You are here:Home Practical exercises Build your own neural speech synthesiser Record your own speech data Skills: recording speech in the studio Using the University recording studios

Using the University recording studios

The University has two recording studios available for you to use.

Step 1: read this

Studios

You will use one of the two available studios and should use the same studio to make all your recordings. The microphone and other equipment may differ between them, which will make the recordings sound different. You do not want to build a voice from data with varying recording conditions.

Recording is done by pairs of students

For recording, you need to form pairs. One of you will be the Voice Talent, and the other will be the Engineer. Then you’ll swap places. If we have an odd number of students, there might be one group of 3. We formed pairs in the first class, but if you missed out then try again in the second class (tell Simon at the start of the class that you are looking for a partner).,

Choose a studio

We need to balance the usage of the two studios. To pick your studio, inspect the available training sessions here (scroll down to see both tables, one for each studio) and select the studio with the fewest people currently signed up for training.

Step 2: book a training session

Training is done in groups of 4 (two pairs). Please try to make up full groups, so prefer slots where there are already two people signed up in the sheet.

Appleton Tower (basement room B.Z.31)

  1. Check the available training sessions here (make sure to look at the “Appleton Tower” part of this workbook)
  2. Send an email to the PPLS Studio Technician ppls.studio@ed.ac.uk with subject “Speech Synthesis training session booking request (Appleton Tower)” and include both of your names. List all the sessions that your pair is available for, in order of preference. The Studio Technician will enter your pair into the sheet above, and confirm by email.

Informatics Forum sound studios (basement room B.Z16)

  1. Check the available training sessions here (make sure to look at the “Informatics Forum” part of this workbook)
  2. Send an email to the Tutor Jinzuomu Zhong <jzhong@ed.ac.uk> with subject “Speech Synthesis training session booking request (Informatics Forum)”. List all the sessions that your pair is available for, in order of preference. The Tutor will enter your pair into the sheet above, and confirm by email.
  3. Your studio is located in the Informatics Forum, where you must sign in at reception in order to enter this building. Then proceed down the stairs which are in the middle of the atrium. Remember to sign out when you leave.

Step 3: book recording sessions

Do not book any recording sessions until you have completed the training session!

Once you are trained, you may book a recording session in your studio. In order to maximise availability of the studios for everyone, each booked session should be a maximum of 2 hours in duration. Quickly cancel any booking that you no longer require.

Appleton Tower

  1. Check availability and make a booking yourself on the PPLS Appleton Tower booking system – this requires EASE authentication
    • For Project title, write “Speech Synthesis recording”
    • For Full description, list the people who will take part in the session
    • Type: internal
    • For Email Address, write the email address of the person making the booking, in s1234567@ed.ac.uk format
    • Consent has been obtained: tick
    • For Full Name, write the name of the person making the booking
  2. Each recording pair may hold a maximum of two hours (i.e., 1 x 2-hour, or 2 x 1-hour) of future bookings at any time.

Informatics Forum

  1. Check availability on Korin’s Informatics Sound Studio booking spreadsheet (click on the “wc” tabs at the bottom for each week starting with the given Monday date).  Available slots are the empty ones. You may only use this studio between 09:00 and 17:00 on weekdays and you are only allowed to be in the building during those hours. Remember to sign in and out at reception.
  2. Email a booking request from your University email account to Korin.Richmond@ed.ac.uk with subject “Speech Synthesis recording session booking request (Informatics Forum)” in which you
    • list all the people who will take part in the session (student number + full name)
    • list possible dates/times/durations of the slot(s) you want, in order of preference
    • (don’t request times that are already booked for training, which you can see in the link above, under “Step2”)
  3. Korin will book the first available slot(s) from your list, and confirm by email
  4. Each recording pair may hold a maximum of two hours (i.e., 1 x 2-hour, or 2 x 1-hour) of future bookings at any time.