|
Setting your
computer up to play and record sound
Step 1 • Step
2 • Step 3 • Step 4 • Step 5
| Step
1: Playing sound on your computer |
| Hooking up speakers and headphones.
Most computers come with a set of powered speakers. (figure 1.1) This
means the speakers have an amplifier inside them and you must plug them
into a power source as well as your soundcard.
You will probably use
an 1/8 inch stereo mini plug to plug the cable from your speakers into
your soundcard. (figure 1.0)
Your speakers may be contained in your view monitor, in
which case there will be a cord that will run from your monitor to
your soundcard.
Most powered speakers have
a small jack in the front of one of them that allows you to plug in
a set of stereo headphones, and a small volume
control knob to adjust the speaker (or headphone) volume. (figure 1.1)
- headphone jack
- volume controls
If your speakers
are contained in your monitor, there will probably also be a headphone
jack and volume control of some kind on the monitor. The
newer flat screen compact monitors tend to have this feature.
|
Figure
1.0 - Plugging in your speakers
Figure
1.1 - Powered speakers |
|
It's a good
idea to purchase a good set of headphones for recording. A good set
of headphones
will have large speakers with "closed" designed pads that
cover your ears completely. (figure 1.2)
It's better to get a set that
has an 1/8 inch stereo
mini plug than the 1/4 inch stereo plug so you won't need an
adapter. |
Figure
1.2 - Headphones
|
|
| If you already
own a set that has the larger plug you can get by with the adaptor that
converts a 1/4
inch to an 1/8 inch plug. (figure 1.3) |
Figure
1.3 - 1/4" - 1/8" adaptor |
|
| Hooking your computer up to your stereo.
If you don't have any speakers, or want better quality sound,
you will need to run a cable from the line out of your
soundcard using an 1/8 inch stereo mini plug, to the line in
of your stereo using two RCA type plugs.
The cable you need will be called
appropriately - 1/8 inch stereo mini plug to two RCA's. Radio
Shack is a good place to look for your plugs, cables, and adaptors.
|
Figure
1.4 - 1/8 inch to RCA
|
|
Your stereo will have various inputs for CD player, cassette deck, or
other auxiliary inputs. Plug the RCA end of your cable into whatever inputs
you have open and select that same thing on the front of your stereo and
you should be OK.
The red plug should go to the
right stereo channel and the black one is for the left channel. Once
your stereo is hooked up you can use the headphone
jack from your stereo to connect your headphones. (figure 1.5) |
Figure
1.5 - stereo back side
|
| Three kinds of levels.
There are 3 different strength signals you should become familiar
with.
- microphone
level
- line level
- speaker level.
Mic level
is the weakest level, then line level and speaker level
is the strongest. You will have speaker level on your home stereo,
but the speaker
output level from your soundcard is not really a true
speaker
level. This is
because the speakers you plug into a computer are powered
speakers that have their own amplifier inside. You can't
plug regular unpowered speakers into your soundcard and
have them
work. The speaker
output from
your soundcard is actually a line level output and can
be used for running a line level signal to a stereo or
some
other device.
|
|
| Windows Media Player
Now that you have some speakers or headphones hooked up to your computer
it's time to play some music!
Media players are one type of software that allows us to play sound
on our computers. Media can be CDs, MP3s
from the Internet, or audio files that you have recorded yourself. It
can also be other things like movie clips or music videos that you can
download from the Internet. Windows Media Player comes with your computer
and to use it follow this pathway:
Start > All Programs>Accessories > Entertainment > Windows
Media Player. (figure 1.6)
|
Figure 1.6 - Pathway
to Windows Media Player
|
|
| When you open it it should
look like this. (figure 1.7) |
Figure 1.7 -
Windows Media Player
|
|
| Now let's
try to play an audio CD on your computer using Windows Media Player.
- Open up Windows Media Player
- Place an audio CD in your computer's CD ROM drive
- If the CD doesn't start to play automatically, select the correct
drive from the drop down menu in the upper right hand corner of the window.
(figure 1.8)
|
Figure
1.8 - Drop down menu |
|
If you see
that it is playing but you can't hear
any sound, go to the volume control mixer and make sure that the CD Player
and Wave sections are turned up and are not muted.
