Table of Contents

3 Introduction to DAISY

This chapter gives an overview of the DAISY format and some of the terminology used. It also gives information about the structure of a DAISY project and the processes involved in producing a DAISY book. If you are a new DAISY user, you should read this chapter thoroughly. If you are an experienced DAISY user, you may wish to skim read the chapter or bypass it altogether.

3.1 What is DAISY?

DAISY is an acronym which stands for Digital Accessible Information SYstem. It is the information format which is being developed as the international standard for digital talking books. DAISY books can be played on a dedicated hardware player or on a computer equipped with the appropriate software.

3.2 Main features of DAISY

The main features of the DAISY format are as follows:

Compression of information - with high levels of compression available, it is possible to store up to 90 hours of digital audio on a single CD. Imagine storing a similar amount of audio on cassette tapes!
Speed of Navigation - the DAISY format includes a range of features which enable the reader to quickly access parts of the book. These features include 6 levels of navigation, coding of pages and groups and the ability to move backwards or forwards a phrase at a time. These items will be discussed in more detail later in this chapter.
Multi-media capability - in addition to digital audio, the DAISY format is able to incorporate text, graphics and even video to provide the reader with a fully synchronized reading experience.

3.3 Types of DAISY book

The DAISY format allows for 6 types of DAISY book which range from audio books with no navigation structure to books with text and no audio. A brief description of each type is given below:

• Type 1 - Audio without structure: The simplest type of book. Direct navigation to points within the book is not possible.
• Type 2 - Audio and structure only: A marked up text file contains the structure of the book and provides links to features such as headings and page numbers. This allows the end user to navigate directly to those points. The marked up file is called the Table of Contents or ToC.
• Type 3 - Audio with structure and partial text: As well as containing the structure, the marked up file contains some text from the book, for example, for a glossary or index. If listening to the book on a pc the text will appear on screen and the user will be able to search for words within the text.
• Type 4 - Audio and full text: This is the most time consuming type of book to produce but provides the most access. Audio and text are fully synchronised throughout the book, so that the correct text appears on screen as the audio is being read.
• Type 5 - Full text and partial audio: the book has structure and complete text but only limited audio. The marked up file contains the structure and the text of the book, but there is only audio for part of the text. The end user can navigate through the text.
• Type 6 - Full text and no audio: This is electronic text with structure, there are no audio files.

  Note: As the PRS package is designed to produce structured audio only talking books, it has no facilities for including text, graphics or video. For this reason, this manual only deals with the production of Type 2 DAISY books (structured audio).

3.4 Navigating a DAISY book

A DAISY book can have up to 6 levels of navigation. The number of levels in a book will depend on the structure of the original book. The levels are hierarchical with Level 1 the highest level of navigation and Level 6 the lowest.

There are no fixed rules about how the DAISY navigation levels should be used and people's views on how this should be done will vary. For simple books which only have chapters, it is likely that only one level (Level 1 equating to chapters) will be used. For more complex books, which may have chapters, sections and sub sections, there might be 3 levels used (Level 1 for chapters, Level 2 for sections and Level 3 for sub sections). Once the book has been created, the levels of navigation are fixed and cannot be altered by the reader.

When trying to find a specific part of a book, the reader would tend to use a higher level (perhaps Level 1 or Level 2) to find the main area of interest, and would then change to a lower level of navigation to home in more on the information they are looking for. This allows them to bypass large portions of the book that they have no interest in at that time.

DAISY books can allow the reader can go directly to specific pages. To make this possible, the producer of the book must include the page codes at the correct locations when they create the book. Pages cannot be coded by the reader.

Two other DAISY navigation features, namely "Groups" and "Phrases" are available to the producer of the DAISY project. Both of these features give the reader extra navigation options and are explained in the chapter called "Getting Started" later in this manual.

