Pioneers in Sound recording• Tony Schwartzhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gaq5-t14FE

• Alan Lomaxhttp://research.culturalequity.org/rc-b2/get-audio-ix.do?ix=recording&id=4735&idType=performerId&sortBy=abc

Basics of Digital Audio-Frequency = speed, measured in Hertz (Hz)-Volume = level, measured in decibels (db)-Sample rate is the number of samples recorded per second-measured in Hz or kHz. A CD has a rate of 44,100 Hz.-Sample size or format is the number of digits in digital representation of sample. Measured in bits, a CD is 16 bits. The higher the sample size the more dynamic range-louder louds and softer softs. Measured in bits-16 bits being standard for CD quality.

File Formats• Most common types of file formats:

AIFF, WAV, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, AAC & WMA-Uncompressed and high quality-AIFF, WAV-Compressed but small file size - MP3, Ogg

Vorbis-MPEG4 or AAC (Apple) and WMA (Windows)

are proprietary and not supported by Audacity.

Basics of Digital Audio

http://www.hammersound.net/audiobasics/audiobasics.html-Explains theory behind digital audio

http://ohda.matrix.msu.edu/2012/06/digital-audio-recording/Digital Audio Basics for Oral Historians

http://www.nch.com.au/acm/formats.html-Useful resource that explains different formats.

Uses for Audio in Digital Humanities

Oral HistoriesPodcastsDocumentariesExhibitsSlide PresentationsInstallationsMashupsPerformanceEducation

Uses for Audio in Digital Humanities Projects

• Oral Histories-voice recordings where a speaker tells her eye

witness account, experience(s), or opinion(s).-audio emphasis is on the human voice.

Uses for Audio in Digital Humanities Projects

• Oral Historieshttp://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews Archives of American Art

-Includes excerpt on website, must visit archive for whole file. -Includes link to archival collection and finding aid to give context.

Uses for Audio in Digital Humanities Projects

• Oral Historieshttp://cds.library.brown.edu/projects/1968/narrators/B.KERR.htmlThe Whole World was Watching

-Includes transcript-Cues with content headings

Uses for Audio in Digital Humanities Projects

• Oral Historieshttp://www.britannica.com/dday/browse?browseId=237157Veteran’s Oral Histories

-Link to audio-Description with credit

Uses for Audio in Digital Humanities Projects

• Oral Histories-Library of Congress how to plan an Oral History

Projecthttp://www.loc.gov/folklife/familyfolklife/oralhistory.html

-Google Transcribe - audio player for transcription.-Testimony Softwarehttp://storytelling.concordia.ca/oralhistorianstoolbox/pop_up_pages/testimony_software_pop_up.html

Uses for Audio in Digital Humanities Projects

• Podcasts

-Generally an audio episode, self-contained, sometimes augmented by text or visuals, that can be either streamed or downloaded.

-Uses an rss feed (really simple syndication), to update new content. This feed is an XML file created when you make a new podcast.

Uses for Audio in Digital Humanities Projects

• Podcast Resources

http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-podcast-step-by-step/

http://www.podcasting-tools.com/

Where to host your podcast:http://soundcloud.com/explore/storytelling

https://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/

https://archive.org/details/audio_podcast

Uses for Audio in Digital Humanities Projects

Examples of Podcastshttp://mariehicks.net/blog/?p=486#commentsA class project where groups interviewed a professor and created podcasts posted to YouTube.

http://www.axonsandaxioms.comA podcast dedicated to philosophy created by two assistant professors, one from Carnegie Mellon and the other from the University of Pittsburgh.

Uses for Audio in Digital Humanities Projects

• Other uses: Documentaries, Exhibits, Slide Presentations, installations, mashups, performance and in education

• http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/integrating-digital-audio-composition-into-humanities-courses/24266

Other things to consider

• Copyright Issues

-Releases-The Veteran’s History Project

http://www.loc.gov/vets/pdf/vetsrelease-fieldkit-2007.pdf

Others things to consider

• Copyright Issues

-Using Creative Commons, essay at:

http://ohda.matrix.msu.edu/2012/06/a-creative-commons-solution/

-Non-commercial-share alike-where participants can retain copyright, but material can be shared and used for non commercial purposes.

Rights Issues

• ResourcesFreeSoundInternet ArchiveFreemusicarchive

-For soundscapes or mashupshttp://creativecommons.org/audio/

Metadata for access

• Transcript is important since textual material describes content.

• Simple metadata about project can be used for access.

• Various form of metadata- Dublin Core, MODS, TEI

• Tagging

Metadata for Access

• BWFmetaedit-metadata for audiohttp://sourceforge.net/projects/bwfmetaedit/

• Praat & Akustyk-open source speech analysishttp://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat/http://bartus.org/akustyk/

Recording Basics

• Microphone-Computer-Audacity• Skype for out-of-town subjects • Low Cost recording setupsInternational Association of Internet Broadcastershttp://www.ibroadcastnetwork.org/blog/best-dynamic-microphones-under-100-dollars

Recording Basics

• Best settings for recording -Microphone!-For multiple speakers, more than one

microphone should be plugged into a mixer that then gets plugged into computer.

-Recording room tone to mask any silent spots or use as a “noise print” to take out hum or background noise.

Using Audacity

• Settings• Importing Files• Cutting and placing clips• Adding tracks as bins• Setting the volume• Tools• Saving project/Exporting File

Using Audacity

• Cleaning up pops, background noise, and “ums” and coughs.

• Normalizing Audio• Loudest part of your recording should approach

0db on a VU meter, anything above will distort. • Creating files for different applications. • The importance of keeping high resolution master

files.

Washington Post article on adding effects to Photos using Audacityhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2014/07/23/what-paris-looks-like-with-an-echo/

Tutorialhttp://questionsomething.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/databending-using-audacity-effects/