MovieMaker2

Here is a quick hands-on Tutorial using a standard set of seven images and a single audio clip: (Download the files in the Attachments to use in the tutorial). Open PDF version for printing.

Audacity

Here is a brief tutorial on using Audacity to insert music track into narration:

To view these instructions with visuals, open this PDF version for printing.

I recommend recording your narration outside of iMovie or MovieMaker2 and import the clips onto the timeline. MovieMaker2 for WindowsXP does not allow more than one audio track, so you will need to record your narration and add your sound track in an audio editor. You will have much better control over the quality of the audio and you can edit as you record. The software is Open Source and free! There are many limitations though.

Audacity Window

A. Select sound input source before recording (Audacity Menu -> Preferences -> Audio I/O)

B. Click the Record button to record audio.

C. Click the Pause button when you want to pause the recording. Click the Record button again to continue on the same audio track.

D. Click the Stop button to stop recording. Once the recording is stopped, if you hit Record button, it will open a new second audio track. In a second audio track, you can add a sound track.

E. Click the Play button to review what you have recorded.

F. To edit what you have recorded, click and drag across the sound waves on the timeline. You may Cut, Copy, Paste, Trim, Delete (from the Edit Menu). Pressing the Delete key will erase the selection.

G. To change the sound volume of a clip, select the portion to change (click and drag to select), select Effects Menu -> Amplify… and change the amplification in dB. This works well to lower the volume of your music sound track, which can often overpower your narration. Or use the “Envelope” tool - for changing the volume over time - to select the beginning and end of the section of the clip to reduce audio volume.

H. Select File Menu ->Save Project As… to save a “Project” file [.aup] if you want to edit the original file at a later time.

Then select File Menu -> Export As… The file format will default to WAV Audio [.wav].

For reference, go to: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/onlinehelp-1.2/reference.html or for complete documentation and manuals, go to: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/documentation.