Yeah...just points out there are lots of options...;)  (full disclosure: have a full recording studio in my basement ( http://www.wb0yle.com/photos/studio.jpg ) that can go from everything from reel to reel and cart thru a full audio console to digital and back....as well as live announce/record capabilities (and the audition side is linked through a URI to my hub so I can act as NCS...).  I have to remind myself that most don't have the same capabilities...

the LAME (mp3 encoder) works well for audacity, and is free (which is good...).  Free is always good.

Important thing is to play around with it, and determine the best way for you.  

--
Bryan
Sent from my iPad

On Nov 15, 2011, at 9:49 AM, Ken <ke2n@cs.com> wrote:

You can also install the MP3 player from the Asterisk web site. I use it to play weather report podcasts directly from the weather bureau here. However, to record your own MP3 files so that they play back reliably, you need some *real* MP3 software (I use Adobe Soundbooth).
 
Cepstral's web site will let you make short announcements as a demo. You can use software (like virtual audio cable) to capture the sound to a file.

Ken

-----Original Message-----
From: Bryan D. Boyle <bdboyle@bdboyle.com>
To: Matt Roberts <n9gmr@me.com>
Cc: app_rpt-users <app_rpt-users@ohnosec.org>
Sent: Tue, Nov 15, 2011 8:27 am
Subject: Re: [App_rpt-users] File Formats

You can use a free program called "Audacity" to record the file to a .wav on 
your windows machine.  Upload it using sftp or some transfer program to your 
controller, use a program called 'sox' to convert it to a .gsm file: (sox 
inputfile.wav -r 8000 -v .5 outputfile.gsm (-r is resample at 8000 Hz, -v is 
volume of 1/2... -v 1 would be no change, -v 2 would be double....)

or...purchase a license for a voice from cepstral (text to speech program, chose 
William 8kHz) load it on the controller, build a simple text file with what you 
want to say, run it through the cepstral text to speech program, run the 
produced .wav file to .gsm with sox, and move it into the /var/lib/asterisk/sounds/rpt 
directory.

Lots of ways of skinning the cat; I use the latter to convert my download 
weather forecast and alerts to voice to playback with DTMF commands, and the 
former to convert mp3s that professional announcer friends of mine send me for 
my tail messages and 10-minute voice ids.  (It's good to have friends/former 
colleagues who have Don LaFontaine style voices...:) "In a world where amateurs 
wonder about which machine they're on...YOU'RE transmitting on xxxxxx..."  OK, 
hokey.  

Do a google for Asterisk audio file creation and there's a wealth of information 
out there....start here:

http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/Asterisk+sound+files 

for a good start, imho.  's where I began.  And ended up with a complete studio 
set-up in my basement shack...
--
73,
Bryan WB0YLE
www.wb0yle.com
Morrisville PA

Sent from my iPad

On Nov 14, 2011, at 10:25 PM, Matt Roberts <n9gmr@me.com> wrote:

> If I want to record voice files for my repeater, what can I use.  I see in 
some places it says you can use WAV, or GSM.  It lists one more format, but 
can't remember which one.  WAV files are the easiest for me to create.  CAn I 
use them?
> 
> 
> Matt Roberts n9gmr@me.com
> 
> _______________________________________________
> App_rpt-users mailing list
> App_rpt-users@ohnosec.org
> http://ohnosec.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/app_rpt-users
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