Second Life Wiki - User contributions [en]

Voice recording

2009-08-11T07:13:00Z

Radar Masukami: /* Guides */

{{Help|Communication=*|Multimedia=*}}
[[User:Torley_Linden|Torley Linden]] started this to share '''how to record voice chat in Second Life'''. This page will become more useful with additional knowledge, so please share your experiences too.

== Easy video tutorial ==
Watch this first, then read on for more details!

<videoflash>LylShCJklJI</videoflash>

You can also [http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/06/21/record-voice-chat-and-sounds-video-tip-of-the-week-39 see the accompanying blog post].

== First steps ==
The first key thing you'll want to check is if your computer's sound card can also record the sounds it's playing. There are a lot of variations across systems, but '''the option to do this is commonly called "What U Hear" (on [http://www.soundblaster.com/ Creative Sound Blasters]) or "Stereo Mix" (on Realtek, C-Media, and others)'''. Check your computer's manuals to find out which sound card you have.

I'm (Torley) on a PC running Windows XP with [http://torley.com/how-to-boost-the-mic-volume-on-your-realtek-audio-codec Realtek] onboard sound, and I can enable this by going to Control Panel > Realtek HD Sound Effect Manager. In the bottom section, "Record", it appears as "Stereo Mix":

[[Image:Torley-Realtek-settings.png|256px]]

If you don't see "Stereo Mix" on a Realtek setup, try clicking the Wrench icon under the "Record" white text. A "Mixer ToolBox" window should come up that allows you to check "Stereo Mix" on, like this:

[[Image:Stereo_mix.png|256px]]

'''IMPORTANT:''' If you don't see "Stereo Mix" or "What U Hear" and your hardware supports it, you may need to manually show it. Here are some pointers:

* If you're on Windows Vista, [http://www.roemersoftware.com/vista-recording-problem.html see this general guide to enabling "Stereo Mix"].

* [http://www.mymusictools.com/articles/how-to-record-skype-calls.htm Here's another guide] showing a Sound Blaster card on Windows Vista — focus on the part where it mentions "Stereo Mix"/"What U Hear".

* Also for Sound Blasters on Windows XP, [http://matt.fowler.googlepages.com/skypetosam see this].

* [http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=%22what+u+hear%22+%22stereo+mix%22&btnG=Search+Images Search Google Images] to find pictures of setups similar to yours.

* '''[http://torley.com/how-to-record-mic-and-speakers-on-vista-with-realtek How to record mic AND speakers on Vista with Realtek]''' - Related info by Torley.

Also notice the "Mic Volume" control. If you want to record yourself speaking, you'll also need to turn this on so your headset input (''your'' voice stream in Second Life) can be recorded.

''Note:'' This isn't true for all systems, but on some (including mine), other speakers hear confusing echo/feedback when "Stereo Mix" is on and you're talking at the same time. But, your final output should sound ''fine'', so if they can put up with it and tolerate the weirdness, you can get great results.

== Record ==
A standard sound editor will do. If you don't have a preference, I recommend checking out the free, cross-platform '''[http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Audacity]'''. While considerably pricier, I like '''[http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/products/soundforgefamily.asp Sony Sound Forge]'''. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Audio_editors Other editors are listed here.]

* Log into Second Life and go to Edit menu > Preferences > Audio & Video tab.

* Move the "Master" slider to maximum (all the way to the right). Adjust the other sliders as desired, e.g., if you don't want User Interface sounds playing while you're recording, move it to the left. You may also want to mute/quit other sound-playing programs on your computer, because those sounds get recorded, too.

* '''Do a test run before the actual event(s) you want to record begins. Go inworld and, if using voice chat on-site would be disruptive, test with some friends in another region. I can't emphasize this enough''', you'll screw yourself over and be thoroughly frustrated if you didn't prepare — it's happened to me, learn from my mistakes!

''Note:'' You may have to also adjust your computer's overall (not Second Life) volume slider to get a good balance where the sound is coming through loud enough but not clipping.

Second Life's voice chat doesn't have dynamic levelers and it's easy to accidentally have your mic "too hot", so there's a likely chance something ''will'' clip if it gets too loud. Don't worry too much about this — as long as most of the signal is under and within the 0-12 dB [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headroom headroom] range, you'll be good.

Also make sure in Preferences > Voice Chat tab, "Enable voice chat" is on, and obviously, you must be able to hear voice inworld.

'''Set to record at 44.1 kHz, 16-bit, in stereo.''' 22.05 kHz in mono is reasonable if you're willing to lose high frequencies and some spatialization (e.g., you can hear voices coming from different directions inworld). When you're done, save it as the sound editor's native format (Audacity uses [http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=files&i=aup AUP], or a WAV file.

When all that's done... ''push the record button!''

Give focus to your sound editor so Second Life's in the background. If you hear voice chat and other sounds, you should also see bars moving and/or a live-updated waveform (Audacity shows both), indicating that audio is indeed being recorded.

== Edit & encode ==
Trim silence from the beginnings and end to tighten up the recording.

With Audacity and most sound-editing programs, you'll also have effects you can apply. Audacity's aren't the greatest, but they are relatively straightforward and free. As you get more advanced, you'll discover some the best tools on the market are [http://www.kvraudio.com/ VST plugins], which [http://audacityteam.org/vst/ Audacity can support]. The most important effects to look for are:

* '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_reduction Noise reduction]''' - If there's a lot of hiss/hum, you can clean it up. Noise removal tools often take a "fingerprint" so they can reduce the noise from those frequencies and leave the rest untouched. In Audacity, use Effect menu > Noise removal.

* '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_range_compression Dynamic compression]''' - Evens out the volume. If you've ever wondered why voices (and music) on the radio sounds so level and rich, it's because the peaks (loud parts) have been lowered so the overall amplitude is more balanced. Don't overcompress, though; some dynamics are important for a vital, engaging sound that isn't "flat". In Audacity, use Effect menu > Compressor.

* '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limiting Limiting]''' - Digital recordings can go up to 0 dB, but no higher — clipped peaks result in nasty digital distortion. Limiting boosts the overall volume but prevents peaks from going over 0 dB, and is different from dynamic compression, but often used in combination. In Audacity, the closest thing is Effect menu > Amplify.

Optionally, especially if you're looking to spice things up for a podcast, you may want to use a touch of '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverb reverb]''', which adds ambience and presence. Don't overdo it — a little reverb goes a long way towards making disparate voices sound as if they're in the same space.

If you're new, '''make a backup''' of your original recording and experiment with those effects — you don't want to accidentally save over your original and have no way to restore it!

Then, you're ready to encode.

Longer audio recordings tend to be fairly large (a minute of 44.1 kHz, 16-bit, stereo sound is about 10 MB), so encoding to MP3 or another efficient format can help preserve most of the perceptible quality while delivering a smaller filesize. This is also useful for transporting your recordings, whether it's sending them as an email attachment or putting them on a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_flash_drive USB flash drive] to share with colleagues.

There's a lot of pay-for crap encoders out there — you don't need 'em. I like '''[http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/ CDex]''' a lot — it can use the high-quality LAME engine (other choices are available if you know better).

I usually go with these settings:

[[Image:Torley-CDex-settings.png|256px]]

You can go even lower to save further space, like '''64 kbps in mono which is fine for just about any podcast where stereo isn't needed'''. Audiobooks are known to be encoded @ 32 kbps in mono and still sound coherent. It depends on your needs: experiment, trust your ears, and learn what works best for you.

If you're confused by tinkering around, '''[http://www.apple.com/itunes/ iTunes]''' can encode to MP3s and also do [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4a M4As], another format which aren't as popular as MP3s (but by no means obscure), and has easy quality settings.

== Upload ==
This can be done in a number of ways: perhaps the most easiest is via email attachment or a [http://lifehacker.com/388284/best-online-file-sharing-services file sharing service], but if you have a webserver, you can [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ftp FTP] it. You could also upload it to '''[http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/06/17/play-your-own-radio-station-with-mediamaster/ MediaMaster]''' and stream it on your land in Second Life.

== More tips 'n' tricks ==
* Encourage other Residents to '''turn down their mic levels at the source''' so the voice waves over their head aren't frequently turning red — that's clipping, and even if you dial them down on your side via Active Participants, you'll hear ugly audio distortion. That clipping needs to be prevented ''before'' the sound gets streamed through Second Life's voice servers to you.

* Record speakers at a distance by '''setting "Hear Voice Chat" to "From camera position"''' in Preferences > Voice Chat tab. Speakers at big events can be somewhat far from the audience, and this allows you to make them louder by camscanning (moving the camera closer) without having to barge up on stage. (Like first life, doing so is rather rude!) Also see "[http://support.secondlife.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=4417&task=knowledge&questionID=5213 How far does my voice carry?]"

* If you don't want to be heard (it can be embarrassing if you leave your mic on and are eating), make sure you're using "Push-to-Talk" mode.

* '''Ensure your hard drive has plenty of free space before you start recording.''' It's a sad thing to have a recording abruptly stop because you ran out. Hard drives are cheap, and you're thrifty like Torley, you can search [http://torley.com/7-fantastic-deal-sites-thatll-save-you-money bargain sites] for deals.

== Related resources ==
=== [[Voice_recording/Legal_issues|Legal issues]] ===

=== Guides ===
* '''Voice chat [http://support.secondlife.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=4417&task=knowledge&questionID=4536 Knowledge Base articles] and [https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Video_Tutorials#VOICE_CHAT Video Tutorials]''' - Learn all about voice chat in Second Life.

* '''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0CEveHXUIE How To Record Second Life Voice on a Mac video tutorial]''' - By Nick Wilson.

* '''[http://www.google.com/cse?cx=001010425210852223575%3Ajldmgpuier0&ie=UTF-8&q=record+voice&sa=Search "How to record voice chat" posts from the SLED list]''' - Assorted tips 'n' tricks.

*'''[http://radarmasukami.com/2009/08/sound-effects-through-sl-voice-on-your-mac/ Sound Effects Through SL Voice on Your Mac]''' - Piping audio clips from your Mac into SL through your avatar's voice.

=== Programs ===
If your computer ''doesn't'' have "Stereo Mix" or "What U Hear", you'll likely need to use one of these programs to capture the entire sound stream.

* '''[http://rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/ Audio Hijack Pro] (US$32, Mac)''' - If you're on a Mac, this is a popular app to get the job done.

* '''[http://www.nch.com.au/soundtap/index.html SoundTap] (~US$20, Windows)''' - Joe Linden finds this very simple to use.

* '''[http://www.highcriteria.com/ Total Recorder] (~US$18 for standard edition, Windows)''' - Has a lot of [http://www.totalrecorder.com/features.htm extra features].

* '''[http://www.ubercaster.com/ Ubercaster] (~US$80, Mac)''' - Chiyo Linden and some Residents have recommended this.

* '''[http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/wiretap/ WireTap Studio] (US$69, Mac)''' - Some say this is an even easier way to record on a Mac.

* '''[http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/wta/ WireTap Anywhere] (US$129, Mac)''' - This application can route sound sources to other applications, so you could use this to record SL audio directly into something like Garageband or Soundtrack Pro.

Podcasts

2009-07-26T21:57:35Z

Radar Masukami: /* SL Communities */

This is a catalog of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting podcasts] produced by Second Life residents.

Residents with Podcasts are strongly encouraged to add their own to the list.

