24 Karat GoldWave! A Training Course for Screen-Reader Users.

Introduction.

Many blind people love creating audio content. It is something we can enjoy completely and independently. But how do you get started? Moreover, if you have knowledge of how to undertake simple recording or editing tasks, how do you build on those skills to add effects such as reverb, change the tone of the audio known as graphic equalisation, or apply noise reduction such as for restoring those old vinyl records and tapes?

Fortunately there is not only a training course which can teach these skills but there is also probably the most accessible audio editor we have ever seen: GoldWave.

Our training course, "24 Karat GoldWave", will be ideal for those just beginning to learn how to record and process audio content for the first time, through to those people who have some more detailed knowledge. If you use an alternative sound editor, you may like to purchase the training course to learn why GoldWave is streets ahead of the competitors, certainly in terms of accessibility. Put simply, despite its low price point, GoldWave is a simple, easy-to-use, accessible audio production tool, ideal for people who do not want or need to know about the more complex digital audio workstations. Read onto find out about the many features of GoldWave and what you can achieve.

What is GoldWave?

GoldWave is a highly rated, professional digital audio editor. It's fully loaded to do everything from the simplest recording and editing to the most sophisticated audio processing, restoration, enhancements, and conversions. It is easy to learn and use.

• Play your favourite songs, fast forward and rewind, or change the playback speed so as to learn a song by ear or transcribe dictation.
• Record from any source, such as microphone, line-in, turntable or audio streaming.
• Record speeches or reports, music, your own voice, Set a timer to start recording at a certain day and time. Use level activated recording to continue and pause recording automatically whenever the signal is above or below a given value.
• Edit audio with all the familiar concepts including Cut, Copy, Paste and delete.
• Apply dozens of different audio effects. Adjust bass or treble with the Equalizer. Even out volume levels with Auto Gain. Easily fade in and out background music, add echoes, reverbs, flangers, and much more. Change the pitch of your voice or make it sound mechanical. Preview effects real-time before processing them. Most effects include presets for commonly used settings so you don't have to be an audio expert.
• Remaster old vinyl or tape recordings. Use Noise Reduction and Pop/Click filters to clean up the audio and take out the buzz, hiss, crackle, and clicks.
• Includes a collection of powerful tools. For example, copy audio directly from an audio CD with the CD Reader tool.
• Contains many keyboard shortcuts for tasks which can be reassigned if necessary to suit your own tastes.
• Freely available script files provide important information required for working on projects.

What Will I Learn?

The course is divided into four sessions, each of which lasts 90 minutes. The course not only teaches you how to work with GoldWave, but also to understand important concepts such as good microphone placement, poor and excellent editing, and effective audio mixing. Topics include, but are not restricted to:

• Installing GoldWave and the accompanying script files.
• Configuring GoldWave including the settings specific to recording and playback.
• Customising GoldWave for use with screen-readers.
• Making Your first recording.
• Saving and opening files.
• Playing and navigating through the audio.
• Learning the location of the cursor in hours, minutes and seconds.
• Moving to a specific time in the audio.
• Selecting audio ready for editing.
• Playing the selected audio.
• Cut, copy, paste and delete.
• Making very small audio adjustments.
• Moving between a number of files which are open.
• Copying audio from one file to another.
• Adjusting playback speed.
• Adjusting Volume and Normalising.
• Checking the level metres.
• Cue Points and how to use them.
• Fading and Crossfading.
• Mixing voice over music.
• Creating a simple podcast intro with music, speech and sound clips.
• Creating a promotional item for radio blending songs and speech.
• Saving recordings to MP3.
• Using Effects to alter sounds in a variety of ways. Changing pitch, volume, graphic equalisation, echo and reverb, Filter.
• Noise Reduction and audio restoration.
• Swapping channels and panning.
• Using external PlugIns to enhance reverb and audio restoration.
• Extracting the content of CD's.

How Does GoldWave Compare to Other Audio Editors in Terms of Accessibility and Functionality?

Undeniably, GoldWave is an inexpensive audio production tool and so you may be forgiven for thinking that it does not offer the sophistication of higher priced products. We would suggest otherwise. Not only are many features comparable to similar products, but in terms of accessibility GoldWave outshines them.

The later versions of some of the more popular audio editors are becoming more and more challenging to work with from an accessibility standpoint. Take "Audio Ducking" as an example, the process where a person's voice can be mixed over music. Many other sound editors do not give you the flexibility and control over this process which GoldWave delivers. Superb results can be achieved in this regard when using this program. Join us and see how it is done!

Who is the Course For?

This course is suited to anyone who has an interest in creating or working with audio content. You should be familiar with how your screen-reader functions together with Windows concepts, such as how to navigate around applications.

By the end of the course, you ought to be able to carry out the simplest of recordings through to creating audio for podcasts, PowerPoint presentations or perhaps to mix together a spot or promo for broadcast on radio. You decide!

What Happens If I Do Not Have the GoldWave Software?

This is not a problem. A fully functional evaluation copy of GoldWave can be downloaded and installed, details of which will be provided to you when you sign up for the training course.

Should you decide to purchase a copy of GoldWave, a lifetime license for home use is priced $45 or alternatively $15 per year.

Links will also be provided by us for the JAWS scripts mentioned above. Additional JAWS scripting was carried out during the preparation of this course to improve accessibility and usability.

If I Purchase the Course, What Will I Receive?

The course will give to you:

• An audio recording of each lesson in MP3 format.
• Sample files which you can use in your Projects and to work with at a later date.
• Text documentation to reinforce topics covered in the lessons. This will include a comprehensive list of keystrokes so as to achieve all tasks.

Costing.

The cost of the course is £50 which is currently 62 US dollars.

Alternatively, anyone who would like to purchase the course should register their interest by sending an Email to jaws@hartgen.org, whereupon a fully accessible electronic invoice will be sent to you which can be paid through PayPal or any major credit or debit card. Orders can also be placed by telephone:

If you would like to read the views from participants of our previous courses, please Visit our Training area.

Course Prerequisites.

It is important that you have:

• Good keyboarding skills;
• A computer with an internet connection.
• JAWS for Windows or the NVDA screen-reader. Please note that our company is exclusively concerned with the JAWS for Windows screen-reader, however there is an Add-On for NVDA and GoldWave. NVDA has been tested extensively with the program and it works well. Note that the AddOn does not contain all of the functionality as provided by the JAWS scripts.
• At the very least, a microphone so as to make recordings with GoldWave, or alternatively a more sophisticated environment, such as an audio mixing console. If you do not wish to make recordings, and are content with importing audio including our samples, a microphone may not be necessary.

Summary.

Over many years, GoldWave has proven itself to be a thoroughly usable, productive audio environment in which to work. It has a large feature set, great file compatibility, and plenty of effects and tools for audio restoration. Why not give it a try and learn how to use it from a blind person's perspective! It's a Golden Opportunity!