Software

There are many different software programs that enable you to record audio on a computer, edit sound files, select and replay audio segments, etc. However, my favorite program is Audacity, a program that is free and available in formats that can be used on a PC or Macintosh. Simply download the appropriate version of the program and install it on your computer.

Recording Audio with Audacity

Audacity has a fairly detailed FAQ page that tells you how to perform basic tasks. But let me briefly discuss how to use the program to make voice recordings.

1) After opening the program, you'll see a menu towards the middle of the right hand side of the program. On this menu, you get three choices:  microphone, rear mic, and line in. Select 'microphone'. [note: if this menu is greyed out and doesn't offer any choices, just ignore this step]

2) Before doing anything else, go get the LAME MP3 Encoder. This will enable you to save files in MP3 format rather than WAV format. WAV files are much larger than MP3 files, and since I want you to send your files to me by email, we'll want to keep them as small as possible. The above link sends you to a page containing a link to the encoder and detailed instructions for installing the encoder.

3) Before recording, select edit > preferences > audio I/O.  Under 'Recording', you'll see two dialog boxes: 'Device' and 'Channels'. Leave 'Device' as is unless you're using a microphone connected through a USB port. In this case, you may have to select the microphone in the 'Device' dialog box. In the 'Channels' box, select '1 mono.' By recording in mono rather than stereo, you'll create smaller files.

4) Plug in your microphone. Some computers have built-in microphones that you can use to record. However, the quality of these microphones varies considerably. It's therefore best to get an external microphone. There are many choices, but you can purchase microphones on Amazon or at a store such as Micro Center in Cambridge. I like to use a combination headset/microphone, such as Logitech's Premium Stereo Headset or a Plantronics headset. Both are available on Amazon for under $20. You'll be able to use this headset both to record audio and listen to it while you do phonetic and prosodic transcriptions.

6) To start recording, push the middle pinkish button at the top of the program. When you're done recording, push the stop button.

7) Immediately after completing your recording, you'll want to save it to your hard drive. To do this, select file > Export as MP3. Save the file to a location on your hard drive where you'll be able to locate it easily.

Doing Phonetic and Prosodic Transcriptions with Audacity

1) Open your audio file in Audacity.

2) You'll see it displayed in the form of a spectograph at the bottom of the program.

3) To do transcriptions, you'll need to listen to segments of your recording over and over again until you're confident that you have an accurate transcription. Using your mouse, select short segments from the spectograph by holding down the right mouse button (on a PC at least). Click play as many times as is necessary until you've completed your transcription of the segment. Then go on to another segment. You will need to experiment with the length of segments you select to see how much you're able to transcribe at a given time. If you want the segment you've selected to be automatically replayed, hold down the shift key and then click the record button.