==Education and Science==

* [http://meetscottloscorbal.blogspot.com/ Meet Scottlo Scorbal] by Scottlo Scorbal
* [http://www.rezed.org/ Rez Ed] by Sasha Barab
* [http://www.sciencefriday.com/ Science Friday] by Ira Flatow
* [http://www.thenakedscientists.com/ The Naked Scientists] by Dr. Chris Smith and colleagues, in the [http://slurl.com/secondlife/SciLands/102/129/26 SciLands sim] on Sundays at 10:00 AM Pacific Time

==Music==

* [http://alternativeclassix.com/ Alternative Classix] by Ribbons Whitfield and Tarsis Korobase
* [http://audiogumshoe.com Audio Gumshoe] by Rich DeSoto
* [http://beatchicks.com/ Beatchicks] by Hope Clary and TheDiva Rockin
* [http://richpalmer.com/blogsviewsandblues/ Blogs, Views, and Blues] by Rich DeSoto
* [http://www.anjibee.com/ Chillcast] by Anji Riel
* [http://guydavid.com/ Night Guy] by Bluesmoke Hextall
* [http://spartacusroosevelt.com/ Spartacus Roosevelt] by Spartacus Roosevelt

==News==

* [http://copperrobot.com/ Copper Robot] by Mitch Wagner
* [http://slpodcast.net/coverart/metanews.png Metanews Daily] by Gomem Desoto and Stuart Warf

==Literary and Storytelling==

* [http://podcasting.isfullofcrap.com/ 100 Word Stories] by Crap Mariner - Daily microfiction, with a weekly challenge open to other storytellers on a selected topic.
* [http://www.crescentstation.net/ Crescent] by PR Lovenkraft
* [http://dalejarvis.blogspot.com Dale Jarvis - Storyteller] by Gilbert Sapwood
* [http://yxes.libsyn.com/ Fantasy and Fairytales] by Yxes Delacroix
* [http://thebookstacks.org/off-the-shelf/ Off The Shelf] by Kghia Gherardi and Simeon Beresford

==Personal==

* [http://blacktiemartiniclub.com Black Tie Martini Club] by CalebBullen Balut
* [http://daphneabernathy.com/ Daphne's Random Thoughts] by Daphne Abernathy
* [http://gomemshow.libsyn.com/ Gomem Show] by Gomem DeSoto
* [http://rezzedandconfused.com Rezzed and Confused] by Itazura Radio
* [http://metaverseinaminute.com Metaverse in a Minute] by Radar Masukami
* [http://www.crescentstation.net/ Phil Rossi Podcast] by PR Lovenkraft
* [http://www.pizzababe.com/ Pizzababe] by Jenny Shackle

==Discussion==

* [http://the-broad-cast.com/ The Broad Cast] by TheDiva Rockin, Kat Glimmer, Peaches Berchot
* [http://brooklyniswatching.com/ Brooklyn is Watching] by Nebulosus Severine and Bettina Tizzy
* [http://diamondsandrust.libsyn.com/ Diamonds and Rust] by Keeme Brown and Nika Dreamscape
* [http://divebarradio.libsyn.com/ Dive Bar Radio] by Banana Stein
* [http://www.podmafia.com/ Podmafia] by Gomem DeSoto, Stuart Warf and Yxes Delacroix
* [http://phaylen.com/ Phaylen] by Phaylen Fairchild
* [http://www.greenguylounge.com/ Green Guy Lounge] by Kat Glimmer

==SL Communities==

* [http://coronaverse.com/ Coronaverse] by Itazura Radio & the Corona Cay Residents
* [http://voicesinthemachine.blogspot.com/ Voices in the Machine] by Gabrielle Riel (Caledon)
* [http://www.mnkradio.com/ Milk n Kookies] by Yuki Eliot, KoffeeKid Smalls, and Sage Kostenboom

Back to [[Marketing]]
[[Category:Marketing]]

Podcasts

2009-07-26T19:30:18Z

Radar Masukami: /* Personal */

This is a catalog of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting podcasts] produced by Second Life residents.

Residents with Podcasts are strongly encouraged to add their own to the list.

==Education and Science==

* [http://meetscottloscorbal.blogspot.com/ Meet Scottlo Scorbal] by Scottlo Scorbal
* [http://www.rezed.org/ Rez Ed] by Sasha Barab
* [http://www.sciencefriday.com/ Science Friday] by Ira Flatow
* [http://www.thenakedscientists.com/ The Naked Scientists] by Dr. Chris Smith and colleagues, in the [http://slurl.com/secondlife/SciLands/102/129/26 SciLands sim] on Sundays at 10:00 AM Pacific Time

==Music==

* [http://alternativeclassix.com/ Alternative Classix] by Ribbons Whitfield and Tarsis Korobase
* [http://audiogumshoe.com Audio Gumshoe] by Rich DeSoto
* [http://beatchicks.com/ Beatchicks] by Hope Clary and TheDiva Rockin
* [http://richpalmer.com/blogsviewsandblues/ Blogs, Views, and Blues] by Rich DeSoto
* [http://www.anjibee.com/ Chillcast] by Anji Riel
* [http://guydavid.com/ Night Guy] by Bluesmoke Hextall
* [http://spartacusroosevelt.com/ Spartacus Roosevelt] by Spartacus Roosevelt

==News==

* [http://copperrobot.com/ Copper Robot] by Mitch Wagner
* [http://slpodcast.net/coverart/metanews.png Metanews Daily] by Gomem Desoto and Stuart Warf

==Literary and Storytelling==

* [http://podcasting.isfullofcrap.com/ 100 Word Stories] by Crap Mariner - Daily microfiction, with a weekly challenge open to other storytellers on a selected topic.
* [http://www.crescentstation.net/ Crescent] by PR Lovenkraft
* [http://dalejarvis.blogspot.com Dale Jarvis - Storyteller] by Gilbert Sapwood
* [http://yxes.libsyn.com/ Fantasy and Fairytales] by Yxes Delacroix
* [http://thebookstacks.org/off-the-shelf/ Off The Shelf] by Kghia Gherardi and Simeon Beresford

==Personal==

* [http://blacktiemartiniclub.com Black Tie Martini Club] by CalebBullen Balut
* [http://daphneabernathy.com/ Daphne's Random Thoughts] by Daphne Abernathy
* [http://gomemshow.libsyn.com/ Gomem Show] by Gomem DeSoto
* [http://rezzedandconfused.com Rezzed and Confused] by Itazura Radio
* [http://metaverseinaminute.com Metaverse in a Minute] by Radar Masukami
* [http://www.crescentstation.net/ Phil Rossi Podcast] by PR Lovenkraft
* [http://www.pizzababe.com/ Pizzababe] by Jenny Shackle

==Discussion==

* [http://the-broad-cast.com/ The Broad Cast] by TheDiva Rockin, Kat Glimmer, Peaches Berchot
* [http://brooklyniswatching.com/ Brooklyn is Watching] by Nebulosus Severine and Bettina Tizzy
* [http://diamondsandrust.libsyn.com/ Diamonds and Rust] by Keeme Brown and Nika Dreamscape
* [http://divebarradio.libsyn.com/ Dive Bar Radio] by Banana Stein
* [http://www.podmafia.com/ Podmafia] by Gomem DeSoto, Stuart Warf and Yxes Delacroix
* [http://phaylen.com/ Phaylen] by Phaylen Fairchild
* [http://www.greenguylounge.com/ Green Guy Lounge] by Kat Glimmer

==SL Communities==

* [http://coronaverse.com/ Coronaverse] by Radar Masukami (Corona Cay)
* [http://voicesinthemachine.blogspot.com/ Voices in the Machine] by Gabrielle Riel (Caledon)
* [http://www.mnkradio.com/ Milk n Kookies] by Yuki Eliot, KoffeeKid Smalls, and Sage Kostenboom

Back to [[Marketing]]
[[Category:Marketing]]

Voice recording

2009-07-26T16:55:42Z

Radar Masukami: /* Guides */

{{Help|Communication=*|Multimedia=*}}
[[User:Torley_Linden|Torley Linden]] started this to share '''how to record voice chat in Second Life'''. This page will become more useful with additional knowledge, so please share your experiences too.

== Easy video tutorial ==
Watch this first, then read on for more details!

<videoflash>LylShCJklJI</videoflash>

You can also [http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/06/21/record-voice-chat-and-sounds-video-tip-of-the-week-39 see the accompanying blog post].

== First steps ==
The first key thing you'll want to check is if your computer's sound card can also record the sounds it's playing. There are a lot of variations across systems, but '''the option to do this is commonly called "What U Hear" (on [http://www.soundblaster.com/ Creative Sound Blasters]) or "Stereo Mix" (on Realtek, C-Media, and others)'''. Check your computer's manuals to find out which sound card you have.

I'm (Torley) on a PC running Windows XP with [http://torley.com/how-to-boost-the-mic-volume-on-your-realtek-audio-codec Realtek] onboard sound, and I can enable this by going to Control Panel > Realtek HD Sound Effect Manager. In the bottom section, "Record", it appears as "Stereo Mix":

[[Image:Torley-Realtek-settings.png|256px]]

If you don't see "Stereo Mix" on a Realtek setup, try clicking the Wrench icon under the "Record" white text. A "Mixer ToolBox" window should come up that allows you to check "Stereo Mix" on, like this:

[[Image:Stereo_mix.png|256px]]

'''IMPORTANT:''' If you don't see "Stereo Mix" or "What U Hear" and your hardware supports it, you may need to manually show it. Here are some pointers:

* If you're on Windows Vista, [http://www.roemersoftware.com/vista-recording-problem.html see this general guide to enabling "Stereo Mix"].

* [http://www.mymusictools.com/articles/how-to-record-skype-calls.htm Here's another guide] showing a Sound Blaster card on Windows Vista — focus on the part where it mentions "Stereo Mix"/"What U Hear".

* Also for Sound Blasters on Windows XP, [http://matt.fowler.googlepages.com/skypetosam see this].

* [http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=%22what+u+hear%22+%22stereo+mix%22&btnG=Search+Images Search Google Images] to find pictures of setups similar to yours.

* '''[http://torley.com/how-to-record-mic-and-speakers-on-vista-with-realtek How to record mic AND speakers on Vista with Realtek]''' - Related info by Torley.

Also notice the "Mic Volume" control. If you want to record yourself speaking, you'll also need to turn this on so your headset input (''your'' voice stream in Second Life) can be recorded.

''Note:'' This isn't true for all systems, but on some (including mine), other speakers hear confusing echo/feedback when "Stereo Mix" is on and you're talking at the same time. But, your final output should sound ''fine'', so if they can put up with it and tolerate the weirdness, you can get great results.

== Record ==
A standard sound editor will do. If you don't have a preference, I recommend checking out the free, cross-platform '''[http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Audacity]'''. While considerably pricier, I like '''[http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/products/soundforgefamily.asp Sony Sound Forge]'''. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Audio_editors Other editors are listed here.]

* Log into Second Life and go to Edit menu > Preferences > Audio & Video tab.

* Move the "Master" slider to maximum (all the way to the right). Adjust the other sliders as desired, e.g., if you don't want User Interface sounds playing while you're recording, move it to the left. You may also want to mute/quit other sound-playing programs on your computer, because those sounds get recorded, too.

* '''Do a test run before the actual event(s) you want to record begins. Go inworld and, if using voice chat on-site would be disruptive, test with some friends in another region. I can't emphasize this enough''', you'll screw yourself over and be thoroughly frustrated if you didn't prepare — it's happened to me, learn from my mistakes!

''Note:'' You may have to also adjust your computer's overall (not Second Life) volume slider to get a good balance where the sound is coming through loud enough but not clipping.

Second Life's voice chat doesn't have dynamic levelers and it's easy to accidentally have your mic "too hot", so there's a likely chance something ''will'' clip if it gets too loud. Don't worry too much about this — as long as most of the signal is under and within the 0-12 dB [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headroom headroom] range, you'll be good.

Also make sure in Preferences > Voice Chat tab, "Enable voice chat" is on, and obviously, you must be able to hear voice inworld.

'''Set to record at 44.1 kHz, 16-bit, in stereo.''' 22.05 kHz in mono is reasonable if you're willing to lose high frequencies and some spatialization (e.g., you can hear voices coming from different directions inworld). When you're done, save it as the sound editor's native format (Audacity uses [http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=files&i=aup AUP], or a WAV file.

When all that's done... ''push the record button!''

Give focus to your sound editor so Second Life's in the background. If you hear voice chat and other sounds, you should also see bars moving and/or a live-updated waveform (Audacity shows both), indicating that audio is indeed being recorded.

== Edit & encode ==
Trim silence from the beginnings and end to tighten up the recording.

