| What you need | | | | the video is 1 hour longyou can set to record for one |
| - A VHS player | | | | hour. Or you can leave it to just record. Ifyou record a |
| - A PC/laptop | | | | lot of blank at the end you can 'save selection' (from |
| - A twin phono to 3.5mm (1/8 inch) Stereo Jack Lead | | | | the file menu) and select the relevant bits. |
| (available from (for example) Maplin - UK, RadioShack | | | | The settings I use are 'mono' at a sample rate of |
| -USA) | | | | 44100 if it asks, but I have to confess that I don't really |
| - A SCART phono out adaptor (available as above) | | | | understand sample rates fully and would welcome |
| - Sound editing software such as Goldwave | | | | advice from an audio wiz! |
| (Shareware) or Audacity | | | | In Audacity I believe you have to set the file as x |
| Setting up | | | | amount of silence and then record over it, but I'm not |
| Put the VHS cassette into the player and check that | | | | sure about that as I've only used Goldwave. |
| it's the correct tape! With the VHS machine turned off, | | | | Recording |
| put the SCART adaptor into the SCART socket. If | | | | Press record in your sound editing software. |
| you're planning to record video as well as audio, now | | | | Press play on your VHS machine. |
| or in the future, you're better off purchasing the slightly | | | | The VHS is recorded into digital audio. |
| more expensive SCART to phono/S-vido input-output | | | | Finishing |
| adaptor, which does exactly what it says on the tin - | | | | When the VHS has finished press stop on your VHS |
| allows you to both input and output sound and video. | | | | machine and stop in your sound editing software. |
| To output video to your PC though, you would also | | | | Now you MUST save your file - this is a bit slow for a |
| need an S-video card. | | | | large file, but ifyou don't do it you lose it! |
| In order to transfer audio only, plug the twin phono | | | | I believe Goldwave automatically defaults to WAV |
| sockets (red and white) at one end of your lead into | | | | files (see my article on digital file types if you're not |
| the matching colours on the SCART adaptor. | | | | sure what file type to use) but if WAV is too large for |
| Plug the other end of the lead into the microphone | | | | you e.g. if you need to send the file to your |
| socket of your PC. | | | | transcriptionist, you can convert. Probably due to my |
| Using Goldwave | | | | settings and through no fault of the software itself, I |
| In the control box set preferences as follows: | | | | get very poor results converting to wma (a really |
| - Record tab: record mode: unbounded | | | | compressed file) but I get excellent results converting |
| - Volume tab: Device: your sound card (e.g. NVIDIA | | | | to mp3 (fairly compressed). To do this simply 'save as' |
| sound card in my case) | | | | and choose mp3 from the bottom box in the dialogue |
| - Device tab: Playback device: Primary sound driver | | | | box. |
| - Device tab: Record device: Primary sound capture | | | | You should now have a fully functioning audio file |
| driver | | | | which can be sent to your transcriptionist or loaded |
| You can chose the time in advance e.g. if you know | | | | into your transcription software. |