Audio Recordings

[Norayr Hajian]

I'm wondering what people use for audio recordings of services. I just recently downloade and tried Audacity Sound Recorder and it seems to work just fine (especially since it is free). Any other recommendations?

[G R 'Scott' Cundiff]

We have talked about Audacity here before, so I know a few are using it. (Just do a search for Audacity to find the posts). We use it, and it works fine. Just be sure you get the lame mp3 plug in so you can save to mp3.

Once you do that, you can put the file on your website. Don't put a link directly to the file. Instead, create a text .asx file and link to it.

So it is web page links to an .asx file which links to the mp3 file.

That way people will listen to the sermon as streaming audio rather than as a file download.

The format of an .asx file looks something like this:


<Asx Version = "3.0" >
<Title >AlvinNazarene.org</Title>
<Param Name = "AllowShuffle" Value = "yes" />
<Entry>
<Param Name = "Bitrate" Value = "24000" />
<Duration value = "00:00:0.000" />
<Param Name = "FileSize" Value = "2547" />
<Param Name = "Is_Protected" Value = "False" />
<Param Name = "Is_Trusted" Value = "false" />
<Param Name = "IsVBR" Value = "False" />
<Param Name = "MediaType" Value = "audio" />
<Param Name = "SourceURL" Value = "http://www.alvinnazarene.org/ra/a-new-heart.mp3" />
<Title >AlvinNazarene.org</Title>
<Param Name = "type" Value = "broadcast" />
<Param Name = "WMFSDKNeeded" Value = "0.0.0.0000" />
<Param Name = "WMFSDKVersion" Value = "9.00.00.3250" />
<Param Name = "WMS_CONTENT_DESCRIPTION_PLAYLIST_ENTRY_URL" Value = "/" />
<Param Name = "WMS_CONTENT_DESCRIPTION_SERVER_BRANDING_INFO" Value = "WMServer/9.1" />
<Param Name = "WMServerVersion" Value = "9.1" />
<ref href= "http://www.alvinnazarene.org/ra/a-new-heart.mp3" />
</Entry>
</Asx>

If you can't get the .asx file to working, or if you want people to be able to listen with an .mp3 player like Winamp, put a second link to a text file that only has one line in it, the url of the .mp3 file.

You can see this in action on our church website:
www.alvinnazarene.org (http://www.alvinnazarene.org)

Good luck!

EDITED to correct a missing character in the code.

[Norayr Hajian]

This is fairly new to me. I created an ASX file, pretty much copied the one you gave me and changed the file names, etc. I left all the values the same (mostly because I don't understand them). I managed to create a proper link on my web site. But when the web site runs the ASX file I get the following message:

Windows Media Player cannot play the file. The file is either corrupt or the Player does not support the format you are trying to play.

Obviously, I'm doing something wrong. I know the MP3 file is valid, as I've run it directly off my computer.

[G R 'Scott' Cundiff]

I am not sure what level of control you have on your website, but the mime settings have to include recognition of .asx files and yours may not.

The alternative is to create the one line .pls file.

The drawback is that people have to have an mp3 player installed on their computer to use .pls -- with the .asx file any fairly current version of Windows Media player will work.

Give the .pls approach a try and see what happens.


This is fairly new to me. I created an ASX file, pretty much copied the one you gave me and changed the file names, etc. I left all the values the same (mostly because I don't understand them). I managed to create a proper link on my web site. But when the web site runs the ASX file I get the following message:

Windows Media Player cannot play the file. The file is either corrupt or the Player does not support the format you are trying to play.
Obviously, I'm doing something wrong. I know the MP3 file is valid, as I've run it directly off my computer.

[Norayr Hajian]

I am pretty certain that the .asx file is being recognized, the web link does access it and try to run it. At first I had tried the link and .asx file on my computer locally. Then I uploaded it to our web site and now I get the following message when I click on the link:
The source filter for this file could not be loaded.

If you like, you can try it at our web site (it is a simple site - I've been using computers for 20 years, but this is the first for a web site). It is at: www.whitehorsenazarene.org. You'll see the "test" link at the very bottom of the home page.

I am not sure what level of control you have on your website, but the mime settings have to include recognition of .asx files and yours may not.

The alternative is to create the one line .pls file.

As for the .pls file - I'm afraid I have no idea what that is :confused:

[G R 'Scott' Cundiff]

I get the same error.

Question: did you upload the .mp3 file in binary mode? If not, that may be the problem.

Now, on .pls files. Just create a one line text file that points to the .mp3 file. Like this:

http://www.mywebsite.com/sermons/mysermon.mp3

Upload the file to the server, then link to it.

If you get a similar error, the problem is probably the mp3 file itself.



I am pretty certain that the .asx file is being recognized, the web link does access it and try to run it. At first I had tried the link and .asx file on my computer locally. Then I uploaded it to our web site and now I get the following message when I click on the link:The source filter for this file could not be loaded.
If you like, you can try it at our web site (it is a simple site - I've been using computers for 20 years, but this is the first for a web site). It is at: www.whitehorsenazarene.org (http://www.whitehorsenazarene.org). You'll see the "test" link at the very bottom of the home page.



