MP3 Recording Guidelines Using Audacity on a Computer

MP3 Recording

Guidelines

Using Audacity

on a Computer

Effective March 2021

Contents

Exam Day Overview .................................................................................................................. 2

Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 3

About Audacity ......................................................................................................................... 4

Involving Your School’s Technical Consultant ...................................................................... 5

Downloading and Installing Audacity ..................................................................................... 5

Launching Audacity ................................................................................................................. 6

Subject-Specific Information ................................................................................................... 7

Important Preparations for Exam Day .................................................................................... 7

Saving, Naming, Uploading, and Submitting Student-Response MP3 Files ....................... 9

Troubleshooting Tips ............................................................................................................. 12

Technical Assistance ............................................................................................................. 12

Exam Day Overview

1. Students record their responses using Audacity MP3 software.

2. After students are dismissed, the proctor (or other authorized staff) saves and names the students’ MP3 files.

3. Authorized staff at the school uploads the MP3 files to the Digital Audio Submission (DAS) portal.

4. Aut

horized staff at the school submits the MP3 files to the AP Program, using the DAS portal.

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Introduction

Audacity

is a free software product*

*This is not an AP Program or ETS endorsement of this product.

for Windows

or Mac

that can be used to record audio to your computer in

MP3 file format. Schools may use Audacity to record student responses for the AP French, German, Italian, and

Spanish Language and Culture Exams, and the AP Music Theory Exam.

The information in this document is supplemental to the detailed exam instructions and proctor scripts in the

2020-21 AP Exam Instructions book; it is not a replacement for those instructions. Be sure to follow the directions

in the 2020-21 AP Exam Instructions book for administering AP Exams.

In this document, you will learn how to:

1. Before exam day: Download and install Audacity on each computer that will be used to record student audio

responses. Be sure to involve your school’s technical consultant.

2. Use the Audacity functions that students will need to know on exam day.

Start recording

Pause recording

Resume recording from a paused state

Stop recording

Delete a recording

3. Save and name students’ MP3 files.

It is very important that you hold several practice sessions well in advance of the exam administration. Include in

these sessions the school’s technical consultant, AP coordinator, AP teacher(s), proctor(s), and students. Practice

using Audacity to ensure everyone understands the recording process. It is also essential before exam day that

you know how to save and name MP3 files.

Students can practice recording Audacity MP3 files using:

sample free-response questions available in the course and exam descriptions on AP Central,

free-response questions from previous years’ exams, available on the AP Central

exam site for each course

IMPORTANT: As stated on pages 26 and 130 of Part 2 of the 2020-21 AP Coordinator's Manual, because AP

French, German, Italian, and Spanish Language and Culture teachers and AP Music Theory teachers cannot

have any access to student recordings, these teachers are not permitted to have DAS portal accounts or any

access to the DAS portal.

About Audacity

Audacity software is available for download under general public license (free).

Refer to the next page of this document for download and installation instructions.

Audacity is designed for recording audio from the computer sound card to hard disk in MP3 format.

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The cu

rrent release of Audacity is 3.0.0. You can download the software by clicking on the Audacity link on

page 5 of this guide. If you have an earlier version, it's recommended that you download and use the current

release.

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Systems requirements:

Windows version

Recommended RAM/

processor speed

Minimum RAM/

processor speed

Windows 10 (32- or 64-bit, requires appropriate drivers)

4 GB / 2 GHz 2 GB / 1 GHz

Microsoft has discontinued support of Windows 7 and 8.1 and will no longer provide technical support,

software updates, or security updates for the operating system. If your school still uses Windows 7 or 8.1,

upgrade to Windows 10 to avoid technical problems that could jeopardize your students’ exam scores.

Third-party video and/or audio drivers may also no longer be supported, causing poor quality audio

recording of students’ responses.

Mac

Recommended RAM/

processor speed

Minimum RAM/

processor speed

macOS 11 Big Sur

macOS 10.15 Catalina

macOS 10.14 Mojave

macOS 10.13 High Sierra

2 GB / 2 GHz

1 GB / 1 GHz

For lengthy multi-track projects:

4 GB / 4 GHz

MacOS 10.07 (Lion) to 10.12 (Sierra) are no longer officially supported, but are believed to work with

the latest Audacity version.

