dons-sound.html
DIGITIZING AND TRANSCRIBING AUDIO RECORDINGS
©2020 Donald R. Snow
This page was last updated 2020-07-13
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ABSTRACT: Many of us have analog recordings that need digitizing
and transcribing, tapes and records, for example. In digital
format they are much easier to edit, copy, transcribe, and
distribute. We will discuss the types of old recordings and how
to digitize them yourself. Tapes, in particular, should be digitized
as soon as possible, since they deteriorate and become unplayable.
In digital format copies can be made without loss of quality,
unlike duplicating a tape. The notes for this class and related
articles, all with active internet links, are posted on
http://uvtagg.org/classes/dons/dons-classes.html .
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
- Instructor is Donald R. Snow ( snowd@math.byu.edu
) of Provo and St. George, Utah.
- The notes for this class and related articles, all with active internet links, are posted on my website http://uvtagg.org/classes/dons/dons-classes.html
.
- Tips: (1) To put an icon on your desktop for the URL
for these notes, or any webpage, just drag the icon in front of the
address in your browser to your desktop. (2) To open a
link while keeping your place in the original page, hold down the
Control key while clicking the link, so it opens in a new tab.
- The problem for today: How to digitize and transcribe analog recordings.
FAMILY HISTORY RECORDINGS
- History of audio recordings - see Wikipedia article -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_audio_formats
- You may have, or have access to, old recordings of family gatherings, interviews, journals, talks, ordinances, and funerals, and performances or sentimental music.
- Places to look for recordings -- your home, neighbors, family, libraries, community resources, online
- Purposes of digitizing old analog recordings
- Archiving to save the best-quality copy -- analog
copies are like xeroxes of a xerox, whereas digital
copies are always exactly the same quality <
- Editing to cut out or move parts, increase or decrease
volume, or other effects
- Sharing to preserve copies by sending copies to family and posting
online at websites like Memories on FamilySearch Family Tree,
for example
- Narrations or music for videos, slideshows, Powerpoints
- Making transcriptions -- much easier from digital copies
- Electronicc formats for audio files
- Wikipedia article -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_file_format
- .wav -- the standard file format and accurate since it saves all pitches, levels, etc., but files are large
- .mp3 -- slimmed down format that is much smaller in file size, but at the expense of the sound quality -- this is the format of most recordings on your smartphone; format is OK there since the smartphone speakers and earphones are low-quality anyway
- Several other formats, but some computer audio players can't play them
- VLC -- free audio/video player that plays well -- http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
-- has feature to adjust the video to match the sound, if
the mouths don't match the sound
SETTING UP TO DIGITIZE
- Digital recorders are not expensive to record directly to digital format, e.g. for a talk, interview, or your journal, but you can't digitize old analog recordings with them
- Overall steps to digitize an analog recording
- Connect playback device to computer
- Play the recording and record it on computer
- Edit the audio file -- take out problem parts, move parts, increase or
decrease volume, label the different sections, etc.
- Export and archive the original high-quality digital version
- Make lower quality copies for distribution, posting, etc.
- Hardware -- jacks, adapters, cables -- inexpensive sources are online at Amazon and eBay and in stores like Home Depot and Walgreens Drug Stores (surpisingly)
- Setting up connections -- this is the hardest part of the whole process
- Desktop computers -- sound card is usually in back with
color-coded ports
- Orange = Mike in
- Green = Speakers/Earphones out
- Blue = Line in
- Connect cable from playback device output (cassette player, etc.) to sound card input, usually the mike input
- Laptop computers -- usually a single port for mike and earphones or
speakers (takes a 3- or 4-contact jack such as for a smartphone); may be simpler to use a USB port
- From playback device use earphone output, if it has one, since speaker output may be too strong a signal for your computer mike input -- always set the playboack volume way low at start, so you don't burn out something -- there are inexpensive attenuating cables to decrease signal strength, if needed
- Playback devices with USB connectors are easier to use, e.g. cassette tape players and phonographs with USB outputs
USING AUDACITY TO RECORD, EDIT, SAVE, AND EXPORT
- AUDACITY -- free program for audio
recording and editing -- download from http://www.audacityteam.org/
-- manual and video tutorials at -- http://www.audacityteam.org/help/documentation/ -- program has many features, but the basics will get you started -- the hardest part is making the device connections to record
- After connecting hardware, in AUDACITY, click Transport > Rescan Audio Devices so AUDACITY checks the connection setup; you may have to close and open AUDACITY again, so it recognizes the hardware
- Set AUDACITY to mono or stereo recording, as needed
- Before starting the final recording set the record levels by startintg the playback device and click Start Monitoring on AUDACITY -- set the level of input volume so it
doesn't clip the loudest peaks or you will have distortion
- To be able to hear while recording try clicking Transport > Play Through
- AUDACITY has record and playback start and stop buttons like a tape
recorder; also has a timer, if you want it to start or stop automatically
- AUDACITY can record directly from a mike or from the internet or other sources for live recordings
- When everything is set correctly, start the AUDACITY Record, then the playback device; monitor the
recording to be sure you are getting what you want; don't worry about pauses and gaps since you can edit those out later very easily
- AUDACITY has good editing features to delete parts, remove or shorten gaps, change
volume, edit out some background noise, change speed, copy, move sections, fade in or out, etc.