With Audacity and most sound-editing programs, you'll also have effects you can apply. Audacity's aren't the greatest, but they are relatively straightforward and free. As you get more advanced, you'll discover some the best tools on the market are [http://www.kvraudio.com/ VST plugins], which [http://audacityteam.org/vst/ Audacity can support]. The most important effects to look for are:

* '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_reduction Noise reduction]''' - If there's a lot of hiss/hum, you can clean it up. Noise removal tools often take a "fingerprint" so they can reduce the noise from those frequencies and leave the rest untouched. In Audacity, use Effect menu > Noise removal.

* '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_range_compression Dynamic compression]''' - Evens out the volume. If you've ever wondered why voices (and music) on the radio sounds so level and rich, it's because the peaks (loud parts) have been lowered so the overall amplitude is more balanced. Don't overcompress, though; some dynamics are important for a vital, engaging sound that isn't "flat". In Audacity, use Effect menu > Compressor.

* '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limiting Limiting]''' - Digital recordings can go up to 0 dB, but no higher — clipped peaks result in nasty digital distortion. Limiting boosts the overall volume but prevents peaks from going over 0 dB, and is different from dynamic compression, but often used in combination. In Audacity, the closest thing is Effect menu > Amplify.

Optionally, especially if you're looking to spice things up for a podcast, you may want to use a touch of '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverb reverb]''', which adds ambience and presence. Don't overdo it — a little reverb goes a long way towards making disparate voices sound as if they're in the same space.

If you're new, '''make a backup''' of your original recording and experiment with those effects — you don't want to accidentally save over your original and have no way to restore it!

Then, you're ready to encode.

Longer audio recordings tend to be fairly large (a minute of 44.1 kHz, 16-bit, stereo sound is about 10 MB), so encoding to MP3 or another efficient format can help preserve most of the perceptible quality while delivering a smaller filesize. This is also useful for transporting your recordings, whether it's sending them as an email attachment or putting them on a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_flash_drive USB flash drive] to share with colleagues.

There's a lot of pay-for crap encoders out there — you don't need 'em. I like '''[http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/ CDex]''' a lot — it can use the high-quality LAME engine (other choices are available if you know better).

I usually go with these settings:

[[Image:Torley-CDex-settings.png|256px]]

You can go even lower to save further space, like '''64 kbps in mono which is fine for just about any podcast where stereo isn't needed'''. Audiobooks are known to be encoded @ 32 kbps in mono and still sound coherent. It depends on your needs: experiment, trust your ears, and learn what works best for you.

If you're confused by tinkering around, '''[http://www.apple.com/itunes/ iTunes]''' can encode to MP3s and also do [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4a M4As], another format which aren't as popular as MP3s (but by no means obscure), and has easy quality settings.

== Upload ==
This can be done in a number of ways: perhaps the most easiest is via email attachment or a [http://lifehacker.com/388284/best-online-file-sharing-services file sharing service], but if you have a webserver, you can [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ftp FTP] it. You could also upload it to '''[http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/06/17/play-your-own-radio-station-with-mediamaster/ MediaMaster]''' and stream it on your land in Second Life.

== More tips 'n' tricks ==
* Encourage other Residents to '''turn down their mic levels at the source''' so the voice waves over their head aren't frequently turning red — that's clipping, and even if you dial them down on your side via Active Participants, you'll hear ugly audio distortion. That clipping needs to be prevented ''before'' the sound gets streamed through Second Life's voice servers to you.

* Record speakers at a distance by '''setting "Hear Voice Chat" to "From camera position"''' in Preferences > Voice Chat tab. Speakers at big events can be somewhat far from the audience, and this allows you to make them louder by camscanning (moving the camera closer) without having to barge up on stage. (Like first life, doing so is rather rude!) Also see "[http://support.secondlife.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=4417&task=knowledge&questionID=5213 How far does my voice carry?]"

* If you don't want to be heard (it can be embarrassing if you leave your mic on and are eating), make sure you're using "Push-to-Talk" mode.

* '''Ensure your hard drive has plenty of free space before you start recording.''' It's a sad thing to have a recording abruptly stop because you ran out. Hard drives are cheap, and you're thrifty like Torley, you can search [http://torley.com/7-fantastic-deal-sites-thatll-save-you-money bargain sites] for deals.

== Related resources ==
=== [[Voice_recording/Legal_issues|Legal issues]] ===

=== Guides ===
* '''Voice chat [http://support.secondlife.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=4417&task=knowledge&questionID=4536 Knowledge Base articles] and [https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Video_Tutorials#VOICE_CHAT Video Tutorials]''' - Learn all about voice chat in Second Life.

* '''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0CEveHXUIE How To Record Second Life Voice on a Mac video tutorial]''' - By Nick Wilson.

* '''[http://www.google.com/cse?cx=001010425210852223575%3Ajldmgpuier0&ie=UTF-8&q=record+voice&sa=Search "How to record voice chat" posts from the SLED list]''' - Assorted tips 'n' tricks.

=== Programs ===
If your computer ''doesn't'' have "Stereo Mix" or "What U Hear", you'll likely need to use one of these programs to capture the entire sound stream.

* '''[http://rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/ Audio Hijack Pro] (US$32, Mac)''' - If you're on a Mac, this is a popular app to get the job done.

* '''[http://www.nch.com.au/soundtap/index.html SoundTap] (~US$20, Windows)''' - Joe Linden finds this very simple to use.

* '''[http://www.highcriteria.com/ Total Recorder] (~US$18 for standard edition, Windows)''' - Has a lot of [http://www.totalrecorder.com/features.htm extra features].

* '''[http://www.ubercaster.com/ Ubercaster] (~US$80, Mac)''' - Chiyo Linden and some Residents have recommended this.

* '''[http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/wiretap/ WireTap Studio] (US$69, Mac)''' - Some say this is an even easier way to record on a Mac.

* '''[http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/wta/ WireTap Anywhere] (US$129, Mac)''' - This application can route sound sources to other applications, so you could use this to record SL audio directly into something like Garageband or Soundtrack Pro.

Machinima

2008-10-26T04:13:19Z

Radar Masukami: /* Mac */

{{Help
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{{Alert Box|'''Please note that this wiki portal is not an advertising space but rather a community resource and vehicle for aggregating information about Machinima. Please refrain from posting unrelated content.'''}}

==Definition==

"Machinima" is a neologism based on the phrase ''machine cinema''. The term is used to distinguish between traditional animation techniques (which use specialized 3D animation software) and animation projects that record the action in real-time interactive 3D environments, such as single-player video games or Second Life. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinima the Wikipedia entry] for more details.

:[[terminology|Return to Terminology page]]

==Machinimatographers==

Visit [[:Category:Machinimatographers|Machinimatographers]] for an ever-expanding list of Machinimatographers working in Second Life.

==Machinima Content Companies==
For information on Second Life content companies offering Machinima services, see [[Machinima Content Companies]].

==Machinima Friendly Sims==
Visit [[Machinima Friendly Sims]] for an ever-expanding list of sims that allow for filming in Second Life.

==Software==
Also see the '''[[Movie Recording]] page''' — some of the following info overlaps and it may be a good idea to merge content into it.

===Any Platform===
* '''DGiG''' - personal & local simulator great for filming Second Life Machinima [http://wiki.magrathean.ca/index.php?title=DGiG]

===Mac===
* '''iShowU''' - fine video capture tool (Mac OS X) [http://www.shinywhitebox.com/home/home.html]
* '''SnapzProX''' - real time video capturing tool (MacOS) [http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/snapzprox/]
* '''ScreenFlow''' - ScreenFlow is the most modern of the Mac screencast/screen video recording tools available at the moment. It captures the whole screen, and doesn't make you select your recording area or video export settings beforehand, and has non-destructive editing built-in, so that it's very versatile and easy to get what you need and add basic screencasting effects very easily. Note, it does have editing built in, and for most purposes, it will be the only program you ever need to both record and edit and export your SL movies/machinima. (Mac OS X) [http://www.flip4mac.com/screenflow.htm]

===PC===
* '''Camtasia''' - Capturing and editing software that works great for tutorials [http://www.techsmith.com/]
* '''FRAPS''' - real time video capturing tool / screenshots to disk (Windows) [http://www.fraps.com/]
* '''HyperCam''' - Video capturing tool [http://www.hyperionics.com/hc/index.asp]
* '''Adobe Premiere''' - Editing Software [http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/]
* '''oRipa Screen Recorder''' (Windows) [http://www.ejoystudio.com/oripa-screen-recorder/index.htm]
* '''Sony Vegas''' - Editing Software [http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/products/vegasfamily.asp?keycode=3138-3000]

===Supplemental Software===
* '''List of screencasting software''' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_screencasting_software]
* '''Audacity''' - Free sound editing software (Windows, Mac, and Linux) [http://sourceforge.net/projects/audacity/]
* '''Blender''' includes a video editor [http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Manual/Video_Sequence_Editing] and compositing system [http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Manual/Compositing] for special effects. Free download for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. [http://www.blender.org/]
* '''Reallusion''' - Makers of '''CrazyTalk''' [http://crazytalk.reallusion.com/] and '''iClone''' [http://iclone.reallusion.com/], which can be used in post-processing to refine machinima. [http://www.reallusion.com/]
* '''recordMyDesktop''' - video capturing tool (Linux) [http://recordmydesktop.iovar.org/]

==Equipment==

* '''3DConnexion Space Navigator''' - An orb that is used in conjunction with the [[Flycam|'''Joystick Flycam''']] function in Second Life for smooth shots. It retails for about 60 USD. [http://www.3dconnexion.com/3dmouse/spacenavigator.php]
* '''Alt-Zoom Camera''' - A free camera designed to create dolly shots. You can find it in Lukanida. (''BuhBuhCuh Fairchild'') [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lukanida/10/18/24]
* '''Bijocam''' - Fixed angle cameras for when you need to do timelapse machinima.(''Yumi Murakami'') [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bethselamin/163/103/24]
* '''Cam Voyager''' - A camera control hud that lets you use the keyboard to move your camera around freely, now with the ability to save camera positions and return to them later, as well as the ability to enter in coordinates manually. (''Cerra Wilder'') [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Homewood/43/209/22]
* '''Filming Path''' - the machinimator's universal tool - HUD for creating camera movement paths and more, very helpful (''Geuis Dassin & Nand Nerd'') [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Mortons%20Gully/205/27/35]
* '''Illumine Professional Lighting''' - talent wears the Illumine Pro. You control the intensity, color, and position of the lighting on that talent. Learn more about and obtain the Illumine Pro via the profile picks for its creator, Illumine Demina. (''Illumine Demina'')
* '''MachinimaCam HUD ''' - An avatar centric scripted camera that operates without any visible interface. Avaliable through SLX, OnRez or inworld. (''CodeBastard Redgrave'') [http://codebastard.com/machinimacam/]
* '''SMS Lighting''' - A series of color coded lights designed for the unique needs of Film, TV and Photos in SL. Avaialable inworld and on SLX. (''CoyoteJack Dassin'')[http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=389850]
* [http://www.eml-entertainments.com/silverstreamtechnology.html Silver Stream Network] media system that breaks the 'one movie per parcel myth'. A fully functional media solution that includes a open playlist in each player/screen combination unit. A single server on a Sim, can support upto 30+ screen/player units, irrespective of parceling or land ownership.

==Events==

* [http://www.tube2sl.com Tube2SL] - Regular weekly film trivia contests, DJ hosted parties, live musicians and other quality entertainment. Search the events calender inworld for Tube2SL.

