Portable Recorders

"Being portable suggests that the devices are battery-operated so system power consumption is a key concern. Portable audio devices may include integrated audio codecs or audio ADCs and DACs for conversion between analog signals and digital data, headphone or speaker drivers for earpieces, headphones or built-in speakers, programmable DSPs for encoding/decoding compressed data in formats such as MP3, WMA or AAC, microcontrollers for handling system-level control and user interface functions, and wireless transceivers for transmission/reception of data over RF (radio frequency)."
Given that technical description of portable, let me give you some examples of units I know work well or have had good reviews.

• M-Audio MicroTrack 24/96 - a mobile 2-channel digital recorder that records WAV and MP3 files to CompactFlash. It has balanced line inputs and microphone preamps. There is phantom power for studio-quality microphones. You just connect it to either a PC or Mac with a USB connector.  It has a lithium-ion battery that charges via the computer’s USB connection or USB power adapter. I am a bit concerned about not being able to change the battery if it ever dies but I am hearing that M-Audio handles replacement well. If you know about inputs at all, it offers 1/4", XLR, and S/PDIF inputs which is nice. You can get one of these for around $350 if you shop around.
• Edirol R1- I have heard good things about this recorder as well. Scott from the podcast "Tokyo Calling" uses an Edirol and has much luck with its performance and durability. It has built in mics that do well. Another version which is more expensive but is the newest news with Edirol is the R-9
• Edirol R9- This is the newest version. I had one comment saying it was also a great unit.
• Zoom H4 - also a 24/96 recorder, this one has a better price and I think it looks great. I would like to try it out if I buy another one for my CompTech8 class new media projects. It is $299 on the website so I know you can get it for much less! The cool part is you can record 4 track whereas the others are only 2 track. It has 2 combination XLR-1/4-inch input jacks with phantom power so you can use it with any microphone. It has studio effects like compression, limiting and mic modeling in the unit.
• Belkin Voice Recorder for iPod - plugs right into your iPod for voice recording. It provides a quality similar to USB microphones. A little bit muffled but not bad. This is due to limited frequency response -  it does not capture the higher and lower ends of our voice's audio spectrum. At $50, it is a great way to have an instant mobile recorder if you already own an iPod!
• iRiver

Microphones, Headphones, Interfaces, and PopScreens

You can use a variety of hardware to produce your audio for the internet. See the list below for some gear I use or know works well. I am also including other hardware of interest.

• Internal and USB Microphones - It is possible to just use your internal microphone, but it is not recommended. I have been know to use it when I am on the road and need to produce a screencast tutorial for my students and have no mics with me. There are a variety of USB microphones that work well.
  
• SnowBall - this mic is made by Blue which manufactures very good quality pro-audio products. It can be uni-directional for a bit of a round table style recording or switched to directional (also called polar patterns). Blue suggests using it for instrument and voice for music production / pre-production / demos, DV-looping / dialog, podcasting, sound effects, audio sampling, interactive programming, video sweetening / post, internet telephony, internet conferencing, recording lectures, poetry slams, spoken word performances and speeches.
  
• LogiTech - USB desktop microphone. It is plug and play like the other USB mics but not as good quality. There is a power button which at times has been a bit noisy if you are recording a live telephony call or webcast. There are other ways to mute a mic than to use the power switch so don't let it deter you if you want an inexpensive USB mic. It boasts noise-canceling technology to filter out unwanted background noise for better voice recognition. Just remember that you only get so good for $30! For all LogiTech mic options, click here.
  
• Here is the result of a general search for USB desktop mics at buy.com
  
• Chat 50 - allows users to simultaneously speak and listen without audio causing echo or cutting in and out. Provides high-quality audio playback.
• NEC Booom Mic - around $75
• HeadSets - Headsets can connect with a USB plug or if they do not have a USB connector, there must be two plugs to use them on your computer for the mic in and a headphone out. This type of headset would have two 1/8th" plugs. We advise you use a USB adaptor for this type and it often comes with the headset.
  
•  LogiTech is one name that offers a variety of headsets.
• Plantronics is another - be sure to choose the USB versions if possible or get a USB connector to use with headsets with seperate mic and headphone plugs as mentioned above.
  
• Best Buys - You can always shop around for best buys. The LogiTech 250 is a good USB headset and a good buy here. I bought a set of 25 for my school's computer lab and they held up well and had good quality recording. One good thing about this set is you can wipe the pads to keep them nice and clean!
• Any headsets you buy especially from brand names you have heard before should work if you follow the guidelines mentioned above.
  
