Arabic Sound Archive

ARABIC NEWS ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

Posted-Date: 19 May 1992 05:43:58 GMT Path:newsserver.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!sdd.hp.com!think.com!ames!agate !prism.poly.edu!medawar From: medawar@prism.poly.edu (Bassem Medawar) Newsgroups: comp.archives Subject: [soc.culture.lebanon] esound Followup-To: soc.culture.lebanon Date: 19 May 1992 05:43:58 GMT Organization: Polytechnic University, New York Approved: adam@soda.berkeley.edu Distribution: world

Archive-name: auto/soc.culture.lebanon/esound

I am starting an experimental anonymous ftp digitized sound archive site at borg.poly.edu (128.238.10.106). The purpose of the site is to allow us Leb-Net/scl to exchange "sound bytes". This can be useful for several reasons:

- To transfer audio speech/news/music from radio or tapes - To transfer Arabic text in digitized audio form by reading it in through a microphone as an alternative to GIF scanning.

Currently I am using "Sound Blaster Pro" interface card so the file format currently used in the site is VOC. Other formats are also possible.

What hardware do you need? At best a Sound Blaster or Ad Lib card (around $100) you can then listen to Hi Fi output by connecting it to a stereo system, amplified speakers, or directly to your VCR line input/output. I don't know how good or bad the Ad Lib card is or whether it will play VOC files or has its own format (most likely). If you get an interface card then you can record your own sound bytes.

At worst you can use your PC miniscule speaker to play back VOC files at a substantial loss of quality and not be able to record your own stuff.

What software do you need? The interface cards come with their own software. There is a program on the archive site that lets you play VOC files on your speaker. This program is not very good and I am looking for a better one for the PC speaker and the Machintosh for public distribution. I have the assembly source code for voc_show.exe in case someone wishes to squeez better performance out of the PC speaker.

What's the catch? The files are huge, in the order of 0.5 MB per minute of recording. So they are really not appropriate for newsnet distribution. On the site, since disk space is ALWAYS at a premium, old and huge files will be routinely moved off-line to tape.

Following is the *current* content of the pub directory:

BBC World Service Newshour, Sunday May 17, 1992, 5:00 GMT, a 4 minutes talk with a correspondent, Robert Fisk of the independent, in Lebanon about the new government. It is in 8 parts, compressed and uncompressed flavors:

-r--r--r-- 1 ftp 309136 May 18 14:24 bbc0517A.voc -r--r--r-- 1 ftp 256388 May 18 14:24 bbc0517B.voc -r--r--r-- 1 ftp 278555 May 18 14:24 bbc0517C.voc -r--r--r-- 1 ftp 252976 May 18 13:56 bbc0517D.voc -r--r--r-- 1 ftp 216508 May 18 13:56 bbc0517E.voc -r--r--r-- 1 ftp 281570 May 18 14:24 bbc0517F.voc -r--r--r-- 1 ftp 305907 May 18 14:24 bbc0517G.voc

-r--r--r-- 1 ftp 187325 May 18 14:27 bbc0517A.voc.Z -r--r--r-- 1 ftp 162946 May 18 14:28 bbc0517B.voc.Z -r--r--r-- 1 ftp 190835 May 18 14:29 bbc0517C.voc.Z -r--r--r-- 1 ftp 168452 May 18 14:29 bbc0517D.voc.Z -r--r--r-- 1 ftp 134417 May 18 14:06 bbc0517E.voc.Z -r--r--r-- 1 ftp 182762 May 18 14:31 bbc0517F.voc.Z -r--r--r-- 1 ftp 184258 May 18 14:40 bbc0517G.voc.Z

PC speaker VOC Player:

-r--r--r-- 1 ftp 39848 May 18 13:57 voc_show.exe

I created an in.coming directory for anyone who wishes to submit by ftp anything to the site. It would be a good idea when you do to send me email about it.

Finally I don't have a name for the site. Until it is named otherwise it shall be called SL (which stands for Ssout Lubnan).

bassem