== Tutorials ==
* '''[[Movie_help|Torley's Guide to Making Movies!]]''' - '''FEATURED!''' ''Get started quickly with machinima!'' Years of experience distilled into a fun guide with video tutorials.
* '''How to use the Alt-Zoom Camera''' - A quick tutorial designed to show you how to set up and configure your camera. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVzow1-Yh-w]
* '''How to turn off the UI''' - Please note that the hotkey has changed to CTRL+ALT+F1! [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBsAvRA_dqM]
* '''How to use the Second Life camera controls''' - Part of the Noob Be Gone series [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LMcryDCIYk]
* '''How to do machinima on a Mac''' - An informative look at how Mac users are able to capture and encode machinima [http://aeneaideas.wordpress.com/2006/12/02/machinima-in-sl-on-mac-os-x-a-tutorial/]
* '''How to use the MachinimaCam HUD''' - Complete and detailed instructions on how to setup and operate the MachinimaCam HUD. Includes tips and tricks for making machinima. [http://codebastard.com/machinimacam/]
* '''Alt-Zoom camera tutorial by Nimrod''' - Another tutorial made by Nimrod to show you the basics of the Alt-Zoom camera. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaRDBIektN8]
* '''How to move your camera further and better''' - By Torley Linden.
<videoflash>m06fKVvq3uQ</videoflash>

==Tips and Tricks==
* Using the ''''Ken Burns'''' movement/panning and cropping animations technique and adding 'atmospherics' to your movies using lighting effects masks [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=212641 Forum Link]

* See Torley Linden's page on [[Voice recording]]

* Tutorial making a film in SL (german) [http://slinside.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=338&func=view&id=141429&catid=11 SLinside Forum Link]

==Resources==

'''Groups:'''

* '''Tube2SL.com''' - A growing Second Life Machinima community based around the '''Tube2SL''' Island sim of [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gateway/172/106/24 Gateway]. Film projects, opportunities, contests and events will be publicised via group notice.

* '''Tube2SL Actors Guild''' - A group for those interested in acting and voice acting in [http://www.tube2sl.com '''Tube2SL.com'''] machinima productions.

* '''Second Life Film Society''' - This group exists to explore new ways of using Second Life to create film (machinima). We will also explore streaming live video from SL to the web as well as from SL to other locations in SL (SLTV). The Revolution Must Be Televised!

* The '''SL Machinima Librarians Group''' and '''Machinima Institute''' are very friendly groups for librarians, students and SL residents interested in an introduction to machinima. The main focus will be to inform on machinima related news and share ideas. The blog is located at here [http://machinimalibrarians.blogspot.com] - Postings cover software for windows and OSX platforms. The home for all library machinima, mentoring and assistance to students (MLS graduate students) and SL machinima volunteers is Eduisland 3 (one of the 40+ library/education related sims in the Info Archipelago [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduisland%203/62/27/23]

* '''SL Machinima, Building, and Design''' - This group is made up of real life video, audio, and design artists/producers. We have united to push the limits in second Media. The SLMBD uses the most modern tools when it come to SL and RL. We specialize in Machinima (sl video), sim construction, custom graphics, and about anything else SL media/design related.--If you wish to join, you must be hard working, creative, and experenced (note: entrance fee!)

* '''Machinimatographers of Second Life Mailing List''' - A mailing list to keep interested individuals alerted to machinima (machine animation) opportunities, features, advice, software, and events in Second Life. You will find new colleagues and filming locations to aide you in filming. Read more about our unique machinima opportunities by subscribing to the list [https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/machinima here].

'''Locations and props:'''

* '''Tube2SL Island''' - The island of [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gateway/172/106/24 Gateway] is the home to the Tube2SL Cinema Complex and Machinima Recording Studios. Broadcast your videos in our 8 screen cinema complex via our website [http://www.tube2sl.com '''www.tube2sl.com''']. FREE use the Tube2SL Cinema Complex for your videos launch party. Contact [[User: SL Loonie | '''SL Loonie''']] for more information.
* '''Movix - Movie and Music production''' - Their entire sim is being designed as a complete machinima studio. This is based on the real world model with various street and interior sets. They have shops for Costumes, Props, Vehicles, a sandbox plus everything else you need to make your movie. You can show your film in their cinema (hosting extra if needed) or maybe even run a film festival. The Studio is free to book exclusively for your production ensuring lag free, uninterupted shooting. [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Movix%20Media/123/116/25]
* '''Alt-Zoom Theater and Sandbox''' - The island of Lukanida is home to Alt-Zoom Studios and an entire sim dedicated to building and filming your custom content for machinima purposes. [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lukanida/11/12/24]

'''Video Hosting Sites:'''

*'''blip.tv''' - Free site that allows you to upload a movie file of unlimited size and in as many formats as you'd like. It compresses the first upload into a handy flash file for posting on the web, but also keeps the original file intact. If you upload a Quicktime movie, you are able to use it in parcel media for in-world viewing. [http://blip.tv]
*'''JumpCut''' - Free site that allows you to upload movies and edit them online you will them be able to publish the videos on the website for other users to watch. [http://jumpcut.com]
*[http://www.tube2sl.com '''Tube2SL'''] - An online broadcasting option that allows you to upload a .mov of 20mb or less for free posting on the site. You can then book your video for scheduled broadcasting throughout Second Life on our network of resident owned TV's, Public Media Broadcasting Booths and the Tube2SL Cinema Complex. Get your '''FREE Tube2SL TV''' from the [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gateway/172/106/24 Tube2SL Island]
*'''YouTube''' - An online hosting option that allows you to upload a movie in any format and it will then convert it to a flash file for posting on a site. [http://youtube.com]

==Unassigned bugs in JIRA that pain==
* VWR-2387: Animations always drift when uploading with an inner loop of anything except 0% - 100% [https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-2387]
* VWR-1793: Hand Poses Not Uploaded Correctly [https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-1793]

[[Category:Machinima]]

[[Category:Creation]]

Machinima

2008-10-26T04:12:37Z

Radar Masukami: /* Mac */

{{Help
|BugFixes=
|Avatar=
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|Viewer=
|Communication=
|Multimedia=*
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|Misc=
|Description=
|Wiki=
|Glossary=*
}}

{{Alert Box|'''Please note that this wiki portal is not an advertising space but rather a community resource and vehicle for aggregating information about Machinima. Please refrain from posting unrelated content.'''}}

==Definition==

"Machinima" is a neologism based on the phrase ''machine cinema''. The term is used to distinguish between traditional animation techniques (which use specialized 3D animation software) and animation projects that record the action in real-time interactive 3D environments, such as single-player video games or Second Life. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinima the Wikipedia entry] for more details.

:[[terminology|Return to Terminology page]]

==Machinimatographers==

Visit [[:Category:Machinimatographers|Machinimatographers]] for an ever-expanding list of Machinimatographers working in Second Life.

==Machinima Content Companies==
For information on Second Life content companies offering Machinima services, see [[Machinima Content Companies]].

==Machinima Friendly Sims==
Visit [[Machinima Friendly Sims]] for an ever-expanding list of sims that allow for filming in Second Life.

==Software==
Also see the '''[[Movie Recording]] page''' — some of the following info overlaps and it may be a good idea to merge content into it.

===Any Platform===
* '''DGiG''' - personal & local simulator great for filming Second Life Machinima [http://wiki.magrathean.ca/index.php?title=DGiG]

===Mac===
* '''iShowU''' - fine video capture tool (Mac OS X) [http://www.shinywhitebox.com/home/home.html]
* '''SnapzProX''' - real time video capturing tool (MacOS) [http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/snapzprox/]
* '''ScreenFlow''' - ScreenFlow is the most modern of the Mac screencast/screen video recording tools available at the moment. It captures the whole screen, and doesn't make you select your recording area or video export settings beforehand, and has non-destructive editing built-in, so that it's very versatile and easy to get what you need and add basic screencasting effects very easily. Note, it does have editing built in, and for most purposes, it will be the only program you ever need to both record and edit and export your SL movies/machinima. I stopped using both of the above programs in favor of ScreenFlow and have not looked back. (Mac OS X) [http://www.flip4mac.com/screenflow.htm]

===PC===
* '''Camtasia''' - Capturing and editing software that works great for tutorials [http://www.techsmith.com/]
* '''FRAPS''' - real time video capturing tool / screenshots to disk (Windows) [http://www.fraps.com/]
* '''HyperCam''' - Video capturing tool [http://www.hyperionics.com/hc/index.asp]
* '''Adobe Premiere''' - Editing Software [http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/]
* '''oRipa Screen Recorder''' (Windows) [http://www.ejoystudio.com/oripa-screen-recorder/index.htm]
* '''Sony Vegas''' - Editing Software [http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/products/vegasfamily.asp?keycode=3138-3000]

===Supplemental Software===
* '''List of screencasting software''' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_screencasting_software]
* '''Audacity''' - Free sound editing software (Windows, Mac, and Linux) [http://sourceforge.net/projects/audacity/]
* '''Blender''' includes a video editor [http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Manual/Video_Sequence_Editing] and compositing system [http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Manual/Compositing] for special effects. Free download for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. [http://www.blender.org/]
* '''Reallusion''' - Makers of '''CrazyTalk''' [http://crazytalk.reallusion.com/] and '''iClone''' [http://iclone.reallusion.com/], which can be used in post-processing to refine machinima. [http://www.reallusion.com/]
* '''recordMyDesktop''' - video capturing tool (Linux) [http://recordmydesktop.iovar.org/]

==Equipment==

* '''3DConnexion Space Navigator''' - An orb that is used in conjunction with the [[Flycam|'''Joystick Flycam''']] function in Second Life for smooth shots. It retails for about 60 USD. [http://www.3dconnexion.com/3dmouse/spacenavigator.php]
* '''Alt-Zoom Camera''' - A free camera designed to create dolly shots. You can find it in Lukanida. (''BuhBuhCuh Fairchild'') [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lukanida/10/18/24]
* '''Bijocam''' - Fixed angle cameras for when you need to do timelapse machinima.(''Yumi Murakami'') [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bethselamin/163/103/24]
* '''Cam Voyager''' - A camera control hud that lets you use the keyboard to move your camera around freely, now with the ability to save camera positions and return to them later, as well as the ability to enter in coordinates manually. (''Cerra Wilder'') [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Homewood/43/209/22]
* '''Filming Path''' - the machinimator's universal tool - HUD for creating camera movement paths and more, very helpful (''Geuis Dassin & Nand Nerd'') [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Mortons%20Gully/205/27/35]
* '''Illumine Professional Lighting''' - talent wears the Illumine Pro. You control the intensity, color, and position of the lighting on that talent. Learn more about and obtain the Illumine Pro via the profile picks for its creator, Illumine Demina. (''Illumine Demina'')
* '''MachinimaCam HUD ''' - An avatar centric scripted camera that operates without any visible interface. Avaliable through SLX, OnRez or inworld. (''CodeBastard Redgrave'') [http://codebastard.com/machinimacam/]
* '''SMS Lighting''' - A series of color coded lights designed for the unique needs of Film, TV and Photos in SL. Avaialable inworld and on SLX. (''CoyoteJack Dassin'')[http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=389850]
* [http://www.eml-entertainments.com/silverstreamtechnology.html Silver Stream Network] media system that breaks the 'one movie per parcel myth'. A fully functional media solution that includes a open playlist in each player/screen combination unit. A single server on a Sim, can support upto 30+ screen/player units, irrespective of parceling or land ownership.

==Events==

* [http://www.tube2sl.com Tube2SL] - Regular weekly film trivia contests, DJ hosted parties, live musicians and other quality entertainment. Search the events calender inworld for Tube2SL.

== Tutorials ==
* '''[[Movie_help|Torley's Guide to Making Movies!]]''' - '''FEATURED!''' ''Get started quickly with machinima!'' Years of experience distilled into a fun guide with video tutorials.
* '''How to use the Alt-Zoom Camera''' - A quick tutorial designed to show you how to set up and configure your camera. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVzow1-Yh-w]
* '''How to turn off the UI''' - Please note that the hotkey has changed to CTRL+ALT+F1! [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBsAvRA_dqM]
* '''How to use the Second Life camera controls''' - Part of the Noob Be Gone series [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LMcryDCIYk]
* '''How to do machinima on a Mac''' - An informative look at how Mac users are able to capture and encode machinima [http://aeneaideas.wordpress.com/2006/12/02/machinima-in-sl-on-mac-os-x-a-tutorial/]
* '''How to use the MachinimaCam HUD''' - Complete and detailed instructions on how to setup and operate the MachinimaCam HUD. Includes tips and tricks for making machinima. [http://codebastard.com/machinimacam/]
* '''Alt-Zoom camera tutorial by Nimrod''' - Another tutorial made by Nimrod to show you the basics of the Alt-Zoom camera. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaRDBIektN8]
* '''How to move your camera further and better''' - By Torley Linden.
<videoflash>m06fKVvq3uQ</videoflash>

==Tips and Tricks==
* Using the ''''Ken Burns'''' movement/panning and cropping animations technique and adding 'atmospherics' to your movies using lighting effects masks [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=212641 Forum Link]

* See Torley Linden's page on [[Voice recording]]

* Tutorial making a film in SL (german) [http://slinside.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=338&func=view&id=141429&catid=11 SLinside Forum Link]

==Resources==

'''Groups:'''

* '''Tube2SL.com''' - A growing Second Life Machinima community based around the '''Tube2SL''' Island sim of [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gateway/172/106/24 Gateway]. Film projects, opportunities, contests and events will be publicised via group notice.