Once the book is complete, the reader can add bookmarks at relevant places to enable them to find the marked locations at a later stage. The number of permitted bookmarks will depend on the player used but generally there will be more capacity than the reader requires. Bookmarks are the only item that the reader can insert and remove.

3.5 Main elements of a DAISY book

A DAISY book consists of a number of items. A brief summary of these is given below:

• Audio files - these are the main building blocks of any audio DAISY book. The DAISY format is able to work with audio formats including MP3 and WAV. The selection of the audio format for a particular recording will depend on the audio quality required and the estimated length of the recording. A DAISY book may contain a single audio file or a large number of individual files depending on how the recording was made. The audio files created by the PRS software are all named in the same style. This is the letter "a" followed by 6 numbers and with a file extension ".MP3" or ".WAV".
• Navigation files - in order to enable the reader to quickly move around a DAISY book, the software creates a number of navigation files automatically. There are 2 main types of navigation file. Firstly there are files which have a ".HTML" or ".HTM" file extension. The most important of these is the "NCC.HTML" or "NCC.HTM" file. In this context "NCC" stands for "Navigation Control Centre". This NCC file contains information about how the book is structured and how the audio files should be linked together. The second type of navigation file can be recognised by their ".SMIL" file extension and are generally called the "smile files". These files control the timing of the audio playback. Without these files, the audio files would not be 'linked' together and could only be played like tracks on a standard music CD. All the smile files that are generated by the PRS software will have the same style of file name. This is the three letters "ptk" followed by 6 numbers and with a file extension of ".SMIL".
• Book information - This is information about the original print book and about the people involved in creating the DAISY book. This includes the title of the book, the name of the author, the publisher, the ISBN, the name of the narrator(s), the name of the book producer and the language. Although it is possible to create a DAISY book without completing this information, it is good practice to aim to fill in as much information as possible. The information provided will be used as "meta data" in the NCC file along with the Table of Contents information. Meta data is just the name given to this kind of information in the marked up file.
• Table of Contents or ToC - this is information which is stored in a marked up text file which controls the outline structure of the DAISY book. It acts as a link between the audio files and the navigation files.

3.6 Main processes involved in producing an audio DAISY book

When producing an audio DAISY book, there are a number of tasks to complete. In outline, these are as follows:

• Starting the new project - this is very similar to the idea of creating a new document in a word processor. By choosing to create a new DAISY project, you will be given an empty project in which to generate your new book.
• Completing the book information - this can be done at any time during the process of creating the book but is probably best done at the beginning.
• Creating the Table of Contents - this can be done before or after the recording and will very much depend on the type of recording you are making.
• Recording the audio - there are 2 main options for generating the recording. It can either be recorded direct into the DAISY software or can be recorded separately and imported into the project afterwards. The method selected will depend on the type of DAISY book you are producing.
• Editing the project - it is rare for a recording to be perfect first time so there is likely to be a need to edit it afterwards. The editing process also enable the producer of the DAISY book to check the structure of the new DAISY book and to insert heading, level, page and other navigation information if they haven't been entered previously.
• Building the final book - after the editing has been completed, all DAISY books must be run through a process called "building the book". This process finalizes a number of items. It also automatically enters the date of completion into the book information.
• Writing the CD - this is the final process required to give you a CD of your DAISY book. The CD can either be a master CD or a distribution CD. Distribution CDs cannot be edited.

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4 Getting Started

By now, you should have a reasonable overview about the way a DAISY book is structured and produced. This chapter focuses on how you get started with using the PRS software.

4.1 Terminology used in the software

In order to avoid any confusion with terminology, the most commonly used terms used in the PRS software are explained below. It is stressed that the way these terms are defined relates to their use in the PRS software and may not be used in the same context in other publications.

4.1.1 Project

A project is a DAISY book before it is finished. The final process of building the book is the point at which the project is complete. At this stage it would be called a DAISY book.

4.1.2 Book

A "book" is a finished project. At this stage it is ready for distribution. If further editing of the book were required subsequently, the book would have to be imported into the PRS software as a new project.

