Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- public:nnels:etext:converter-plus [2021/01/04 14:38]
danny.faris [Split Audio]
+++ public:nnels:etext:converter-plus [2021/04/21 16:32]
rachel.osolen [Video Tutorial for Audacity]
@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 =====Communication and Project Workflow=====
-After you have concluded your onboarding and training you will be assigned 30 titles a week.
+After you have concluded your onboarding and training you will be assigned titles each Monday.
 Rachel will upload a spreadsheet to your dropbox that contains the URL links and the titles of your assigned books for that week. Please follow the instructions below for how to sideload a title.
-If you come across an error message, stop your work. Email Rachel the full name of the project, exactly what you did to cause the error and a full copy-paste of the error. It is important that you do not paraphrase the error message, as we will need the exact wording to know what the issue is. You will have to put your Converter Plus work on hold until we solve the error.
+If you come across an error message, stop your work completely in Converter Plus. Email Rachel the full name of the project, exactly what you did to cause the error and a full copy-paste of the error. It is important that you do not paraphrase the error message, as we will need the exact wording to know what the issue is. You will have to put your Converter Plus work on hold until we solve the error. See below for the template for your error reports.
-If you have an issue with the file, such as it is not divided into proper chapters, you can pass the book to Rachel without exporting it. Please see below in ''Hand to Rachel'' for more info.
+=====Information to Report Bugs=====
+In your Email, please include the following information.
+  - The name of the account where the book can be found, and the name of the project (not the title of the book).
+  - Exactly where in the book you encountered the problem, for example 9 minutes through Track 5.
+  - Exactly what you did to encounter the error, for example Selected Track 5, pressed Edit, selected the next 3 chapters in the Join pane and pressed Join.
+  - The entire error. It is very important to copy the *entire* error, from the top to the bottom of the page.
+Example of a good bug report:
+"Hi, I encountered an error when splitting a track. The book is under the account for Elizabeth and entitled RoughingIt. I selected Track 14, pressed Edit, and pressed Scan. It showed a time index of 1215, which was perfect. When I pressed Split, the following error was displayed. ... I closed the browser as soon as the error came up, and will wait for instructions."
+<note>If you encounter an error, please ask yourself: Should the program have been able to do what I asked it to do? For instance, did I try to sideload an invalid archive, or delete a book that I already deleted? If you did, please ignore the error.
+If you think the program malfunctioned, please immediately stop using it. Do not look at the book, or hand it to someone else. Copy the full text of the error, close your browser, Email your team lead, and wait for instructions.</note>
+If you have an issue with the file, such as it is not divided into proper chapters or the file on NNELS is incomplete, you can pass the book to Rachel without exporting it. Please see below in ''Hand to Rachel'' for more info, and follow the same template for reporting the issue.
+If you are creating a log for feedback on usability, please include as much details as possible including:
+  - details on current feature
+  - details on what doesn't work on current feature
+  - detailed suggestion for improvement or what you would like the feature to do
 Any questions or concerns around your work beyond this you can email Rachel directly.
@@ Line 69: / Line 91: @@
 <note>You can keep Converter Plus in batch mode as you work through the week and export all your books when you are done at the end of your workweek. If you realize you need to change something in a title, you can still do this before you execute jobs. If you need to make changes to a book after you select execute jobs, you must export the project again.</note>
-<note>If you are sideloading your books, batch mode will also import all your books. This means when you come back all your books will be in your profile and ready to work on!</note>
+<note>If you are sideloading your books, batch mode will also import all your books. This means when you come back all your books will be in your profile and ready to work on! See [[public:nnels:etext:sideload-book|Sideload a Book]] for more details.</note>
-=======Join and Split Audio: Fixing Files in Converter Plus======
-The most common issue that comes up with working with audiobook files in Converter Plus is having book sections joined together into a single track, or having one book section split into two tracks.
