Venturing into Audio -- Headset vs Speakers

[solarblast]

(Somehow I don't think I actutally posted this. I'm starting again--a preview accident. Too bad there isn't a Save as one types.)

I have a cheap headset, less than $10, and stereo speakers, less than $20. The speaker has a headset socket and a volume control. The volume control is not graduated, but I'll think of what I see as a scale from 0 to 10. The headset has no volume control.

When I listen to a track on the heatset, the speaker is set to about 8. The sound is fairly loud. If I remove the headset. the sound from the speakers is modest. If I adjust the speakers to 3 and listen to them, then the volume is about that of what I hear on the headset for a speaker setting of 8.

I recorded a presentation of demonstration of science demos to 3rd grade students in a gym. The were seated on the floor close to the presenters. My camcorder has a built-in mic. The presenters used no mic or audio amplification. My raw recording is pretty good, but needs a boost in places. There is no echo problem. The video is talk, explosions, whirs, pops, ..., presenters talking to the kids and vice versa, etc. I think I can audio edit events to boost the volume where needed.

What's a good way to proceed? I suspect I just need to use either the headset or speakers only. Probably the headset, since my wife is in our den with computer often. Probably I'm OK with the manipulation of the audio envelope per event as above. If so, then I would think the final audio level could be achieved at the end by using the track audio adjustment. Ultimately, this goes to DVD, so maybe DVD Architect has an additional role in this. Comments?

[Soopafresh]

Use Audacity and open up the audio file.

Edit ---> Select All

Effect--->Dynamics Processor--->Compressor (try default values)

That should make the audio levels pretty even throughout the recording.

[solarblast]

Thanks. I'll give it a go when I finish working the entire audio portion levels. BTW do the envelopes go with the audio portion if exported? Probably not, but then I would thin that's all discarded by Audacity.

[AlanHK]

Thanks. I'll give it a go when I finish working the entire audio portion levels. BTW do the envelopes go with the audio portion if exported? Probably not, but then I would thin that's all discarded by Audacity.

When you export, all the effects, envelopes etc., are rendered and you get a wave (or MP3, etc).
But if you want to save your workspace, undo history, etc you can save it (File/save project), so you can reopen the AUP project file.
It's a good idea to do that anyway, it will use as much space otherwise, but as temporary files. You can delete the project after you've made your final export audio.

[solarblast]

I'm not sure what an AUP file is, and didn't know I could undo all the history. All or some? How does that work? I sometimes undo editing, but have never tried to undo way back.

Typically, when I make major changes, I save the last veg file. For example, my first veg file was abc01.veg, next abc02.veg, etc. I'm now up to 10. If I screw up 10, I can go back to 09.

Is there such a thing as a project clean up?

[AlanHK]

I'm not sure what an AUP file is, and didn't know I could undo all the history. All or some? How does that work? I sometimes undo editing, but have never tried to undo way back.

Typically, when I make major changes, I save the last veg file. For example, my first veg file was abc01.veg, next abc02.veg, etc. I'm now up to 10. If I screw up 10, I can go back to 09.

Is there such a thing as a project clean up?

AUP is Audacity's project file. It will also use a folder under that with the actual audio data. If you "save" that's what you save. To make a wave or MP3, you have to "export".
Undos are supposedly unlimited until you close the program.
You can see a list of your actions in View/history, and undo from there as you want.
(Undos can use up a lot of temp space, so you can use this to "discard" history if necessary.)

Don't know what you mean by "project clean up"?

Info and tutorials at
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/documentation
http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php?title=Audacity_Wiki_Home_Page
http://audacityteam.org/forum/

[solarblast]

To me, this would be something akin to a clean-up:
"It's a good idea to do that anyway, it will use as much space otherwise, but as temporary files. You can delete the project after you've made your final export audio. "

As I've begun to putter around with the audio, it occurred to maybe some of the audio I'm adding, like music, should be done on a separate track. I usually don't add much music. When I do it's filler for still, titles, and self-explanatory mater where I have no audio.

[solarblast]

Let me add more about clean-up. A friend who knows Vegas quite well told me some time ago, that DVD architect can produce a lot of extras (odd ball) files that stick around, if one one doesn't save as a dar.

[AlanHK]

As I've begun to putter around with the audio, it occurred to maybe some of the audio I'm adding, like music, should be done on a separate track. I usually don't add much music. When I do it's filler for still, titles, and self-explanatory mater where I have no audio.

Well, if you kept a project file, you can have as many separate tracks as you want, and make the mix when you export.

[solarblast]

"You can see a list of your actions in View/history, and undo from there as you want. "

I think this is on Edit, and all I see is Undo. I don't see a way to make a selective undo. Some products have them.

[solarblast]

Thanks. I'll give it a go when I finish working the entire audio portion levels. BTW do the envelopes go with the audio portion if exported? Probably not, but then I would thin that's all discarded by Audacity.

How does on actually use Audacity. Do I render the audio track and give it to Audacity, or do I use it as my audio editor? On the latter, I'm not really acquainted with the editor, but it seems like a possibility.