4.1.3 Title

Throughout this manual the term "title" refers to the title of a book.

4.1.4 Section

A "section" in the PRS software refers to the segment of audio between one heading and the next. A section is generally made up of a number of phrases but can have as few as one phrase. Each section will have a heading and a heading level associated with it. Do not get confused between sections in the PRS software and sections of this manual!

4.1.5 Heading

A "heading" is the text associated with a section. The default text for all section headings is the word "Heading". A more descriptive heading can be entered by the producer of the project. The heading text forms the basis of the Table of Contents and is used in the NCC file.

4.1.6 Level

The "level" of a section refers to its DAISY navigation level. As mentioned earlier in the manual, the producer of the DAISY book can choose from 6 levels of navigation. These are known as Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and so on. Level 1 is the highest level of navigation and Level 6 the lowest. Every section in a DAISY project/book has an associated level of navigation. The default level for all sections is Level 1. The level can be altered by the producer of the project but cannot be altered by the reader.

4.1.7 Phrase

When the book is being recorded, the audio files are automatically divided into segments called "phrases". The recording software will decide on where a phrase starts and ends based on the amount of silence between one piece of audio and the next. The length of silence permitted before a new phrase is created is called the "pause time" and can be adjusted by the person making the DAISY recording. In order to break the audio up into phrases that are not too long or short, a fast reader might require a short pause time and a slower reader a longer pause time. When the recording is finished, the reader can use the phrases as an additional navigation feature.

4.1.8 Page

A "Page" refers to a code placed into the DAISY project. The page code is attached to a phrase and can be inserted or removed by the project producer before it is completed. It should be noted that page coding in the final DAISY book may not match the pages in the original printed text book depending on the needs of the project. For example, page numbering in the DAISY book may start at the point where the printed book content starts, ignoring the page numbering of items such as the preface, dedication and extraneous information.

4.1.9 Group

The "group" coding is a flexible navigation feature and can be used by the project producer to relate to elements in the book that they wish to reference separately from the other navigation features. For example, the producer may choose to use the group code to identify each paragraph, though this would be very labour intensive. It might also be used to reference other items such as points of note, warnings, diagrams or tables. As with most DAISY elements, the group coding is decided upon by the producer and cannot be altered by the reader.

4.1.10 Mark

A mark is a way in which the producer of the project can identify particular phrases in the project that may need further attention. Marks do not affect the playback of the finished book but would normally be removed by the producer before finalising the project.

4.1.11 Event

An event includes all of the following: the first phrase in every section; phrases coded with the "Page" code and phrases coded with the "Group" code. Phrases marked with the "Mark" code are not considered to be "events".

4.2 Recommended system requirements

SHINANOKENSHI recommends the following system environment for running the PRS software. SHINANOKENSHI does not guarantee proper operation of the software on systems which do not meet this specification.

Recommended Specification:

• Operating System: Windows 7, Vista, XP
• Screen Resolution: 800 by 600 pixels or higher
• Hard Disk (HDD): 1 GB for software installation (including temporary image file area for CD writing) and 2 GB or more of free disk space for recorded content
• Sound card
• CDR/CDRW Drive
• Voice Guidance: To comply with Microsoft Speech API 4.0 as following TTS engine. (Included this software)
  Mary, Mike, Sam, Mary (for Telephone), Mike (for Telephone), Female Whisper, Mary in Space, Mary in Hall, Mary in Stadium, RoboSoft Six, RoboSoft Five, RoboSoft Four, Male Whisper, RoboSoft One, RoboSoft Two, RoboSoft Three, Mike in Hall, Mike in Stadium, Mike in Space.

4.3 Installation and uninstallation of PRS

This section of the manual explains how to install and uninstall the PRS software.

Note: The file name for set-up or the version number appearing on the screen will be different from the one written on the manual after the upgrade has been done.