More information about system requirements is available on the Audacity website:

Windows: http://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows/

Mac: http://www.audacityteam.org/download/mac/

NOTE: Do not click on any banner ads that look like these. These may be malware disguised as banner ads.

Involving Your School’s Technical Consultant

We strongly recommend that your school’s technical consultant be involved in the following:

1. Determining if the Audacity software program is right for your school. (Use of Audacity is not required.)

2. Downloading Audacity and setting it up for each computer on which students will practice and take

the exam.

3. Saving and naming MP3 files and uploading and submitting them using the DAS portal. Be certain to follow

the detailed instructions in the “Saving, Naming, Uploading, and Submitting Student-Response MP3 Files”

section on page 9 of this document and in the appropriate subject in the 2020-21 AP Exam Instructions

book:

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Frenc

h Language and Culture, pages 160 – 162

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Germ

an Language and Culture, pages 160 – 162

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alian Language and Culture, pages 160 – 162

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Music Theory, pages 201 – 203

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Spa

nish Language and Culture, pages 160 – 162

Downloading and Installing Audacity

1. Download and install the Audacity software for your operating system (Windows or Mac), and follow the

steps below:

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ndows: Audacity 3.0.0 installer (.exe file, 28 MB, includes user manual) or Audacity 3.0.0 zip file

(.zip file, 11.9 MB, without user manual).

To install, double-click the downloaded .exe file or right-click on the .zip file and extract the file to

your desired location. (Use the recommended folder to install Audacity.) Once the installation is complete,

click “FINISH.” Audacity will launch unless the “Launch Audacity” box was unchecked.

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Mac: Audacity 3.0.0 (.dmg file, 39.4 MB, includes user manual).

To install, double-click the downloaded .dmg file to mount it. Then drag the “Audacity” folder to Applications

or any other location of your choosing to install Audacity. Do not double-click the “Audacity” icon in the .dmg

file to launch Audacity from there. Eject the .dmg file at bottom left of Finder, then launch Audacity from

Applications or from your chosen location.

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IMPORTANT: The LAME encoder library has been included in the program installation by default

since Audacity 2.3.3.

2. Repeat these steps for each computer that will be used for testing.

3. To save recorded files on a shared location, the user must have adequate file access permissions

(read/write/change/modify) on the destination folder. It is highly recommended that you create a network drive

with appropriate disk space for the purpose of saving audio recordings. Then connect to the drive you created

from each recording workstation. Assign necessary file permissions to each user establishing the connection

so they can read/write files on the shared location. Please seek assistance from your IT staff, if necessary.

4. Be sure to configure your computers’ audio devices (headsets or microphones) as appropriate; seek technical

assistance, if necessary.

5. The Audacity website hosts a variety of helpful information and tutorials. The following link will

take you to Documentation and Support, where you will find links to manuals, tutorials, and FAQs:

www.audacityteam.org/help/

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Launching Audacity

When you first launch Audacity, the dashboard opens. In the top left panel you will see the following functions that

will be used during the recording process:

Pause

Play

Stop

Record

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Subject-Specific Information

NOTES ABOUT THE AP MUSIC THEORY EXAM:

hen students record the sight-singing part of the AP Music Theory Exam, they must not use “sound

activated recording,” as this will alter the rhythmic values of the sight-singing response. You can locate this

feature in the Edit > Preference > Recording menu.

Students must not wear headsets during the sight-singing part of the AP Music Theory Exam.

The AP Music Theory Exam sight-singing part contains two tasks. Students will be instructed by the master

CD to pause their recordings between tasks. Students must click “PAUSE.” Files may not record properly if

students use the “STOP” button before the end.

NOTE ABOUT AP FRENCH, GERMAN, ITALIAN, AND SPANISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE EXAMS:

he speaking part of these exams contains two speaking tasks. Students will be instructed by the master

CD to pause their recordings between tasks. Students must click “PAUSE.” Files may not record properly if

students use the “STOP” button before the end.

