Ripping MP3 files in Windows

As I mention earlier, the process of turning audio files into MP3 files is sometimes called encoding or ripping. Microsoft provides a free audio-player program called Windows Media Player — WMP for short. It comes with Windows, and you can download the latest version from www.windowsmedia.com. Like Apple’s iTunes for the Macintosh, WMP allows you to copy music from audio CDs to your hard drive in a high-quality (yet compact) format. Unfortunately, as delivered, WMP does not rip files in MP3 format. Instead, it uses the Windows Media Audio (WMA) format.
Windows Media files are about as small as MP3 files, but it’s a proprietary format: Most video-editing programs (including Pinnacle Studio) cannot import WMA files directly. If you want to import music from CDs into a Studio movie project, it’s better to copy the music directly from within Studio.

If you really want to be able to copy music onto your hard drive in MP3 format, you’ll have to obtain commercially available MP3 encoding software. Such programs are available at most electronics stores, and you can also download software from Web sites such as www.tucows.com. I use a tool called CinePlayer from Sonic Solutions (www.cineplayer.com). This $20 tool works as a plug-in for Windows Media Player in Windows XP, and allows WMP to both encode MP3 files and play DVD movies. After it’s installed, I simply open Windows Media Player and choose Tools➪Options.
Then, on the Copy Music tab of the Options dialog box,
I can choose MPEG Layer-3 Audio in the Format drop-down box, and adjust quality settings as I see fit. The MPEG Layer-3 option is available here only because I have the CinePlayer plug-in installed. With these settings, WMP uses the MP3 format instead of WMA when I copy music to my hard disk.

How to Rip MP3 files on a Mac?

The process of turning an audio file into an MP3 file is sometimes called ripping or encoding. Apple has thoughtfully provided the capability to create MP3 files with its free audio-library-and-player program, iTunes. To download the latest version of iTunes, visit www.apple.com/itunes/ and follow the instructions there. After iTunes is installed on your computer, copying audio onto your hard drive in MP3 format is quite simple:

1. Insert an audio CD into your CD-ROM drive.
2. If iTunes doesn’t launch automatically, open the program using the Dock or your Applications folder.
3. With the iTunes program window active choose iTunes➪Preferences. The iTunes Preferences dialog box opens.
4. Click the Importing button at the top of the Preferences dialog box.
5. Make sure that MP3 Encoder is selected in the Import Using menu, and then click OK. The iTunes Preferences dialog box closes and you are returned to the main iTunes window.
6. Place check marks next to the songs you want to import. You can use the playback controls in the upper-left corner of the iTunes window to preview tracks.
7. Click Import in the upper right corner of the iTunes screen.The songs are imported; the process may take several minutes. When it’s done, the imported songs are available through your iTunes library for use in iMovie projects.

How to create your own sound effects for digital video production?

As you watch a TV show or movie, it is easy to forget that many of the subtle little sounds you hear are actually sound effects that were added in during editing, rather than “real” sounds that were recorded with the video image. This is often because the microphone was focused on the voice of a speaking subject as opposed to other actions in the scene. Subtle sounds like footsteps, a knock on the door, or splashing water are often recorded separately and added to the movie later. These sound effects are often called Foley sounds by movie pros, and someone who makes Foley sounds is called a Foley artist. Foley sound effects are named after audio pioneer Jack Foley, who invented the technique in the 1950s.

Recording your own sound effects is pretty easy. Many sounds will actually sound better in a video project if they’re simulated, as opposed to recording the real thing. For example:

• Breaking bone: Snap carrots or celery in half. Fruit and vegetables can be used to produce many disgusting sounds, and they don’t complain about being broken in half nearly as much as human actors.
  
• Buzzing insect: Wrap wax paper tightly around a comb, place your lips so that they are just barely touching the paper, and hum so that the wax paper makes a buzzing sound.
• Fire: Crumple cellophane or wax paper to simulate the sound of a crackling fire.
• Footsteps: Hold two shoes and tap the heels together followed by the toes. Experiment with different shoe types for different sounds. This may take some practice to get the timing of each footstep just right.
  
• Gravel or snow: Walk on cat litter to simulate the sound of walking through snow or gravel.
• Horse hooves: This is one of the classic sound effects. The clop-clopclopping of horse hooves is often made by clapping two halves of a coconut shell together.
• Kiss: Pucker up and give your forearm a nice big smooch to make the sound of a kiss.
• Punch: Punch a raw piece of steak or a raw chicken.
• Thunder: Shake a large piece of sheet metal to simulate a thunderstorm.
  
• Town bell: To replicate the sound of a large bell ringing, hold the handle of a metal stew pot lid, and tap the edge with a spoon or other metal object. Experiment with various strikers and lids for just the right effect.