If you still can't hear
anything, refer to the help file found within Windows Media Player in
the menu at the top of the player. (figure 1.9)
This help file is very good and you can find a lot of useful information
there. |
Figure
1.9 - Help menu
|
| Other types of media players.
There are many other media players available. Each one is a little different
and you may want to explore a number of them (i.e., Winamp, Music Match
Jukebox)
|
|
|
| Step
2: Getting ready to record sound on your computer |
| Buying a microphone.
You will need a microphone for recording if you don't have
one. You may already have a mic inside your computer (an internal mic)
and not even know it.
Many times they are placed inside the view monitor.
If you have one,
there should be a separate cable coming out of the back of your monitor
that
would plug into the mic input on your soundcard.
Here is a photo
of a common type of external mic that is used with computers. (figure
2.0)
This type of mic is inexpensive and can be purchased at most computer
stores. It will work good enough for recording narration, but for singing
or musical instruments you will want to get a better one.
|
Figure
2.0 - Common microphone |
|
 Advanced users:
There are many kinds of microphones. You might want to own several
for different needs. For instance, you might want a wireless
mic for use with a video camera. There are also very small Lavalier
mics that can be clipped to a lapel for recording interviews. There are
shotgun
or gun type mics that are very directional and pick up sound from a distance
but only from one direction. There are also mics that are called omni-directional
and pick up sound from every direction. There are mics that have a pick
up pattern in the shape of a heart, and pick up sound from in front and
from each side but reject sound from behind. This is a common type of
mic design known as a Cardioid pattern mic.
What is better, a high impedence or a low impedence microphone?
Impedence is a term that refers to the amount of resistance a electrical
signal must contend with. Better quality microphones are usually what
are known as low impedence mics. They use a different
kind of cable with plugs that are called XLR connectors. (figure 2.1)
|
Figure
2.1 - XLR connectors |
|
| Here is a common
professional mic that is low impedence and also has a cardioid pick-up
pattern. It is called Shure SM57 and is
the workhorse of the music industry. (figure 2.2) |
Figure
2.2 - SM-57 microphone
|
|
To allow this
type of mic (figure 2.3) to work with your computer it is best to buy
an audio interface that will accept XLR type plugs and convert the
signal
to a line level signal.
This can then be connected
to the line level input on your soundcard using the RCA type of cable
we've
discussed.
A cheaper alternative to this
is to buy several adaptors that can change a low impedence signal into
a high impedence signal.
With
the right combination of cords and adaptors it will work, but the
audio interface
is a far better solution. Most of the adaptors you will need can
be found at Radio Shack. (figure 2.4) |
Figure
2.3 - SM-57 end
Figure
2.4 - XLR Adaptor
|
|
| Plugging an external signal into your computer from a CD
player or cassette deck.
This is the same process as sending the signal from your computer
to your stereo, but now in reverse, and you will use the same 1/8 inch
stereo mini plug to 2 RCA plugs type of cable.
If you have a common stereo
cable that has 2 RCA plugs on each end, you can use it with an adaptor
such
as the one shown in figure 2.5.
Simply plug the RCA plugs into your external unit and the 1/8 inch stereo
mini plug into the line input on your soundcard. Make sure in your volume
control mixer that line input is turned up and not muted. If you want
to record the signal in the record mixer also select line input and adjust
the level.
Important note: Many portable
CD players and cassette players have a headphone output that can double
as a line output if there is not a dedicated
line output. You will need a 1/8 inch stereo mini to another 1/8 inch
stereo mini to make this work. (or the right combination of cables
and adaptors
) |
Figure
2.5 - RCA to mini-plug adaptor |
|
| Step
3: Determining the type of recording you will do |
There are many different types
of recordings you may want to do.
- Recording a voice for
narration
- Recording a piece of
music from a CD (internally). The term used for this is "Ripping
a CD".
- Recording from an external
source such as a portable CD player or cassette deck, or a reel to
reel tape recorder or the soundtrack portion
only from a VCR.
- Downloading songs or audio
files from the internet.
|
|
| Step
4: There are many different types of sound files |
The list below shows the
major file formats used for audio files. When you're
ready work with recording sound, carefully consider the purpose for the
sound and try to match it to the format that best meets your needs
(and the
resources
your viewers will have available).