• Headphones - Any set of headphones will work for audio. Using headphones with an 1/8th" stereo plug or 1/4" stereo plug will work but you need to use an adaptor for any 1/4" plug to fit into your headphone jack on the computer. Just ask at a RadioShack or any electronic department or store for a 1/4" to 1/8th" stereo adaptor. Please look over the options listed below. Good headphones are worth every penny. I have a pair of professional quality headphones I bought in 1986 and they still make my work on audio a pleasure!
• Nady HP03 $20 - Great Deal!
  
• A Full List of Headphone Offerings
  
• LogiTech
• Sennheiser
• Sony
• Standard Microphones - I like to use a regular microphone used for music production. One of the better workhorse mics is a Shure SM 57, SM 58, or SM 59. They require an XLR mic cord. I plug my mic into a preamp then into my USB input on my comptuer. M-Audio and others offer nice low priced preamps. There are also a variety of FireWire pre's you can purchase but they tend to get more pricey.
  
• Computer Interface - when recording with a standard microphone, guitar, bass, keyboard, or other input, you need to "power" it so there is a good strong signal when it ends up in your audio recording software. Though iMic and other converters offer a connection adaption for 1/8th" plugs into USB, they do not provide preamplification (or power).You do not need to use an interface for USB microphones. Here are a few of my favorites.
• M-Audio FastTrack - Just connect Fast Track USB to the USB port of your computer. You can plug in an XLR from a standard mic cable, two RCA connectors (remember it is useful for analog inputs like phonos), and 1/4" input. There is a headphone out. It costs around $129.
  
• Computer Speakers - any speakers will do but powered are better than not powered and the "you get what you pay for" saying applies here.
  
• Speaker Review with Good Purchase Price Links
• LogiTech - good speakers and a great list of price options
  
• Altec Lansing
• Panasonic
  
• FlashMic by HHB - a portable recorder that include 1 GB of flash RAM and a Sennheiser mic capsule. No cords since it records to the flash memory.
• Recording Telephone Interviews - a JK Audio QuicTap is a tiny device that connects between teh phone's headset and base. It provides an output jack to a recorder.
  
• Pop screens - a pop screen is nothing more than a peice of panty hose over an emboidery hoop and placed about a foot from your mouth. It prevents the pops and sssss's from becoming a highlight in your audio. You can also buy this tool but it is very simple to make. Click here for a great site for more specific instructions.
  
• Other
1. Zing
   

Recording Analog Audio

Here are some tips to record analog audio to your computer

1. Stereo receiver
1. a Y cable with two RCA plugs (for your left and right channel outputs on the back of your receiver) to a single 1/8th" stereo mini plug for your computer input (sometimes labeled mic)
2. for those with no RCA outputs on your stereo receiver, a 1/4" stereo plug for your headphone jack to a single 1/8th mini plug for your computer input works just as well
2. Record player - first connect your record player to a stereo receiver or a phono preamplifier unit, and then connect the receiver or preamplifier unit to your computer using the instructions for stereo receiver above
3. Cassette or reel-to-reel player - use the instructions for stereo receiver
4. You can use a variety of USB or FireWire Audio Interfaces to transfer analog to computer.
   • ART USB Phono PLus
     
   • Yamaha UW10
   • M-Audio FastTrack
   • Edirol UA-1EX

For more information, go to This Link. Please overlook the product references and look at the information listed on this site.

Setup Examples

This section is not finished yet

• smart phones with integrated audio capability
• handheld GPS systems
• internal mic and a pair of headphones
• a regular external mic and a USB audio interface (like an M-Audio Fastrack)
• any sound equipment like a mixer or powered interface, a mic, headphones -- run a cord from powered mixer or interface to line in (1/8th")

GarageBand

GarageBand is a fairly intuitive software for audio recording and editing. To open some files, open a new project then drag and drop files into it. They may not open if you go to file > open. Here are three screencasts to help you get started.

• Editing part 1
• Editing part 2 (I made a small mistake on part 1 ..so listen to my adjustment!)
• Cut and Drag tracks and parts of tracks

Wire Tap Pro

WireTap Pro is an all purpose audio recording software. It is $19 and is for Mac computers. Click Here for the Homepage.

Audacity

Audacity is a free cross platform audio recording/editing program. You may Click Here for the download. See my Audacity editing tutorial under Audio Editing 

Skype for Voice over IP

Skype is great for computer telephony. It is just now starting to offer recording ability which will cut out the need other software to record both sides of telephony calls, webcasts, and skypecasts. And its free!

Ecamm

Ecamm - is a good mac recording software specifically suited for recording Skype calls.  Ecamm also has a multitude of products for telephony and/or video conferencing. One product called iGlasses is great for working with iSight.