+=======Quality Assurance Check Workflow======
-As apart of your workflow, you will need to listen to the first and last track of every book to ensure you are catching any combined sections.
+Each title needs to go through a quality assurance check before it can be downloaded and published.
-Below are the directions on how to Join and Split tracks within Converter Plus.
+  * [[qa-checklist|QA Checklist]]
+  * [[return-title|Return Title]]
+  * [[tracking-converter-plus-titles|Tracking Project Titles]]
-======Join Audio=====
+=======Fixing Audible Files=======
-Sometimes you will come across a book section that has been divided into two tracks. For instance, one track will start with ''Chapter 1'' and then the following track will just be narration with no heading being read. In this case, you can use the ''Join Audio'' feature on the edit page in the ''Set Play List'' section of Converter Plus.
+When we get Audible Files they are a single MP3 file. Converter Plus does not parse these down into correct sections and chapters, so you will have to edit the file with the directions below.
-To join two tracks:
+<note important>This is a temporary fix that Pamela came up with until we can update Converter Plus to mediate this issue.</note>
-  * Use the ''Play Order'' function to locate the first track that needs to be joined to the proceeding track.
-  * Select ''Edit''
-  * This will take you to the page where you can edit the track.
-  * Below the regular edit pane, where you can change the name and rank of the track, there is a section titled ''Join Audio''. This is the second heading on the page.
-  * There will be text asking you if this track continues into the next track. If this is correct select the ''Join'' button.
-Now when you go back to the Play Order section you will see that the two tracks are now joined into a single track. You can proceed in renaming the tracks.
+You will need to have a copy of Audacity on your computer to complete these edits.
-======Split Audio=====
+=====Opening Audible File and Set Up=====
-The most common issue with audiobooks is having the first and last tracks contain more than one book section. As part of your workflow, you will be required to listen to the first and last track and split the tracks as needed.
+Make sure the Audible MP3 file is downloaded onto your computer and open Audacity. To open the Audible MP3 in Audacity:
-Some common book sections that can be combined in the first audio track are:
+  * Go to ''File''
-  * Title Page
+  * Select ''Open''
-  * Epigraph (This is the section of quotations found at the beginning of some books.)
+  * Navigate to the file you wish to open
-  * Dedication
+  * Select the ''Open'' button
-  * Acknowledgments
-  * Prologue
-  * Chapter 1
-<note tip>A quick way to notice this is if the first track is the title page, and then the second track is Chapter 2. Another tip is to look at the total duration of the first track. Title Pages are only several seconds long, if it is more than this chances are it has more than one book section combined into the single track.</note>
+Now that the file is open in Audacity you need to first mix it down from Stereo to Mono. We do this because Mono files are smaller and easier to download, upload, or play on your device.
-The end track usually will only have the Sign Off section joined to the last chapter. Most audiobooks have a Sign Off section, and if it is joined you will need to split it.
+To mix the file down to mono:
-<note>If you are ever unsure about the name of a book section you are trying to split, please ask!</note>
+  * Go to ''Tracks''
+  * Select ''Mix''
+  * Select ''Mix Stereo down to Mono''
-To split a track:
-  * Identify and select the track you wish to split in the ''Play Order'' section of Converter Plus
-  * Select ''Edit''
-  * This will take you to the page where you can edit the track.
-  * Below the regular edit pane, where you can change the name and rank of the track, there is a section titled ''Split Audio''. This is the third heading on the page.
-  * There will be text asking you if this track contains 2 sections, press scan to separate it.
-  * Press the ''Scan'' button.
-  * This will take you to a new page that tells you it has scanned the track and found the longest pause of silence. It will suggest you split the track at this pause.
-  * There is a player on this page that is set automatically to that place in the track. It will ask you if you wish to hit play to check the selection. Select ''Play'' to listen.
-  * If the player starts at the name of the track you wish to split (e.g. Chapter 1) then type the name of the track into the textbox for ''Title'' and hit ''Split''.
-  * Now you will have an additional track in the ''Play Order'' section that is titled ''Chapter 1''.
-  * Repeat until you have split all the sections as needed.
-<note>If the Title Page track is still a few minutes long, then it will have more sections in it that need to be split. You will have to repeat the above steps until you have split all the sections into their own tracks.</note>
