Audio Lab 2

1. Download the “sopran ascenddescend.wav” file from http://aivpsm.blogspot.co.uk and save it to your desktop. Use Windows Sound Recorder (Start Menu / All Programs / Accessories) to play it, note its duration in seconds, and use File\Properties to classify it as Mono or Stereo.

First comment is that windows 8 wont open the file in sound recorded. Off to a good start. No idea why. 

2. Close down Sound Recorder.z

Gladly.

3. Run GoldWave.

Ok.

4. Use GoldWave Help at any time. Make notes in your lab book from the help for next time.

Will bear this in mind.

5. Download to a local drive the "english words2.wav" file from Blackboard. Use File > Open... to read it into GoldWave. Ensure the system sound volume is low before you put your headphones on. Put on your headphones then play the file using the green Play button in the Control window. (If the Control window isn't displayed, select Window > Vertical Control.

Done. Those are a kind of grating selection of words.

6. Put the mouse cursor inside the waveform window and left-click. The section to the right of where you clicked should now be highlighted. Now press the yellow Play button and note that play starts from the new cursor position.

Indeed it does.

7. You can play part of the waveform by highlighting a section using the mouse and buttons just like you do selecting text in a word processor. Left Button Click, hold, drag and release.

It's quite imprecise, but I guess it's not necessarily a bad feature for ballparking things. Misclicked the other play button by accident. Worked the second time. So far so good.

8. You can use File > Save Selection As... to save the highlighted part (Don’t overwrite your original files)

Yep, that's something that will certainly be useful for making specific changes. 

9. Now try out the standard Edit commands: Copy, Cut, Paste, Delete, Trim. Note the Undo command.

Delete was my favourite. Those motivational words are getting under my skin by now. 

10. Use Options > Window... to change the Y amplitude axis numbering between Normalized and dB. Note that this does not change the waveform, just the units you measure it with.

Alright, useful. I prefer dB I think as I understand it better! 

11. Use the View All toolbar button to show all of the waveform. Then use your mouse to select the part of the waveform from 10 seconds to 11 seconds (approximately). Now click the View Selection toolbar button. Try also the other Zoom buttons on the toolbar.

So this just gets rid of all the chaff and "blows up" the selection for more precise work. It's pretty cool to look at in the control panel too, where you can see flares of activity pretty accurately. 

12. Select the part of the waveform containing one of the words then try out the Effect > Invert, Effect > Reverse and Edit > Mute commands. Play and listen to each result.

I wasn't honestly sure what Invert did. I took some screenshots though, it inverts the wave. Reverse reversed it, which sounded a bit creepy. 

13. Note the amplitude (height on the vertical scale) of an easily identifiable point on the wave (e.g. a maximum). Now use Effect > Volume > Change Volume to attenuate (reduce the amplitude) of the waveform. Do this by typing -6 (NB minus six ) into the edit box at the top right of the Change Volume dialogue box window when it pops up then click OK. Use Undo and Redo to toggle between the original and attenuated waveform. After applying the -6 dB amplification, by what percentage has the waveform been attenuated?

Looks like roughly 50% decrease. 

14. With the waveform at its attenuated value use Effect > Volume > Change Volume to amplify (increase the amplitude) of the waveform. Do this by typing 3 into the Change Volume dialogue box and then click OK. Using Undo and Redo observe the change in the maximum amplitude. After applying the +3dB amplification what is the amplitude (percentage) now?

Increased by 25% of the deficiency. 

15. Amplifying the waveform again by +3dB should bring it back to its original value.

This was about three quarters of the deficiency. I.e. the remains of what was missing. 

16. Attenuate the waveform then try Effect > Volume > Maximize Volume, which should make the largest amplitude 100% (or whatever value you put in the Maximum (dB) text box).

Ok. 

17. Now investigate Effect > Volume > Fade In and Effect > Volume > Fade Out.

I tried fade in on the whole thing and fade out on the last part of the file. 

Closing Thoughts: So I guess this lab is really just an intro to working with Goldwave. For that function it's fine and I can totally understand why we'd be asked to do something like this.