DMFA Radio Project HOWTO
A fan soundtrack project
How to record sounds
Firstly, you'll need a microphone. It doesn't have to be expensive.. James
and several others have got quite good results from cheap $10 microphones.
Personally I'm using a Behringer B-1 ($100 RRP), because I happen to have
one. If you have access to a $3000 Neumann u87, I probably won't talk to
you out of jealousy.
Secondly, you will need something to record into. Given that this is an
online collaboration, a computer would probably be your best bet, since
shipping cassettes or reels of tape around the world isn't exactly cheap.
Audacity
Generally we use Audacity, because Windows Sound Recorder is awful and
tends to create unusably low-quality files unless you really know what
you're doing. Audacity also has the advantages that it is free, and it
also works on Linux and the MacOS as well as just Windows.
Audacity can be found here: Audacity page
The main problem Audacity has is that it is not easy to
transfer its native .AUP files from machine to machine. This is because
the AUP file doesn't contain the recording, it just points to a bunch
of other files which do contain it. Apparently this will be fixed in
the next release.
However, it is generally easier to export the recording as a WAV file
using the File menu. WAV files are completely self-contained.
Some people compress the WAV files as MP3 files. While this can
be useful as it cuts the size down, it does damage them. If the file
is compressed using VBR or at more than 128kbps, the damage should not
be noticable. But WAV files are always better when it is practical
to send them.
What to do with the recording
When you have the recording, you will either need to send it to me
(or James), or place it in a publically-accessible area and tell us
how to get at it.
Some people use RapidShare to
transfer the files, but this can be a nuisance.
Files.bz seems to work well.
If you have your own private webspace, that usually works better.
Otherwise, I have a private FTP area which people can use to transfer
DMFA-related audio files.
Using FTP
It seems that FTP is becoming something of a dying art. Why, I'm
not sure, since the only real replacement for it is SCP, and that is
even more arcane.
There are three basic ways to use FTP:
1. Via the command-line. This is arcane. If you like incantations and
spells it should be cool. Unfortunately you do have to understand how
to use a computer without using the GUI, and frankly I can't be bothered to
explain that right now.
2. Via a GUI FTP client. GFTP is reasonable, but it only works in Linux.
For Windows, I used to use WS_FTP32, which I think you can still get.
Some people swear by CuteFTP, but I think you have to pay to get it.
3. Via a webbrowser. If you enter something like this:
ftp://user:pass@ftp.it-he.org
..into Internet Explorer, or indeed just File Explorer, it should appear
as though it was a folder on your PC. From there, you can drag and drop
files into the FTP server as per usual.
Obviously you will have to substitute 'user' and 'pass' with the real
username and password, which are available upon request.
This trick will work on Internet Explorer in Windows, Konqueror in Linux, and
presumably Safari on the MacOS (since it is a rebranded port of Konqueror).
It does not work on Mozilla or Firefox (you can log in and download files,
but not upload them, which is the whole point).
There is a plugin called FireFTP for Firefox, but it acts more like a
standalone client like GFTP or WS_FTP.
Recording tips
Popping
Popping can be a problem. This usually happens with the letter 'P',
which overloads the mic and, for want of a better phrase, sounds awful.
You can minimise this effect by talking across the mic rather than into
it. Alternatively, as Tezkat points out, you can buy a pop filter and
place it in front of the mic. If you don't want to buy one, they can
be constructed from a wire coathanger and stockings. Really.
Volume levels
Try to keep the volume levels average. You can see the levels easily
with Audacity. It's a balancing act. If they are too low, the background
noise will increase, which I might be able to rescue.
If it's too high, the mic or soundcard can be overloaded, which results
in a nasty clipping sound which I cannot repair.
Machine noise
Where possible, try to get a long cable and record in a different room
to the PC. I can usually filter out constant background noise, but it
runs the risk of damaging the sound quality.
Echo and reverb
Try to minimize room echo (yes, many of my Merlitz recordings have this
as a problem, but I am rerecording them, slowly).
The classic way of minimising this is by using bedsheets. If you can
rig some kind of 'tent' or other structure and record inside it, this
will minimize the amount of wall and ceiling reflections in the
recording. There's a good reason why one of my out-takes begins with
the words 'this is crazy.'