FAQ: The Easy Voice Recorder

[Lappy]

What is Easy Voice Recorder?
The Easy Voice Recorder is a new recording tool that replaces the standard Windows Sound Recorder when creating sound files for Little Reader.  Simple, intuitive, and completely integrated with Little Reader, this program handles all of your recording needs and comes with lots of powerful tools to edit your recordings. You can launch it via the “Voice Recorder” button on Little Reader, by clicking on the “REC” button in the Edit Word window, or via the shortcut in the Little Reader folder in the Start menu.  With Easy Voice Recorder you can create customized Pronunciations and Picture Audio for Little Reader with ease and efficiency.

How does Easy Voice Recorder work?
Easy Voice Recorder works just like a tape recorder: click the record button, speak into a microphone connected to your computer, and click to stop when you’re done!  From there, you can edit your recording with a range of useful tools, save your recording to an MP3 file and apply it to Little Reader words – it’s as simple as that.

How do I create a new recording?
To create a new recording, first make sure your microphone is connected to your computer and functioning properly.  When you are ready, click the “REC” button and speak into your microphone.  You will notice that the REC button has now changed to a STOP button – click it to stop recording.  You can now use the Skip to Start button next to the REC button to rewind, and then click PLAY to playback what you just recorded.  If you are happy with the results, click the SAVE button to save your recording.

What is the green line on my screen?
The green line in the Easy Voice Recorder window is a graphical representation of your sound file, also known as a “waveform”.  As the line travels from left to right, that denotes how long the sound goes for; correspondingly, the further the line deviates vertically from the middle marks how loud the sound is. For more advanced users, they can also zoom in and out using the Magnifying Glass buttons to see the waveform in greater detail!  These details may help in editing a recording, for example deciding where to cut off a sound file to minimize file size.

I’m trying to record but there’s no sound when I play back.
If you have attempted to record a sound and the waveform (See “What is the green line on my screen?” for details on waveforms) is a flat green line, there may be a problem with your microphone.  First, run through the following checklist:
   •   Check that your microphone is properly connected to the Mic/Line-In ports on your computer
   •   Make sure your microphone volume is loud enough and un-muted
   •   If your microphone has an On/Off switch, make sure it is turned on
   •   Make sure you are close enough to the microphone for it to pick up your voice

If sound is being recorded, but there is no sound during playback, run through the following checklist:
   •   Check that your speakers are properly connected to the speaker ports on your computer
   •   Make sure your sound volume is loud enough and un-muted
   •   If your speakers have an On/Off switch, make sure they are turned on
If there is still no sound during playback, there may be a problem with your audio hardware.  You may try updating your audio drivers at the manufacturer’s website, or contact your manufacturer.

What do the numbers along the top mean?
The row of numbers above your recording represents a timeline, divided up into seconds.  This will give you a rough idea of how long your recording goes for; the longer the recording is, the larger the file size will be.  So if there’s lots of silence at the beginning or the end of your recording, drag a selection around those parts and delete them to reduce file size.

What do the numbers on the left mean?
The numbers on the left are an indicator of how loud your recording is.  The “wider” or “fatter” the waveform, the louder your recording is.  But be careful – if your recording is too loud (known as “peaking) and goes beyond 1.0 or -1.0, the sound will become distorted and crackly!  If this happens, kindly re-record your sound.

How do I select sections of my recording?
To select portions of your recording, simply click and drag anywhere within the black-and-green waveform area.

What is the Bass Boost function?
Bass boost is used to adjust recordings to make them sound deeper and less tinny.  To use Bass Boost, simply select the option from the Other Effects menu.

What is the Normalize function?
Normalizing a recording will scale a recording to be as loud and clear as possible without the sound “peaking” or distorting into crackling audio.  It is best used when you have recorded a clear sound, but find it to be too soft.  To normalize your recording, simply click the Normalize button at the top of Easy Voice Recorder.

What is the Silence function?
The Silence function will take the region you have selected and make it completely silent.  To use it, simply click-drag and select the region you want to make silent, and then click the Silent button on the top of Easy Voice Recorder.  This function can be helpful if your recordings have a lot of background hissing (due to windy conditions during recording, electronic interference etc.) before/after the desired speech or picture audio.

What is the Change Pitch function?
The Change Pitch function is used to alter the pitch of a recorded sound without altering the speed of the recording, and can be found under the “Other Effects” menu.  You can change the pitch of your recording by dragging the slider left and right (deeper sounding towards the left, higher pitched towards the right), using the drop-boxes, or by semi-tones (just like in musical terms).  You can also preview what your recording will sound like before you commit to your changes by clicking the Preview button.  Once you are happy with the pitch change, click OK to commit.

What is the Change Tempo function?
The Change Tempo function is used to speed up or slow down a recording without affecting its pitch.  You can find this function under the “Other Effects” menu.  To change the tempo, you can either type in a) the percentage of its original speed you want to change to, b) a length (in seconds) that you want the recording to go for, or c) drag a slider to affect these values.  You can also preview what your recording will sound like before you commit to your changes by clicking the Preview button.  Once you are happy with the pitch change, click OK to commit.

What is the Noise function?
The Noise function is used to iron out unwanted background noise (electronic buzzing, wind, air-conditioning units in the room etc.) from your recording.  To use the Noise function, first playback your recording and select a segment of audio that you feel is representative of the general level of background noise (known as a “Noise Profile”).  Then click on the Noise button located in the upper-right hand corner of Easy Voice Recorder and follow the instructions in the dialogue.

Note : Typically after using the Noise function, the level of your recording will have diminished somewhat, so you may want to try using the Normalize function to bring up the level again.

