Use RealProducer to Encode Audio files to RealAudio Format


CSI Staff
Staff Writer
Center for Support of Instruction

Category: » Tech-skills-software » Audio

Earphone & Speaker

The POINT of this Training Exercise is to make certain you know how to complete the following procedures,  

  • Encode audio files to RealAudio format using RealSystem Producer Basic.
  • Create Web page and associated RealMedia metafile using RealProducer wizards.

*For instructions at a glance, click here*.

RealProducer Basic creates streaming multimedia presentations with RealAudio and RealVideo technology using the following file formats as the source material: 

  • Waveform audio (.wav)
  • Video for Windows (.avi) 
  • Audio (.au) 
  • QuickTime for Windows (.mov)

In addition, using the Wizards that guide you step by step, you can quickly create Web pages that contain your new presentation and then publish them to the Internet. For more information, see: RealSystem Producer™ User's Guide and What is Streaming Media?

Note:  If you are using these instructions from outside of the UMUC lab and have not already installed RealSystem Producer Basic, please do so now.   Go to: http://www.realnetworks.com/products/producer/basic.html

At the bottom of the page is a button to download RealSystem Producer Basic. Maker sure you download the basic version and not the fee-based version. If prompted, choose Save to Disk and specify the directory where you want the RealSystem Producer installation program to be saved. 

Next, locate and launch the file you downloaded. This will install the RealSystem Producer Basic program.

Encode to RealAudio 

1. Open RealProducer by clicking on the: Start button-->Programs-->Real Producer Icon. 

2. From the New Session - Choose Recording Wizard. Select Record from File and click on OK. 

RealProducer - Record from File

3. Open "lastname".wav by clicking on the Browse button or typing in the full path  (e.g., C:\csmn_stuff\csmn_639\filename.wav). Click on Next.

4. Under RealMedia Clip Information, fill in the following fields:

  • Title = Introduction
  • Author = Your Name (e.g., John Smith)
  • Copyright = ©2000 or leave blank
  • Description = brief summary or leave blank 
  • Keywords = enter keywords or leave blank 

Click on Next.

5. File Type, select:  Single-rate for Web Servers and click on Next.

6. Target Audience, select: 56K and click on Next.

7. Audio Format, select: Voice Only and click on Next.

8. Output File, File Name: e.g., C:\csmn_stuff\csmn_639\filename.rm and click on Next.

9. Under Prepare to Record: and click on Finish.

10. After reviewing all of the options and making appropriate changes, click on the Start button under Recording Controls. 

Next, you will receive an alert box asking if you want to include additional clip information. Select No.

11. Under the Processing Complete confirmation box, click on Close. 

Create RealMedia Metafile and Web Page

What is a Metafile?

A metafile points a Web page link to one or more RealMedia clips located on a remote server. The function of a metafile is to point to the location where your media file actually resides and is required for your file to stream, rather than simply download and play. Typically, a metafile is located on a server and contains the URL where a RealMedia clip can be found. 

1. Under the RealProducer Tools menu, click on Create Web Page.

2. Click on Next.

3. Browse to locate realmedia clip  (e.g., C:\csmn_stuff\csmn_639\filename.rm), click on Next.

4. Select Pop-up Player, click on Next.

5. Type in new caption (e.g., Introduction or Welcome), click on Next.

6. Enter a web page filename (e.g., "filename".html), click on Next.

7. Click on Finish. 

Publish RealMedia Clips

1. Under the RealProducer Tools menu, click on Publish Web Page. 

2. Click on Next.

3. Browse to locate web page created in Exercise 4  (e.g., C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\"lastname".html), click on Next.

4. Select Any Standard Web Server from the drop-down list, click on Next.

5. Fill in the FTP Server Information, click on Next. 

  • FTP Server -- polaris.umuc.edu
  • Directory -- www
  • Polaris User Name and Password 
 

6. Fill in the Web Page URL, click on Next. 

  • Web Server -- polaris.umuc.edu
  • URL Directory -- ~userrname
 

7. Click on Next.

3 files

  • realaudio file (intro.rm),
  • metafile (intro.ram)
  • and web page (intro.html)

will be uploaded to your account on the Polaris server.

8. Click on View Your Web Page Now!  This will open your published page in Netscape Navigator.

View Your Web Page Now!

Listen to Recording 

1. In the last step (step 8) of "Pubish RealMedia clips", you should have selected View Your Web Page Now! 

If your web page did not open up into your web browser, you will need to launch your browser and type in the URL of your published page. 

Example:  http://polaris.umuc.edu/~jsmith/intro.html

2. Click on the audio link.  This will launch RealPlayer, which will play your audio clip.

 

Deliver RealAudio

Shortcut Method  (Copy & Paste Link to Metafile -- .ram) 

After opening the published page in the browser

Example:  http://polaris.umuc.edu/~jsmith/smith.html

In the Netsite (or location box), change the .html extension to .ram 

    Example: 
    http://polaris.umuc.edu/~jsmith/smith.html becomes http://polaris.umuc.edu/~jsmith/smith.ram

Highlight the entire URL (http://polaris.umuc.edu/~jsmith/smith.ram) and copy (Edit-->Copy or Ctrl+C).

Paste (Edit -->Paste or Ctrl-V) the URL (link to .ram file) into a web page or directly into WebTycho.

Deliver RealAudio - Expanded Method 

1. Prepare an opening message to be placed in the Announcements area of the WebTycho classroom. 

You may want to modify the sample text provided here. To edit this text, select File --> Edit Page from the Netscape Toolbar. This will open the file in Netscape Composer.

2. Create or modify link to your RealMedia clip. The link will follow a format similar to the following URL:  http://polaris.umuc.edu/~username/coursefolder/audio/intro.ram 

3. Copy the HTML source document. 

  1. Select View-->Page Source from the Toolbar to see all the HTML codes for the document.

    This opens a gray page labeled Source of: that contains all of the HTML source code for your formatted text page. 

    The HTML document will start with a tag "<HTML>" and end with a tag "</HTML>." It will also have some heading codes between the tags "<HEAD>" and "</HEAD>." Then the tag "<BODY>" will indicate the start of the body of the document.   More on HTML.

  2. Scan down to the end of the HTML tag <BODY>.  Highlight everything between the <BODY> tags.  In other words, select all of the document after the "<BODY>" tag but not including the closing "</BODY>" tag or the final "</HTML>" tag.

  3. Select Edit-->Copy (or Ctrl+C).

4. Paste the Introductory Text into WebTycho Announcements area.  

  1. Open a Navigator window to your WebTycho announcements. 
  2. Click on "[Edit This Class Announcement]".  A blank screen should appear with "Enter your announcements here" at the top and Submit/Cancel buttons at the bottom. 
  3. Click once into the Announcements input box (make certain your cursor is in the text area).  Click on Toolbar Edit -->Paste (Ctrl-V).  You should see your HTML coding appear in the box.
  4. Select the HTML radio button. 
  5. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Submit.  Your new screen should display the formatted text.

5. Play the RealMedia Clip.

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