- To include a label track to mark sections go to Tracks > Add Label At Selection; This labgel track is a separate track you see below the main sound track(s); labels written here can later be used as titles of sections to split the whole file when exporting
- Saving the Project is different than Exporting in AUDACITY
- Saving the Project saves it as an .aup file with all the steps you did from the beginning so you can continue on later or reverse any edit and go back; this aup file can only be opened in AUDACITY
- Exporting the file means saving it so it is playable on other devices and programs, for example in .wav or .mp3 format
- To archive sound files save in the highest quality
you can, e.g. .wav, and make lower quality .mp3 copies for posting or distributing; as mentioned above, the .mp3 format sacrifices sound quality so file size is smaller
- See more details in AUDACITY Manual and in Don's Freeware Corner notes on his website
TRANSCRIBING AUDIO RECORDINGS
- More details on this topic in a Freeware Corner article on my
webpage https://uvtagg.org/classes/dons/dons-classes.html
- Voice or speech recognition software
- Still not totally accurate for "continuous speech" which is what they call the way we normally talk
- Smartphones have built-in voice recognition for audio text entry, but they make mistakes
- Google search has voice recognition, if you have a
mike connected -- click on the microphone (right end of Google search
box) and dictate
- Windows 10 has voice recognition built in -- see Microsoft
instructions on how to set it up and how to use Cortana on
your computer -- it's like Siri on iPhones and Alexa on Echo Dots
- GOOGLE DOCS (free) has Voice Typing when using the CHROME
browser; start a new doc, click Tools > Voice Typing, then the
microphone icon (left side) toggles it on and off; surprisingly
accurate, even when speaking fairly fast -- See instructions
at https://support.google.com/docs/answer/4492226?hl=en
and YouTube videos -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GutL-iO5KLk#t=86.410113
, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RlnBV0XEB4
, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQueGjqeDB0#t=29.927574
- Best commercial voice recognition software is DRAGON
NATURALLY SPEAKING ; comes in several versions, can usually
get it on sale, but even it is not completely accurate
for continuous speech
- Transcribing by "Echoing" -- you listen with headphones and repeat
what you hear to record it in speech recognition software trained to recognizes your voice now -- since computer only hears your voice, it
can be "trained" better to recognize the way you say words -- This is what the DRAGON tech support people told me to try for transcribing continuous speech from old recordsings
- LISTEN N WRITE -- freeware program for personal use to help with manual
transcription
- Download from http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/listen_n_write.html
-- 3-minute video tutorial at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEUHZr9Bwdk
- Requires audio to be in digital .wav or .mp3 format and played on
your computer
- You listen with speakers or earphones and type
what you hear; does NOT automatically transcribe the audio
- Program includes player and text editor, but can use any text editor, e.g. LIBRE OFFICE or WORD; then can use a spell checker
- Audio playback in LISTEN N WRITE is controlled with function keys, so you keep your
hands on the keyboard and don't have to use the mouse
- F5 starts and stops audio and can be set to pause a
specified time interval, e.g. 4 seconds, to allow you to type what
you have heard
- F6 skips backward a specified time interval you set, e.g.
3 seconds
- F7 skips forward a specified time interval you set, e.g. 3
seconds
MISCELLANEOUS
- EVERNOTE has a way to record audio in a note so you can
describe a picture of an artifact, for example -- avoids the
connection problems, but gives an .amr file that must be converted
to be played elsewhere
- FAIRSTARS -- good and free CD copier and player --
http://www.fairstars.com/
near bottom of Download page) --- good for ripping (copying) CD's
to computer without having to record it first
CONCLUSIONS
- Many other uses of sound in family history, e.g. narrations for
slideshows, copying sound from video, etc,. These are discussed in other classes.
- Tapes deteriorate, so digitize them as soon as possible;
phonograph records don't deteriorate, but clean them before playing
to record
- Thrift stores sometimes have tape recorders, cassette
players, and phonographs; can also buy new ones with USB connectors
- Digitizing audio files preserves and makes them easier to
edit, copy, transcribe, and distribute to others.
Return to the Utah
Valley Technology and Genealogy Group Home Page
or Don
Snow's Class Listings Page .