Overview Recorder Audio CDs WAV-to-MP3 Direct-To-PC VIDEO Help Submit/Upload

BROADCASTING CAN BE FUN & EASY!

Broadcasting on SermonAudio is much easier than you might think! We find that our unique low-pricing of $29.95 per month is never the reason why churches decide to hold off broadcasting with us. But rather, they feel that they are technically unable to put their sermons on our site.

The purpose of this section will be to show you how it can be done easily. We have found that there are a few different ways that our broadcasters are putting their sermons on SermonAudio. Review these various methods and choose whatever suits your needs best!

AUDIO TIP: For an example of a well-encoded MP3, please listen to the audio for this sermon. Note the volume level and the audio quality. If you can get your encoded audio to sound like this when you're done then you're on the right track. VIDEO TIP: For an example of a well-encoded VIDEO, please watch the video for this sermon. Note the video bitrate (under 150kbps). For an example of a HIFI-encoded video (maximum allowable bitrate of 340kbps) please watch this video.

METHOD 1: PORTABLE DIGITAL VOICE RECORDER (RECOMMENDED METHOD) Digital Voice Recorders are inexpensive and get good results. more recorders... The MicroTrack is a high-fidelity mobile 2-channel digital recorder that records to CompactFlash. The Zoom H1 Handy Recorder is a portable digital recorder with a builtin MIC that records to SD cards.

A quick-and-easy way to get your church's sermons on SermonAudio is to employ the use of a digital voice recorder. We actually recommend this as the easiest, fastest, and most economical method of getting your sermons on the site. Today's digital voice recorders are relatively inexpensive and because they are portable, they can record conveniently in any setting (church, special meetings, open-air, etc). The recorded audio can be quickly transferred to a computer and then converted to the MP3 format suitable for SermonAudio. Click here for links to some recommended tools. Summary of steps: Use a digital voice recorder with a lapel mic OR a line-in from your existing sound system to record. Easily transfer the audio as a WAV file to your computer. Use any tool to convert the WAV files to MP3 files. MP3 files must be encoded at 16kbps bitrate (HIFI: 32kbps). Use the Submit Sermon form to submit the sermon details and then upload the MP3! (more help on submit & upload) We've provided a separate page that shows (step-by-step) how to transfer the audio from the recorder to your computer using the Sony Digital Voice Recorder as an example.

METHOD 2: CONVERT EXISTING AUDIO CDs to MP3s The dbPowerAmp tool can be used to quickly convert your existing Audio CDs to MP3 files. Great tool!

If you already have your sermons on Audio CDs, then there is a simple solution for you! All you need is a program to "rip" the audio off of the CD and convert it to the properly-encoded MP3 file for SermonAudio. For this type of encoding work, we highly recommend the dbPowerAmp tool, but click here for links to some other software tools. Summary of steps: Your sermons must already be on Audio CDs. Use the dbPowerAmp to "rip" the CD and create an MP3. MP3 files must be encoded at 16kbps bitrate (HIFI: 32kbps). Use the Submit Sermon form to submit the sermon details and then upload the MP3! (more help on submit & upload) We've provided a separate page that shows (step-by-step) how to "rip" your Audio CDs and convert them to MP3 files using the dbPowerAmp program as an example.

METHOD 3: RECORD FROM TAPE OR DIRECT-TO-PC Adobe Audition is a professional-grade audio editor. Excellent! Another very capable, powerful audio editor.. FREE of charge! Great tool to quickly record live services or cassette tapes. Easy-to-use tool that can record directly to the MP3 format!

Use this method if you need to transfer your sermons from cassettes or if you simply wish to record directly into the computer from an existing sound system (mandatory for live webcasting). Recording directly into the computer requires the most effort in setup and a computer must be available at the recording location but this eliminates all intermediate steps and provides the fastest way to create the MP3 files for SermonAudio. You will need to connect your audio source to either the computer's LINE-IN or MIC port with the proper cables. You will also need a program to capture the audio and save it as an MP3 file. The PolderbitS website provides an excellent step-by-step tutorial on how to connect your audio source to your PC. Click here for links to some recommended software tools (for this type of recording and encoding work, we recommend: the professional-grade Adobe Audition tool, the Audacity freeware audio editor, the PolderbitS tool, or the Power MP3 tool). Summary of steps: Connect your audio source to your computer. Use Audition, Audacity, PolderbitS, ... to record the audio. Directly save the recorded audio as an MP3 file. MP3 files must be encoded at 16kbps bitrate (HIFI: 32kbps). Use the Submit Sermon form to submit the sermon details and then upload the MP3! (more help on submit & upload) We've provided a separate page that shows (step-by-step) how to capture audio from your cassette (or live service) and save it directly to an MP3 file using the Adobe Audition program as an example.