Important Preparations for Exam Day

Before exam day, it is extremely important that students and proctors know how to use Audacity to Record, Stop,

Pause, Play, and Delete.

Before the exam:

Have students practice using Audacity: It is important that students practice recording MP3 files with

Audacity before the exam administration. Students should practice with Audacity on the same computers

that they will use when taking the exam.

Ensure that students know to press the "PAUSE" button to pause recording and resume recording:

Remind students that once they have begun to record, and then paused their recording, Audacity will require

them to press the "PAUSE" button again to resume their recording. Students should follow the narrator's

instructions on the master CD.

Remind students that once they begin recording their responses, they should NOT press the

“STOP” button until the recording is completed: The “STOP” button should not be pressed until the

student has completed both tasks and is instructed by the master CD to press STOP. Pressing “STOP”

before both tasks have been recorded can create two separate audio tracks layered (superimposed) on top

of each other. Students should only press the “STOP” button at the end, when the instructions on the

master CD tell them to do so.

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During practice sessions, refer to the 20

20-21 Exam Instructions book for the appropriate subject so students

and proctors can practice using Audacity in exactly the way they will use it on exam day. On exam day, students

will first be asked to record a test version of their AP ID to ensure that the recording equipment is working

correctly:

When instructed by the proctor to record their AP ID as a test, students should click the “RECORD” button

and say their AP ID.

When they are done, students click the “STOP” button to stop the test recording.

When instructed by the proctor to replay their test recording, students click the “PLAY” button .

their AP ID recorded properly, students are instructed to delete their test recording. To delete, students

must click “x” on the left side of the waveform window:

Windows Mac

After students have successfully recorded, checked, and deleted their test AP IDs, the proctor will continue with

the instructions for recording the responses. If there were any issues recording, please refer to the troubleshooting

tips on page 12.

Saving, Naming, Uploading, and Submitting Student-Response MP3 Files

IMPORTANT: AP coordinators and proctors should work with their schools’ technical consultants to

practice saving students’ MP3 files.

Do not save the content of the master CDs to your school’s computer network server, the recording workstation’s

hard drive, or any other file storage device.

Saving the Files in MP3 Format

When students have been dismissed, begin the process of saving the files in preparation for submission to the AP

Program.

You need to export each student’s responses in MP3 format. Do not save responses to individual questions

as separate files. Save the student’s recorded AP ID and both recorded responses as a single file.

Click “File” and then “Export” from the menu.

Windows: Mac:

Sav

e files in MP3 file format. (The file extension .mp3 is automatically added to the file when you select the MP3

format. Do not type .mp3 into the file name. If you do, your file will be incorrect and you will get an upload error

when trying to upload to the DAS portal.)

Name files with the student’s eight-digit AP ID, underscore, and exam form letter. The form letter is listed on the

bottom right corner of students’ orange booklets. An example of a correctly named file is WXYZ1234_O.

Do not include any additional information on the student’s file or in the file name.

Type the student’s AP ID, an underscore, and the form in the “File name” box if you’re using a Windows or

in the “Save as” box if you’re using a Mac. Make sure “MP3 files” is selected in the “Save as type” box (Windows)

or “File type” box (Mac). Save the file to your shared location, USB drive, or computer hard drive.

Windows Mac

Do not complete any of the fields on the Metadata screen. Click “OK,” leaving the fields empty to complete the

process.

Checking the Files

At this time, check to be sure each file is saved correctly. There should be only one file per student. To save

each student's file you must:

1. Save each file in MP3 format, and

2. Name each file with the student's eight-digit AP ID, underscore, and exam form letter. An example of a

correctly named file is WXYZ1234_O.

n a Windows, click “File” on the menu and select “Exit” to exit the recorder. It will display a pop-up box. Respond

“No” to this pop-up box. On a Mac, click “Audacity” on the menu and select “Quit” to exit the recorder. It will

display a pop-up box. Respond “No” to this pop-up box.

IMPORTANT: This next section details the generic process for uploading a student’s recorded responses,

and is not specific for responses recorded in Audacity. It is the same information that appears in the

2020-21 AP Exam Instructions.

