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Audacity 101 |
How to get into Second Life
without really trying
Selby Evans is Thinkerer Melville in Second Life |
| 1. Install Audacity. Free |
Down load
Audacity here. It is available for
both Windows and Mac. |
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2. Open Audacity. Move your cursor over the recorder
control buttons at the top.
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The symbols are probably familiar. But the buttons will
identify themselves at the hover of the cursor |
1. Rewind (Left arrow, double)
2. Play (Right arrow)
3. Record (Circle)
4. Pause (Two bars)
5. Stop (Square)
6. To end (Right arrow, double) |
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3. Be sure your microphone is connected.
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Any microphone will do for now. You will get better results if the
mike is attached to you. You will probably also need earphones
for some work. You can buy cheap earphones at Walmart. |
| 4. Click on the record button and start
talking to the mike. |
Just count. The mike doesn't care
what you say. Keep that in mind when you get to voice-over. |
These wiggles are ok, but could be stronger. To make them
stronger, I could turn up the volume on the mike. The control
for that Is right below the record button.
This recording is just 4 seconds, as you can see from the time
track just above the recording track. |
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5. Watch the wavy line wiggle across the page.
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You want strong wiggles. But not so strong they hit the top.
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6. If the wiggles don't look right to you,
A. Get closer to the mike
B. Talk louder
C. Adjust the
microphone volume.
D. All of the above. |
This is not a critical adjustment.
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| 7. Stop the recording (square symbol). Start
it again. Do that once more. |
Note that each start makes new display..
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8. Go back to the start (left arrow). Click on play |
What you hear will explain why you need the next step. |
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9. In the panel at the right of one of the tracks, click on Solo.
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If you know what this will do, feel smug. |
| 10. Select an area with the cursor just as you would
with a text processor. |
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| 11. Copy and paste the selection to another part of
the track. |
Can you guess how to delete a selection? |
| 12. On the top option line select File>Export as
WAV. Give the exported file a name and export. |
Can you guess how to export a selection? |
| You now know how to record with Audacity. |
To get better sound quality, turn down the mike till
you don't hear hum or ambient noise. You can later amplify the
sound in audacity. |
Upload audio to Second Life
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Second Life requires:
1. File in .wav format
2. Audio of less than 10 seconds.
3. Bit rate of 44100 bps |
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Set the project rate at the bottom of the page. You will see
bit rates in other places. Don't confuse them with the project
rate. |
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| Make a sound
1. Record something clever in less than 10
seconds. |
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| OR <>
<> If you can't think of anything clever to say:
1. Go to FindSounds
2. Enter the search term: Fart
3. Dowload several selections that are in WAV format.
4. Play your selections. Laugh. Pick your favorite fart.
5. In Audacity, select File>Open and open the file.
6. Be sure the project rate is still 44100 |
FindSounds
You can generally find files most easily if
you leave them on you desktop.
The file you opened may have a different bit
rate. You will see its bit rate on the panel attached to its wavy
line. |
| Export sound for Second Life
1. Check the time track at the top to be sure it is less than 10
seconds.
2. Select File>Export as WAV.
3. Export to your desktop. |
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| Upload audio to Second Life
1. In Second Life, Viewer 2.3:
Inventory (right menu)-- Click + sign (bottom), Select upload (L$10)
2.. The upload will go into your inventory (sounds folder).
3. You can play your clever remarks or fabulous farts in Second Life by putting them
into an object with a script to play sounds. For example, a
sound ambiator. |
Sound Ambiator |