METHOD 4: CONVERT EXISTING AUDIO FILES (WAV-TO-MP3) The dbPowerAmp tool can be used to quickly convert your existing audio files to MP3 files. Great tool!

If you already have your sermons on the computer (in an audio file) then this is the easiest method for you! You may already have these audio sermons on your own website or archival and wish simply to broadcast them on SermonAudio to take advantage of our large listening audience and receive additional exposure. All you need to do is convert your existing audio files to properly-encoded MP3 files for SermonAudio. Click here for links to some recommended software tools (for this type of straight encoding work, we recommend the dbPowerAmp). Summary of steps: Use any tool to convert your audio files to MP3s. MP3 files must be encoded at 16kbps bitrate (HIFI: 32kbps). Use the Submit Sermon form to submit the sermon details and then upload the MP3! (more help on submit & upload) We've provided a separate page that shows (step-by-step) how to capture audio from your cassette (or live service) and save it directly to an MP3 file using the Adobe Audition program as an example.

VIDEO HELP: VIDEO ENCODING INFO DVDs, WMV,... The Windows Media Encoder (free) is the key software tool needed to prepare videos for SermonAudio. Boilsoft provides tools to rip DVDs, split and join WMVs, convert Quicktime and RealMedia files. The Magic DVD Ripper is a tool you can use to "rip" (copy) the video from existing DVDs. The Xilisoft DVD Ripper is a tool you can use to "rip" (copy) the video from existing DVDs. We recommend the powerful yet easy-to-use Sony Vegas Movie Studio tool for any video editing!

SermonAudio supports uploading of Windows Media Video in addition to MP3 audio and PDF texts. You can upload videos of your church services, special events, welcome/greeting messages, DVD samples, camps and outreaches, etc. There are a number of ways to prepare video for the site (live capture, editing, DVD-ripping, converting existing video files) but the key tool is the Windows Media Encoder which is used in the final step to encode the video to the proper WMV format. It is beyond the scope of our help page to give step-by-step details on each of the different methods of creating the video content. However, we can summarize the various methods below and show step-by-step details of the final encoding step involving the Media Encoder. Summary of steps: Capture LIVE video or DUB video from another source directly into the computer using a video capture tool. If you use the Windows Media Encoder as your video capture tool, you can also encode the captured video to the correct WMV format at the same time eliminating all other steps. If you are a live (video) webcaster on SermonAudio already, you can simply turn ON the "archive" function of the Windows Media Encoder and use the resulting WMV file to upload to the site. It should already be encoded at the correct setting because the live webcast and archived video settings are the same. Optionally, you can RIP the video (to an AVI format) from existing DVDs using any DVD-ripping tool such as Boilsoft DVD-Ripper, the Magic DVD-Ripper, or the Xilisoft DVD-Ripper. (Tip: Rip the DVD to an AVI first, then convert it to an WMV using the Windows Media Encoder). Optionally, you can convert existing Quicktime or RealVideo files to the AVI format using any conversion tool such as Boilsoft (also provides handy tools to JOIN or SPLIT video files). Optionally, you can edit your video using any video editor of your choice (we recommend Sony's Vegas Movie Studio). The final step is to use the Windows Media Encoder to convert the AVI or MPG video file to the properly-encoded WMV file. If you need to, you can use the Windows Media File Editor (which is included with the Media Encoder installation) to quickly and easily TRIM your WMV files. WMV files must not exceed 150kbps bitrate (HIFI: 340kbps). Use the Submit Sermon form to submit the sermon details and then upload the VIDEO! (more help on submit & upload) We've provided a separate page that shows step-by-step details of the final encoding step involving the Windows Media Encoder.

OPTIONALLY: USE A THIRD-PARTY COMPANY TO DO IT! You can alternatively a third-party company to do the encoding and uploading work for you.

SermonAudio encourages broadcasters to learn how to encode and upload their own sermons to the site. By doing so, broadcasters can maintain maximum control and flexibility and sermons can be uploaded to the site at a moment's notice. However, we realize that this is not always possible. Therefore, if you prefer, you can employ the services of a dependable third-party company called audioposting.com to do the work of encoding and uploading your audio or video on your behalf for very reasonable rates! Summary of steps: Sign up with audioposting.com for their services. Mail your cassettes, CDs, DVDs, etc to their mailing address. They will take care of the rest for you!

HIFI OPTION: Broadcasters that have the HIFI option enabled can upload media at higher bitrates. You must have this option enabled for your account in order to use the HIFI bitrates. To learn more, click here.. AUTO-CONVERT: You can actually upload your audio in ANY MP3 format and we will automatically convert it to the correct MP3 bitrate with the ideal settings for optimum sound quality! To learn more, click here..