4.3.1 Installing PRS

To install the PRS software do the following:

• Connect the Plextalk PTR1/PTR2 recorder to your computer and ensure that the device is recognised by your system. This is required because the software will not install without first recognising the PTR1/PTR2 drive. You should refer to the PTR1/PTR2 User Guide for detailed instructions of how to connect the PTR1/PTR2 to your computer for the first time.
• Insert the PTR1/PTR2 User Guide CD into the PTR1/PTR2.
• From the Windows Start Menu, select the "Run" option. Once in the "Run" dialogue box, select the "Browse" button and navigate to the "PRS" folder on the CD. Locate and highlight the file called "PRSsetup2_XX_XX_XXE.exe" and press the "Enter" key. This will return you to the "Run" dialogue box with the correct filename entered in the command line. Press the "Enter" key once more and the installation wizard will start.
  
  
  
  
• If the computer is unable to recognise the CD, an error message will be displayed at this stage. Check that the PTR1/PTR2 is correctly connected and installed before re-trying.
  
  
  
  
• If the PTR1/PTR2 is correctly recognised, the "Welcome" dialogue box will appear. Press the "Next" button to continue.
  
  
  
  
• The "Licence Agreement" dialogue box will appear. In order to continue with the installation, you should read the agreement and then press the "Yes" button. If you do not accept the terms of the agreement, press the "No" button and the installation will abort.
  
  
  
  
• If you accept the agreement, the "Choose Destination Location" dialogue box will appear. You may choose to accept the default installation location or enter an alternative folder name in the edit field provided. Once you have made your choice, press the "Install" button and the installation process will start.
  
  
  
  
• When the installation process is complete, the "Install Shield Wizard Complete" dialogue box will appear. Press the "Finish" button and re-start your computer.
  
  
  
  
• Installation of the PRS software should now be complete.

4.3.2 Uninstalling PRS

To uninstall the PRS software do the following:

• From the Windows Start Menu, select the "Settings" menu and then the "Control Panel" option and press the "Enter" key.
• The Windows Control Panel will appear. From the list of items, select "Add/Remove Programs".
  
  
  
  
• The "Add/Remove Programs" dialogue box will appear. From the list of installed components, select "Plextalk Recording Software" and press the "Change/Remove" button.
  
  
  
  
• A dialogue box containing the following text will appear: "Whenever install the PRS on your PC, you need the PLEXTALK Portable Recorder (PTR1 or PTR2) and the original installation disc. Do you wish to completely remove "PLEXTALK Recording Software" and all its components?"
• To continue uninstalling the PRS software, press the "Yes" button.
  
  
  
  
• The uninstallation will start.
  
  
  
  
• After a short pause, the "Maintenance Complete" dialogue box will appear. Press the "Finish" button to complete the process.
  

4.4 Launching and Exiting PRS

This section of the manual explains how to launch and exit the PRS software.

4.4.1 Launching PRS

In order to launch the PRS software, do the following:

• Select the "Plextalk Recording Software" icon on the desktop, or, from the Windows Start Menu, select the Programs menu then the "Plextalk Recording Software" menu and then the "Plextalk Recording Software" short cut. When you have selected the relevant short cut, press the "Enter" key.
• Either of these options will launch the software.
• The first time you launch the PRS software, the voice guidance feature will be present. Later in this chapter you will be shown how to turn it off or customize it according to your needs.
  
  
  
  
• After a short pause, the "Selection of the Operation" dialogue box will appear. This gives you 3 options. You can choose to open an existing project, create a new project or import an existing DAISY book. Use your "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to select the required operation and then press the "Enter" key. Pressing the "Escape" key at this stage will launch the software with no project loaded. The voice guidance will announce "the project does not exist".
• If you select "Open", you will be presented with a standard file open dialogue box, in which you need to highlight the project folder and file that is to be opened, and then press the "Open" button.
• If you select "New", you need to give the software some additional information for the new project to be set up. This is done using 3 simple dialogue boxes which appear one after the other. Firstly you will have to specify the audio format that you wish to use for the project. The next box asks you to specify a project name and folder in which it is to be saved. Finally you will be presented with the "Book Information" dialogue box - you can either enter the book information at this point or at any other time before the project is finalized.
• If you select "DAISY Import", you will again be presented with 3 dialogue boxes. The first asks you to specify the NCC.HTML or NCC.HTM file that is to be imported. The second allows you to specify the audio format to be used and the third asks you to specify the location and project name for the imported book. Further detail about the DAISY Import feature is given in Section 14.1 in this manual.

