Download audio files for the Dialogue tab
brendonl
January 31, 2010, 01:36 AM posted in General DiscussionThe Dialogue Tab section on the website lists the text and a button for the audio per phrase/sentence. I am creating an SRS and I can easy add the Chinese and Pinyin OK. However I want to add the audio per phrase. This would help greatly if possible. I can only download the whole dialogue - not per phrase/sentence. Any suggestions how this can be done or an idea for a site update? Thanks.
Tal
January 31, 2010, 02:55 AMIf you download and install Freecorder 4 you should in theory be able to record any sound which comes out of your computer speakers. Sounds like it will provide just what you want.
What's an SRS anyway?
Andrew, am I correct in thinking that you have the skills to fix WLCP? What's keeping you?
eupnea63355
tal, thanks for the great recommendation of Freecorder. It's working fine for me. I also downloaded a free mp3 tag editor mp3tag v.2.45a to rename the files. (No, I don't NEED to rename them, but the obsessive-compulsive monster within insists on it.) It's not quite as convenient as WLCP but sure does the job and I am thankful!
Tal
Hey you're welcome! Freecorder is a really neat thing. You can also grab just about any online video (for example from Youtube) with it, and converting between file formats is also very simple and the results are good quality.
andrew_c
January 31, 2010, 05:34 AMyeah, i could, but there a few reasons I am not...
practically I don't have a premium account to actually run it and test it (and I have no need for an account, as I have enough lessons to keep me busy for a long time).
idealistically, it's counterproductive to keep hacking at WLCP instead of just having a group of users demanding that Chinesepod once and for all obsoletes WLCP by adding its features to the website. this would serve everyone better, as I am confident there are still plenty of people who could benefit from it, but either have no idea of its existence or are intimidated/wary of running a relatively user-unfriendly program made by some random guys on the internet, and, in addition, having it integrated to the website would make it easier to use, and more powerful as people could share resources (like stylesheets)
selfishly, i just don't feel like it, and i'm busy with other things. WLCP got to the point a year and a half ago that it did everything I needed personally. I was happy to do a few extras which I personally didn't use, since they served to demonstrate the power of WLCP and didn't take too much time (like bopomofo and Pleco export), but there is no way I have time to spend the better part of entire Saturdays, like I did in 2008 to hacking at it, instead of actually practicing Chinese.
to be quite honest, if I had an account and someone paid me enough, I would fix it and maintain it.
daniel70
January 31, 2010, 05:58 AMAndrew, I'd just like to thank you for Wlcp. It really has impacted my studying. I do almost all my studying against the Wlcp files. It really has been "Mandaring on my terms." Thanks also to the other contributers: Jon and Derek. I hope I didn't miss anyone.
Tal
January 31, 2010, 07:04 AMOh well, fair enough then. Thanks very much for all your past efforts. I only really discovered WLCP fairly recently, but since then I've been relying on it heavily, especially the extra audio files it created. Looks like I'll just have to learn to do without it, and/or make the audio files myself.
It certainly would be very nice if Chinesepod took the software under its wing and/or you got support for fixing and maintaining it, but I'm sure you'll realise that's somewhat unlikely. As for them "adding its features to the website"... err, I'm tempted to just chuckle at that, given all the recent palaver over changes as cosmetic and fundamentally unnecessary as threaded comments, font sizes, blue links, etc, etc, etc.
All the best.
eupnea63355
January 31, 2010, 12:22 PMI ditto the appreciation, andrew. Whenever I tackle a lesson and see all of those little mp3's in that lesson folder, I thank you! I'm glad I downloaded what I did, but now, without WCLP, I don't see enough benefit to me, (a rather slow learner I guess) to keeping my subscription to CP, which runs out on October.
Oh how I wish one could just go to Home Depot (a big American hardware store) and buy brains off the shelf.
eupnea63355
January 31, 2010, 10:53 PMtal, thanks for the great recommendation of Freecorder. It's working fine for me. I also downloaded a free mp3 tag editor mp3tag v.2.45a to rename the files. (No, I don't NEED to rename them, but the obsessive-compulsive monster within insists on it.) It's not quite as convenient as WLCP but sure does the job and I am thankful!
andrew_c
January 31, 2010, 02:19 AMIn my opinion, that's a great idea for an update to Chinesepod. Actually situations such as your own were one of the of the main purposes of the WLCP software, which used to be able to do this, but just broke again. Hopefully Chinesepod will finally add such functionality to the website.