Some sound effects might be included with your editing software or are available for download. Pinnacle Studio, for example, comes with a diverse library of sound effects, which you can access by clicking the Show Sound Effects tab or choosing Album➪Sound Effects. If the sound effects aren’t currently listed, navigate to the folder C:\Program Files\Pinnacle\Studio 8\ Sound Effects, and then open one of the thirteen sound-effect category folders such as \Animals or \Squeaks.
Apple iMovie 3 also includes some built-in sound effects. Open iMovie and click the Audio button. To view a list of sound effects, make sure you have iMovie Sound Effects listed in the menu at the top of the audio browser). You may also be able to download additional sound effects periodically from www.apple.com/imovie/audio_effects.html. If you use Windows Movie Maker, you may be able to download free sound effects from Microsoft. Visit www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/moviemaker/ and look for links to downloadable sound effects. If you are using another video-editing program, check the documentation or visit the publisher’s Web site to see whether free sound effects are available.

How to manage ambient noise during digital video production?

Ambient noise is the general noise that we don’t usually think much about because it surrounds us constantly. Ambient noise might come from chirping birds, an airplane flying overhead, chattering bystanders, passing cars, a blowing furnace, the little fans spinning inside your computer, and even the tiny motor turning the tape reels in your camcorder or tape recorder. Although it’s easy to tune out these noises when you’re immersed in them, they’ll turn up loud and ugly in your audio recordings later on. If you’re recording outdoors or in a public gathering place, you probably can’t do much to eliminate the actual sources of ambient noise. But wherever you are recording, you can take some basic steps to manage ambient noise:

• Use a microphone: I know, this is about the millionth time I’ve said it, but a microphone placed close to your subject will go a long way towards ensuring that the sound you actually want to record is not totally overwhelmed by ambient noise.
• Wear headphones: Camcorders and tape recorders almost always have headphone jacks. If you plug headphones into the headphone jack you can listen to the audio that is actually being recorded, and possibly detect potential problems.
• Shield the camcorder’s mic from wind: A gentle breeze may seem almost silent to your ear, but the camcorder’s microphone may pick it up as a loud roar that overwhelms all other sound. If nothing else, you can position your hand to block wind from blowing directly across the screen on the front of your camcorder’s mic.
• Try to minimize sound reflection: Audio waves reflect off any hard surface, which can cause echoing in a recording. Hanging blankets on walls and other hard surfaces will significantly reduce reflection.
• Turn off fans, heaters, and air conditioners: Air rushing through vents creates a surprising amount of unwanted ambient noise. If possible, temporarily turn off your furnace, air conditioner, or fans while you record your audio.
• Turn off cell phones and pagers: You know how annoying it is when someone’s cell phone rings while you’re trying to watch a movie; just imagine how bothersome it is when you’re making a movie! Make sure that you and everyone else on the set turns those things off. Even the sound of a vibrating pager might be picked up by your microphones.
  
• Shut down your computer: Obviously this is impossible if you are recording using a microphone that is connected to your computer, but computers do tend to make a lot of noise, so shut them down if you can.
  
• Warn everyone else to be quiet: If anyone else is in the building or general area, ask them to be quiet while you are recording audio. Noises from the next room may be muffled, but they still contribute to ambient noise. Likewise, you may want to wait until your neighbor is done mowing his lawn before recording your audio.
• Record and preview some audio: Record a little bit of audio, and then play it back. This might help you identify ambient noise or other audio problems.

Recording Sound

Recording great-quality audio is no simple matter. Professional recording studios spend thousands (sometimes even millions) of dollars to set up acoustically superior sound rooms. I’m guessing you don’t have that kind of budgetary firepower handy, but if you’re recording your own sound, you can get pro-sounding results if you follow these basic tips:

• Use an external microphone whenever possible. The microphones built in to modern camcorders have improved greatly in recent years, but they still present problems. They often record undesired ambient sound near the camcorder (such as audience members at a play) or even mechanical sound from the camcorder’s tape drive. If possible, connect an external microphone to the camcorder’s mic input.
  
• Eliminate unwanted noise sources. If you must use the camcorder’s built-in mic, be aware of your movements and other things that can cause loud, distracting noises on tape. Problem items can include a loose lens cap banging around, your finger rubbing against the mic, wind blowing across the mic, and the swish-swish of those nylon workout pants you wore this morning. I discuss ambient noise in greater detail in the following section.
• Obtain and use a high quality microphone. If you’re recording narration or other audio in your “studio” (also known as your office) use the best microphone you can afford. A good mic isn’t cheap, but it can make a huge difference in recording quality. The cheap little microphone that came with your computer probably provides very poor results.
  
• Position the microphone for best quality. If possible, suspend the mic above the subject. This way the microphone will be less likely to pick up noises made by the subject’s clothes or bumping of the microphone stand.
  
• Watch for trip hazards! In your haste to record great sound, don’t forget that your microphone cables can become a hazard on scene. Not only is this a safety hazard to anyone walking by, but if someone snags a cable, your equipment could be damaged as well. If necessary, bring along some duct tape to temporarily cover cables that run across the floor.

Earlier I mentioned that you should plan which video scenes you want to record. Planning the audio scenes that you want to record is also important. For example, suppose I want to make a video about a visit to the beach. In such a project I would like to have a consistent recording of waves crashing on the shore to use in the background. But if I record short, 5-to-10-second video clips, I’ll never get a single, consistent audio clip. So, in addition to my various video clips, I plan to record a single, unbroken clip of the ocean.