ITMS :: University of Waterloo

Audio Recording

Our studio located in Engineering 2-1314 provides the ideal quiet environment for a quality audio recording. Example applications include distance education audio recording, language training, interviews, and podcast recording. Often, a good quality audio recording will provide yet another media format and help broaden your reach by appealing to auditory learners.

The production facilities in ITMS include special sound-dampened recording spaces and high quality recording devices and microphones.

Narrated PowerPoints and Enhanced Podcasts

We also support the narration of PowerPoint slides (and other types of desktop software). Three technologies (click links to view samples) that we have familiarity with in this regard are ProfCast™ (mac) - (view a sample go "save as" with this link as this m4b format is commonly played through iTunes™ or QuickTime) can record PowerPoint slides and creates a narrated slideshow with "chaptered intervals", also known as an enhanced podcast. ProfCast also facilitates the uploading and "syndication" of these files through RSS feeds, should you have a series of them that you would like your audience to subscribe to.

Adobe Presenter™ (pc) - (view a sample) is the PowerPoint narration plug-in that used to be known as Macromedia Breeze. Once installed, it enables the recording and editing of audio right within PowerPoint, appearing as its own menu tab. The resulting file is an Adobe .swf file that can be uploaded to any web server and played in any up-to-date web browser.

Yet another piece of software, Techsmith Camtasia™, not only enables audio narration, but the capture of cursor and other movement on the computer desktop screen. This is extremely useful in providing recorded demonstrations of various types of software, and desktop applications.

Podcasting

A podcast is a series of digital-media files, commonly audio, which are distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and computers. The term podcast, derived from Apple's iPod™ portable mp3 player and broadcast, can refer either to the series of content itself or to the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also called podcasting (from Wikipedia). ITMS can provide assistance with the production, as well as the dissemination of your audio files, either as single downloadable mp3 audio files, or syndicated podcasts using RSS feeds.

Here is a "how-to" create your own podcast webpage offered through Engineering.

We are currently running a pilot of iTunesU at UW; Apple's front-end that enables the podcasting of academic content.

Digital Audio Editing

We use audio editing software to rearrange segments, vary the speed of a recording or add music to a voice track. In some cases, the quality of a poor recording can be improved. In the case of straight audio-only recordings, the final product can be exported as WAV (windows) or AIFF (mac) file, saved as an mp3 file, or used with a slideshow or video production.

High Speed Audio Duplication

For voice reproduction and high volume requests.

Real Time Audio Duplication

Is commonly used to maintain the quality of some types of research involving sound and music. It is, however, not recommended for large quantities of files.

For more details Scott Charles at ext. 36784, Dianne Naughton at ext. 38319, Orest Dorkowsky at ext. 38320, or Alan Kirker at ext. 37109, are available to answer any questions.