 3 Aug 2012, Provo, Utah
    3. Wed 2012-08-15, 1-2 :30 PM -- Freeware for Family History -- at Family History Update Class, Provo
    4. Wed 2012-09-05, 1-2 :30 PM -- Picasa and Photo FilmStrip to Organize and Present Your Photos -- at Family History Update Class, Provo
    5. Sat 2012-09-15, 10 am-noon -- What to do with a Letter Collection Using Erastus Snow's Family Letters as an Illustration -- at Riverton FamilySearch Library, Riverton, Utah
    6. Wed 2012-09-19, 1-2:30 PM -- Genealogy a la Google -- at Family History Update Class, Provo
  4. FamilySearch Family Tree interface for your FS data
    1. Use your LDS account and sign up (just need to do this once) at https://familysearch.org/invite/familytree_tab -- Then when you sign in on https://www.familysearch.org  (upper right hand corner) with your LDS account you see a new tab called "Family Tree" which takes you to the new interface for your nFS data
    2. Helpful 9-Generation Pedigree Fan Chart of your FS data -- http://www.createfan.com/ -- use your LDS Account to log in -- Can generate a 9-generation chart for anyone in nFS by going to http://www.treeseek.com , log in with your LDS account, and enter their PID (their nFS Personal Identifier number) in the box
    3. New BYU 20-Minute Genealogist -- https://twenty.byu.edu/ -- Log in with your LDS Account and see a chart of your FS FT data coded for whose data and ordinances are complete and whose aren't
  5. 1940 US Census was released recently (2 Apr 2012) and anyone 72 or older and in the US in 1940 should be in it.  It's already more than half indexed on FamilySearch; images are posted several places including  http://1940census.archives.gov/ -- To find people without the index, since they might be indexed wrong (as DRS is), you can first find the Enumeration District at  http://www.stevemorse.org .  Everyone can help index the 1940 US Census by signing up at  http://the1940census.com/?cid=fsHomeT1940Plt .
  6. This class will discuss and demo some freeware programs for help with digitizing and transcribing audio files, e.g. cassette tapes. -- The difference between analog recordings (cassette tapes, etc.) and digital recordings (on computer, mp3's, CD's, etc.)

    7. AUDACITY

  7. Freeware open source program that does audio recording and editing
  8. Download program from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
  9. Audacity Manual and video tutorials at  http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/Main_Page
  10. Features
    1. Program is very comprehensive and does many things with audio, but you can learn and use the basics fairly easily
    2. Records mono or stereo by microphone or by line in from a device such as a tape recorder -- for tapes use a connecting wire from tape recorder output to computer sound card input so you don't have background noise of telephone ringing, etc,
    3. Has input monitor to show input volume so you can set it appropriately
    4. Has record and playback start and stop buttons like a tape recorder and can set timer to stop it after given time
    5. After recording you can go to any part to edit, delete, copy, amplify, decrease volume, splice in sections, etc.
    6. Can apply labels to mark where sections start or end in the audio file
    7. After editing you can export the edited file in various formats, e.g. wav or mp3, and you can include metadata about the file
  11. Demo of Audacity and digitizing a cassette tape recording by playing it on a tape recorder and recording and editing it with Audacity

    12. LISTEN N WRITE

  12. Freeware program that helps you transcribe audio recordings -- you listen and type what you hear -- has playback and text editor built in together -- Does NOT automatically transcribe the audio
  13. Download from  http://www.softoxi.com/listen-n-write.html
  14. Listen N Write video tutorial -- http://www.softoxi.com/listen-n-write-video-trailer-screenshots.html
  15. Features
    1. Requires audio to be in digital .wav or .mp3 format so it can be played on your computer
    2. Can control audio playback with function keys so you can keep your hands on the keyboard
    3. F5 starts and stops audio and can be set it to pause a specified time interval, e.g. 4 seconds
    4. F6 can be set to skip backwards a specified time interval, e.g. 3 seconds
    5. F7 can be set to skip forwards a specified time interval, e.g. 3 seconds
  16. Demo of Listen N Write

    17. CONCLUSIONS

  17. Old tape (reel-to-reel or cassette) recordings should be digitized as soon as possible since they are deteriorating.
  18. These are helpful freeware programs for digitizing and transcribing audio files -- for other freeware programs for family history see Don's Freeware Notes 
Return to the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Users Group Home Page or Don's Class Listings Page .