Q1 - What are the main steps for recording a voice message?

Q2 - What is DC offset and what does it do?

Q3 - Is it possible to produce 64-KB m-law or A-law messages with the Sound Forge Tool?

Q4 - Can I convert Dialog IVR messages to Intervoice messages?

Q5 - When should I use the Intra-message Gain Leveling preset?

Q6 - When I installed the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 sound card, why did the software disable the Windows volume control on my system?

Q7 - How do I turn off the Automatic Gain Control (AGC) on my sound card?

Q8 - When is the best time to normalize the volume so that it matches the messages already on the system?

Q9 - When I am converting messages to the Intervoice ADPCM format, what filtering or optimization is necessary for the telephony network?

Q10 - I have heard that the CRVoice2 utility fixes the pops and clicks in messages. Is this a result of making sure the message is in 4-byte increments, or does something else resolve this problem? And what does the CRVoice2 utility do?

Q11 - The microphone mount will not attach to the microphone base. How do I assemble the microphone mount to the microphone stand?

Q12 - I have Sound Forge version 7, but I can’t seem to locate the Batch Converter.  How can I obtain the Batch Converter?

Q1:    What are the main steps for recording a voice message?

A:      They are:

1. Set the volume level.

2. Run the noise floor test (Sound Forge only).

3. Record the messages.

4. Using a batch conversion tool and batch file (Sound Forge only), convert the message files.

5. Rename the files using the CRVoice2 utility (InterSoft IQTalk messages only).

6. Move the voice files to the Intervoice runtime system.

Q2:    What is DC offset and what does it do?

A:      DC offset is the average vertical offset from 0 dB of the recorded waveform. This is normally visible only in silent sections of the waveform. Most sound cards have some DC offset when you are recording. Usually you cannot see this offset unless you expand the vertical gain nearly to the limit and look into a silent portion of the recorded waveform.

Virtually all sound cards have some DC offset. DC offset can cause problems in compressing voice files using the Intervoice ADPCM format. It also causes errors when you are trying to measure the noise floor of a recording. A preset to remove DC offset is found in the Intervoice example batch files for Sound Forge and in the Vox Studio Batch Conversion tool.

Q3:    Is it possible to produce 64-KB m-law or A-law messages with the Sound Forge Tool?

A:      Yes. Before you can save a Sound Forge file as an Intervoice 64-KB message, you must make sure the file is sampled at exactly 8.0 KHz. If the file is not sampled at 8 KHz, you must resample the message to change the sample rate to 8 KHz.

Q4:    Can I convert Dialog IVR messages to Intervoice messages?

A:      Yes. Open the Dialogic messages in Sound Forge or Vox Studio, resample them to 8 KHz (if they are not already), and save as an .ivc file. You can save the file as an Intervoice format 24-KB, 32-KB, or 64-KB, µ-law or A-law message, depending on the Save As format option you select.

Q5:    When should I use the Intra-message Gain Leveling preset?

A:      The Intra-message Gain Leveling preset is intended to be used only for a specific poorly recorded single message where the voice talent’s dynamics are too wide. This usually occurs if the voice talent leans too close and then too far away from the microphone while recording a single message. So, if a specific single message has passages that are too soft, while other parts of the same message are too loud, you can use this preset to level the audio within that message.

Note This preset will not equalize the level of a group of messages. The Normalize preset, included in the utilities package, performs this function.

Q6:    When I installed the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 sound card, why did the software disable the Windows volume control on my system?

A:      This is not an error or problem. Once the sound card is installed, the volume is controlled through the Midiman Audio Buddy preamplifier.

Q7:    How do I turn off the Automatic Gain Control (AGC) on my sound card?

A:      The AGC that is on many sound cards must be turned off for any Intervoice voice message recordings. Unfortunately, Creative Labs turns on the AGC on all of their sound cards (except the AWE Gold) by default. You can turn off AGC only by using the Creative mixer applet that comes with the Sound Blaster card in the application software package (ctmix32.exe).

To turn off the AGC:

1. Install Creative Labs Audio Mixer applet (ctmix32.exe).

2. Start ctmix32.exe.

3. Right-click the mixer face.

4. Select the Input/Output settings.

5. Deselect Automatic Gain Control.

Note Do not make recordings with the AGC enabled. The AGC can cause background noise as well as clicks and pops in the final recording.

Q8:    When is the best time to normalize the volume so that it matches the messages already on the system?

A:      The messages should be saved in 11,025 KHz, 16-bit, monophonic, linear .wav format and recorded as loud as possible without clipping. At the subsequent processing, it can be performed using the Batch Converter. Generally, reducing the volume of the message is one of the last steps before compressing the .wav files into the InterSoft runtime format.

Q9:    When I am converting messages to the Intervoice ADPCM format, what filtering or optimization is necessary for the telephony network?

A:      Refer to the appropriate Sound Forge or Vox Studio documentation for the post-processing steps for converting a .wav file to InterSoft .ivc file format. The most critical step for voice clarity is equalization. By using the parametric equalization function in the batch conversion tool, you can change the low frequency cutoff of the recorded voice and significantly change the clarity of the voice over the phone.

Most customers find that they can achieve their voice quality requirements by modifying the low-shelf frequency of the paragraphic EQ step. Usually they raise the low-shelf to between 200 and 300 MHz for improved clarity. You may find that a modification of the high-shelf parameter also will improve some types of voices. Optionally, you can boost a small portion of the audio spectrum centered at 800 Hz a few decibels to get extra voice clarity.

Do not attempt to improve the voice by boosting the bass. While this may seem improved on a hi-fi speaker, the voice quality does not work well over a phone handset. The primary information carrying bandwidth of the human voice is between 400 and 2000 Hz, and boosting frequencies outside of this range actually lowers the listener’s comprehension.

Q10:  I have heard that the CRVoice2 utility fixes the pops and clicks in messages. Is this a result of making sure the message is in 4-byte increments, or does something else resolve this problem? And what does the CRVoice2 utility do?

A:      The Sound Forge and Vox Studio batch conversion tools create InterSoft .ivc files with the correct byte count lengths. If you convert your .wav message masters using these tools, you will not have problems with pops caused by message length.

Other wave editors do not process or compress the message files correctly and should not be used to create InterSoft .ivc files. Other editors can be used to record the .wav master files, but only the Sound Forge or Vox Studio batch conversion tools can convert them.

The CRVoice2 utility checks the message length, and corrects it when necessary. However, it should not be used for that purpose, because it does not perform the other operations on the .wav files that the batch conversion tools do.

The CRVoice2 utility is used strictly to rename the .ivc files to m.### for InterSoft runtime systems.

Q11:  The microphone mount will not attach to the microphone base. How do I assemble the microphone mount to the microphone stand?

A:      Make sure you have the following hardware:

·   Microphone

·   Microphone mount and base

·   Penny

To assemble the microphone:

1. Remove the equipment from the packaging.

2. Using a penny, remove the gold-plated screw from the microphone mount.

3. Assemble the microphone base.

4. Attach the microphone mount to the top of the microphone base.

5. Insert the microphone into the microphone mount.

6. Save the gold-plated screw with the packaging for later use.

Q12:  I have Sound Forge version 7, but I can’t seem to locate the Batch Converter.  How can I obtain the Batch Converter?

A:      Sound Forge 7 does not include the Batch Converter that is required to easily edit multiple messages. Intervoice provides a licensed Batch Converter for use with Sound Forge 7 (Intervoice Part Number 81001425). Another option is to purchase Sound Forge version 8, which includes the Batch Converter. Contact your Intervoice Sales Representative for more information. 

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