* '''Tube2SL Actors Guild''' - A group for those interested in acting and voice acting in [http://www.tube2sl.com '''Tube2SL.com'''] machinima productions.

* '''Second Life Film Society''' - This group exists to explore new ways of using Second Life to create film (machinima). We will also explore streaming live video from SL to the web as well as from SL to other locations in SL (SLTV). The Revolution Must Be Televised!

* The '''SL Machinima Librarians Group''' and '''Machinima Institute''' are very friendly groups for librarians, students and SL residents interested in an introduction to machinima. The main focus will be to inform on machinima related news and share ideas. The blog is located at here [http://machinimalibrarians.blogspot.com] - Postings cover software for windows and OSX platforms. The home for all library machinima, mentoring and assistance to students (MLS graduate students) and SL machinima volunteers is Eduisland 3 (one of the 40+ library/education related sims in the Info Archipelago [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduisland%203/62/27/23]

* '''SL Machinima, Building, and Design''' - This group is made up of real life video, audio, and design artists/producers. We have united to push the limits in second Media. The SLMBD uses the most modern tools when it come to SL and RL. We specialize in Machinima (sl video), sim construction, custom graphics, and about anything else SL media/design related.--If you wish to join, you must be hard working, creative, and experenced (note: entrance fee!)

* '''Machinimatographers of Second Life Mailing List''' - A mailing list to keep interested individuals alerted to machinima (machine animation) opportunities, features, advice, software, and events in Second Life. You will find new colleagues and filming locations to aide you in filming. Read more about our unique machinima opportunities by subscribing to the list [https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/machinima here].

'''Locations and props:'''

* '''Tube2SL Island''' - The island of [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gateway/172/106/24 Gateway] is the home to the Tube2SL Cinema Complex and Machinima Recording Studios. Broadcast your videos in our 8 screen cinema complex via our website [http://www.tube2sl.com '''www.tube2sl.com''']. FREE use the Tube2SL Cinema Complex for your videos launch party. Contact [[User: SL Loonie | '''SL Loonie''']] for more information.
* '''Movix - Movie and Music production''' - Their entire sim is being designed as a complete machinima studio. This is based on the real world model with various street and interior sets. They have shops for Costumes, Props, Vehicles, a sandbox plus everything else you need to make your movie. You can show your film in their cinema (hosting extra if needed) or maybe even run a film festival. The Studio is free to book exclusively for your production ensuring lag free, uninterupted shooting. [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Movix%20Media/123/116/25]
* '''Alt-Zoom Theater and Sandbox''' - The island of Lukanida is home to Alt-Zoom Studios and an entire sim dedicated to building and filming your custom content for machinima purposes. [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lukanida/11/12/24]

'''Video Hosting Sites:'''

*'''blip.tv''' - Free site that allows you to upload a movie file of unlimited size and in as many formats as you'd like. It compresses the first upload into a handy flash file for posting on the web, but also keeps the original file intact. If you upload a Quicktime movie, you are able to use it in parcel media for in-world viewing. [http://blip.tv]
*'''JumpCut''' - Free site that allows you to upload movies and edit them online you will them be able to publish the videos on the website for other users to watch. [http://jumpcut.com]
*[http://www.tube2sl.com '''Tube2SL'''] - An online broadcasting option that allows you to upload a .mov of 20mb or less for free posting on the site. You can then book your video for scheduled broadcasting throughout Second Life on our network of resident owned TV's, Public Media Broadcasting Booths and the Tube2SL Cinema Complex. Get your '''FREE Tube2SL TV''' from the [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gateway/172/106/24 Tube2SL Island]
*'''YouTube''' - An online hosting option that allows you to upload a movie in any format and it will then convert it to a flash file for posting on a site. [http://youtube.com]

==Unassigned bugs in JIRA that pain==
* VWR-2387: Animations always drift when uploading with an inner loop of anything except 0% - 100% [https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-2387]
* VWR-1793: Hand Poses Not Uploaded Correctly [https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-1793]

[[Category:Machinima]]

[[Category:Creation]]

Texture Tools

2008-10-26T03:57:05Z

Radar Masukami: /* Texture-making programs */

{{multi-lang}}
'''The purpose of this page is to increase awareness of resources that'll help you texture better in Second Life.''' Texturing is a fundamental part of a building skillset, as evidenced when you put [http://www.flickr.com/photos/torley/405541024/ that dang plywood texture] on everything.

This list includes but isn't limited to: programs, tutorials, and packs of textures themselves. Please share what you've found useful!

Also see '''[[Clothing Tutorials|Clothing Tutorials & Tools]]'''.

== Texture-making programs ==
* '''[http://www.gimp.org/ Gimp] (Free Software/Open Source)''' - The Gimp, or GNU Image Manipulation Program, is a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It works on many operating systems, in many languages and is available for Linux, Mac OSX, Unix and Windows. Powerful, with many tutorials on the web - great links for the main site. Best bang for the buck.

* '''[http://www.spiralgraphics.biz/ Genetica] (free Viewer available, 30-day demo of full texture editor, [http://www.spiralgraphics.biz/buygen.htm edition pricing here], Windows only)''' - Genetica is a node-based seamless texture generator that contains user-friendly labs. Genetica 3 (currently in beta) offers animation (Studio edition only) and vector drawing tools with preset styles. Hundreds of professional presets are included with Genetica. Textures offered with the free Genetica Viewer can be found [http://www.spiralgraphics.biz/packs/index.htm here].

* '''[http://www.filterforge.com/ Filter Forge] (90-day trial, [http://www.filterforge.com/buy/ pricing info here], with the [http://www.filterforge.com/more/freecopy.html possibility to get it for free], Windows only)''' - It's the very spicy (because it's so diverse), no-holds-barred plugin which allows ''you'' to ''make your own Photoshop filters!'' This isn't some crummy, unintuitive rubbish either: it's top-drawer, with a wealth of presets, [http://www.filterforge.com/filters/ many free filters] already created by the [http://www.filterforge.com/forum/ FF community] to download. I'm particularly hoping to see builds inworld use some wall and tile sets made from this. Have you done such a thing? LET ME KNOW OK? :o)

* '''[http://www.mediachance.com/pseam/ PhotoSEAM] (30-day demo, US$35, Windows only)''' - Helps you make textures seamless like a superstar! Often, after sketching raw 768x768 chunks in ArtRage 2, I'll bring 'em into PhotoSEAM to master as 512x512s, with some buffer 'round the edges so I can cross borders smoothly. What's more, you can apply touch-up effects to come up with some radical variants of your source material. Caveats: it hasn't been updated in 6+ years and it's prone to crashing, but it's the best I've found thus far!

* '''[http://www.artrage.com/artrage.html ArtRage 2] (free edition available, US$19.95 for full version, Windows and Mac)''' - Simple, superb, sexy. It's a painting program with a snazzy user interface and minimal controls. Nope, it doesn't even have Copy OR Paste, but the brush tones are lush. Did I mention the glitter tool adds ''so'' much amazing depth? I can almost feel the grains get layered down when working with it. On 2007-02-04, I created some [http://www2.ambientdesign.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4492 free ArtRage canvases]; they're based on some of my textures.

* '''[http://www.contextfreeart.org/download.html Context Free] (free, Windows and Mac and *nix)''' - An elegant, refreshing program to mathematically generate art — see the [http://www.contextfreeart.org/gallery/ gallery] for many examples. Starting with the [http://www.contextfreeart.org/download.html 2.1], you can specify tiled rendering. Even if you don't know programming languages, it's very easy to get into Context Free by changing a few numbers around, then [http://www.contextfreeart.org/mediawiki/index.php/CFDG_HOWTO learn more]. I've made textures like [http://www.flickr.com/photos/torley/390740477/ "Context Free Trees"] and [http://www.flickr.com/photos/torley/390740372/ "Context Free Flowers"] using this.

* '''[http://www.getpaint.net Paint.NET] (free, Windows only)''' - Paint.NET is free image editing and photo manipulation software. It supports layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools.

* '''[http://www.i-tex.de/news.php Texture Maker] (Basic version €29.95, Advanced version €64.95, Professional version €99.95, free demo, Windows only)''' - By Reichert Software Engineering. Texture Maker is a seamless texture generator and designer. The application contains everything needed to create seamless textures for use in 3D modeling. It can create procedural and hand painted textures from scratch, remove visible seams from existing images, crop textures from photos by applying a perspective correction, render seamless tiles from structure sample patches and combine existing textures and height maps with realistic illumination. It can create animated textures and seamless animation loops. Texture Maker can be extended with plugins and automates complex operations with its scripting abilities. Nearly all functions take advantage of multiple CPUs in the system. There is also a free plugin to use the program within Photoshop. Not easy to use, unless you have a good understanding on how to work with images. The info provided on the help online is rather skimpy and don't expect to get much help from the support forum. [http://www.texturemaker.com/help/misc/features.htm See the matrix for a list of all the features].

* '''[http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?ItemID=158462 AvPainter] (L$2495, free demo, Windows only)''' - Like SL Clothes Previewer (below), this utility lets you preview textures on a model avatar; unlike that utility, this one allows you to paint directly onto the avatar model, making it easier to fix seams, among other applications. The free demo has all the functionality of the full version except for the ability to save files.

* '''[http://tinyurl.com/427p2y Texture Convertor 2]''' is a program that can convert textures between Poser characters for which it has a plugin. This includes [http://tinyurl.com/slavatarTC2 TC2 SL Avatar Conversion Plugin] (not included with the program by default - a separate purchase), which allows users to convert between textures used on select Poser characters for use with Second Life with select limitations - feet, arm and hands are symmetrically textured on SL Avatars, and the available texture mapping options are drastically reduced going from Poser to Second Life, so any conversions will need significant tweaking to fit properly in SL...

* '''[http://www.luxology.com/whatismodo/imageSynth/ imageSynth2]''' is a Mac and Windows application for creating seamless textures that comes with both a photoshop plug-in version and a standalone version (you get both downloads with your purchase). It's not the cheapest at $99, but on the OS X platform it's one of the better options. The ability to use it as a PS plug-in or as a standalone app is really nice.

== Texture utilities ==
Here's some stuff you may never of heard of; I hope it'll make your Second Life texturing easier!

* '''[http://www.purplestatic.com/texCalc.zip Texture calculator] (free, Windows only, 4.9 MB download)''' - By Adrian Eisenberg. If you've ever wanted to map multiple textures onto a single one for greater efficiency, also known as [http://sldevelopers.com/blogs/julianfate/archive/2006/03/29/168.aspx texture zones], give this a spin. It'll save you the headache of working out the offsets. You can [http://detect.vox.com/library/post/texture-mapping-design.html see an actual example] by Detect Surface and [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=90527 learn more].

* '''[http://www.looqz.eu/content/view/19 SL Clothes Previewer] (free, Windows and Mac)''' - By Johan Durant. Want to see what your newly created clothes will look like before you upload them to Second Life? This application is a bit rough around the edges but it works great, letting you add textures for all the standard clothing layers, and zoom and rotate to see the results.