As for the .pls file - I'm afraid I have no idea what that is :confused:

[Norayr Hajian]

I'm afraid I do not know which mode I uploaded the mp3 file. I just copied it with the ftp transfer like I do all my other files.

For the .pls file, I created one with the following line in it:
http://www.whitehorsenazarene.org/test.mp3

And in my web page, I put the following code:

<a href="test.pls" target="display">Test MP3 with a pls file</a>

The test.mp3 file and the test.pls file are both in the root folder of my web site files. But I get a "this page cannot be found" error :-(

Question: did you upload the .mp3 file in binary mode? If not, that may be the problem.

Now, on .pls files. Just create a one line text file that points to the .mp3 file.

[G R 'Scott' Cundiff]

You are almost there, you just didn't create the text file.

Make a text file that has one line in it:

http://www.whitehorsenazarene.org/test.mp3

Name the text file "test.pls"

Upload it and you are in business.


I'm afraid I do not know which mode I uploaded the mp3 file. I just copied it with the ftp transfer like I do all my other files.


For the .pls file, I created one with the following line in it:http://www.whitehorsenazarene.org/test.mp3

And in my web page, I put the following code:
<a href="test.pls" target="display">Test MP3 with a pls file</a>

The test.mp3 file and the test.pls file are both in the root folder of my web site files. But I get a "this page cannot be found" error :-(

[Norayr Hajian]

I'm afraid that's exactly what I had done. One file named test.pls with one line in it. I must be missing something.

Make a text file that has one line in it:

http://www.whitehorsenazarene.org/test.mp3

Name the text file "test.pls"

Upload it and you are in business.

[G R 'Scott' Cundiff]

Be sure that you have made a file named test.pls and uploaded it to your server. Getting a page not found error indicates that it is not in the directory of the server.
http://www.whitehorsenazarene.org/test.pls

I don't know who is hosting your page, but if you are sure you uploaded it (and the .asx file too) it is my guess that the server is not set up to recoginize pls and asx. You might want to contact them and tell them what you are wanting to do and ask if the "mime settings" on your server are set for those types of files.

Let me know how it goes.



I'm afraid that's exactly what I had done. One file named test.pls with one line in it. I must be missing something.

[Norayr Hajian]

Well, I didn't manage to set up streaming audio with either a .pls file or an .asx file. However, when I put a straight link to the mp3 file, it seems to open properly with Windows Media Player (at least on my computer). Would you (Scott, or anybody else) mind giving it a try? There is a link to "Audio Recordings" on our home page: www.whitehorsenazarene.org or more directly, www.whitehorsenazarene.org/audio.html.

I notice on many web sites, users have the choice of listening with either Real Player or Media Player. I think mine will only open with Media Player (at least, as it now stands).

[G R 'Scott' Cundiff]

I created an asx file to that sermon and tried it locally. It works fine. See if you can upload and link to it:


<Asx Version = "3.0" >
<Title >WhitehorseNazarene.org
</Title>
<Param Name = "AllowShuffle" Value = "yes" />
<Entry>
<Param Name = "Bitrate" Value = "24000" />
<Duration value = "00:00:0.000" />
<Param Name = "FileSize" Value = "2547" />
<Param Name = "Is_Protected" Value = "False" />
<Param Name = "Is_Trusted" Value = "false" />
<Param Name = "IsVBR" Value = "False" />
<Param Name = "MediaType" Value = "audio" />
<Param Name = "SourceURL" Value = "http://www.whitehorsenazarene.org/audio/2006-02-26%20sermon.mp3" />
<Title >WhitehorseNazarene.org
</Title>
<Param Name = "type" Value = "broadcast" />
<Param Name = "WMFSDKNeeded" Value = "0.0.0.0000" />
<Param Name = "WMFSDKVersion" Value = "9.00.00.3250" />
<Param Name = "WMS_CONTENT_DESCRIPTION_PLAYLIST_ENTRY_URL" Value = "/" />
<Param Name = "WMS_CONTENT_DESCRIPTION_SERVER_BRANDING_INFO" Value = "WMServer/9.1" />
<Param Name = "WMServerVersion" Value = "9.1" />
<ref href= "http://www.whitehorsenazarene.org/audio/2006-02-26%20sermon.mp3" />
</Entry>
</Asx>

[Norayr Hajian]

Wonderful! The .asx file works just fine. Thank you so much. I left both versions on the web site for now. The first one is a link straight to the mp3 file. It works on my two XP systems, but not on my sons Win 2000 system. However, the link I created to the .asx file works on both mine and my sons computer. So obviously, there is a benefit to using the .asx file (although, I have yet to learn all this). Like I said before, this web business is new - but we're coming along! Thank you for your help.

[G R 'Scott' Cundiff]

I think it is my fault that the first effort didn't work for you - I left the very first "<" off when I copied and pasted, so the browser didn't recognize it as an .asx file.

Glad you have it going now though! Fantastic.


Wonderful! The .asx file works just fine. Thank you so much. I left both versions on the web site for now. The first one is a link straight to the mp3 file. It works on my two XP systems, but not on my sons Win 2000 system. However, the link I created to the .asx file works on both mine and my sons computer. So obviously, there is a benefit to using the .asx file (although, I have yet to learn all this). Like I said before, this web business is new - but we're coming along! Thank you for your help.