LSA301 Field Methods

Transcriber tips

Make sure that the soundfiles are copied to a local volume (hard disk or flash memory). A local CD should also work OK. Do NOT try to load an audio file into Transcriber from a Network volume (such as the class resources sharepoint) — this will tie up your machine for ages.
Under 'File' in the menu bar, choose 'Open audio file'.
Which format audio file to open in Transcriber? Well, generally fewer problems have been reported with a .wav file than a .mp3 file — but a .wav file is much larger and you may not have room on your hard disk. Try experimenting with both .wav file and a .mp3 file.
Whichever audio format (.mp3 or .wav) you choose to open, allow Transcriber to compute the 'global shape' of the sound wave (Transcriber pops up a small window announcing this is underway), before starting to transcribe. 'Computing global shape' can take a couple of minutes, during which it is possible to work on your machine but not advisable to play the audio file or edit in Transcriber (it will be quite jerky).
Save the transcript you write, the .trs file, in your own folder where you keep other documents relating to this work, and include it in your backups. The audio file is unchanged and does not need to be backed up as it can be retrieved from the sharepoint or, later, the archive.
As with any intensive software, try to minimise the number of other programs open on your machine, so as to maximise the memory available to Transcriber.

URL http://www.anu.edu.au/linguistics/nash/LSA.301/transcriber-tips.html