How do I check and adjust the volume?
GABR has an automatic gain feature that should adjust the volume up or down as needed. If your input volume is at the top and your waveform in the top window appears almost flat, you need to move your microphone closer to your mouth. The waveform should fill 1/3 to 1/2 of the window. If you see any red in the waveform, the volume is too high.
If you prefer to set the volume yourself, click the manual button in the Input Level section below the volume sliders and adjust it yourself by hitting record and say a few sentences, keeping an eye on the GABR volume meter (bouncing green, yellow and red bars in the upper right). You want the peaks to hit in the yellow most of the time. Occasional green or red peaks are OK as long as they do not occur regularly. To adjust the volume, move the slider below the microphone image up or down as necessary until your peaks are in the yellow.
On what page should I start reading?
GABR5 has page information for the book and will provide a list of pages to be recorded in the box to the right. It will start you on the first page and you can hit Next Page // to go to the next page to be recorded. You can also double click a page to go back to it.
Where should my microphone be situated?
The microphone part of your headset should be off to the side of your mouth (or below your mouth). Please avoid having the microphone directly in front of your mouth as this results in poor audio quality.
I'm hitting the record button but nothing is recording! What do I do?
There are two common sources of this problem. First of all, check your headset to see if your mute button is on. There often is a small set of controls on the headphone cord that may have a mute button. Secondly, check your recording input by clicking the microphone image at the top right of the GABR screen or by going to Start/ All Programs/ Accessories/ Entertainment/ Volume Control. Make sure nothing is muted or down all the way, then go to Options/ Properties, select recording and make sure microphone is selected.
What is this Mark button and what do I do with it?
GABR5 has the ability to make marks for headings in the book. These headings allow the student to navigate easily through the book. Please hit the Mark button when you come to a circled M in the book. The small bottom right screen will show the name of any marks to be made on your current page.
What should I do if I forgot to announce the page number?
Please make sure to read the page number at the beginning of each page! If the page starts at the end of the previous page, remember to announce the page number correctly, i.e., if page 4 starts at the bottom of page 3, announce page 4 even though it starts on page 3.
If you missed announcing the page number, go to the beginning of the page, hit the Insert button in the middle of the GABR screen, then hit record and announce the page number.
Where should I "break" and start reading the next page?
Most books should be marked as to where the page breaks occur with a slash. However, if your page breaks were not marked, and the page does not end in a period, break it at the last period on the page.
Why doesn't the page number in GABR match the page I'm reading?
The page number on the GABR screen should always match the page you are reading in the book! If it doesn't, you should go to the correct page and start recording there. Remember to hit the Next // slashed button in GABR when you go to the next page.
What should I do about blank pages?
Simply announce "page # is blank" and go on to the next page.
What are these funny pencil markings and circled Ss and Ms in the book?
The slash marks at the end of the page indicates where to start the next page and the circled M indicates where you should hit the Mark button. Please ignore the circled Ss as they do not apply to home recording.
Do I need to read the notes, bibliography, or index?
We do read footnotes, notes sections, bibliography, glossaries, and reference sections, but not indexes or picture credits. We know they are boring, but they gotta be read. :)
Where do I read the footnotes?
Footnotes are read at the bottom of the page on which they appear. As the reference in the text occurs, just read "note #" and go on. At the end of the page, read the footnote in its entirety.
If the notes are in a section at the end of the chapter, article or book, read the endnotes where they are and only mention the note number while reading the text.
How and where do I describe figures, tables, etc.?
Describe figures and tables at the bottom of the page on which they appear even if the figure is at the top or middle of the page.
See our Reading Conventions for some excellent material on how to describe figures and tables.
How do I pronounce these names?!
If a name is mentioned in passing, do your best to pronounce it and move on. If it is mentioned more frequently, spend a little time to ensure that it is pronounced correctly. Your first resource should be a dictionary. Then you can try Internet resources such as www.inogolo.com, www.wikipedia.org, www.pronouncenames.com, www.howtosaythatname.com, www.teachingbooks.net/pronunciations.cgi, and names.voa.gov. A simple google search of the name is also a last resort.
How can I send files to the Georgia Studio?
Select the pages you wish to upload by left clicking the first and then shift-left clicking the last (or ctrl left click each file) and then hit the Upload button. Please do not close the GABR screen while the upload is taking place.
How can I check to see which files were successfully uploaded from GABR?
In the Upload Files screen, successfully uploaded files will disappear; you can also hit the Show Uploaded button and all uploaded files will have a green "Uploaded" note in the Upload column. Files that were not successfully uploaded will show an error and you may try uploading them again.
I've got a low hum in the background...how do I get rid of it?
Some home recording files have a background 60 Hz hum that we want to minimize as much as possible. Laptops are especially subject to this problem. Please do these steps to eliminate hum: unplug any peripheral devices not necessary for recording; run on battery power (if using a laptop); turn off any fans; and keep all electronic devices (especially phones and cell phones) far away.
What should I do when I start a new book?
Hit the Books button and your book should be listed there. Double click the book and it will start on the first page to be recorded. If for some reason your book is not listed there, contact Production Staff.