Gcast

gCast- video email conferencing program. You can record directly to your podcast

Hot Recorder for Windows

http://www.hotrecorder.com/index.asp

Windows Recorder

http://www.mp3-wma-recorder.com/

Xinha Here! Link

Xinha Here! for Firefox

Pamela - a Windows Skype Add-On

http://www.pamela-systems.com/

Mac Computer Settings for Recording

• Plug in a microphone using a USB cable or 1/8th " cable (see hardware)
• Go to System Preferences and click on Sound
• Choose your sound input (it may show as internal mic if you are using no mic, line in if your coming from a mixer or amp etc), or the name of your interface such as Fast Track
• Set your Volume
• Close window

Watch This Video for a Screenshot Tutorial

Windows Computer Setttings for Recording

• attach your microphone to the Sound In port on the back of your computer. (It might have a picture of a microphone next to it.)
• open the Sound Recorder. (Open the Start menu and choose Programs, then Accessories, Entertainment and, finally, Sound Recorder.) or your personal choice of Audio Recording/Editing Software
• check the Preferences in the menu bar for audio input (select your mic), and output (select WAV if you have the hard drive space. If not use MP3 but read about encoding techniques before making this decision)
• click New
• click Record, Stop, Play, Rewind and Seek to End buttons to record and listen back to your audio
• save using the Save As command in the File menu  (spaces and special characters are not recommended for file name) 

Basic Recording and Editing Suggestions

The Recording Process

• see Settings for Windows and Mac computers sections to prepare your computer for recording
• check your recording level - on the average, -6 is where your audio should be on your LEDs for a good strong signal.. if it goes above that too much you will get distortion. A red light indicates that you are hitting the ceiling and will definately have too strong a signal. That level is just below 0
  
  
• use volume and trim or gain to increase the input signal if you are too low. Trim is the intensity of your signal and may give a cleaner sound if used moderately, Just increasing the volume will also add system noise. If your software does not offer trim or gain so just use the basic volume input control.
• use a pop screen if you have too many pops or sssss's. (see Hardware)
  
  
• do not eat the mic or stay too far away. Gauge for ideal distance from the mic by recording and listening to your playback to check your settings. Adjust as necessary.
• record somewhere with as little background noise as possible
• when recording music, ALWAYS do a count in for easy overdubs
• when done, stay quiet until you hit Stop. If playing an instrument, let it ring until it is inaudible before hitting Stop.
  
  

Editing

I will briefly explain how to use the following editing tools. Also read Basic Editing in Audacity for good general editing tips. 

• Compression - reduces the dynamic range of a signal and improves the quality of the sound.  It isn't a really necessary to compress sound files for the Web. Using encoders to reduce file size is necessary but it is a different kind of compression. You will see more on that type of compression in the Publishing section of this course.
  
  
• Cutting - an easy way to reduce file size is to delete unwanted sections or any extra noise from the audio clip. Almost all the editing applications let you select parts of your sound wave, and then cut, copy or paste them similar to a word processing document. Open your audio file in your audio editor, zoom in and listen to the file, and cut any pops, pauses or silence, or background noise. 

  To cut, highlight sections of the audio clip you'd like to remove with your mouse. Underneath the "File" menu or "Edit" menu on your program, you will see delete or cut. Be sure to listen to the audio before cutting silence. It may not be silence or it may cut a word off. Listen carefully to the file after you cut to be sure it sounds natural.

• Equalize - eliminates heavy bass or treble in your audio sound. Intense bass isn't a good idea with an audio file for the Web. Most computer speakers can't handle bass very well. The same is true for treble or high end. Too much makes it sound too brittle. You can use an equalizer to match the level and strength of the bass and treble match each other in the level and strength of sound, is to equalize your files with an equalizer. An equalizer is a flexible, precise tone control located in an audio editing application that contains faders. An equalizer divides audio into specific frequencies that you can boost or decrease. Each of these divisions is called a band. Some equalizers have 512 or more bands of control but the free apps and iTunes go from 10 to 50 bands. You use your sound application software to adjust these levels. You can, if you wanted to, increase the bass on your sound files, but for the Web, your files will sound better if you tone down the bass. Equalizing your files can also help bring out a certain part of your sound file, such as a voice, or one particular instrument.

• Normalize - Only use this for your final master! It is the last thing you do before sending it off to the Net and can not be undone..  Normalize increases the level of the whole audio file so that the loudest part of the sound is as high as it can be without distorting. The remainder of the audio increases proportionately. Most sound editors offer normalize and the program automatically normalizes your audio files for you.

  You have to choose the level you'd like to raise your sound to. Maximum level is 0db but it's a good idea to normalize a file to only 96% of it's maximum level. This compensates for computers that may not have good quality playback and may cause distortion.