* '''[http://www.notabene-sl.com/Backhoe/ Backhoe terrain editor] (free, Mac only, 0.6 MB download)''' - By Zarf Vantongerloo. A simple and elegant terraforming tool for whole regions. It may save you the pain of wrestling with [http://secondlife.com/knowledgebase/article.php?id=288 RAW files] in Photoshop. For more terrain editors, [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=170687 see this forum thread].

* '''[http://www.texturemaker.com/download.php Texture Discovery] (free, Windows only, 0.48 MB download)''' - By Reichert Software Engineering. A simple utility to browse texture files on your disk. Display and tiles a texture image on your screen. It has a texture mapping preview to view a texture mapped on ground and on a sphere. Very simple commands but with a dated interface that makes browsing textures in deeply nested folders a bit inconvenient.

* '''[http://www.PeregrineSalon.com/anim/ GIF to SL Animated Texture Creator] (free, web-based)''' - By Peregrine Salon. This utility allows you to convert an animated GIF file into a SL-compliant texture, and even outputs the LSL code you'll need to animate it on an object face. There are some known issues: the number of frames will affect how the SL animated texture is laid out in a grid, and there are issues carrying transparency. However, it works with most animated GIF files.

* '''[http://nivardus.com/sl/slanim.html GIF 2 SL Animated Texture Program] (free, Windows only, 0.40 MB download)''' - By Gonta Maltz. Use the program to convert most animated GIF files into a sequential grid Jpeg image. Handles transparent GIF images and converts them into PNG files. Automatically outputs the number of frames horizontally, vertically and the frames per second on the name of the final image for ease of use with a supplied free script on the site. Upload the image, toss the texture INTO a prim, add the script and it works. The program retains color information and image quality (depending on resolution) of the converted image. You will need the .NET Framework 2.0 with SP1 to run the executable, if it does not initially run.

* '''[http://picasa.google.com/ Picasa] (free, Windows only, 5.2 MB download)''' - By Google. Picasa is a free software download from Google that helps you keep your textures organized in folders. Locate and organise all the photos on your computer, edit and add effects to your photos with a few simple clicks, share your photos with others through email, prints and on the web.

* '''[http://www.tigercolor.com/ ColorImpact] ($49.95 for a limited time, $59.95 regular, free demo, Windows only, 8.90 MB download)''' - By Tiger Color. Need a color scheme for your textures? ColorImpact can help you select matching colors and create color harmonies. Select a color that pleases you and the visual color wheel instantly displays a selection of perfectly matching colors. Play with different color harmonies, add shades and tints and visually fine tune your color scheme to perfection. Large selection of test patterns, test your color schemes on real designs. Export your color schemes to most popular paint programs. Built-in color theory tutorial. Many features help you experiment with color harmonies. Excellent interface. Compatible with Windows Vista. Web site with support, tutorials, forums.

* '''[http://www.colorschemer.com/ Color Schemer Studio] ($49.99, free demo, Windows and Mac)''' - Need a color scheme for your textures? Color Schemer Studio is a professional color matching application for anyone from hobbyists to advanced professionals. Work with a dynamic visual color wheel, instantly explore harmony relationships and even let Color Schemer Studio intelligently suggest color schemes for you!. Use Color Schemer Studio to explore color using a dynamic visual color wheel, actually see harmony relationships, mix colors, create gradient blends, and even analyze contrast and readability. Use the Export Wizard to export your color schemes to a number of popular applications and formats. Use the PhotoSchemer tool to build unique color schemes based on any picture, image or photograph. Windows version compatible with Vista. Web site with support, tutorials, scheme gallery, forums.

* '''[http://www.tigercolor.com/ Transparent Screen Ruler] ($19.95, Windows only)''' - By Tiger Color. With the Transparent Screen Ruler you can measure anything on your monitor — web pages, drawings, images, user interfaces etc. The program features a visual and intuitive user interface, and the screen magnifier window makes it easy to get exact measurements. Unit of measure: pixels, inches, centimeters, picas, custom. Close to tray. Easy to use.

* '''[http://www.colorschemer.com/ ColorPix] (free, Windows only)''' - ColorPix is a neat little application that will let you grab the color values and screen coordinates at any pixel on your screen. ColorPix automatically translates any screen color into RGB, HEX, HSB and CMYK color values, and comes with a zoom-able magnifier built in.

* '''[http://www.colorschemer.com/ Color Schemer Galleria] (free, Mac only)''' - Put a gallery of over 1,000 color schemes on your Dashboard with the free Galleria Dashboard widget. Browse color schemes, find inspiration, and copy your favorite hex color values without ever leaving your Dashboard.

* '''[http://www.colorhunter.com/ Color Hunter]''' - Need to research for a color palette for your next building project? Color Hunter is a place to find and make color palettes created from images. To find color palettes on Color Hunter, enter a search term in the box at the top of the page. You can search by tag or hex color code or image URL. If you have an image, you can upload it and get a color palette based on the colors in the image. This is a free web-based tool.

== Texture tutorials ==
[[Image:Texturetutorial.jpg|thumb|Texture tutorial and library]]* '''[http://slurl.com/secondlife/Livingtree/127/99/25 Robin (Sojourner) Wood's Texture Tutorial] (inworld)''' - A step by step presentation on textures within Second Life, for both beginner and expert, by [[user:Robin Sojourner|Robin Sojourner]]. Also features a reading room with advanced information presented in book form. A second set of tutorials are also available on [http://robinwood.com/Catalog/Technical/SL-Tuts/SLTutSet.html her personal website].

* '''[http://blogs.electricsheepcompany.com/cory/ Texture tutorial series]''' - By Cory Edo. Fun and well-illustrated — more coming!
** '''[http://blogs.electricsheepcompany.com/cory/?p=27 Making tileable textures, part 1]''' - Answers the often-asked question: "how the hell do I make textures tileable and seamless?"
** '''[http://blogs.electricsheepcompany.com/cory/?p=26 Quick and dirty depth trick for floors]''' - How to unflat your floor textures.
** '''[http://blogs.electricsheepcompany.com/cory/?p=22 Ice texture tutorial]'''
** '''[http://blogs.electricsheepcompany.com/cory/?p=19 Accidental land texture trick]''' - How to use a darker, less saturated texture to add gradiated depth to your terrain.

* '''[http://slurl.com/secondlife/Idea%20City/70/193/40 Idea City's Design Center] (inworld)''' - Follow this [http://slurl.com/ SLURL] to TP into an intermediate-level set of building and texture tutorials by Forseti Svarog. A fine place to go after you've mastered Lumiere Noir's [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Natoma/210/164/27 The Ivory Tower of Primitives] lessons.

* '''[http://www.onona3d.com/tutorials.htm "Texturing for Dummies" and some others] (PDF)''' - Not Second Life-specific, but it's a beautifully-published guide with key principles.

* '''[http://flapjack.modwest.com/twenty-second-photoshop-clothing-texture-tutorial Twenty Second Photoshop Clothing Texture Tutorial]''' - By Sol Columbia. How to quickly make a simple cloth texture.

* '''[http://flapjack.modwest.com/photoshop-tutorial-how-to-make-buttons-for-clothing Photoshop Tutorial: How to make buttons for clothing]''' - By Sol Columbia. Intriguing how you can combine a few basic elements to make a polished button.

* '''[http://taunt.com/ Photoshop video tutorial series] (most in WMV format)''' - Look under the left sidebar under the "PHOTOSHOP VIDEOS" header. By Twiddler "Frisky Pirate" Thereian.

* '''[http://detect.vox.com/library/post/tutorial---texture-mapping-and-application.html/ Texture Mapping Tutorial]'''- Creating texture maps for objects/products/builds in SL. Content-rich designs. Piccies to come soon as well as advanced Photoshop techniques. By Detect Surface aka "The Prim Hog".

* '''[http://slnatalia.blogspot.com/2006/11/build.html Various Tutorials]''' - Many building tutorials which touch on textural aspects of content creation, such as how to make clothes. By Natalia Zelmanov.

* '''[http://secondslog.blogspot.com/2005/09/tutorial-texture-of-our-world.html "Tutorial: the texture of our world"]''' - This is a general guide from '05, but what you learn here will help you in related areas — they're ''all'' interconnected. A tidy, very-easy-to-understand piece o' work explaining the benefits of fine texture control in SL.

* '''[http://slink.mmoportraits.com/?p=119 Creating transparent textures with PNGs in Photoshop]''' - If you've found it tricky and time-consuming to use 32-bit TGAs to make your transparencies, check this out for a more streamlined way to get results.

* '''[http://olilas-secondlife.com/tutorials-by-subject/ Photoshop Hairtexture Tutorial]''' - Hairtexture Tutorial: Use the tools in Photoshop (or a graphicprogram with similar options) to create textures for your prim-hair. Change the colors and make dipped tips. By Olila Oh.

* '''[http://youtube.com/watch?v=ekLIgpRHSq4 Making transparent textures]''' - Learn how to remove the background from an selected image and bring it into Second Life. By Torley Linden, who has [[Video_Tutorials|more video tutorials]].

<videoflash>ekLIgpRHSq4</videoflash>

== Texture books and DVDs ==
Books and DVDs on the art of texturing:

* '''[http://blogs.electricsheepcompany.com/cory/?p=17 Book learnin']''' - Where Cory Edo announces the texture-related books she's going to read and review.
** '''[http://blogs.electricsheepcompany.com/cory/?p=18 Book Learnin’ Review #1 - “3D Game Textures” ]'''
** '''[http://blogs.electricsheepcompany.com/cory/?p=20 Book Learnin’ Review #2 - “The Dark Side of Game Texturing”]'''

* '''[http://www.kurvstudios.com/photoshop/advanced_photoshop_texturing.php "Advanced Photoshop Texturing"]''' - A DVD with more than 9 hours of Photoshop Texturing training designed to show how to make textures and get the most out of Photoshop CS. The tutorials are based on the Windows version of Photoshop. Particurarly well suited to people who are new to Photoshop or have limited experience with it. Priced for a limited time at US$39.95 at '''[http://www.kurvstudios.com/photoshop/advanced_photoshop_texturing.php Kurv Studios' web site]''' or at US$44.95 at '''[http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Photoshop-Texturing-Andrew-Britton/dp/B00095M4Q4/ Amazon.com]''' (prices may vary).

== Texture packs and libraries ==
[[Image:watermelinden-land.jpg|thumb|240px|Torley Textures.]]

* '''[http://www.flickr.com/photos/torley/collections/72157594588432564/ Torley Textures] (also available for FREE inworld)''' - Fully-permissive in a variety of surreal, sketchy, painterly, organic, cyberiffic, etc. styles.

* '''[http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lozi/226/110/32 Harbinger's Haven - Builders sandbox] (inworld)''' - "No push, no scripts. All builders welcome. No weapons, vehicles, selling or advertising. Cleared daily.Free Textures" A pleasant place to build. You'll land right in front of free texture kiosks, sorted into a variety of categories.

* '''[http://lemog.fr/lemog_v6/index.php?cat=4 Lemog3d texture collection ]''' - One of my favoritest free texture resources on a well-organized French site. High-quality, seamlessly-tiling, assorted goods. These are at 512x512 resolution, which is just peachy for uploading straight into SL.

* '''[http://www.spiralgraphics.biz/packs/index.htm Genetica Texture Packs]''' – Spiral Graphics offers high-quality royalty-free texture collections with over 100 seamless textures per pack. They are available on their website at 512x512, but can be rendered at higher resolutions with the free Genetica Viewer.

* '''[http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=46&t=77484 CGTalk's Online Texture Libraries links]''' - Also includes links to tutorials. Note that some of the links are broken — it's still worth a look. Note that most of them ''aren't'' seamlessly tiling, so if that's your intention, you'll need to do extra editing.

* '''[http://noctua-graphics.de/english/freetex_e.htm NOCTUA Graphics textures]''' - 459 free textures in the usual categories. Most are 512x512 and seamlessly tileable.

* '''[http://www.imageafter.com/ Image*After textures]''' - Image*After is a large online free photo collection. You can download and use any image or texture from the site and use it in your own work, either personal or commercial. Large image collection, well organized. Forums.

