Part 1 Introduction to digital sound recording and playback. Digitizing sounds with a microphone and from a tape recorder. Use of sound processing software to edit, amplify, display sounds graphically, and change file formats. Downloading sounds from the internet. File formats and sound player programs for au, wav, aiff, and mp3 files. Playing sounds in Web pages, slide shows, and Powerpoint presentations. Constructing an audible alphabet book.
Part 2 Copying songs to your hard disk from audio CDs. Recording (burning) custom audio CDs from sounds and music files on your hard disk. Converting audio tapes and vinyl records to audio CDs. Reducing noise in old recordings. Making slideshows with backgrouond music. MIDI: downloading, arranging, and playing MIDI songs. Computer Karaoke.
Each workshop participant will receive a free custom-made CD-ROM containing copies of the handouts; sound processing shareware used in the workshop; sample sounds in various formats, and a collection of Web sites related to sound and music.
Type of Material:
Tutorial Materials, HTML with links to software.
Recommended Uses:
This site might be useful as a resource within a larger digital audio course.
Technical Requirements:
Computer with standard items: CD Rom drive, audio inputs, speakers, connection to the Internet. Standard multimedia browser.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Introduction to digital sound recording and playback, file formats, playing sounds in web pages, making custom CDs from audio files on your desktop, downloading, arranging and playing MIDI songs.
Target Student Population:
High School and College Students. It is not specific to music students but a broader range of students in multimedia.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
General PC knowledge (installing software from CD Rom, browsing the internet)
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
There is large amount of information here. Links are given to a wide range of digital audio tools. Much of the material is contained in .pdf files with links out to tutorial information and software tools.
Concerns:
When describing the connections of audio inputs for recording audio into your computer, some diagrams would be amazingly helpful. Another example would be setting up the home theatre for movies and audio.
The text-heavy format would benefit from more illustrations.
Some of the links did not work or may need to be updated. The links out of the .pdf files may be the problem.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
There is no mystery or interpretive aspect to going through each step. This tutorial does exactly what it intends to do use the tools in the correct way.
Concerns:
Although this site deals with tools used to manipulate sound files it does not deal with musical pedagogy. Such a context would need to be supplied by the a music instructor. The tutorials are more pedagogically and therefore more useful for general multimedia instruction.
Heavy amounts of text (no diagrams) can be very tiresome. If the intention is to do a small amount per lab/class session, students wont be so overwhelmed.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The scope of the class is clear and easily navigable at the highest overview level although several links appear to be broken.
Concerns:
Students need to drill down into the material to get to the many links offered in this material. It might be overwhelming due to the scope of the tools and software covered. Also the material is presented in a heavy text format that could benefit from more graphic support. The links out to external websites necessarily create some discontinuity as students move through a lesson.
Other Issues and Comments:
none
Creative Commons:
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