  One thing to remember. When you normalize sound, you increase background noise. If you choose to normalize, first equalize your audio files to eliminate as much background noise as possible.

• Effects - 
• You can create echo effects with an echo or reverb function within your audio editing application. There is always a control for wet/dry. Wet means you are adding more effect and less original signal so the end product is more reverb or echo. A tiny bit will enhance a vocal and some instruments but what sounds like enough in pre-mix often sounds like too much in the final mixed down and published file. Oddly enough that final process seems to increase the effect! When there is no reverb or echo (they are the similar in effect but you can get it with various types of reverb/echo) and no ambience in the recording process, the audio may sound too "dry".
  
  
• Panning (for stereo recording) - you can choose where in the sound stage you want left channel or right channel to be by using pan. For multi tracks, vocals are often put in the center or slightly left and right for two voices, and instruments placed from far left and right towards center but not on top of each other. For example, bass should be center and back, guitar could be center and more forward (forward and back are gotten through the use of trim or gain). Lead instruments can be placed on either side so when they do fills or backup, they are in different places in the space preferably one on each side about 8:00 and 4:00 (envisioning a clock for audio space location)
  
  

• Notes
  
• A 44 hz and a 16 bit resolution file (44/16) is a good setting for a CD-stereo quality sound file. 
  
• An MP3 file encoded at no more than a 64kbs bitrate is a good rule of thumb for voice recordings at the point of export. Always record and mix or edit at a higher rate.

 

Basic Editing in Audacity

Audacity is compatable with Windows 98, ME, 2000, & XP, Mac OS9 and X, Linux, and Unix. To download the program go to the Audacity website. This information is from my entry in the WebcastAcademy's Book of Webcasting.

1. Before you start, go to your computer's sound control panel and make sure your input device (or your microphone) is selected as the audio input source. Then boot Audacity and go to preferences. Set the device(s) you are recording from and playing to in the audio I/O tab. If you are editing a pre-recorded file from your webcast for example, open Audacity then use the Import tool to open the pre-recorded file.The Quality tab sets the sample rate and bit depth. Jeff Towne from the Transcom Tools Content site says "Audacity can handle different sample rates and bit depths within a project, but these will be converted in real-time to the default session settings when needed. Although normally 16-bit is a sufficient bit-depth for webcasts, and you will save a good deal of disc space and processing power if you use that depth, Audacity sometimes creates grungy-sounding sound files when recording at 16 bit. I'd start with 16 bit, but if you have that problem, setting up your session to record at 32-bit float might solve it. Set that in the file format tab as the default export format." You can change the sample rate from the lower left corner also.
2. Hit the red record circle in the transport panel to record. You can adjust the record level with the slider next to the microphone icon in the top right corner. You should leave it all the way up and change levels from your sound card or control panel. Make sure your input level does not go into the "red" (or hit the ceiling) on your meter as that will cause clipping. You can import audio into your Audacity project if you wish to combine more than one recording or add music etc. They will show up as new tracks.
3. Editing tools -
   

   the control toolbar is like any audio player transport buttons. Pressing the spacebar will start and stop play, and shift-spacebar will loop-play a selected section (called a region). To select a section, click on the selector tool and drag over the part of the audio you want to change. Move the cursor over the edges of the highlighted section to grap and extend the length. Press Z to move the selection edges to zero-crossings eliminating clicks from edits. For gain changes (also known as trim..it refers to the intensity of an audio signal), highlight a region (section) and use the "amplify" or "normalize" commands from the effect menu, or move the volume slider at the left of the track display. That slider sets the level for the track. Use the draw tool like a pencil to re-draw waveforms to eliminate eliminate clicks or other distortions. Click and drag over part of a track to zoom in. The magnifying-glass icons on the right hand side of the top of the track window can be used to zoom in or out in steps, to zoom to the selection, or to zoom out to see the entire project at once. A scroll wheel works as well. Cut, Copy and Paste work as expected. Highlight audio you don't want and press delete. Audacity will close the gap. Use the silence selection tool (mute) if you'd like to remove audio without making changes to the timeline.Select audio you want to keep and click trim to selection to delete everything except the selected region. The silence selection icon mutes selected audio, but without moving any other audio regions, leaving a silent space, like hitting "mute" for that time range. Any other edits will close up that gap. You can grab the vertical edges of a track and drag up or down to make it wider and easier to see for editing. The track can be reduced in size to see more tracks after you are finished editing You can always undo edits, but not after you save. Audacity saves small ".aud" files that has all the editing data, so you can do multiple save-as steps to store different versions of the project, to retain flexibility without duplicating all the large sound files. Selecting view>history will show you a list of your actions, and by clicking on the various entries, the edits will revert to that stage of the edit, you can then discard all moves after that point by clicking the discard button. The history list is cleared whenever you save and you cannot undo after a save. Audacity has been known to crash, so save often. You can use the Audacity plug-ins like the compressor, EQ, filters and normalizing. The Audacity "Noise Removal" effect is not the best and I don't recommend it. Audacity's effects need to be applied one at a time. To remove an effect, you have to step backward with "undo."

