CONTENTS

Basic procedure

Installing Audacity
Recording an exercise
Uploading to iTunes

RECORDING AND UPLOADING ORAL EXERCISES
TO GW ON iTUNES

Recording exercises involves the following basic steps.

1. If you have not done so, download and install Audacity Sound Editor and Lame MP3 encoder (all free).
2. Open any audio exercise that requires your oral responses.
3. With a microphone plugged in, start Audacity recording.
4. When done, save the Audacity file in mp3 or aac format.
5. Either through Blackboard or in a separate window, open your account at GW on iTunes.
6. Upload the exercise into the course listing at GW on iTunes.

Requirements: You must have a computer microphone and iTunes installed on your computer. The iTunes program is a free download from Apple.

CONTENTS

Basic procedure

Installing Audacity
Recording an exercise
Uploading to iTunes

CONTENTS

Basic procedure

Installing Audacity
Recording an exercise
Uploading to iTunes

INSTALLING AUDACITY

Audacity is a free software program that allows you to record audio files. This section tells you how to install and test out Audacity.

Windows Users:

1. Paste in this URL: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/windows
   Download two things:
   
   a.  Audacity 1.2.4b Installer (listed under “Recommended Download”)
   b.  Under the header “Optional Downloads,” the LAME MP3 Encoder.
   
   
2. Install Audacity.
   
   
3. Download the Lame Encoder, unzip it, and and save lame_enc.dll to a place of your choice on the computer. Remember where you saved it!
   
   

4. Record something (anything!) in Audacity. Export (File => Export) your recording as an mp3 file. Audacity will ask you where lame_enc.dll is. Tell it. Contine saving the exported file.
   
   

5. Done! Audacity will now remember where Lame is. You can erase the file you recorded. From now on, when recording for iTunes always save your recorded files as Export to mp3. You need not Save the Audacity project file. Once you are done exporting, you can close Audacity. If you want, you can delete the mp3 file you converted. You can now go on to your first "real" exercise. Proceed to Recording an Exercise.

Mac Users:

1. Paste in this URL: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/mac.
   Download and install Audacity 1.2.4b Installer (listed under “Recommended Download”)
   
   
2. Install Audacity.
   
   
3. Record something (anything!) in Audacity. Export your recording as a WAV file. (It will be quite large.) Close Audacity. You need not Save the Audacity project file.
   
   

4. Find the WAV file you recorded. Click on it. Thius will open iTunes. Find the file in your iTunes library. Control-click on the file. From the menu, choose Convert to aac. Once the file has converted, it will show up in your iTunes library. You can now delete the original larger WAV file.
   
   

5. Done! This was just a test recording. You can now delete the converted file if you want and start work on your first exercise. Proceed to Recording an Exercise.
   
   

CONTENTS

Basic procedure

Installing Audacity
Recording an exercise
Uploading to iTunes

Demo video: Recording an exercise

CONTENTS

Basic procedure

Installing Audacity
Recording an exercise
Uploading to iTunes

Demo video: Recording an exercise

CONTENTS

Basic procedure

Installing Audacity
Recording an exercise
Uploading to iTunes

Demo video: Recording an exercise

RECORDING AN EXERCISE

1. Make sure your computer microphone is plugged in and active.
   
   
2. Start Audacity.
   
   
3. Pick a project rate. For voice recording either 16,000 or 22,050 Hz is all you need.
   
   
   
4. Make sure that Audcity knows that you are using a microphone. Select Microphone as the input. Turn the volume up high by moving the tic at the left all the way to the "+" sign. Then select Monitor Input. After that, when you spek into the microphone, the red volume indicators should jump in reaction to your speaking.
   
   
   
5. If you are responding to prompts from an audio recording, start that audio up. For example, if you are doing oral exercises from the your textbook's online audio page, start up the exercise as you normally would in your browser.
   
   
6. Once the exercise starts, go back to Audacity and click on the red Record button.
   
   
7. When done, Click on the amber stop button.
   
   
8. Windows users: under File, Export an mp3 file. Make sure to include your name in the filename, e.g. JoeBloe-Unit4-OD15.mp3.
   Mac users: under File, Export as a WAV file, e.g. JoeBloe-Unit4-OD15.wav. Exit Audacity. Now find the file you just created and click on it. When iTunes opens, control-click on the file in the iTunes library and select Convert to AAC. The delete the WAV file.
   
   
9. Proceed to Uploading a Recording to iTunes.

CONTENTS

Basic procedure

Installing Audacity
Recording an exercise
Uploading to iTunes

Demo video: Uploading an exercise

CONTENTS

Basic procedure

Installing Audacity
Recording an exercise
Uploading to iTunes

Demo video: Uploading an exercise

CONTENTS

Basic procedure

Installing Audacity
Recording an exercise
Uploading to iTunes

Demo video: Uploading an exercise

UPLOADING A RECORDING TO GW iTUNES

1. Get into GW on iTunes (not just regular iTunes). Either log in directly at http://acadtech.gwu.edu/itunesu or go in through Blackboard. Chose the iTunes item on your class's Blackboard menu.
   
   
2. GW on iTunes will automatically access the iTunes Store. Scroll down until you see your course(s). Click on the link for the course you want.
   
   
   
3. Once your course opens, look at the tabs right above the track list at the bottom of the screen. Unless your teacher has told you otherwise, use the default tab. Otherwise click on the tab you were told to use. In this example, the default is Student Exercises. Now Choose Upload Files. In the dialog box that follows, select the mp3 or aac file you recorded. Once you see the file appear in the track list, you're done!