Learning Online at UNE

Recording and editing audio files

Recording and submitting audio files for oral assignments is increasingly common in UNE units. These files need to be created and saved or converted to .mp3 format prior to submission. If you do not submit your recordings in .mp3 format, your unit coordinator may not be able to listen to and mark your assignment! 

A free tool (available to download online) which can be used to record your oral assignments is Audacity. It can be downloaded free from http://audacityteam.org/download/ and is available in versions for Windows, Mac and Linux. Audacity is generally considered to be the simplest free application which enables audio to be recorded, edited and downloaded.

While audio recordings do not need to be made in Audacity, they do need to be created in or converted to mp3 format for submission. A range of alternative tools and apps are available for recording audio files (for example Garage Band (Apple), Windows sound recorder (PC), Voice Record Pro (iOS devices), Smart MP3 or one of the many apps for Android). While some applications will be easy to use, they may have limited editing functionality and they may not automatically save in .mp3 format. You could also record using a hand held or stand alone voice recorder.

A range of converters which allow you to convert various audio file types to .mp3 are also available on the web, e.g., https://www.media.io/ (Ad-free) or http://audio.online-convert.com/convert-to-mp3 (contains Ads**) among others.

** NOTE! When using online free conversion sites, be aware they often contain advertising and some adverts display large green 'Start" or "Download" buttons designed to get you to downloading something you did not intend. Take care and avoid such advertisements.

Getting Audacity

To download Audacity, go to the following website: http://audacityteam.org/download/

Choose the download that suits your computer (eg. if you have a PC using Windows, you choose the Windows icon). Download the program and install it as outlined in the installation instructions.

In addition to Audacity, you will need to download what is known as an “LAMEmp3 encoder”. LAME is a little computer program that converts your Audacity-recordings (these will have the extension .aup) into .mp3 format. To do this go to the Lame download page. Instructions for downloading and installing the LAME MP3 encoder are available from http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/faq_installation_and_plug_ins.html#lame 

The following videos give a demonstration of installation for both Windows and Mac (these relate to a previous version of Audacity, but the process will be similar aside from links, which are included above).

Tutorial for Windows

Tutorial for Mac

Recording

Once you have downloaded Audacity and LAMEmp3, you are ready to start. A headset with a microphone is recommended for making recordings.

Open Audacity:

• to record, click on the big red circle button.
• to stop, press the pause button (two blue stripes). When you recommence recording, press pause again. This means you continue recording on the same track.
• when you are finished, press the stop button (yellow square). This ends the recording. If you want to add something after you have pressed stop, you will need to press Record again. A new track will appear and your addition will be on this track. You can copy and paste the new track onto the end of the first one. You might want to practise this.
• to listen to your recording, press play (green triangle).
• once you are satisfied with your recording, export the file (File > Export).
• then choose file type MP3 from the 'Save as type' menu (see below).

Note: It is a good idea to save the project file in Audacity as well as exporting to .mp3 in case you want to access it later. To do this, click File > Save Project or File > Save Project as...

Tutorial on recording

Submitting

Audio files are submitted the same way as other file types in Moodle. See the Submitting Online page for full instructions on uploading assessments - the most important thing is to ensure you upload an .mp3 file for audio assignments.

Troubleshooting

If you're having any problems with using Audacity, we suggest you try the tutorials page at: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/tutorials.html or the FAQ manual at: http://manual.audacityteam.org/help/manual/man/faq.html 

This is not a fully supported application for use by UNE students, however the UNE Information Technology Service Desk may be able to assist with some queries:

ITD Service Desk
T: 02 6773 5000 or 1800 763 040
E: servicedesk@une.edu.au