4. Export selected parts of a project by highlighting them and choosing export selected from the file menu.
5. Final MP3 - (for uploading into your blog) When you are done with the mixing and editing, (make sure your audio levels are high but not clipping) export your project by clicking File>Export As>an MP3. You may also Export as a WAV file or an Ogg Vorbis, another kind of compressed file. Just saving it will not make it a final mix. Be sure to us this Export tool so your final product can be uploaded to Webcast Academy, burned to CD or FTP'd.
6. Learn Keyboard shortcuts for Audacity to speed up your editing time.

References

Information for this article is from The Transom Tools Content article by Jeff Towne

Level Headed ~ Jeff Towne

Processing Basics ~ Jeff Towne

Digital Editing Basics ~ Barrett Golding

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Compressors and Limiters.... Also "What's The Big Squeeze" Audio

Compressor and Limiters are often part of your audio recording and/or editing software package. 

A Compressor is a programmable amplifier designed to decrease the difference in level between quiet and loud signals. 

A Limiter is a gain (increase in signal strength or intensity) controller. The output goes so high and no further. Anything above that selectable point is cut off and you will not hear it in your final mix.

These two functions are related can often be used together. Think of it this way. If dynamic range were a room, a compressor adjusts both the floor (really loud sounds) and the ceiling (really soft sounds), and a limiter adjusts only the ceiling.

Please listen to my audio explanation for compression. One word of warning... this audio was produced as part of my "Ride To WorkCast" series. That means I have automobile noise as part of the audio since I create alot of material on my 50 minute ride to and from work everyday! 

Now for Compression Settings - Here is a good example of how to set your compression: Taken from tweakheadz article on "How to Record"

Compressor Settings

Setting Gates:  Compressors do add noise to a signal, and they do destroy dynamic range.  Noise is taken care of by gating the signal.  When it dips below a certain threshold, the audio signal is muted.  This is effective for getting rid of low level noise you do not want in the file, such as bleed from headphones, or the vocalist moving, turning pages on lyric sheets, etc.  Gates have two parameters: 1) The noise floor threshold, and the Rate.  The Noise floor threshold eliminates all of the signal when it dips below the threshold, which is set from -50db to -10db. I keep mine set to -30db. Yet one has to be careful.  If the gate is set too high, then the attack of the vocalists words may be cut off or come in too abruptly.  The Rate parameter  "fades out" the audio signal as the gate come on.  This is effective to prevent the gate from chopping off the tails of the words.  Usually a rate of 1-1.5 sec is enough.

Setting Threshold:  The Threshold is the all important level at which the compressor kicks in.  If you set the threshold to -10, it will leave all of the signal under -10 alone.  When the signal exceeds -10 then it starts compressing at the ratio. -10 is an excellent place to start.  Don't confuse this with the fact that your gear is outputting -10 or +4 impedance wise.  Though the threshold seems like it is a volume control, it is not. It is merely telling the compressor at what level compression takes over the signal.

Setting the Ratio   2:1 is probably the most common setting for a compressor recording or playing back nearly anything.  A great starting point. What this means, simply, is that it takes 2 decibels of sound energy to raise the output meter by 1db. You can read the 1st number as the db IN and the second as the db OUT.  Again, 2db IN equals 1 db OUT.  With 2:1 you simply divide by two. 

Answer this: If your vocalist was singing at -10db and suddenly got 20 db louder, without compression, where would the meters post?

  -10+20=+10.  The meters would post at +10

Correct!   Which, as you should know is way to loud and would ruin the track. Now, if you had 2:1 compression applied, where the output is half of the input, where would the output meters post?

 -10+(20/2)= zero db!

The vocalists 20db burst was compressed to an actual 10 db difference in gain. (the ratio 2:1 is the same as 20:10, or half).    (Note, you don't have to record all the way up to 0db, leave a cushion for the best sonics)

 If you had the compressor set at a 10:1 ratio what would that mean?  It would mean for every 10 decibels of gain the meters would only go up one db.  So in our example, then, the 20 db burst would only let the meters go up by 2db  (10:1 is the same as 20:2, or 1/10th of the original sound),  Since they started at -10, the overall level would be only at -8 during the sudden 20db boost.  Hardly any change in the output level at all.  Would that sound "squashed"?  You bet.

