Learning and More Learning

This weekend has been filled with a lot of learning!

At first I was using an audio program called wavepad to try and mix audio files. I was learning on it but I had just got everything mixed the way I wanted it and was close to saving it when one of the cats jumped onto my lap and distracted me and I was trying to place my headphones up and either I or the cat hit a key on the keyboard and just totally made the file weird and I could not repair it because I had no idea what had been pushed.

Luckily, about that time, Armando found a really wonderful program called Sony Soundforge Audio Studio 9.0. We had seen it while out shopping Saturday. He saw that it has a free trial so you can test it first before buying.

I started using it and Armando did too. We liked it. It is a great program if you need to clip and mix several voices, files and music together or if you want to make a podcast. It was easy to learn and very intuitive.

I opened a podcast at odeo.com and learned how to use it. (I put a button to the right if you want to hear.)

Armando and I made a little picture file for the podcast website. (See below)

I made word of the day files for all of this week and audio samples for the Viaje Español website and Armando helped me. I have posted the one for Monday now.

Ok, I guess I have rambled enough. I am pretty tired but satisfied.

One more thing, before I am off to bed. Our cat Chochino is a GIRL! We rescued her when she was a little baby in bad shape (after being abandoned) and all the time since she was little we thought she was a boy. So now we are calling her Cho-Chi.

We were thinking Cho-cha but we like Cho-chi better.

Night Night and I hope you had a great weekend. :)

New microphone

Armando and I had an enjoyable evening out in Huntsville. We went to Best Buy and Office Depot and then to Nothing But Noodles for supper. I had Thai Beef Curry and Armando had Shrimp Scampi. It was delicious!

We both splurged and bought ourselves computer microphones. Sadly, Armando's Microsoft Bluetooth headphones did not sound well, the quality was awful and very disappointing. He tested it with his friend on Skype and he ended up going back to his old headset which lately has not been working well either.

I plugged up my new headset and microphone, a Plantronics Audio 650 and I kept doing the initial setup test and it did not hear my voice and I thought, OH NO! Not again. I have a bad history with microphones not working for me. I called Armando over feeling a bit silly because I could not figure out how to make it work. He suggested updating a driver and we did and I rebooted and it worked. I was so happy! I haven't ever owned a computer microphone that worked and made my voice sound clear.

So, I guess that is why I am up at 3:30 a.m. after testing audio programs out and learning how to use them and working on audio sessions for my Spanish learning blog. Armando will do parts of the recordings and I will do parts so there will be a native speaker and of course, me, an American learning Spanish.

But, I have to admit, this is all very new for me. I am really critical of my own voice when I hear it played back. Maybe that will go away when I get more comfortable with doing audio lessons.

Starting Monday I will have a Word of the Day/ Palabra del dia with audio lessons and text lessons on my Spanish blog.

Click here to visit Viaje Español

Heat Wave & Spanish Blog

...HISTORIC HEAT WAVE MAY HAVE A SLIGHT REPRIEVE OVER THE WEEKEND...

I have opened a Spanish learning blog. You can check it out by looking here:

http://www.viajeespanol.blogspot.com

Press play to hear Beyonce "irreemplazable"