#1 2008-05-02 12:21:41

**_jlloyd_**

Stripping audio for podcasts

Hi all - we have been using Connect Pro for about a year now for our global sales training program.

1. We are getting a lot of requests about stripping just the audio out of Connect or Presenter files and posting them to our LMS for them to download.

Any best practices here?

2. Is there a cost effective (semi-automated?) way to then take the audio and script it for translation?

Many thanks,
jon

**_robva65_**

Re: Stripping audio for podcasts

Jon,

Don't know about what others have been, or are doing, but as far as what I've been able to accomplish thus far:

We simply dig into the Data directory of a published presentation and copy the mp3 files that are created during the conversion process.

From there, its just a matter of renaming the file(s) and then posting on a server for download.

As for transcriptions, the ball's still pretty much up in the air on that one.  There are voice recognition software tools out there, but the down side is that some training is req'd; namely, that the program you use will need to be "attenuated" to recognize your voice.  Even then, subtle nuances of the human voice, context and delivery won't be perfect.

You *could* look up services such as Craigslist, GetAFreelancer, or Rent-A-Coder for assistance.  I've seen rates as little as $1.00 a minute, but as with anything else, references and samples are absolute musts before contracting anyone to do that kind of work.  If you do decide to have someone do the "heavy lifting" for you, be clear about the delivery (document support/files to be surrendered) and the timelines.  Most of the folks that I've talked to and read about usually offer their services over the evenings and weekends.

Rob
www.robrode.com/yabb/

Last edited by **_robva65_** (2008-05-02 12:51:07)

**_jlloyd_**

Re: Stripping audio for podcasts

Hi Rob - thanks for the good info! I was curious if you have a good way of stringing them together smoothly and easily?

jon

**_robva65_**

Re: Stripping audio for podcasts

Hey Jon,

Perhaps the easiest, quickest way (without having to shell out a ton of money!) is to use Audacity.  It's free, and with a little bit of time to get familiar with the interface, it's tools and controlling audio clips, its one of the best deals around.

I've used Audacity to do just that: string multiple mp3's together for longer, more integrated files.

You'll also need to pull down a free plugin to keep the mp3 file format using the LAME encoder; it's just a zip file that when unpackaged, can be used as a plugin for Audacity.  If memory serves, there's really not that much to do.  Just unzip LAME in the same directory where you've stored Audacity and Audacity looks for it automatically.  Again, this is when you're saving your Audacity project to export to MP3 when you're done with your project.  I'm guessing that I've oversimplified the process as it's been quite some time since I installed Audacity and the LAME encoder.  (I've been using Audacity for over a year now)

Rob

**_ratchet_**

Re: Stripping audio for podcasts

Another tool you can use to join the audio is Direct mp3 Joiner (Windows only).  It runs about $20 and you can get it here: http://www.pistonsoft.com/index.html
I pulled my audio out of the data folder in connect, imported the tracks into mp3 Joiner, hit the Join button and just like that, they were joined.  You can also use iTunes to do this if the audio is already on a CD.  I am trying to take an entire connect recording and convert it to a format the ipod can use for on-the-go training but can't find any good tools for this.  One thought I have is to convert a ppt slide into a jpeg and then use garageband to overlay the image over the audio and break the overall training module into chapters.  Each chapter correlates to the next slide but I worry about the visibility of the slide on a screen as small as the ipod or iphone.  Anyone have any other ideas on how to do this?