Setting Attack and Release:  These settings can be tricky as they can "delay" the effect of compression on the attack and make is hold on a bit too long on release if set improperly.  I suggest till you get these tricky settings figured out (which takes quite a bit of experimentation) you simple use the fastest attack and enough of a release so the vocal is not boosted as the word trails off.  Otherwise a word may pump on you unnaturally.

Setting the output:  This is the final adjustment as the signal leaves the compressor.  It's sometimes called the "make-up gain". They call it that because compression often lowers the overall signal and you may need to boost it back up.   Basically you want to optimize this so it does not ever go over 0db in the recorder.  With luck you should see a consistent healthy level on the recorder's input meters regardless of how loud the vocalist is singing. 

Just a final note, you can compress again after the vocal is recorded as you prepare your tracks for the mix.  So, don't get too wild with settings at the input (recording) stage.  You want the recorded vocal to sound natural, where the compressor just makes it an overall more useful signal to tweak later with exciters, harmonizers, pitch intonation correctors, and effects like reverb, delay. etc. 

Reference: Tweakheadz Lab  "How to Record Vocals" article  

Using Effects in Audacity

This link explaining Effects in Audacity is well done.

Audio-Compression Techniques

Audio-compression comes in many formats and each have strengths and weaknessses. It is good to know a little bit about them so you can make smart encoding decisions. Be careful using a program's default compression settings may cause compatibility issues for your intended audience. As a rule of thumb, pick a format based on your specific needs and choose the compression settings that sound the best to your own ear.  Read on to understand what your options are.

There are many lossy audio encoders trying to compete with MP3 but all of them work for the same goal - to find an audio file's perceptual transparency which is the point where higher sound quality becomes inaudible and therefore functionally useless.

Compressed audio formats have thea bility to store text data called metadata. File names can accomplish the same thing but metadata can be read and applied to the files names and directory with one click. ID3 is the way text blocks are attached to an audio file in the form of a tag. Choose Edit Info from the menu in your MP3 player program and fill in the data fields there. The first version of MP3 tags is called ID3v1 and does not give much room to put data in the fields. ID3v2 provides more room but is slower to write since it is at the beginning of the audio file. I recommend filling in bot ID3v1 and ID3v2 since you don't know which tag your listener's playback program will read. If you don't, your audio may show up as Unknown Artist! Always fill in the comment field since its searchable and easy to access by all major programs. This is a good place to put your contact info. ID3v2 also offers a place to put your Web address. Watch this Screenshot Video Tutorial on how to add ID3 tags.

ID3's only apply to MP3 files. Always use the tag format native to the file type you use.

AAC is better than MP3 and is encouraged by MPEG. It is the audio layer of the MPEG-4 standard and is contained inside an MP4 container. It is seen as .m4a or .mp4. Apple uses AAC for iPods, iTunes and iTunes Music Store. An .m4p is one which is copy protected and and locked. AAC has a good file size for the excellent sound quality it provides but does not have as much widespread compatability yet.

WMA, Window Media Audio, is a Microsoft format. They are no better than MP3s and don't have much hardware support. If you have WMA files and want to play them on a Mac, you need to install a 3rd pary QuickTime plug-in since Microsoft discontinued the Windows Media Player for Mac!

Now Ogg Vorbis is a different story! It is an open-source alternative to MP3 and WMA. Vorbis is the audio-componant codec and Ogg is the container. It works great at all it's bit rates, has a flexible metadata system, and is often used for embedded apps like video games since there are no royalty fees to us it. Wikikpedia uses it for everything since it is royalty free and it is goof for anyone maitaining a very large library of compressed audio.

MP3s because of the open-source project LAME encoder. It can vary bit rate through the audio file using more or less bits when needed. The default setting of LAME use CBR or Constant Bit Rate but by using "--abr" command ("--abr 192 for ex.) you can enable the ABR or Average Bit Rate mentioned above. This option does not increase the size of the file! VBR or Variable Bit Rate can handle extreme changes throughout the audio file and is superior to CBR and ABR. It does not increase file size either. Use "--vbr 192" for ex. to enable. VBR is the best to use in most situations.  That is why Ogg Vorbis is so good... it uses VBR encoding by default.

Lame's newest releases are now using numbers instead of names. The lower the number the higher the audio quality. You will be seeing APS ("--v2) and APE ("--v0") now which are both essentially the same.  They look at the file and use filters, noise shaping and other ways to trim the file size the least destructive way. Both will work well.

Alright, now that I have totally confused you, what DO you use for encoding? Many apps offer the ability to export your audio in a compressed format like MP3, Ogg Vorbis, and the like but they don't always have the more advanced encoding options. You can try some of the following to try out the formats mentioned above.

