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Audio recordings

This page is designed to be used by those seeking assistance with audio recordings at UNE.

There are comprehensive instructions relating to microphone usage and technique, a guide on how to use the free software recording package called Audacity, as well as links to download any necessary programs.

Making a recording

After trialling various software packages, UNEonline recommends you use Audacity for making and editing recordings. It is free, simple to use and yields high quality audio recordings. Audacity works in Windows, Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, and Linux and you can download a version of Audacity for your specific operating system, by using the links below.

Click here for more information on recording and submitting audio assignments.

For Mac OS X 10.4+ users, there is an alternative freeware software we also recommend called Audio Recorder. It is very simple to use and can also be downloaded by using the links below. Note, however, it does not support editing of recordings.

Before you start recording with any piece of software, make sure you have the Lame MP3 plugin installed for your particular application. Once you have installed the Lame MP3 plugin into either Audacity or Audio Recorder, this option should be available from the 'File' menu.

Ensure the settings for exporting to MP3 are: 48kbps, 44KHz, 16bit, mono. This will ensure a good quality recording but at a low filesize. These can be set in the Audacity / Audio Recorder preferences.

Note for Mac OS 9 users: The MP3 export function within Audacity on Mac OS 9 is limited.
If you cannot get it to work properly, we suggest saving your recording as a WAV file, importing that WAV file into iTunes, and then exporting from iTunes as an MP3 with the above settings.

Click here for a guide on Microphone Technique.

Submitting your recording

Once your recording has been made, you need to save it in the MP3 format.
This compresses the recording to a smaller filesize, allowing easier transmission over the Internet, whilst retaining quality of the recording.

You should then submit your MP3 file by following the guidelines as provided by your Unit Coordinator. Usually this will be submitting your file online, via your Unit's WebCT Assignments Drop Box.

Click here for more information on using the WebCT Assignment Drop Box.

Need more help?

For more help on using Audacity, please refer to the built-in Help pages within the program. These are very comprehensive and should answer any questions you have about using the program.

Alternatively, you can visit the Audacity website for further information.

For assistance with using WebCT, please refer to the UNEonline Fact Sheets for Students.

File Downloads

Mac OS X

  • Audacity 1.2.3 (.dmg) (download) - 3.1Mb
  • Lame MP3 encoder for Audacity on OS X (.sit) (download) - 120Kb
    When you have finished downloading Lame, use Stuffit Expander to extract the .sit file. (This may happen automatically.) Save the file called "LameLib" anywhere on your computer. The first time you use the "Export as MP3" command, Audacity will ask you where LameLib is saved.
  • Audio Recorder 2.2 (OS X 10.4+ required) (.zip) (download) - 72Kb
  • Lame MP3 encoder for Audio Recorder (.zip) (download) - 220Kb
    After downloading, double click on the .dmg file to extract it. Read the file INSTALLING .txt for further instructions

Windows (98, 98SE, 2000, XP)

  • Audacity 1.2.3 (.exe) (download) - 2.3Mb
  • Audacity 1.2.3 (.zip - Alternative download, try the .exe first) (download) - 2.7Mb
  • Lame MP3 encoder for Audacity on Windows (.zip) (download) - 604Kb
    When you have finished downloading Lame, unzip it and save the file lame_enc.dll anywhere on your computer. The first time you use the "Export as MP3" command, Audacity will ask you where lame_enc.dll is saved.

Mac OS 9

  • Audacity 1.2.3 (.sit) (download) - 1.5Mb
  • Lame MP3 encoder for Audacity on OS 9 (.sit) (download) - 88Kb
    When you have finished downloading, use Stuffit Expander to extract the files. (This may happen automatically.) Save the file called "LameLib" anywhere on your computer. The first time you use the "Export as MP3" command, Audacity will ask you where LameLib is saved.

Linux

Linux users should download a version of Audacity for their particular Linux distribution, along with the Lame MP3 encoder, direct from the Audacity website (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/linux).