O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library Room 309A is a self-service podcast recording studio.
Dedicated to students, it is available during normal library hours. The studio has a table microphone to record 1-4 people and a computer with your choice of recording using Panopto or Audacity. It is a distraction-free setting for recording group discussions, audio presentations, and podcasts.
Use of this room by individuals or groups is by reservation for audio recording purposes only. Reserving the studio is easy and immediate. Select an available time slot and confirm by logging into the room reservation system. Your reservation will be approved and ready instantly.
Group Study Rooms and Studios are reserved for use by current students, faculty, and staff.
NOTE: The room is locked so stop by the circulation desk on 1st floor of O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library to check out the room key after making your reservations. You will need your St. Thomas ID card.
One of the advantages of the studio being situated in the library is that it is available to students during normal library hours.
The O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library provides a self-service recording space, not a full production/editing space or service.
Students should be able to reserve, set up, record, and save their work on their own. The space only provides recording capabilities and not editing. Library technical staff is not available to assist in recording or editing.
Before students show up to the studio, they should already be familiar with the software, device, and/or cloud service they use to record and store the recording.
If technical needs arise, for example, something is not working, connected properly, or broken or damaged, students using the room may contact library technical staff at (651) 962-5002. The technical staff is available during all open hours and may be able to walk you through troubleshooting over the phone or by stopping by the room.
Audacity is installed on the computer in 309A. While recording you can check your audio levels using the waveform indicator on screen. Make sure the input source is the Yeti mic.
When you are finished recording you can Export the recording as an MP3 or WAV, or, if you are planning on using Audacity to edit your project, save the project. Projects and audio files may be saved to your St. Thomas Office 365 One Drive account, another cloud provider, or your own USB drive.
View a video with instructions on using Audacity (9 minutes)
Panopto is integrated into Canvas and provides a streaming and sharing solution for your course assignments. You can upload edited files into Panopto or record directly to Panopto's cloud-based system.
Tips on using Panopto in the library studios
The room is equipped with a table-top microphone designed to capture discussion all around the table. There are multiple settings allowing it to be optimized for one person, two people, or more.
If you are recording on your own, you may wish to angle the mic towards you. If there are multiple people in the room you will want to make sure the microphone is in a vertical, upright, position.
You will want to turn off the speakers while recording.
While there are speakers in the room for you to check levels before you record, headphones are not provided. If you wish to bring your own headphones you can plug them into the 3.5mm jack on the front of the computer or underside of the microphone.
Adobe Audition is available on four computers (2 Macs, 2 PCs) on the 1st Floor computer lab in O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library, and two computers (1 Mac, 1 PC) in Keffer Library. You will need to save your work to a USB drive, One Drive, or other cloud storage solution before leaving the studio. (You can download original MP3/MP4s from Panopto) More info
If you would like to perform additional/more advanced edits than what you have time for in the studio, the library has four computers with Adobe Audition available in the lab on the first floor of O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library.
Come prepared to talk about your topic and have an outline of main talking points. While you don't need to be scripted, you should be familiar with the topic you are going to discuss.
Before you arrive to record, have a conversation about what you will be discussing. Discuss it with a friend, a roommate, or family member. While this isn't a rehearsal, it will get you thinking about the topic and ready to talk about it. Think of it as training.
When you arrive, but before you turn on the mic, begin developing a rapport with your co-hosts. Don't start off cold. If you are by yourself, just pretend you're talking to an audience, or someone on the phone. Talk about anything, your walk over to the library, your last test, a favorite place to eat--even if no one is there.
Open the program you will be recording with, make sure the proper mic is selected, and start talking as you watch audio level indicators either on screen or as LEDs near the mic. "Test, test, test" is a good one. Say your name. Then hit record, do another test, talk for a few seconds, stop, play it back, and make sure it is picking up your audio well.
Now you're ready! Smile, hit record, pause for 3 seconds, and then begin! Have a conversation! When you are done pause for 3 seconds, then press Stop.