4.4.2 Exiting PRS

To exit the PRS software, do the following:

• Select "Exit" from the "File" menu or press Alt+F4.
• The "Exit Confirmation" dialogue box will appear. If you are sure that you wish to exit the program, press the "Enter" key or "OK" button. If you wish to return to the project you are editing, press the "Cancel" button or the "Escape" key.

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5 Accessing the PRS software

This chapter gives details about the software interface, how to access it from the keyboard and the voice guidance feature.

5.1 Description of the main screen interface

The main screen in the PRS software is laid out like a typical Windows application. There is a Title Bar at the top, under which there is a Menu Bar and a Tool Bar. The remaining screen is divided into 3 areas: the Section List, the Phrase List and the Monitoring Display area.

The Section List is immediately under the main toolbar and stretches across the entire width of the application window. The Phrase List and the Monitoring Display areas are both below the Section list, with the Phrase List on the left and the Monitoring Display on the right. Each of the main items on the screen is described in more detail below.

5.1.1 Menu Bar

This has 7 items. From left to right, these are: File, Edit, Move, Control, Tool, Option and Help. Keyboard navigation of the Menu Bar and the associated drop-down menus conforms to normal Windows standards. A full list of the items on each drop down menu is given at Appendix B. A list of the available short cut keystrokes is given at Appendix C.

5.1.2 Main Toolbar

This toolbar contains icons for features that affect the project as a whole and also the Windows editing features that you would expect to find in most Windows applications. It consists of 13 icons immediately under the Menu Bar. From left to right, these are: New project, Open project, Cut, Copy, Paste, Undo, Recording settings, Build book, CD writing, Find heading, Book information, Storage information and HTML Help. If a mouse pointer is positioned over any of these icons, a text tool tip is displayed to tell you what feature the icon represents. All of these features can be accessed through the menus or by keyboard short cuts as well as from the Toolbar.

5.1.3 Section List

The Section List is split into 7 columns with the following headings: Section, Level, Heading, Phrase, Length, Page, and Comment. When the project contains recorded material, this area will list all the sections in the project. Relevant details for each section will be displayed in the columns to the right of the section number.

5.1.4 Centre Toolbar

Between the Section List and the Phrase List, there is a toolbar which has 8 buttons. Most of the features are for editing the properties of sections or phrases. From left to right, they are: Level up, Level down, Section creation, Group, Page, Mark, Recording mode toggle and Play speed. All features can be accessed using keyboard alternatives.

5.1.5 Phrase List

The phrase List is split into 8 columns with the following headings: Phrase, Length, Pause, Group, Page, Mark, Audio file name and Comment. When the project contains recorded material, this area will list all the phrases in the section which is highlighted in the Section List. Relevant details for each phrase will be displayed in the columns to the right of the phrase number.

5.1.6 Lower Toolbar

Under the Phrase List, there is a third toolbar with 7 icons. This toolbar can be used to control the playing and recording of the project. From left to right, the icons are: First phrase, Previous phrase, Play, Next phrase, Last phrase, Stop and Record.

5.1.7 Monitoring Display

Level with the phrase List, at the bottom right corner of the screen, is another box. This lists, vertically, 7 items related to the monitoring of recording and playing levels and the status of the project. From top to bottom, these are: Recording level slider, Playback volume slider, Section information window, Phrase information window, Status window, Recording format and Recorded format.

