Set audio recording preferences and recording audio

Add sync sound (synchronized sound recording) to your projects by narrating the movie into a microphone as you record it. The movie is recorded in the mono format.

Having the right audio equipment makes a big difference in the quality of recorded audio.

The sound card installed with your computer acts as a digital recorder for audio.

If possible, avoid using the inexpensive microphone packaged with your computer. Also, use a proper microphone cable and a stand to hold the microphone while you are recording.

A preamplifier boosts the signal of the microphone. The microphone input of your sound card probably includes a preamplifier, but it is most likely of poor quality. When purchasing a preamplifier, you can choose a small mixer or a stand-alone version. Mixers let you connect several microphones and devices to one location and adjust their volumes independently. Stand-alone preamplifiers are considered better than mixers at filtering out unwanted noises.

 The speakers that came with your computer are probably good enough for recording purposes. You can change some of your speaker settings if required. However, if you are working on a laptop, use standard desktop computer speakers instead of the built-in laptop speakers.

Headphones are important because when the microphone is on, speakers can cause distracting feedback. Additionally, it is best to use closed-ear headphones that prevent leaking sound (which can be picked up by the microphone).

Any software that can play audio files on your system.

A wide range of recording software is available. Important software features include editing functionality (to fix mistakes), music and sound effect options, and the capability to create the file format you require (such as mp3 or WAV).

After you have acquired the necessary audio equipment, the most important action you can take before recording is an obvious one: find a quiet place to record. Try closing doors, turning off any unnecessary computer equipment, turning off or lowering lights, turning off phone ringers, beepers, and pagers. Inform your coworkers that recording is in progress.

Tips for recording audio

Follow these tips to ensure that you are recording the highest quality audio possible.

After you have acquired the necessary audio recording equipment, ensure that it is set up properly. First, plug your microphone into your mixer or preamplifier, and then plug the output of that device into your computer sound card's “line in.” Plug your headphones into your computer. Then, set the volume on your mixer or preamplifier. Begin speaking to test the volume levels, and carefully raise the volume until it shows just under zero.

Open the software application that controls the sound card. The sound settings are located in the Control Panel. Select the recording source (Line In) and adjust the volume to 100%.

You control the actual recording level with your mixer or preamplifier.

Start your audio recording software. Change the settings as necessary. Note that mixers and preamplifiers do not have sound-level controls, so you rely on the meters when recording. While recording, ensure that you do not exceed zero on the meters, or the sound will be distorted.

Positioning your microphone correctly can make a big difference in the finished audio file. First, get close to the microphone (within 4 to 6 inches), so any other nearby sounds have less chance of being recorded. Don't speak down to the microphone; instead, position it above your nose and pointed down at your mouth. Finally, position the microphone slightly to the side of your mouth, because this can help soften the sound of the letters S and P.

Have a glass of water nearby so you can avoid “dry mouth.” Before recording, turn away from the microphone, take a deep breath, exhale, take another deep breath, open your mouth, turn back toward the microphone, and start speaking. This trick can eliminate breathing and lip-smacking sounds frequently recorded at the beginning of audio tracks. Speak slowly and carefully. You may feel that you are speaking artificially slowly, but you should be able to adjust the speed later by using your audio recording software. Finally, bear in mind that you don't have to get everything right the first time. You can listen and evaluate each recording and rerecord if required.

Editing sound is similar to editing text. Listen carefully to your recording. Delete any extraneous sounds and then use the options available in your software to polish the track. Add any music or sound effects you require. Make sure you save your audio track in the correct format (mp3 or WAV files).

When you are finished recording the audio file, add it to the Adobe Captivate Classic project.

After you add the audio to the Adobe Captivate Classic project, listen to it again. Play the project as users normally would. Finally, ask others to preview the Adobe Captivate Classic SWF/audio file. If necessary, edit the audio file again.

Set audio recording preferences

Audio files present the common challenge of balancing quality against size. The higher the sound quality, the larger the file size. The more you compress a sound and the lower the sampling rate, the smaller the size and lower the quality. Adobe Captivate Classic lets you control the way sound is recorded and compressed based upon your input and output requirements.

Creating audio in Adobe Captivate Classic is essentially a two-part process. You record audio in WAV format, and then Adobe Captivate Classic converts the WAV file into an mp3 file. When files are in WAV format, they have a degree of flexibility. You can edit and adjust them “downward,” compressing them into mp3 files uniquely tailored to their playback scenario.

When working with audio, keep your users in mind. If a user is likely to access the Adobe Captivate Classic project by using a dial-up modem, use a higher compression/lower sampling rate, such as 56 Kbps. However, if you are distributing the project on a CD-ROM, you can use a lower compression/higher sampling rate, such as 144 Kbps. In the best development case, experiment to find the optimal balance between sound quality and file size for your users.

Using Adobe Captivate Classic, you can record an audio file for a single slide, group of slides, or for the entire project.

Calibrate microphone

If you are recording audio for a project, you must set the microphone or recording device to the correct recording level. This process is called calibrating the recording device. Adobe Captivate Classic can detect optimal microphone and recording sensitivity levels automatically.

Calibration can be manual or automatic. See www.adobe.com/go/learn_calibration_en for a comparison of manual and automatic calibration.

Manual calibration

Auto-calibration

Record audio to slides

If you have a microphone connected to your computer, you can record audio to be included on a slide. You can use audio for many types of narration or instruction.

Record audio while creating a project

Adobe Captivate Classic lets you record an audio track at the same time you record a new Adobe Captivate Classic project. This can be a very efficient way to create a full-featured project quickly.

The following procedure describes how to record audio while creating an Adobe Captivate Classic project about an application.

Record audio for objects

You can record an audio file to use with buttons, highlight boxes, click boxes, or text entry boxes. Recording audio requires some basic equipment.

You can also add existing audio to text entry boxes, captions, slides, slidelets, and so on.

Download sample projects

To learn more about Captivate Classic and how you can create engaging learning content, download the following projects:

• Safeguarding-and-PII Compliance
• Picture-Perfect Simulation
• Adobe Captivate Classic Draft
• CloudAir SoftSkills
• Captivate Classic 9 eLearning
• Adobe Lead Generation
• Adobe Captivate Classic 2017 Training