ICT Skills

01. Introduction

The computer you are using should be able to record and play back sound. You can use the basic Sound Recorder which is part of every copy of Windows. You may also have a specific sound program on your computer.

More complex sound recorders will allow you to:

	select and highlight parts of a sound file
	copy and paste parts of the sound
	zoom in and out on the sound waves
	save the sound file in a variety of formats
	add fade in or fade out.

The instructions given here are for Windows Sound Recorder, so you will not need to purchase any extra software. Once you have used Sound Recorder you will find it very easy to use a more sophisticated sound program.

02. Getting started

Make sure that the computer you are using has:

	a sound card
	speakers
	a microphone.

To record directly from an audio tape, you will also need a tape recorder with an AUDIO OUT socket and a jack-to-jack cable with the right size connectors.

The Sound Recorder icon

03. Launching Sound Recorder

To launch Sound Recorder in Windows 95, 98 or 2000

Click on ‘Start’ on the Windows task bar and select ‘Programs’.
Select ‘Accessories’.
Select ‘Multimedia’.
Select ‘Sound Recorder’.

These instructions may vary between systems.

04. Listening: Sound Recorder

To listen to a sound file
Before you start, make sure that your speakers are plugged into the correct sockets on your computer. There may also be a switch on one of the speakers that has to be turned on.

Select ‘File’ and then select ‘Open’ from the drop-down menu.
Navigate to a sound file.
Ensure that the ‘Files of type’ box is on ‘All Files’.
Double-click on the file you require.
Click the play button (the single forward arrow).

A WAV file playing in Sound Recorder

05. Recording

You can record:

Live, using a microphone
Make sure that the microphone is plugged into the microphone socket of your computer.

From a tape recorder
Make sure that your tape recorder is plugged into the LINE IN socket at the back of your computer.

From an audio CD
Make sure your software will support this, and that you have an audio CD in the CD-ROM drive.

06. Recording: Sound Recorder

The following instructions may vary between systems.
To record sound using Sound Recorder

Select ‘File’ from the menu bar and then select ‘New’.
Click the ‘Record’ button (the red circle button).
Speak into the microphone.
When you are finished, click the stop button (black rectangle).
Select ‘File’ from the menu bar and then select ‘Save As’. Save the file into your own space on the hard drive.

When you record, the sound level will be visible in the Sound Recorder dialogue box. This should stay across the middle, reaching about two-thirds of the way up the black box; otherwise, it means the sound is too quiet or too loud.

The sound level is visible in the black box
at the centre of the Sound Recorder
dialogue box.

07. Effects

Many sound recorders give you extra options, such as the chance to increase/reduce volume, increase/reduce speed, add an echo and reverse the sound.

In Windows Sound Recorder these facilities are part of the ‘Effects’ menu.

You can also copy the sound file and paste it into another sound file, mix sound files and change the properties of the sound.

In Windows Sound Recorder these facilities are part of the ‘Edit’ menu.

Media Rack is an audio program that is included with some popular computer systems.

08. Inserting a sound file

To insert a sound file using Sound Recorder

Select ‘File’ from the menu bar.
Select ‘New’ from the drop-down menu.
Select ‘Edit’ from the menu bar.
Select ‘Insert File’ from the drop-down menu.
Select a sound file that you have already saved onto your hard drive.
Click the ‘Open’ button.
Save your work.

You should repeat steps 3–7 for each sound file that you want to insert into your completed sound presentation.

09. Adding sound files

You can add sound files to many other types of file – for example, word processing, presentation, multimedia authoring. This can be particularly useful when creating PowerPoint presentations or multimedia productions.

You can usually insert a sound file by selecting 'Insert' from the menu bar and selecting 'Sound File' or something similar. Sometimes there may be an 'Insert Sound File' option on the 'File' menu.

Usually, when you insert a sound, an icon will appear which you can click to hear the sound. Check the help files for the program into which you want to insert the sound to find out how to do so.