Using PowerPoint to start recording audio

[Clay Harryman]

Cross-posted to the groups I believe can help me. If this cross-posting is inappropriate, please forgive me. All flames will be completely and thoroughly ignored!

Summary:
I need information on:
1. Name a good, nay, excellent sound recording software
a. spending limit is about $300.
b. Need to embed record command in PowerPoint via VB or OLE
c. Creates CD-Quality mp3
2. How do I set up PowerPoint to record via VB or OLE using:
a. SoundForge
b. Total Recorder
c. (yuck!) Windows Sound Recorder

Details:
I am running a Church A/V Ministry using PowerPoint. We have a Mackie 1603 mixer that is running outputs to analog cassette tape and to the computer. I am currently experimenting with the computer recording. My goal is to record each individual segment of the service to mp3 then as individual tracks to CD. My church has very few techies. I'm the only one with any computer experience that wants to be involved with the A/V ministry. That means all my volunteers are people who would like to learn about computers. That is my dilemma. They barely know how to operate PowerPoint. I need to automate the recording of the service via PowerPoint so it is completely transparent to the user.

My plan is to embed the record command in the presentation. On the first slide of each song/prayer/sermon, etc., there will be a command to start recording. On the slide following each song/prayer/sermon, etc., there will be a command to stop recording. In other words:
1. Song 1 slides 1-3
a. slide 1 contains command to start recording track 1.
b. slides 2 & 3 contain nothing regarding recording.
2. Song 2 slides 4-6
a. slide 4 contains command to stop recording track 1 and start recording track 2.
b. slides 5-6 contain nothing regarding recording.
3. Prayer slide 7
c. slide 7 contains command to stop recording track 2 and start recording track 3.
and so on...

Ideas?

Thank you,
Clay Harryman
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

1. Name a

good, nay, excellent sound recording software
a. spending limit
is about $300.

Have a look at Audacity. The price is right - about $300 beneath your spending limit.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Whatever sound editor/recorder you get, you'll need to make sure it has some sort of
interface that lets you control it. That may be the tricky part. If it's already
running, Audacity can be started/stopped with single keyboard commands, so worst case,
perhaps SendKeys would work. Saving the files off might be stickier.

For controlling it from a PPT show, you'll need to set up macros that get triggered
from appropriate buttons in the presentation or trigger off slide show events. For
the latter, see:

Make PPT respond to events
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00004.htm

b. Need to embed record command in PowerPoint via
VB or OLE
c. Creates CD-Quality mp3
2. How do I set up
PowerPoint to record via VB or OLE using:
a. SoundForge

b. Total Recorder
c. (yuck!) Windows Sound Recorder


Details:
I am running a Church A/V Ministry using PowerPoint. We have
a Mackie 1603 mixer that is running outputs to analog cassette tape and to
the computer. I am currently experimenting with the computer recording. My
goal is to record each individual segment of the service to mp3 then as
individual tracks to CD. My church has very few techies. I'm the only one
with any computer experience that wants to be involved with the A/V
ministry. That means all my volunteers are people who would like to learn
about computers. That is my dilemma. They barely know how to operate
PowerPoint. I need to automate the recording of the service via PowerPoint
so it is completely transparent to the user.

My plan is to embed the
record command in the presentation. On the first slide of each
song/prayer/sermon, etc., there will be a command to start recording. On
the slide following each song/prayer/sermon, etc., there will be a command
to stop recording. In other words:
1. Song 1 slides 1-3
a.
slide 1 contains command to start recording track 1.
b. slides 2
& 3 contain nothing regarding recording.
2. Song 2 slides 4-6

a. slide 4 contains command to stop recording track 1 and start
recording track 2.
b. slides 5-6 contain nothing regarding
recording.
3. Prayer slide 7
c. slide 7 contains command to
stop recording track 2 and start recording track 3.
and so on...


Ideas?

Thank you,
Clay Harryman

href="mailto:[email protected]"(e-mail address removed)
.com

--
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
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