• Panic's Audion (for Mac)
• iTunes - Lame which, by the way, overrides the default encoder of iTunes but you have to start this from the AppleScript menu or it will enbale the default encoder.  (for Mac) 
• Nullsoft's Winamp
• Albert FAber's CDex
• Illustrate's dBpowersAmp
• AndreWiethoff's Exact Audio Copy- Unlike iTunes
• Peter Pawlowski's free foobar2000*** the most recommended
  

 Sharing files with others usually requires sticking with MP3 for compatibility but why you should use LAME encoding with that and one with VBR presets for the best results. The most important thing to remember is keep your original WAV or AIFF file in tact. If you want to change to another format, you don't want to go from one lossy audio format to another since that increases the loss of quality. 

References:

Parts of this article are excerpted from “All is Not Lost,” published in the October 2006 issue of Electronic Musician magazine, and are reprinted with permission of the publisher.

 

 

Embed Audio Into Your Net Content

You can also just use the code below to embed audio into your website html. It will show up as a little player with a start and stop control. To see a sample, go to my past band, Cross Creek's Stuff page. The site is under construction so the other site's pages are dead links! The players are near the bottome of the site. Click Here.

To use the code below, just put the name of your audio file where you see waltz.mp3. You will need to put this code in the same folder as the audio file on your server, blog, wiki, drupal, moodle or what ever service you use to publish material to the Net. There is usually a place to add code to a site for those of you using a blog or similar service to publish audio.

<embed src="waltz.mp3"width="200"height="20"autostart="false"> 

HipCast and Others- Publishes Your Audio for You

Hipcast is an audio and video publishing service. It costs around $5/month and it makes it really easy to upload your media and have it publish automatically to your blog. The player is generated for you as well.
AudioBlogger is another version of the same type of service.  You can find many more similar to these products. 
FFMpegX

Embedded Flash Interface for MP3s

How to Embed a Flash Player in Your Website

Here is a solution that lets you post MP3 files and play them in a browser using an embedded interface. This is a Flash player. You will be able to listen to audio without leaving your page. You can embed the player on your page by adding the following code to your website:

1. copy the embed code provided below and paste it into your own html page
2. replace song.mp3 with the path of your own .mp3 file
3. change autoPlay to "yes" if you want the music track to start automatically once loaded - it is set to start when the viewer clicks on play
4. you must also upload these .swf and .js files to your server.
5. your mp3 file, swf file, js file and page containing this code must be in the same folder

<!-- Begin Copy/Paste below but do not include this line-->

<script type="text/javascript" src="swfobject.js"></script>

       

<div id="flashPlayer">

  This text will be replaced by the flash music player.

</div>

<script type="text/javascript">

   var so = new SWFObject("playerSingle.swf", "mymovie", "192", "67", "7", "#FFFFFF");

   so.addVariable("autoPlay", "no");

   so.addVariable("soundPath", "song.mp3");

   so.write("flashPlayer");

</script>

<!-- End Copy/Paste - do not include this in  your code>--

CLICK HERE to download the zip folder containing the code above, .swf file, .js file, and a sample mp3.  

CLICK HERE to see my example of how it works!

References: Flash player compliments of premiumbeat.com 

Flash Code Generator

Using a Flash Code Generator is sometimes a nice way to learn to use Flash players for webpages, webloggs and other html applications. This is a page where you can just copy and paste your mp3's URL into the generator, click, cut and past the code that is generated into your site.

Inserting Audio in a Web Page -- Dreamweaver Excerpt

The following is an excerpt from the Dreamweaver Help Files. Adapt this information  to your own html WYSIWYG application.

Adding sound to a page

You can add sound to a web page. There are several different types of sound files and formats, including .wav, .midi, and .mp3.  Some factors to consider before deciding on a format and method for adding sound are its purpose, your audience, file size, sound quality, and differences in browsers.

NOTE

Sound files are handled very differently and inconsistently by different browsers. You may want to add a sound file to a Flash SWF file and then embed the SWF file to improve consistency. See Embed a Flash Player section.

Linking to an audio file is a simple and effective way to add sound to a web page. This method of incorporating sound files lets visitors choose whether they want to listen to the file, and makes the file available to the widest audience.

To create a link to an audio file:

Select the text or image you want to use as the link to the audio file.

In the Property inspector, click the folder icon to browse for the audio file, or type the file's path and name in the Link text box.

Embedding a sound file

Embedding audio incorporates the sound directly into the page, but the sound only plays if visitors to your site have the appropriate plug-in for the chosen sound file. Embed files if you want to use the sound as background music, or if you want to control the volume, the way the player looks on the page, or the beginning and ending points of the sound file.

