Learn how to create your own pronunciation and picture audio files with the built-in Easy Voice Recorder. Edit your sound files to remove noise, adjust amplitude, trim and change the tempo!

1. With the built in Easy Voice Recorder, you can replace pronunciation files in existing categories or create new pronunciations for your own lessons. You can even record your own sound effects. To record sound files, go to the Tools screen by clicking the tools button on top of the Little Reader or Little Musician screen, select the Easy Voice Recorder tab, and then click on the Launch BrillKids Easy Voice Recorder button.

    

2. This will open Easy Voice Recorder. Since we are going to create a new recording, first make sure your microphone is connected to your computer and functioning properly. When you are ready, click on the Record button and speak to your microphone.

   

3. You will notice that the Record button has now changed to a Stop button. Click on the Stop button to stop recording.

   

4. You can now use the Skip to Start button next to the Record button if you want to rewind, and then click Play to play back what you just recorded.

   

5. Now let's explain the different components of the Easy Voice Recorder. The green line in the window is the graphic representation of your sound file, also known as the waveform.

   

6. For more advanced users, you can also zoom in and out using the Zoom button to see the waveform in greater detail. These details may help in editing your recording, for example, deciding where to cut off the sound file to minimize the file size.

   

7. The numbers along the top represent the timeline, divided up into sectors. This will give you an idea of how long your recording goes for. The longer the recording is, the larger the file size will be. 

   

   NOTE: If there is a lot of silence at the beginning or end of your recording, or if there is any part of your recording that you don't want to use, you can delete these unwanted recordings to reduce the file size. To delete, select the portion that you want to be deleted by clicking and dragging that area, and press Delete on your keyboard. 

    

8. The numbers on the left tell you how loud the recording is. The wider or flatter the waveform, the louder the recording is. But be careful. If your recording is too loud, the sound will become distorted and crackly. If this happens, you should just record your sound over again.

   

9. Bass Boost – The Bass Boost function is used to adjust recording to make them sound deeper and less tidy. Let's try using the Bass Boost function. First, listen to the original file you want to change. Next, to use the Bass Boost function, simply select the option from the Other Effects menu.

   

   The Bass Boost window will pop up. Move the sliders next to Frequency and Boost to adjust the sound effect. You may want to click on the Preview button to preview how the recording will sound like after the sound effect is applied. When you are done with the changes, click OK to save the settings.

   

10. Normalizing – Normalizing the recording will scale the recording to be as loud and clear as possible, without distorting the sound into cracking audio. It's best used when you have recorded a clear sound but found it to be too soft. Again, listen first to the file you want to change. To normalize your recording, simply click on the Normalize button.

    

11. The Silence function – The Silence function will make a selected region completely silent. To eliminate noise, simply click and drag an area you want to make silent and click on the Silent button. This function is very helpful if your recording has a lot of background hissing in your sound file.

    

12. Changing Pitch – The Change Pitch function is used to alter the pitch within your recording itself without altering the speed of the recording. Simply drag the slider and select Preview to see what your recording will sound like before you commit any changes. Once you are happy with the pitch change, click Ok to commit.

    

13. Changing Tempo – The Change Tempo function is used to alter the speed of your recorded sound without altering its pitch. Simply drag the slider and click Preview to see what your recording will sound like before committing any changes.

    

14. The Noise Function – The Noise Function is used to iron out unwanted background noise from your recording. To use the Noise function, first play back your recording, and find the selection in the audio that is only made up of noise, which we will call a Noise Profile. Then, click on the Noise button.

    

    And in the dialogue box that pops up, click Get Noise Profile. Like other functions, you can preview what your recording will sound like before you commit any changes.

    

15. Once you are happy with the result, click Remove Noise. Just in case you've made a mistake, or you want to revert back to a previous step you've taken, click on the Undo button. Should you choose to redo an edit you've made, click on the Redo button.

    

16. If you are happy with your edited results, click on the Save button to save. And that's it. Now you can add pronunciations to your Little Reader or Little Musician lessons.