G4 Sound Recording & Editing/SoundEdit Bug?
Candi Chamberlain
I have a Mac G4 dual 500 processor with 256mb RAM and 40 GB hard drive space.
What I want to do is this: I have some cassettes of old radio shows
which I would like to input into the Mac, edit, and then burn to CD. I
have a CD writer, so that part is no problem. I'm having tons of
trouble trying to figure out how to get this project underway!
I installed SoundEdit 16, version 2 (the version which supposedly came
with Deck II from 1997 or so) but Deck II never installed. I tried
three times. SoundEdit kept crashing when I tried to access it, so I
then downloaded the upgrade (2.0.7, I believe) and got it to work
briefly. It then began crashing upon trying to open it every single
time, so I had to give up.
I noticed yesterday at ComputerWare in San Rafael that the version of
SoundEdit they are selling has a different logo on the cover of the box
and does not offer "Deck II", which didn't install as advertised anyway,
yet it appears to be the same version I would have after the upgrade is
installed. Anyone have any info on this? It's too late for me to
contact Macromedia on the 90 day thing they offer (as in about four
years' worth) and they don't appear to have any answerable questions
which don't cost money.
Do I absolutely need a sound card? Is there any process I can go
through which will totally simplify what it is I'm trying to do, here?
Specific instructions on how to get cassette audio into my Mac and edit
it? I just want to edit down some old radio shows, and need clear,
explicit information and instructions on how to do so. If anyone can
specifically recommend a complete, particular set of software, hardware,
or both, by which I can facilitate getting into this and getting it
started, I'm much appreciative of receiving that information. Any
recommendations someone has tried and succeeded with will be greatly
appreciated...I was amazed at what ComputerWare did NOT know about a
machine that's supposed to be made for doing this stuff, and they were
unable to give me ANY idea how to go about it.
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer. I'm not talking about the
professional type stuff, just some home editing. I tried many of the
apps which can be downloaded from TuCows for Mac audio, and found
nothing to my satisfaction.
-Candice Chamberlain
Charles Martin
Candi Chamberlain <haun...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> Hi All:
>
> I have a Mac G4 dual 500 processor with 256mb RAM and 40 GB hard drive space.
>
> What I want to do is this: I have some cassettes of old radio shows
> which I would like to input into the Mac, edit, and then burn to CD. I
> have a CD writer, so that part is no problem. I'm having tons of
> trouble trying to figure out how to get this project underway!
I do this ALL THE TIME because I upload the results to Live365. It's
really a pretty straightforward process.
1. Go to Radio Shack and buy a cord that has RCA plugs on one end and a
1/8th' miniplug (stereo) on the other. This might set you back as much as
$5.
2. Connect the tape deck to your Mac's audio input (ie microphone) jack
using said cord.
3. Download a copy of FeltTip SoundStudio, a $25 piece of shareware.
4. Open Soundstudio, start the tape deck, hit the "record" button on
SoundStudio.
5. Stop it at the end of the tape. Edit the file as needed. Save as AIFF.
6. (OPTIONAL) Drop resulting AIFF file into the MP3 encoder of choice.
--
_Chas_
(non-spammers should use "chasm" at mac-dot-com instead of the email above!)
"If Bill Gates had a nickel for every time Windows crashed ...
oh wait -- he does."
James Muiter
> Do I absolutely need a sound card?
No -- if your Mac has a microphone port. As a previous poster said, the
"RCA-to-miniplug cable" should do the job.
However -- you mentioned that you have a Dual G4 machine. Does that
machine have a Microphone port? If you don't have a microphone port,
you'll need a gizmo that plugs into your USB port and provides you with
a "sound input" (microphone) port. The gizmo would work over USB, so
you wouldn't need to install a card inside your computer.
Here is one such product, from MacAlly:
http://www.macally.com/specs/usbivoice.html
The iVoice is a $49 USB microphone with additional "line in" and "line
out" ports. It sounds like that would give you a way to get sound into
your computer. [I'm not affilated with the company, and I don't own
this product myself.]
There are other products on the market, I'm sure. Just be sure that if
you need a microphone port, you get at USB device that provides one
(whether or not it has a built-in microphone, is your call.)
Anyhow,
If your machine has a mic port, here are software choices you should try:
* SoundEffects, by Alberto Ricci (shareware). Although written some
years ago, this program allows you to record sounds, displays them
graphically, and has a bunch of cool effects, comparable to those in
much more expensive programs. It should be compatible with your G4.
* Spin Doctor, bundled with Toast from Roxio (Adaptec). Toast is CD
burning software; the commercial version includes SpinDoctor, which
allows you to record sounds from your mic port to your hard drive. It's
designed for recording tapes and vinyl records into your computer, so
you can burn them to CD (so it lets you pick track start and stop times,
and has filters that are supposed to get rid of pops, clicks, and all
those ol'time audio glitches we remember from the days of LPs.) This
software would work equally well for tapes as records.
These should get you going. Hope this helps.
--
James H. Muiter // <mui...@spamcop.net>
Michigan, USA
Your mileage may vary.
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