TIP

When incorporating sound files in your web pages, carefully consider their appropriate use in your web site, and how visitors to your site use these media resources. Always provide a control to either enable or disable the playing of the sound, in the event that visitors don't want to listen to the audio content.

To embed an audio file:

In Design view, place the insertion point where you want to embed the file and do one of the following:

In the Common category of the Insert bar, click the Media button and select the plug-in icon.

Select Insert > Media > Plugin.

For more information about the Plugin object, see Inserting Netscape Navigator plug-in content.

In the Property inspector, click the folder icon to browse for the audio file, or type the file's path and name in the Link text box.

Enter the width and height by entering the values in the appropriate text boxes or by resizing the plug-in placeholder in the Document window.

These values determine the size at which the audio controls are displayed in the browser.

Inserting Netscape Navigator plug-in content

You can create content such as a QuickTime movie for a Netscape Navigator plug-in, and then use Dreamweaver to insert that content into an HTML document. Typical plug-ins include RealPlayer and QuickTime, while some content files include MP3s and QuickTime movies.

Inserting plug-in content in your page

Your page can include content that will run in a plug-in in the user's browser.

To insert Netscape Navigator plug-in content:

In the Design view of the Document window, place the insertion point where you want to insert the content, then do one of the following:

In the Common category of the Insert bar, select Media and then click the plug-in icon.

Select Insert > Media > Plugin.

In the dialog box that appears, select a content file for a Netscape Navigator plug-in.

For information on the available properties, see Setting Netscape Navigator plug-in properties.

References: Adobe Dreamweaver

EasyBe Music Store - Integrate Into Your Website

EasyBe 1-2-3- Music Store Software - $69 This software seems to be a nice package for the money!

iTunes Labels and Music Marketing

As a signed iTunes label, you can reach millions of music lovers through your partnership with iTunes. I am still checking this out to see how it compares to other music promotion companies.

How to Set a Price for Web Design

Work From Jennifer Kyrnin, Your Guide to Web Design / HTML.

Per Page, Per Hour, Per Project
If you're first starting out as a freelance Web Designer, you need to think about how much you're going to charge, and how exactly you'll charge. But before you quote a price, you need to take a few things into consideration.

* What is the project?
Before you evaluate any Web design project, you need to determine what it will entail. Some questions to ask include:
o How many pages will need to be created?
o Are there images and/or design that need to be used, or will they be created as part of the project?
o Is there content for the site, or will that be written by the designer?
o Will there be any Flash, multimedia, programming or scripting required?
Depending on the answer to those questions may raise your prices.
* When do your clients want the proejct completed.
The more urgent a project is, the more you can generally charge.
Sponsored Links
* How much experience do you have?
The more Web design experience you have, the more you can charge, and the more your clients will expect to pay. Keep in mind, however that if you don't have a lot of Flash experience and that's what your clients want, you shouldn't rely on your six years of HTML coding to increase your prices.
* How much long-term maintenance is required?
Often, when a Web site is commisioned, the clients have not thought beyond just getting the page up on the site. As a Web designer, you should make sure that your clients have maintenance covered. If they expect you or your company to cover it, you should probably get a separate contract for that aspect of the job.
* What is the going rate?
This can often be difficult to determine. The best way is to talk to other designers in your area. Check out the salary and pricing Web sites in the sidebar for more assistance.
* How much do you want to make?
The bottom line, after everything else is: how much do you want to make? For example, you might have a project you would love to do, because it would be fun, or interesting or challenging. Your bid might reflect that. On the other hand, you might feel uncomfortable doing a job or would have to do extra work just to complete it, such as if you would have to hire a database programmer to complete the project.

Some General Rules of Thumb

1. Never bid on a project you do not have the resources to complete. If you assume that you'll be able to hire a Perl programmer when you make the bid, chances are you'll be scrambling 2 days before the due date and spend all your fee on a last minute programmer.
2. Get as clear and specific a contract as possible. If the contract is vague, you may find yourself providing more services than you expected.
3. Be careful with pro bono work. There are many good reasons to build Web sites for free, but you should treat your pro bono work as seriously as any other contract. And if you give away your services, your customers might not want to pay after the free period is over, even if they like your quality.
4. Always be honest with your clients. If you say you can meet a deadline, then meet it, and if you can't give them as much warning as you possibly can.

digg.com -- an excellent discussion on pricing

http://digg.com/design/How_much_should_a_web_design_cost

USB Headset set-up for Mac

My USB Headset does not work on my Mac :

• *see this Screencast on Set-up
• *Try a different USB port. It could be your computer's port is faulty
• *Make sure that your connections are secure.
• *Try another known-good FireWire or USB port on your computer or on a different computer. If this resolves the issue, consult your computer's service and support guide to find out how you can get the computer's port repaired.