Uploading and Submitting the Files

IMPORTANT: AP coordinators and any additional staff designated to upload and submit files must have a DAS

portal account. All accounts on the DAS portal are school specific and controlled by the school AP coordinator.

When the DAS portal is available for 2021, the AP coordinator at the school will be notified and provided the

necessary information to access the portal. Once the AP coordinator establishes access, the coordinator will

receive a confirmation email that includes a school-specific code for creating additional accounts at the school.

With this code and the six-digit school code, school staff can create individual accounts on the system tied to their

school by going to

apaudio.ets.org.

(NOTE: Because AP French, German, Italian, and Spanish Language and Culture teachers and AP Music Theory

teachers cannot have any access to student recordings, these teachers are not permitted to have DAS portal

accounts or any access to the DAS portal. Teachers can still serve as proctors for exams in a subject area other

than the one in which they teach or have taught.)

For detailed, step-by-step instructions on using the DAS portal and a list of frequently asked questions, please

consult the “Help” document on the DAS portal: apaudio.ets.org

You are ready to begin the online upload and submission process once you have:

1. E

ach student’s response (spoken AP ID and both spoken responses) saved as a single file in the MP3

format and named as the student’s AP ID, an underscore, and the form (e.g., WXYZ1234_O).

2. A

computer with access to the folder where the student response files are saved (e.g., hard drive of the

computer or a network folder) and with a reliable connection to the internet.

3. An

account on the DAS portal.

4. St

udents’ orange booklets. (You will need these to flag any students who did not grant permission to College

Board to use their recorded responses for educational research and instructional purposes.)

To be

gin the upload and submission process:

1. Ac

cess the DAS portal (apaudio.ets.org)

using a computer with internet connectivity, and log in with the

username and password you created earlier.

2. Sel

ect the appropriate exam name and click “UPLOAD” to begin the process.

3. The system will prompt you to select the correct form (based on your school’s exam order, O, A, or Z) to

upload. Open the folder on the computer where the students’ MP3 files are saved. Select the files, and

upload.

4. Confirm each student’s permission for College Board to reproduce recorded responses as indicated on the

students’ orange booklets. Students who did not grant permission were instructed to indicate “NO” on the

orange booklet. For these students, select the “Denied” option.

5. Once you’ve confirmed that all files are accounted for, and that those for which students did not grant

permission have been marked, select the files and click “SUBMIT” to submit the files for scoring.

Deadline: You must upload and submit speaking responses as soon as possible, preferably directly following the

exam, but no later than the close of the next business day after your school’s last scheduled exam of a particular

AP Exam administration period (i.e., Administration 1, 2, or 3). Submitting files after this point could result in

score delays.

Return all exam materials to secure storage until they are shipped back to the AP Program. (See “Storing Exam

Materials” in Part 2 of the 2020-21 AP Coordinator’s Manual for more information about secure storage.) Refer to

page 159 in the 2020-21 AP Exam Instructions for the tasks you need to complete before storing materials.

Troubleshooting Tips

1. If you are unable to hear the recording properly, follow these troubleshooting tips:

a. Click Edit and then Preferences from the drop-down menu.

b. Under Devices, ensure that the correct device is selected in Playback and Recording. For example, if

you are using a headset, be sure that the headset is selected in both the “Playback” and “Recording” drop

downs.

2. If any student’s recording is inaudible or either of their responses did not record, the student must re-record

both tasks. Instruct any students with inaudible recordings to wait quietly while the students whose recordings

were audible are dismissed. If you discover a problem with any student's file and they have already been

dismissed, call AP Services for Educators for instructions.

Contact AP Services for Educators (Monday–Friday) at 877-274-6474 (toll free in the U.S. and Canada) or

212-632-1781.

Technical Assistance

If you experience any problems during the installation or configuration of the Audacity software product only,

technical assistance is available between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. Your school staff may

email AP[email protected]

or call 609-406-5677 for assistance during these hours.

About College Board

College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college

success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, College Board was created to expand access to

higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world’s

leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in

education. Each year, College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a

successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college

success—including the SAT

and the Advanced Placement

Program. The organization also

serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students,

educators, and schools. For further information, visit collegeboard.org.