Do you need to develop an e-learning course in Studio ’13 that incorporates audio? If you do, then you’ll be super excited about the many audio features in Studio ’13 that make the recording process simple.

Tip 1: Use the Built-In Recorder

Studio ’13 makes it really easy to record the audio for your course directly in PowerPoint. There’s no need for additional software; everything you need to add audio to your course is there for you.

Simply decide which slides need narration, and you can type out your narration text directly in the Notes section of the slide. From the Articulate tab on the ribbon, simply select Options and under Other you can set your Recording options to make sure that the Notes pane is displayed on the narration window. When you have everything on one screen, it helps make the recording process smoother.

If you’d like a few additional tips on how to improve the sound of your audio recordings, check out Record Better Audio with an Affordable Do It Yourself Sound Booth.

Tip 2: Import Existing Audio Files

Have you ever had to create or update an e-learning course where you had to re-use existing audio files? If you have to use existing assets, you can easily import those audio files into Studio ’13.

To add an audio file, simply click Import Audio on the Articulate tab on the ribbon, then select the audio file you’d like to import. Articulate Studio ’13 is compatible with over half a dozen audio formats (including .MP3 and .WAV). You can even import multiple audio files at once and use a Narration Import Order window to easily assign each audio file to its corresponding slide. This can be a huge time-saver!

Tip 3: Modify Audio Clips

Let’s say you’ve recorded or imported some audio clips and you want to make a few edits to them. Simply open the Audio Editor in Studio ’13, where you can:

  • Add a new recording to the audio file to replace some or all of the existing file
  • Cut, copy, and paste sections of an audio clip
  • Delete or remove some sections of an audio clip
  • Add silence to the audio clip
  • Raise or lower the volume of the audio clip

I love the Audio Editor because it’s super easy to use, yet gives me a lot of control over the audio in my projects. If you haven’t done so yet, try it out sometime!

Tip 4: Split an Audio File Across Multiple Slides

Let’s say you’ve got one audio file that contains the narration for your entire e-learning course. Will you need third-party audio-editing software to split the file? Nope! You can actually split an audio file easily using the Audio Editor.

First, open your audio file in the Audio Editor. When you reach the point where you want the narration to end for a specific slide, click the Pause button. Then click the Set Next Slide button on the Audio Editor ribbon. The slide marker for the next slide will move back to the point on the playhead where it is paused, which will split the audio files for you.

Hopefully these four tips will help you see how simple it can be to record and add your own custom audio to your Studio ’13 projects. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for more helpful articles every day!

Want to try something you learned here, but don't have Articulate software? Download a free 30-day trialand come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any comments, please share them below.

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Rachel Leigh