recording with an ipod and itunes - wofford...

Podcasting: Recording 12/13/2006 1

Recording With an iPod and iTunes

This lesson assumes that you already have iTunes and your iPod set up.

iTunes and iPod software on your computer

iPod previously connected to your computer and set up

iTunes preferences set to manually manage songs and playlists

iTunes MP3 encoder set to Good Quality (128 kbps)

iTunes Library categories include the Kind of file

If you have any question about the settings listed above, please consult the “Introduction to iTunes and the iPod” lesson available at this URL:

http://webs.wofford.edu/whisnantdm/Training/Podcasting/Index.htm

Setting the iPod Sound Quality of a Recording

If you are recording for a long time, a 60- or 90-minute lecture, for example, it is important to set the audio quality to Low so the sound file will not be large. Recording with the iPod set at low quality seldom makes a difference in what you hear.

Choose Extras in the Main menu.

Then Voice Memos in the Extras menu.

Finally, set the Quality to Low in the Voice Memos menu.

http://webs.wofford.edu/whisnantdm/Training/Podcasting/Index.htm


Making a Recording

To make a recording with your iPod you need a recorder attachment. We use the Belkin TuneTalk voice recorder.

If you have not already done so, eject the iPod and disconnect it from the computer.

On the bottom of the TuneTalk, slide the Autogain toward the right to On, so that the recorded sound will be louder.

The Belkin TuneTalk fits into the same socket as does the USB cable. Attach the TuneTalk to the iPod. At this point, the iPod screen will change to its Voice Memo configuration, ready to record something.

When you are ready to record, move your finger on the Click Wheel to select Record on the Voice Memo menu. Then press the Select Button in the center of the Click Wheel ring.


When the iPod is recording, the time changes on the screen, the word “Recording” is displayed on the iPod screen, and a red light is displayed on the TuneTalk.

For good sound quality it is important for the two microphones on the front of the TuneTalk to be unobstructed and within a foot of the person talking. It also is important not to brush anything on the microphones. Several possibilities come to mind.

If you lecture from a podium, place the iPod on the podium.

If you move around the room when you lecture, strap the iPod around your neck or put it in your shirt or coat pocket.

If you are recording someone else, hold the iPod or set it between you.

When you are finished recording, select Stop and Save on the iPod screen.

With the battery fully charged, it is possible to record more than 90 minutes.

After you have stopped recording and saved the file you will see the file name on the iPod Voice Memos screen – a date and time (8/12 2:16 PM, in the picture).

Transferring a Recording to Your Computer

Open iTunes on your computer and connect your iPod to the computer. Don’t panic if nothing happens for a while – my experience is that it can take fifteen to thirty seconds for the iPod to connect, depending on the size of the files on the iPod. When the iPod is connected you will see its name appear in the Source list. You also will see a dialog box asking you if you want to move voice memos from the iPod to iTunes. Click on Yes.


When the file is finished loading, click on Library in the Source list. You should see that the audio file is in the iTunes Library.

The recording now is stored on both the iPod and your computer.

Listening to a Recording

You can listen to a recording on iTunes by selecting it and clicking on the iTunes Play button.

You should hear the recording on your computer speakers and see information in the iTunes window about the recording that is being played

You also can listen to a recording on your iPod by plugging the earphone jack into the top of the iPod and putting the earphones in your ears. Select the file name on the screen and press the Select Button.

The menu will give you two possibilities – Play and Delete. Select Play to hear the recording.


Adding Information about the File

When we move to distributing files using iTunes U, it is going to be very important for everyone to adopt a standard way of naming files. If we don’t do this, it will be necessary to go back and rename all of the files later in order to keep them straight when they are stored in a common area. Here is the naming convention we will use:

UserName_Description_Year_Month_Day NOTE THE UNDERSCORES

For example, if I create a file for Chem 316A on August 14, 2006, I would name it

Whisnantdm_Chem316A_2006_08_15

If I interviewed someone named Joe Schmoe on January 12, 2007, I would name the file

Whisnantdm_JoeSchmoe_2007_01_12

You also can add other information about the file. It is important to do this in a standard and consistent way to make it easy for students to create their own playlists to help them study. This will be especially useful when they start to get a lot of files on their iPod, making individual files difficult to find without some kind of classification system. It also will be useful for institutional research purposes.

