Studiously Recording. Using Studio Recorder from APH!

Introduction.

As visually impaired audio enthusiasts, we often talk about many of the mainstream production and recording tools available: Sound Forge, Reaper, GoldWave, to name but three. But when a new version comes along, the first question we're going to be asking is, how accessible will it be? What we really need is something which is easy to use, contains a lot of power and where you can just get the job done. And there's something else. You want the editing work on the audio to be of the utmost precision.

Fortunately there is a product which meets all requirements and is the subject of our training course, Studiously Recording.

What is Studio Recorder?

Studio Recorder is a seriously underrated software package from APH, the American Printing House for the Blind, and is ideal for anyone who wishes to record speech perhaps for podcasting, to produce and edit the reading of a book, or some other purpose. While not widely recognised, it also can be used to mix music with speech. Indeed we would go as far as saying that unless you want to use multi-track software, it beats every other mainstream product hands-down for mixing sound on sound for some very compelling reasons!

Studio Recorder includes features not found in audio recording and editing programs primarily designed for music production. Such features include:

• Speed up playback with no change in pitch.
• Three levels of phrase detection.
• Index tone generation and removal.
• Instant open on large files.
• Instant cut, copy, paste, and delete.
• Simple user interface.
• Accessibility for blind and visually impaired users.
• Multiple user marks and notes.

Studio Recorder was originally written for internal use at American Printing House for the Blind to serve as a tool for creating direct to digital audio recordings for the National Library Service (NLS). It contains many features that ease the task of recording, editing, and proofreading audio books. It also includes features that simplify the production of analog cassette tapes from the digital master, and it aids in the production of Digital Talking
Books.

The training course not only teaches you how to work with Studio Recorder, but also to understand important concepts such as good microphone placement, poor and excellent editing, and effective audio mixing. Topics include, but are not restricted to:

• Installing Studio Recorder and the accompanying optional JAWS script files.
• Configuring Studio Recorder including the settings specific to recording and playback.
• Making Your first recording.
• Saving and opening files.
• Playing and navigating through the audio.
• Learning the location of the cursor in hours, minutes and seconds.
• Moving to a specific time in the audio.
• Selecting audio ready for editing.
• Playing the selected audio.
• Cut, copy, paste and delete.
• Making very small audio adjustments.
• Moving between a number of files which are open.
• Copying audio from one file to another.
• Adjusting playback speed and pitch.
• Adjusting Volume and normalising.
• Checking the level metres.
• Fading and Crossfading.
• Mixing voice over music.
• Creating a simple podcast intro with music, speech and sound clips.
• Saving recordings to MP3.
• Recording within a selection period.
• Pre/Post-Roll Corrections.
• Inserting material through recording.
• Singing to a Kareoke track and recording at the same time.
• Other processing functions.

The course will give to you:

• A set of JAWS for Windows scripts which can optionally be installed. They provide some additional functionality so as to ensure that JAWS works alongside Studio Recorder at an enhanced level, including suppressing some unwanted speech output and to provide time-based information in a more concise form. Other features include Audition Cut;
• Sample audio files for practice;
• An audio recording of the lessons;
• A text keystroke summary to cover all topics covered in the lessons.

The audio recordings are accessed through a secure area of our website which is only available to course participants.

Things You Should Know About Studio Recorder.

The training course uses JAWS as the screen-reader to work with Studio Recorder. While users of other screen-readers are welcome to purchase this training course, we cannot guarantee the performance and you will not have access to some of our advanced features for precision editing.

Studio Recorder is priced 200 US dollars. Sadly the American Printing House do not seem to allow you to purchase the product online, but a demonstration copy is available. If an order is placed by telephone, a code to unlock the full features of the product can be emailed.

How to Purchase.

Studiously Recording is priced 50 pounds which is approximately 62 American dollars.

Alternatively, anyone can purchase the course by sending an Email to jaws@hartgen.org, whereupon a fully accessible electronic invoice will be sent to you which can be paid through PayPal or any major credit or debit card.

Conclusion.

While Studio Recorder was originally written for use by the professional narrator and narration monitor, its simple operation makes it ideal for nearly anyone interested in recording, editing, and producing spoken word audio documents and other audio-related material in an efficient manner. Come along to find out how it can be used to its best effect!