* '''[http://www.mayang.com/textures/ Mayang Free Textures]''' - Very popular site with over 3400 good quality textures to date. You can download a limited number of images per day, or you can order the entire collection on DVD.

* '''[http://blender-archi.tuxfamily.org/Textures Blender for Architecture]''' - A wiki site dedicated to Blender users involved with architectural work. It includes a page with several free images of good quality. Of particular interest is the section on wood with many varities from all over the world. Please note that there are two wood sections on the page, the one with the world varities is at the bottom of the page.

* '''[http://www.sharecg.com shareCG]''' - A web site dedicated to computer games with a vast library of free textures, some of very good quality.

* '''[http://en.margraf.it/ Margraf]''' - This Italian marble company offers a library of 180 high resolution, free marble textures to download. Excellent quality. Requires registration to the site with a valid email address. Web site in Italian, English and French.

* '''[http://texturebits.blogspot.com Texturebits]''' - Royalty free textures. For personal or commercial use.

== Misc. ==
These don't fit under a single category.

* '''[http://www.ccccybernetics.com/avatar_databank/ Avatar Databank]''' - A complete library of all of the texture templates for SL avatars, both male and female. All expressions, body sizes, hair shapes, eyelashes, etc...

* '''[http://forums.secondlife.com/forumdisplay.php?f=109 Second Life Design & Textures forum]''' - Where I started out. Discuss texturing tips & tricks with fellow Residents and look at the top for the helpful tutorials stickied in orange.

* '''[http://secondlifegrid.net/resources/matrix#textures Developers Resource Matrix]''' - It's kinda hard to find on our website, but it's got lots of helpful links I refer to regularly. If you're a content creator or looking to Do-It-Yourself, bookmark it and keep it close. Some additional resources are listed which I'm not going to overlap here.

* '''[http://browse.deviantart.com/resources/ Deviantart.com Resources]''' - Ready-to-use textures, as well as application-specific brushes, patterns, and other tools for making textures. Click on the "Categories" button to get a list of the different sections. Be sure you read about crediting requirements before using a resource! (Most artists just want to know what you did with their work.)

* '''[http://morris-photographics.com/photoshop/shortcuts/downloads/PSCS2_Keyboard_Shortcuts_PC.pdf Photoshop CS2 Keyboard shortcuts]''' - A "cheat sheet" with all the keyboard shortcuts for the Windows version of Photoshop CS2. PDF file, Adobe Reader is required.

[[Category:Tutorials]]
[[Category:Creation]]

Voice recording

2008-09-19T10:47:11Z

Radar Masukami: /* Programs */

[[User:Torley_Linden|Torley Linden]] started this to share '''how to record voice chat in Second Life'''. This page will become more useful with additional knowledge, so please share your experiences too.

== Easy video tutorial ==
Watch this first, then read on for more details!

<videoflash>LylShCJklJI</videoflash>

You can also [http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/06/21/record-voice-chat-and-sounds-video-tip-of-the-week-39 see the accompanying blog post].

== First steps ==
The first key thing you'll want to check is if your computer's sound card can also record the sounds it's playing. There are a lot of variations across systems, but '''the option to do this is commonly called "What U Hear" (on [http://www.soundblaster.com/ Creative Sound Blasters]) or "Stereo Mix" (on Realtek, C-Media, and others)'''. Check your computer's manuals to find out which sound card you have.

I'm (Torley) on a PC running Windows XP with [http://torley.com/how-to-boost-the-mic-volume-on-your-realtek-audio-codec Realtek] onboard sound, and I can enable this by going to Control Panel > Realtek HD Sound Effect Manager. In the bottom section, "Record", it appears as "Stereo Mix":

[[Image:Torley-Realtek-settings.png|256px]]

If you don't see "Stereo Mix" on a Realtek setup, try clicking the Wrench icon under the "Record" white text. A "Mixer ToolBox" window should come up that allows you to check "Stereo Mix" on, like this:

[[Image:Stereo_mix.png|256px]]

'''IMPORTANT:''' If you don't see "Stereo Mix" or "What U Hear" and your hardware supports it, you may need to manually show it. Here are some pointers:

* If you're on Windows Vista, [http://www.roemersoftware.com/vista-recording-problem.html see this general guide to enabling "Stereo Mix"].

* [http://www.mymusictools.com/articles/how-to-record-skype-calls.htm Here's another guide] showing a Sound Blaster card on Windows Vista — focus on the part where it mentions "Stereo Mix"/"What U Hear".

* Also for Sound Blasters on Windows XP, [http://matt.fowler.googlepages.com/skypetosam see this].

* [http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=%22what+u+hear%22+%22stereo+mix%22&btnG=Search+Images Search Google Images] to find pictures of setups similar to yours.

Also notice the "Mic Volume" control. If you want to record yourself speaking, you'll also need to turn this on so your headset input (''your'' voice stream in Second Life) can be recorded.

''Note:'' This isn't true for all systems, but on some (including mine), other speakers hear confusing echo/feedback when "Stereo Mix" is on and you're talking at the same time. But, your final output should sound ''fine'', so if they can put up with it and tolerate the weirdness, you can get great results.

== Record ==
A standard sound editor will do. If you don't have a preference, I recommend checking out the free, cross-platform '''[http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Audacity]'''. While considerably pricier, I like '''[http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/products/soundforgefamily.asp Sony Sound Forge]'''. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Audio_editors Other editors are listed here.]

* Log into Second Life and go to Edit menu > Preferences > Audio & Video tab.

* Move the "Master" slider to maximum (all the way to the right). Adjust the other sliders as desired, e.g., if you don't want User Interface sounds playing while you're recording, move it to the left. You may also want to mute/quit other sound-playing programs on your computer, because those sounds get recorded, too.

* '''Do a test run before the actual event(s) you want to record begins. Go inworld and, if using voice chat on-site would be disruptive, test with some friends in another region. I can't emphasize this enough''', you'll screw yourself over and be thoroughly frustrated if you didn't prepare — it's happened to me, learn from my mistakes!

''Note:'' You may have to also adjust your computer's overall (not Second Life) volume slider to get a good balance where the sound is coming through loud enough but not clipping.

Second Life's voice chat doesn't have dynamic levelers and it's easy to accidentally have your mic "too hot", so there's a likely chance something ''will'' clip if it gets too loud. Don't worry too much about this — as long as most of the signal is under and within the 0-12 dB [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headroom headroom] range, you'll be good.

Also make sure in Preferences > Voice Chat tab, "Enable voice chat" is on, and obviously, you must be able to hear voice inworld.

'''Set to record at 44.1 kHz, 16-bit, in stereo.''' 22.05 kHz in mono is reasonable if you're willing to lose high frequencies and some spatialization (e.g., you can hear voices coming from different directions inworld). When you're done, save it as the sound editor's native format (Audacity uses [http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=files&i=aup AUP], or a WAV file.

When all that's done... ''push the record button!''

Give focus to your sound editor so Second Life's in the background. If you hear voice chat and other sounds, you should also see bars moving and/or a live-updated waveform (Audacity shows both), indicating that audio is indeed being recorded.

== Edit & encode ==
Trim silence from the beginnings and end to tighten up the recording.

With Audacity and most sound-editing programs, you'll also have effects you can apply. Audacity's aren't the greatest, but they are relatively straightforward and free. As you get more advanced, you'll discover some the best tools on the market are [http://www.kvraudio.com/ VST plugins], which [http://audacityteam.org/vst/ Audacity can support]. The most important effects to look for are:

* '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_reduction Noise reduction]''' - If there's a lot of hiss/hum, you can clean it up. Noise removal tools often take a "fingerprint" so they can reduce the noise from those frequencies and leave the rest untouched. In Audacity, use Effect menu > Noise removal.

* '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_range_compression Dynamic compression]''' - Evens out the volume. If you've ever wondered why voices (and music) on the radio sounds so level and rich, it's because the peaks (loud parts) have been lowered so the overall amplitude is more balanced. Don't overcompress, though; some dynamics are important for a vital, engaging sound that isn't "flat". In Audacity, use Effect menu > Compressor.

* '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limiting Limiting]''' - Digital recordings can go up to 0 dB, but no higher — clipped peaks result in nasty digital distortion. Limiting boosts the overall volume but prevents peaks from going over 0 dB, and is different from dynamic compression, but often used in combination. In Audacity, the closest thing is Effect menu > Amplify.

Optionally, especially if you're looking to spice things up for a podcast, you may want to use a touch of '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverb reverb]''', which adds ambience and presence. Don't overdo it — a little reverb goes a long way towards making disparate voices sound as if they're in the same space.

If you're new, '''make a backup''' of your original recording and experiment with those effects — you don't want to accidentally save over your original and have no way to restore it!

Then, you're ready to encode.

Longer audio recordings tend to be fairly large (a minute of 44.1 kHz, 16-bit, stereo sound is about 10 MB), so encoding to MP3 or another efficient format can help preserve most of the perceptible quality while delivering a smaller filesize. This is also useful for transporting your recordings, whether it's sending them as an email attachment or putting them on a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_flash_drive USB flash drive] to share with colleagues.

There's a lot of pay-for crap encoders out there — you don't need 'em. I like '''[http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/ CDex]''' a lot — it can use the high-quality LAME engine (other choices are available if you know better).

I usually go with these settings:

[[Image:Torley-CDex-settings.png|256px]]

You can go even lower to save further space, like '''64 kbps in mono which is fine for just about any podcast where stereo isn't needed'''. Audiobooks are known to be encoded @ 32 kbps in mono and still sound coherent. It depends on your needs: experiment, trust your ears, and learn what works best for you.

If you're confused by tinkering around, '''[http://www.apple.com/itunes/ iTunes]''' can encode to MP3s and also do [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4a M4As], another format which aren't as popular as MP3s (but by no means obscure), and has easy quality settings.

== Upload ==
This can be done in a number of ways: perhaps the most easiest is via email attachment or a [http://lifehacker.com/388284/best-online-file-sharing-services file sharing service], but if you have a webserver, you can [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ftp FTP] it. You could also upload it to '''[http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/06/17/play-your-own-radio-station-with-mediamaster/ MediaMaster]''' and stream it on your land in Second Life.

== More tips 'n' tricks ==
* Encourage other Residents to '''turn down their mic levels at the source''' so the voice waves over their head aren't frequently turning red — that's clipping, and even if you dial them down on your side via Active Participants, you'll hear ugly audio distortion. That clipping needs to be prevented ''before'' the sound gets streamed through Second Life's voice servers to you.

* Record speakers at a distance by '''setting "Hear Voice Chat" to "From camera position"''' in Preferences > Voice Chat tab. Speakers at big events can be somewhat far from the audience, and this allows you to make them louder by camscanning (moving the camera closer) without having to barge up on stage. (Like first life, doing so is rather rude!) Also see "[http://support.secondlife.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=4417&task=knowledge&questionID=5213 How far does my voice carry?]"

* If you don't want to be heard (it can be embarrassing if you leave your mic on and are eating), make sure you're using "Push-to-Talk" mode.

* '''Ensure your hard drive has plenty of free space before you start recording.''' It's a sad thing to have a recording abruptly stop because you ran out. Hard drives are cheap, and you're thrifty like Torley, you can search [http://torley.com/7-fantastic-deal-sites-thatll-save-you-money bargain sites] for deals.

== Related resources ==
=== [[Voice_recording/Legal_issues|Legal issues]] ===

=== Guides ===
* '''Voice chat [http://support.secondlife.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=4417&task=knowledge&questionID=4536 Knowledge Base articles] and [https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Video_Tutorials#VOICE_CHAT Video Tutorials]''' - Learn all about voice chat in Second Life.

* '''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0CEveHXUIE How To Record Second Life Voice on a Mac video tutorial]''' - By Nick Wilson.

* '''[http://radarmasukami.com/2008/09/19/sl-voice-recording-on-the-mac-final-wrap-up/ SL Voice Recording on the Mac Final Wrap-Up]''' - By Radar Masukami, to replace an older post that was linked to here but no longer exists.

