Chapter 2. Importing Audio

In This Chapter:

Capture Music Tracks from a CD

Extract Audio Tracks from a DVD

About Audio Capture Hardware

Capture Audio Using Easy Audio Capture

Capture Audio Using LP and Tape Assistant

Importing audio files in Roxio Easy Media Creator 8 is one of the most popular and wide-ranging uses for the product. You might want to import many types of audio. Probably the easiest and most common import is ripping tracks from your music CDs, but there are many other ways to import audio. You can extract the audio from a DVD, record a phone conversation, use a microphone to import live audio, or capture streaming audio from the Internet. Use the line-in option to digitize old tapes or LPs or to extract audio from VHS tapes. The best way of preserving and sharing your audio data is to have it on your computer (as well as several backups, of course).

Key Terms

Rip To extract a track from a CD or DVD and import it into your computer.

Track One continuous line of data on a CD or DVD. On an audio CD this equates to one song, on a DVD each chapter or movie file is its own track, and one track is created for each burn session on a data disc.

If you are using some of the other aspects of Easy Media Creator, such as creating a slideshow or editing a video, capturing audio is an important first step to creating a fun, finished product. You can add any of the audio you have captured to your slideshows, videos, and even a DVD menu.

Key Terms

Capture To convert audio, photos, and video to files that can be read and duplicated by your computer.

Easy Media Creator uses several interfaces for capturing audio. Ripping tracks from a CD and extracting audio from a DVD are handled in their unique venues. All other audio capture options are handled in one of two applications. Easy Audio Capture is a streamlined and efficient way of capturing audio from several input devices and saving it to a file for later use. LP and Tape Assistant is a complete audio capture, edit, and burn wizard. It captures audio from the same input devices and with the same settings as Easy Audio Capture, but adds continuing steps to allow you to immediately edit the audio you have captured and then export it to whatever source you choose. The application you use depends solely on your individual requirements. Review the steps for each application and choose which one will be best for you.