-
MIDI
-Musical Instrument Digital Interface. These files are supported by
many browsers and don't require any special plug-ins to play the MIDI
sounds. The quality of these sounds can be good, however the playback
quality is dependent on the viewer's computer's sound card. MIDI sounds
are synthesized with a computer and specialized hardware and software.
MIDI files are generally small files because they don't contain the
actual audio information.
-
.WAV
- Waveform Extension. These are PC files that can be high quality,
are viewable on many browsers and usually don't require any special
plug-ins in order to hear the sounds. You can record .wav files from
CDs, tapes, mics, etc. These files tend to be large
files.
-
.AIFF
- Audio Interchange File Format. These are Mac files that have the
same qualities as the .wav files mentioned above.
-
.mp3
- Motion Picture Experts Group-Audio Layer 3. These are compressed
files, so they are smaller in size than .wav or .aiff files. Even
though they are compressed, the sound quality is still pretty good.
These files can be streamed so that only a little bit of the sound
has to download before the viewer can start hearing it. To play these
files, the viewer needs to have a helper application or plug-in (QuickTime
player, Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, winAmp)
-
.ra,.ram,.rpm,
or RealAudio - These files are highly compressed and are
smaller in size than the .mp3 files. These files can be streamed like
.mp3 files, but the sound quality is not as good as .mp3. Viewers
need the RealPlayer application or plug-in to hear these files. This
is a free download from the RealPlayer site.
-
.mov
- QuickTime movies. You can insert audio tracks from QuickTime movies
to your website. If you save just the audio track and export it as
a webmovie small it will act as though it is streaming when you add
it to your website. You need Quicktime pro (or iMovie to do this)
and you need QuickTime player or plugin to hear them.
|
|
| Step
5: Determining the software you will need |
| Once you understand what you
want to do, you can look for the software that can do that job. There
is an abundance of software available that
will allow you to do various different tasks with audio. An excellent source
for this software is a website called Sharewaremusicmachine.com. |
Figure
5.1 - Shareware Music Machine
As you can
see there is everything from audio recording and editing programs,
CD Rippers, to multi-track recording and software
synthesizer programs. When you visit this site, if you want a description
of what a particular category listed will do, just click on its link
and
another
window
will open up with a brief description, and a long list of programs
available. Much of this software is free or Freeware. Some of it you
can try out and then pay a small amount if you like it. This is called
Shareware. Some are Demo programs
that work like the full program but are limited in some way until you
buy them.
|
|
Sound Recorder
This is a very basic but useful program that you already have within Windows. (figure
5.2)
Some applications have built in recorders that you can use at a minimal
level. Usually they allow you to record, but not edit.
PowerPoint and MovieMaker are
both examples of applications that have built in sound recorders. |
Figure
5.2 - Sound Recorder
|
|
| Goldwave, Cool Edit 2000, and Wavelab
These are more advanced audio editing programs that allow you to
see the waveform and do precise cut and paste style
editing.
|
Figure 5.3 - Goldwave
|
Figure
5.4 - Soundforge
|
Figure
5.5 - Wavelab
|
|
| Advanced
Users: Digital Audio Sequencers:
There are multi-track recording programs that allow you to record
many parts one at a time and then mix them all together adjusting volume
levels
, balance, and tone independently for every part. This is how songs are
recorded in recording studios giving maximum control for each particular
instrument. Here are screenshots of two popular programs called CubaseVST
and Magix Audio Studio. Notice that there are many wave
files shown side by side in each window, these represent the individual
parts
or tracks for the song.
|
Figure
5.6 - Cubase
|
Figure 5.7 - Magix
Audio Studio
|
| These programs are very powerful
and essentially put an entire recording studio into your computer. They
are referred to as Sequencing programs
as well as multi-track recording programs because of their ability to also
work directly with musical keyboards and synthesizers via a special connection
to your computer called MIDI. (Musical Instrument Digital
Interface) MIDI is also a very powerful way of recording and editing music
and will even let you print out sheet music. The order of musical notes
is called a sequence, so for the ability to work with both
midi and waveform audio files, these programs are called Digital
audio sequencers. |
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Part
1