How do I undo changes that I’ve made?
If you have made a mistake and want to revert back to a previous step, simply click the Undo button located to the right of the SAVE button, in the upper-middle part of Easy Voice Recorder.  Should you choose to redo an edit you’ve made, the Redo button is next to the Undo button.

Can I delete sections of my recording?
To delete sections of your recording, simply click and drag to highlight the segment that you wish to delete, and then press the delete key on your keyboard.  Easy Voice Reader will automatically remove the part you have deleted and shorten the file for you.

Can I edit existing files with Easy Voice Recorder?
You can edit existing files with Easy Voice Recorder in two ways.  A) You can locate a sound file via Little Reader’s Edit Word screen and click “Edit with Editor” to bring up the file up in Easy Voice Recorder, or b) in Little Reader, click the “Voice Recorder” button to launch Easy Voice Recorder.  Then go to Open from the File menu in the upper-left hand corner of Easy Voice Recorder, and then navigate to the desired file.

How do I save my file?
To save your file, click the Save button at the top of Easy Voice Recorder.  If you are saving a new file, you can set MP3 Export options by clicking the Options button in the Save dialogue.

What do the Bit Rate Mode settings do?
The Bit Rate Mode settings allow you to control the quality and file size of your recordings.  Higher Bit Rates mean better quality recordings, but also mean bigger file sizes!  There are various options to control the Bit Rate of your audio, but there is no right or wrong way to record – it is up to you to decide what sounds good and works well on your computer!

[littlemamapuz]

Thanks Lappy, this information is very helpful!! 

[carpe_diem]

 
Thanks Lappy - so by using the features is how you cut off the pause at the beginning of the recording? Also since my voice is low pitched but loud - I could adjust that as well?    If so that will save me having to record over and over 
Its turns out to be quite a sophisticated tool with all those features now you have explained them. I need to practice again now!

[Lappy]

Haha that's right! You can now streamline all of your voice recordings by taking out the pauses and adjusting pitch as well, if you like! 

There is still a bug though - it seems that the current EVR doesn't support other formats other than MP3s, and we're currently getting the programmers to fix this. Not to worry though, we'll get it out soon.

I hope that everyone enjoys playing with this new feature! 

[Nikolett]

Thanks for the great explanation!
One thing I couldn't figure out by myself is how to cut out parts of the file I didn't want. While using Delete on your keyboard is not difficult, maybe that key could be included on the screen (next to Silence)?

[Phtay]

Hi Lappy,
   I still not understand the step for the voice recorder that you explain as my PC skill is poor and I never use the voice recorder before. Any screen shot with the example to demo it?

[zoe22]

hi Lappy, was trying to use the voice recorder but didn't work. It might be a problem with my microphone, i just got one of the ones that come with earphones (for internet calls) couls that possibly be why it's not working?

Thanks
Zoe

[Lappy]

Hi Zoe!

Before you start recording with your computer you need to have a microphone set up.

To do this, plug the microphone into your computer. Generally, the color of the microphone jack has the same color as the slot you need to plug it into. If that is not the case, then consult the manual of the sound card and see what is the appropriate port for the microphone.

Next, troubleshoot your microphone, to make sure it is working properly. To do this, follow these steps:

On XP:

1. Press the START button.
2. Go to Control Panel.
3. Click on Sounds and Audio Devices.
4. Go to the Audio tab.
5. Under Sound Recording, choose the device name for the microphone you are using. You may also adjust the volume of the microphone here. Make sure your microphone is NOT MUTED.

To test, open the default XP sound recorder by going clicking on START - ALL PROGRAMS - ACCESSORIES - ENTERTAINMENT - SOUND RECORDER.  Perform a test recording, and then try to play it back.  If your microphone is working, you may now try to use it with EVR.

If you're using Windows Vista, please see this page for a tutorial on How to Install and Setup a Microphone:
http://www.vista4beginners.com/How-To-Install-and-Setup-a-Microphone

I hope that helps!

Do let me know how things go.

[zoe22]

Hi Lappy

The funniest thing happened, I tried all you suggested and the microphone still didn't seem to work, I used my husband's log in on the same computer and it worked! But then, when i tried using LR on his on log in, it brought up a message 'can't find data base for little reader, reinstalling application may resolve problem' I know there's a licence key, so I'm not sure if it'll still work if I uninstalled and reinstalled it. or is there no need to reinstall at all.

Thanks for all your help.

Zoe

[KL]

Different user accounts on the computer will have different settings.  Best would be to get your husband to check your sound settings on your login account.

Similarly, your LR is only set up for use on your login account, and that's why it won't work on your husband's, cos when yuo're there, it cannot access your "My Documents" folder.

If you want, you could backup everything, then uninstall from your account, then install LR when in your husband's account, which would mean LR will be installed primarily on his account and won't work on your account anymore.

[zoe22]

I think I'd just ask him to check my sound settings like you suggested. Thanks alot, will let you know if it works. By the way, the easy recorder is absolutely fantastic. I stayed up till 3am just recording stories, words of affirmation etc for my kids which I have put on my ipod now and would burn unto CDs to play for them. I'm really horrible and clueless when it has anything to do with computers, but I found it extremely easy to use. I hope it'll work when my husband adjusts the setting cos I'd rather teach my baby with my own pronounciations.

Thanks a lot to the entire brillkids team.

[Ayesha Nicole]

Dear BK Tech Team,

Is there a way to record the speakers and myself?  I am using this software for improving my foreign language pronunciation.  I want the recorder to record the sound from an interactive website of native pronunciation, and myself, to compare them.

How would I do that, please?

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Ayesha

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