* '''[http://www.google.com/cse?cx=001010425210852223575%3Ajldmgpuier0&ie=UTF-8&q=record+voice&sa=Search "How to record voice chat" posts from the SLED list]''' - Assorted tips 'n' tricks.

=== Programs ===
If your computer ''doesn't'' have "Stereo Mix" or "What U Hear", you'll likely need to use one of these programs to capture the entire sound stream.

* '''[http://rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/ Audio Hijack Pro] (US$32, Mac)''' - If you're on a Mac, this is a popular app to get the job done.

* '''[http://www.nch.com.au/soundtap/index.html SoundTap] (~US$20, Windows)''' - Joe Linden finds this very simple to use.

* '''[http://www.highcriteria.com/ Total Recorder] (~US$18 for standard edition, Windows)''' - Has a lot of [http://www.totalrecorder.com/features.htm extra features].

* '''[http://www.ubercaster.com/ Ubercaster] (~US$80, Mac)''' - Chiyo Linden and some Residents have recommended this.

* '''[http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/wiretap/ WireTap Studio] (US$69, Mac)''' - Some say this is an even easier way to record on a Mac.

* '''[http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/wta/ WireTap Anywhere] (US$120, Mac)''' - This application can route sound sources to other applications, so you could use this to record SL audio directly into something like Garageband or Soundtrack Pro.

Voice recording

2008-09-19T10:44:14Z

Radar Masukami: /* Guides */

Voice recording

2008-09-19T10:43:02Z

Radar Masukami: /* Guides */

[[User:Torley_Linden|Torley Linden]] started this to share '''how to record voice chat in Second Life'''. This page will become more useful with additional knowledge, so please share your experiences too.

== Easy video tutorial ==
Watch this first, then read on for more details!

<videoflash>LylShCJklJI</videoflash>

You can also [http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/06/21/record-voice-chat-and-sounds-video-tip-of-the-week-39 see the accompanying blog post].

== First steps ==
The first key thing you'll want to check is if your computer's sound card can also record the sounds it's playing. There are a lot of variations across systems, but '''the option to do this is commonly called "What U Hear" (on [http://www.soundblaster.com/ Creative Sound Blasters]) or "Stereo Mix" (on Realtek, C-Media, and others)'''. Check your computer's manuals to find out which sound card you have.

I'm (Torley) on a PC running Windows XP with [http://torley.com/how-to-boost-the-mic-volume-on-your-realtek-audio-codec Realtek] onboard sound, and I can enable this by going to Control Panel > Realtek HD Sound Effect Manager. In the bottom section, "Record", it appears as "Stereo Mix":

[[Image:Torley-Realtek-settings.png|256px]]

If you don't see "Stereo Mix" on a Realtek setup, try clicking the Wrench icon under the "Record" white text. A "Mixer ToolBox" window should come up that allows you to check "Stereo Mix" on, like this:

[[Image:Stereo_mix.png|256px]]

'''IMPORTANT:''' If you don't see "Stereo Mix" or "What U Hear" and your hardware supports it, you may need to manually show it. Here are some pointers:

* If you're on Windows Vista, [http://www.roemersoftware.com/vista-recording-problem.html see this general guide to enabling "Stereo Mix"].

* [http://www.mymusictools.com/articles/how-to-record-skype-calls.htm Here's another guide] showing a Sound Blaster card on Windows Vista — focus on the part where it mentions "Stereo Mix"/"What U Hear".

* Also for Sound Blasters on Windows XP, [http://matt.fowler.googlepages.com/skypetosam see this].

* [http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=%22what+u+hear%22+%22stereo+mix%22&btnG=Search+Images Search Google Images] to find pictures of setups similar to yours.

Also notice the "Mic Volume" control. If you want to record yourself speaking, you'll also need to turn this on so your headset input (''your'' voice stream in Second Life) can be recorded.

''Note:'' This isn't true for all systems, but on some (including mine), other speakers hear confusing echo/feedback when "Stereo Mix" is on and you're talking at the same time. But, your final output should sound ''fine'', so if they can put up with it and tolerate the weirdness, you can get great results.

== Record ==
A standard sound editor will do. If you don't have a preference, I recommend checking out the free, cross-platform '''[http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Audacity]'''. While considerably pricier, I like '''[http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/products/soundforgefamily.asp Sony Sound Forge]'''. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Audio_editors Other editors are listed here.]

* Log into Second Life and go to Edit menu > Preferences > Audio & Video tab.

* Move the "Master" slider to maximum (all the way to the right). Adjust the other sliders as desired, e.g., if you don't want User Interface sounds playing while you're recording, move it to the left. You may also want to mute/quit other sound-playing programs on your computer, because those sounds get recorded, too.

* '''Do a test run before the actual event(s) you want to record begins. Go inworld and, if using voice chat on-site would be disruptive, test with some friends in another region. I can't emphasize this enough''', you'll screw yourself over and be thoroughly frustrated if you didn't prepare — it's happened to me, learn from my mistakes!

''Note:'' You may have to also adjust your computer's overall (not Second Life) volume slider to get a good balance where the sound is coming through loud enough but not clipping.

Second Life's voice chat doesn't have dynamic levelers and it's easy to accidentally have your mic "too hot", so there's a likely chance something ''will'' clip if it gets too loud. Don't worry too much about this — as long as most of the signal is under and within the 0-12 dB [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headroom headroom] range, you'll be good.

Also make sure in Preferences > Voice Chat tab, "Enable voice chat" is on, and obviously, you must be able to hear voice inworld.

'''Set to record at 44.1 kHz, 16-bit, in stereo.''' 22.05 kHz in mono is reasonable if you're willing to lose high frequencies and some spatialization (e.g., you can hear voices coming from different directions inworld). When you're done, save it as the sound editor's native format (Audacity uses [http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=files&i=aup AUP], or a WAV file.

When all that's done... ''push the record button!''

Give focus to your sound editor so Second Life's in the background. If you hear voice chat and other sounds, you should also see bars moving and/or a live-updated waveform (Audacity shows both), indicating that audio is indeed being recorded.

== Edit & encode ==
Trim silence from the beginnings and end to tighten up the recording.

With Audacity and most sound-editing programs, you'll also have effects you can apply. Audacity's aren't the greatest, but they are relatively straightforward and free. As you get more advanced, you'll discover some the best tools on the market are [http://www.kvraudio.com/ VST plugins], which [http://audacityteam.org/vst/ Audacity can support]. The most important effects to look for are:

* '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_reduction Noise reduction]''' - If there's a lot of hiss/hum, you can clean it up. Noise removal tools often take a "fingerprint" so they can reduce the noise from those frequencies and leave the rest untouched. In Audacity, use Effect menu > Noise removal.

* '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_range_compression Dynamic compression]''' - Evens out the volume. If you've ever wondered why voices (and music) on the radio sounds so level and rich, it's because the peaks (loud parts) have been lowered so the overall amplitude is more balanced. Don't overcompress, though; some dynamics are important for a vital, engaging sound that isn't "flat". In Audacity, use Effect menu > Compressor.

* '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limiting Limiting]''' - Digital recordings can go up to 0 dB, but no higher — clipped peaks result in nasty digital distortion. Limiting boosts the overall volume but prevents peaks from going over 0 dB, and is different from dynamic compression, but often used in combination. In Audacity, the closest thing is Effect menu > Amplify.

Optionally, especially if you're looking to spice things up for a podcast, you may want to use a touch of '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverb reverb]''', which adds ambience and presence. Don't overdo it — a little reverb goes a long way towards making disparate voices sound as if they're in the same space.

If you're new, '''make a backup''' of your original recording and experiment with those effects — you don't want to accidentally save over your original and have no way to restore it!

Then, you're ready to encode.

Longer audio recordings tend to be fairly large (a minute of 44.1 kHz, 16-bit, stereo sound is about 10 MB), so encoding to MP3 or another efficient format can help preserve most of the perceptible quality while delivering a smaller filesize. This is also useful for transporting your recordings, whether it's sending them as an email attachment or putting them on a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_flash_drive USB flash drive] to share with colleagues.

There's a lot of pay-for crap encoders out there — you don't need 'em. I like '''[http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/ CDex]''' a lot — it can use the high-quality LAME engine (other choices are available if you know better).

I usually go with these settings:

[[Image:Torley-CDex-settings.png|256px]]

You can go even lower to save further space, like '''64 kbps in mono which is fine for just about any podcast where stereo isn't needed'''. Audiobooks are known to be encoded @ 32 kbps in mono and still sound coherent. It depends on your needs: experiment, trust your ears, and learn what works best for you.

If you're confused by tinkering around, '''[http://www.apple.com/itunes/ iTunes]''' can encode to MP3s and also do [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4a M4As], another format which aren't as popular as MP3s (but by no means obscure), and has easy quality settings.

== Upload ==
This can be done in a number of ways: perhaps the most easiest is via email attachment or a [http://lifehacker.com/388284/best-online-file-sharing-services file sharing service], but if you have a webserver, you can [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ftp FTP] it. You could also upload it to '''[http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/06/17/play-your-own-radio-station-with-mediamaster/ MediaMaster]''' and stream it on your land in Second Life.

== More tips 'n' tricks ==
* Encourage other Residents to '''turn down their mic levels at the source''' so the voice waves over their head aren't frequently turning red — that's clipping, and even if you dial them down on your side via Active Participants, you'll hear ugly audio distortion. That clipping needs to be prevented ''before'' the sound gets streamed through Second Life's voice servers to you.

* Record speakers at a distance by '''setting "Hear Voice Chat" to "From camera position"''' in Preferences > Voice Chat tab. Speakers at big events can be somewhat far from the audience, and this allows you to make them louder by camscanning (moving the camera closer) without having to barge up on stage. (Like first life, doing so is rather rude!) Also see "[http://support.secondlife.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=4417&task=knowledge&questionID=5213 How far does my voice carry?]"

* If you don't want to be heard (it can be embarrassing if you leave your mic on and are eating), make sure you're using "Push-to-Talk" mode.

* '''Ensure your hard drive has plenty of free space before you start recording.''' It's a sad thing to have a recording abruptly stop because you ran out. Hard drives are cheap, and you're thrifty like Torley, you can search [http://torley.com/7-fantastic-deal-sites-thatll-save-you-money bargain sites] for deals.

== Related resources ==
=== [[Voice_recording/Legal_issues|Legal issues]] ===

=== Guides ===
* '''Voice chat [http://support.secondlife.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=4417&task=knowledge&questionID=4536 Knowledge Base articles] and [https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Video_Tutorials#VOICE_CHAT Video Tutorials]''' - Learn all about voice chat in Second Life.

* '''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0CEveHXUIE How To Record Second Life Voice on a Mac video tutorial]''' - By Nick Wilson.

* '''[http://radarmasukami.com/2008/09/19/sl-voice-recording-on-the-mac-final-wrap-up/]''' - By Radar Masukami, to replace an older post that was linked to here but no longer exists.

* '''[http://www.google.com/cse?cx=001010425210852223575%3Ajldmgpuier0&ie=UTF-8&q=record+voice&sa=Search "How to record voice chat" posts from the SLED list]''' - Assorted tips 'n' tricks.

=== Programs ===
If your computer ''doesn't'' have "Stereo Mix" or "What U Hear", you'll likely need to use one of these programs to capture the entire sound stream.

* '''[http://rogueamoeba.com/audiohijackpro/ Audio Hijack Pro] (US$32, Mac)''' - If you're on a Mac, this is a popular app to get the job done.

* '''[http://www.nch.com.au/soundtap/index.html SoundTap] (~US$20, Windows)''' - Joe Linden finds this very simple to use.

* '''[http://www.highcriteria.com/ Total Recorder] (~US$18 for standard edition, Windows)''' - Has a lot of [http://www.totalrecorder.com/features.htm extra features].

* '''[http://www.ubercaster.com/ Ubercaster] (~US$80, Mac)''' - Chiyo Linden and some Residents have recommended this.

* '''[http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/wiretap/ WireTap Studio] (US$69, Mac)''' - Some say this is an even easier way to record on a Mac.