The recording studio in the Digital Media Lab allows for up to 4 students to record audio using a multitrack interface. This means that each microphone is recorded individually, allowing for volume adjustments during and after recording as well as individually editing what was recorded by each microphone.
Individuals and groups can use the recording studio to record an episode of a podcast, an interview, an oral history or any other audio project. This setup could also be used to record voice over for a slide or video presentation.
The recording studio set up uses a 4-channel sound mixer that is plugged into the iMac computer. Recording can be done using the programs Adobe Audition and Garage Band.
Directions for setting up a multitrack recording session using the program Adobe Audition can be found below.
The microphones are designed to work with the iMac computer. The microphones are not connected to the Windows PC.
You will find the Adobe Audition software by clicking on the Launchpad icon. This icon is grey with a black rocket matching the image below.
The Adobe Audition application uses an icon that is a teal blue square with the letters Au. Look for the icon that resembles the image below.
Once Adobe Audition is open you will need to check your system settings to make sure the program will recognize the microphones. Follow these simple steps to check you system settings.
Click on the Adobe Auditions CC menu option at the top of the screen. Then click on Preferences, then Audio Hardware... (See the screenshot below)
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With the Audio Hardware Preferences menu open, click on the drop-down option for Default Input: then Default Output: and select Steinberg UR44 for both. (See the screen shot below)
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Once you have selected the Steinberg UR44 as the default audio source you can close the Preferences menu.
Click on File at the top of the screen. Then click on New, then Multitrack Session... (See screenshot for further help)
Name your file and select where you want it to save to. Click on Browse to select a specific folder or location.
WARNING: Files saved on the desktop may be deleted after you log off the computer. Chose a more stable location to save your work, such as a flash drive, OneDrive or another cloud-based service.
Find this option in the upper left of the window. Note that Multitrack may already be selected when you open a new project.
When selected the word Multitrack and the icon will be a teal blue color as seen in the screenshot below.
The following instructions will allow each microphone to record in individual tracks. The microphones and the sound mixer are labeled as Microphone 1, Microphone 2 and so on. In Adobe Audition these microphones are labeled as [01M], [02M] and so on. In other words, when you see [01M] on the computer that corresponds with the microphone labeled as Microphone 1.
In Adobe Audition, find where it says Track 1 in the column that runs down the middle of the screen. There's a green horizontal bar next to where it says Track 1. Underneath this title there's an arrow pointing to the right and text that says "Default Stereo Input". Click on this text, then click on Mono then click on [01M] (See the screenshot below). This step will connect track 1 with Microphone 1.
Repeat these steps for all microphones that will be used by selecting [02M] for track 2, and so forth.
For each of the tracks you will find small letters M S R I. These are next to the track number. Click on the R. When selected, the R will turn red (See screenshot below). This turns the microphone on.
Put on the headphones and check the sound levels of the microphones by speaking into the microphones. Adjust on the mixer for quiet or loud talkers.
The record button is the red circle near the bottom of the screen (see Screenshot)
Record your audio by speaking clearly into the microphones.
The stop button is the grey square near the bottom of the screen in the same row as the record button. The stop button is on the far left of these controls (see Screenshot)
When finished recording, click on the File menu option at the top of the screen. Select Export, then Mixdown. (See Screenshot). Save to an appropriate location, such as a flash drive, OneDrive or other cloud-based service
(click on image to enlarge)
It is suggested that you save your file as one of the following file types:
.wav
.mp3
.aiff
Audio files can be played using most media players, such as iTunes or Windows Media Player. You can also import your audio into video editing software, attach it into Canvas or upload the audio to an online streaming audio website such as SoundCloud. If you will be uploading your audio file to a specific application, Canvas or other website be sure to first check which file types are supported.
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