Please put the following information in different iTunes fields:

Name: The file name, Username_Description_Year_Month_Day Artist: The person speaking Album: The name and number of the course Grouping: A description of the activity – an interview, a lecture, a student presentation, and

so forth Composer: The faculty member teaching the course Comments: Miscellaneous remarks

You might note that the original files created by the iPod are labeled by date and time. You will need to change the name of the original files to match our standard form and to add the other information shown above.

Suppose that the sound file I have is of an interview with the famous chemist, Antoine Lavoisier, for my Chemistry 123C section. I will name the file Whisnantm_ChemistInterview_2006_08_15. Go to the Library and select the file you want to rename. Choose File, Get Info from the main menu.


This will bring up the File Information Menu with the Info tab selected.

Enter the standard name of the file and the other information described in the list of fields on the previous page.

When you have made the entries, click on OK.

You now should see that the file in the Library has been renamed and the information added in the various fields.


Creating an MP3 File

The recording created by the iPod is a WAV file. You don’t need to worry about what this means except to know that WAV files are big – really, really big. We need to convert WAV files to MP3 files, which are roughly of the same quality, but a lot smaller1.

In the Library, choose the file you want to convert.

After the file has been selected, choose Advanced from the Main menu and Convert Selection to MP3 from the menu that drops down.

Soon, you will see two files in the Library – the original WAV file and the new MPEG (that is, MP3) file. If you look at the size of the two files, this particular MP3 file is 83% smaller than the original WAV file

1 You well may ask how this is possible. In a nutshell, converting a WAV file to the MP3 format involves dropping all frequencies our ears can’t hear and combining redundant portions of the code in the file. This usually cuts down the file size by 80% or so without having much effect on what we hear.


Deleting a File

Once we have moved the file to the computer, you don’t need to keep it on the iPod. If the iPod still is connected to the computer, we can delete the file using iTunes. Select the iPod in the Source list.

Select the file you want to delete (in the picture at the right, the only one there).

Press the Delete key on the computer keyboard. You will be asked if you really want to remove the file. Click on Remove.

The deleted file will disappear from the list of files stored on the iPod. If you check your iPod, it no longer will be there.


Editing Your Files

You may want to edit your recording files, for example to delete “dead spaces” at the beginning and end of the recording. It also would help students if large lecture files are separated into smaller sections corresponding to different topics. Editing is not required, but if you are so inclined, instructions for editing files using the program named “Audacity” are on a separate handout.

Publishing Files on Your Web Site

Eventually, we plan to use iTunes U to distribute the MP3 files created. For the time being, you can use a folder on your personal web site (your W: drive) to make the files available to your students. Instructions for setting up a folder on your personal web site are available at this URL

http://webs.wofford.edu/whisnantdm/Training/Sharing_Files/W_Drive.pdf

If you would like Student Cadre assistance in setting up your personal web site, please contact Terry Ferguson.

If you would like the Podcasting folder to be password-protected so that only students in your class have access to the files, please contact Matt Fisher or David Whisnant.

For this lesson we will assume that you have a folder named “Podcast” on your W: drive that will be used to distribute recordings to your students. If you do not know how to create this folder, please ask one of us.

Open iTunes, if it is not already running.

Open My Computer.

http://webs.wofford.edu/whisnantdm/Training/Sharing_Files/W_Drive.pdf


In iTunes, choose Library from the Source List.

In My Computer, move to the folder W:\Podcast.

Resize both windows so they are visible on the screen simultaneously. Holding the left mouse key down, “grab” the MP3 file from the iTunes Library, “drag” it into the other window, and “drop” it there.

The file now will have been copied to the “Podcast” folder in your W: drive. It should be accessible from your web page.

After doing the file transfer described above, I entered the URL for the “Podcast” folder in a web browser: webs.wofford.edu/whisnantdm/podcast Here is what I found.


Try this on your web site to see how it works.

Students will be able to right-click on the file name on your web site and download the file to their computer. They can listen to the file there or move it to their own iPod. They will almost certainly know how to do this.

recording with an ipod and itunes - wofford...

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