+====Zoom====
-Sometimes the scan will not select the correct location. One common reason is there is music on the track.
+You will need to use zoom in and zoom out to help you see the breaks in the wave files to help you find pauses that indicate new sections and chapters.
-If you have scanned the track and pressed play and it is not at the correct location you will have to use the slider control in the player to locate the correct location to split the track. Once you locate the correct place to split the track, press Update. Then, type in the name of that section in the ''Title'' textbox and hit ''Split''.
+You can use the ''Zoom in'' and ''Zoom Out'' icons on the Zoom toolbar at the top left of the Audacity screen.
-<note>Be very careful about using the slider, and make sure you are splitting the track at the correct location. This is something you want to take your time on and double or triple check before you split the track. If in doubt, ask for help!</note>
+If you have a Mac you can use the following shortkeys:
-=======Quality Assurance Check Workflow======
+  * Zoom in = ''command + 1''
+  * Zoom out = ''command + 3''
-Each title needs to go through a quality assurance check before it can be downloaded and published.
+If you are on a PC you can do similar commands with the control key.
-  * [[qa-checklist|QA Checklist]]
+If you have a trackpad you can use the spread gesture on your trackpad. Make sure you have two fingers on the trackpad at the same time and spread them apart to zoom in and bring them back together to zoom out.
-  * [[return-title|Return Title]]
-  * [[tracking-converter-plus-titles|Tracking Project Titles]]
+====Playing File and Moving Through Track====
+You can use the double finger swipe gesture to move back and forth through the track in the viewer.
+When you hover your mouse over the time-track toolbar above the viewer you will see a green arrow. This is your quick player. When you click down on this it will start to play from the point it is over. You can move this by moving your mouse back and forth over the toolbar.
+You can also use the ''Pause'', ''Play'', and ''Stop'' buttons on the top-right menu above the viewer.
+[[https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cYlhqFNaoQ|See this video for a quick demo on playing in Audacity.
+]]
+=====Editing the Track=====
+Once you can see the track in more detail, you will be able to see the gaps in the recording that will help you to see where there are pauses between sections and chapters.
+To Edit the tracks:
+  * Locate the section you want to create a separate track for
+  * Select it with your selection tool by:
+     * Clicking at the endpoint where you want the section of this new track to end
+     * Hold down your mouse and scroll over to the left highlighting the full section
+  * Go to ''File>Export>Export Selected Track''
+Once you select ''Export Selected Track'' a popup window for  ''Save''. You need to save this selected track as follows:
+  * Rename the file to the name of the section. For example, your first track will be ''01 Title Page''
+  * Select the file type as ''MP3''
+  * Create a ''New Folder'' named the title of the book to save all your files in.
+  * In format options:
+     * Select ''Constant''
+     * Quality = ''192 kps''
+     * Select ''Force export to mono''
+  * Hit ''Save''
+This will take you to the metadata section. Fill out the following:
+  * ''Artist Name'' = Name of Author
+  * ''Track Title'' = Name of Section (example, Title Page)
+  * ''Album Title'' = Name of the Book
+  * ''Track Number'' = Number in Sequence for Book Sections (example, if this is for a Title Page then the Track Number is 01)
+  * ''Year'' = The year you are creating this version
+  * ''Genre'' = Audiobook
+  * ''Comment'' = Put the narrator here and enter it as ''Narrator: Firstname Lastname''
+  * Save as Template to use it again for future tracks
+You will then be taken to a window for ''Invalid Sample Rate''. Change this to ''44100'' and hit the ''Ok'' button.
+<note>You should only have to do this the first time, and then all the following exports should save in the same folder with the same settings. **You will need to change the ''Track Name'' and ''Track Number'' each time.**</note>
+Repeat this for each section of the book. Once you have each book section exported as its own track you can zip the file and upload it to Converter Plus.
+<note tip>After you get the Title Page complete, you can zoom out a bit to see more of the book. Look for long instances of pauses (places in the track with no sound waves.) Every chapter and book section will have such a pause, but remember some book narrators do dramatic pauses as well. This means you may have to click around a bit to find the beginning and end of a track.</note>

User Tools

Differences

Page Tools

BC Libraries Coop wiki

Site Tools