hyperlinking timecoded audio data in dictionaries

[Nicholas Thieberger]

Downsampling to MP3 from wav won't change the timecodes, providing
that the MP3 codec (the algorithm used to downsample) uses a linear
and not random encoding. Its specifications should say that it
produces a linear MP3 file.

Copying digital files always results in the copy and the original
being identical, that is one of the advantages of recording
digitally. And so a master (archival and citable) audio file is the
same as its copies, and they can be downsampled and transcribed and
the transcript will also relate to the master copy. Making edited
copies can lead to problems if you then invest effort into timecoding
transcripts to files that are not archival and citable.

I had exactly this problem with my own tapes, and still have a number
of files where the citable version has different timecodes to the
version I have been working with. It will take a little effort to
realign my current transcripts to the archival version.

Nick Thieberger


At 1:35 PM +1000 13/8/04, Pascale Jacq wrote:
>[....]
>
>Final Questions:
>A further concern which emerged when I thought about downsampling to
>MP3 was: Would the time coding change from the original WAV format?
>The aim of archiving linguistic data is to make it consistent,
>durable, catalogued and thus easily accessible (always back to the
>original source) in the future by those to whom the speakers allow
>data access.
>I've already had the experience of a DAT tape 'drop out' of 23
>seconds in the digitisation process. Luckily the Master copy kept at
>AIATSIS had these 23 seconds of material and they could make a 'red
>book' copy for our use. However, I noticed that the time coding of
>the first Master CD we had was now one second out from the 'red
>book' copy (in addition to the 23 seconds) and thus I wonder if any
>copy made from the original Master would not share the same time
>coding?
>
>This is a serious issue to consider if we are to use hyperlinks to
>audio recordings, and I'd appreciate any advice, comments or similar
>experiences you may have.

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