5.2 Operation from the keyboard

All features of the PRS software can be accessed either by keyboard commands or by using the mouse. Most of the keyboard commands follow the standard Windows pattern, for example, Cut, Copy and Paste use the keystrokes "Control+X", "Control+C" and "Control+V" respectively. This section details some of the most useful keyboard commands. A comprehensive list of keyboard commands is provided at Appendix B & Appendix C.

5.2.1 Tab key

On the main screen, this key will switch the focus from the Section List to the Phrase List and vice versa. If the voice guidance is on, you will hear "Section" or "Phrase" to tell you which list the focus has moved to. Within dialogue boxes, "Tab" or "Shift+Tab" will move you forward or backwards around the dialogue box.

5.2.2 Arrow keys

Within the Section List or the Phrase List, the Arrow keys will move you up or down on the list of sections or phrases. In lists that are in dialogue boxes, they will allow you to change a selection.

5.2.3 F12 or F9 keys

These 2 keys have identical meanings in the PRS software and which one you use is a matter of personal preference. The usage of the keys depends on the situation as follows:

• If the focus is on the Section List, pressing "F12" or "F9" will cause the voice guidance to speak the section information for the section selected.
• If the focus is on the Phrase List, pressing "F12" or "F9" will cause the voice guidance to speak the phrase information for the phrase selected.
• If the focus is in a dialogue box, pressing "F12" or "F9" will cause the voice guidance to speak the item you are highlighting.
• When the PRS software is processing a command such as a DAISY Import or Audio Export, pressing "F12" or "F9" will indicate the percentage of the operation that has been completed.
• Note: The F12 and F9 keys will only have the above effects if the Voice Guidance feature is turned on.

5.2.4 Shift+F1 key

Pressing this key combination when the focus is on the Section List or Phrase List will cause the voice guidance to speak the following items: Input volume (from microphone or other input device), Wave out volume, Section selected, Total number of sections, Phrase selected, Total number of phrases, the Recording format and the Recorded format.

5.2.5 Alt key

This has the standard Windows usage and, when pressed, will take the PC focus to the Menu Bar. If pressed whilst you are on the Menu Bar or in a drop down menu, it will close all drop down menus and return the focus to the Section List or Phrase List.

5.2.6 Control key

This can be used to mute the voice guidance at any time.

5.3 Information about using speech with PRS

The PRS is supplied with a built-in Voice Guidance facility. The text to speech engine used conforms to Microsoft's speech API 4.0. With the speech enabled, it is possible for a totally blind user to use the PRS software independently.

As the built-in speech is likely to clash with other screen reading packages, it is recommended that you turn off other screen readers when launching the PRS software. SHINANOKENSHI is unable to guarantee the proper function of PRS or the built-in voice guidance if you use other screen reading software.

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6 Configuring PRS

This chapter describes how to configure some of the features of the PRS software basic operation. This includes altering the speech and display settings. There is also information on setting up the default folder for recordings and the default CDR/CDRW drive.

6.1 Customizing the Voice Guidance feature

After installation of the PRS software, the Voice Guidance will be active with default settings. You may wish to turn off the voice altogether or customize it to your own preferences. This section describes how to make these alterations.

6.1.1 Turning the Voice Guidance "On" or "Off"

The Voice Guidance can be on or off when editing your project. You can also select to have voice guidance turned off during recording so that it is not picked up in the audio. If, however, you turn the voice guidance off during editing, this will also automatically disable it during recording as well. To turn the Voice Guidance on or off, do the following:

• Select the "Option" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+O".
• On the drop down menu select the "Voice Guidance" option or press "G". This will leave you in the Voice Guidance dialogue box.
  
  
  
  
• Press the "Tab" key to move to the "Guidance at Editing" or "Guidance at Recording" elements and use your "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to set each item to "On" or "Off".
• Press the "OK" button or the "Enter" key to save your selections.

  Note: The settings that you select will become the default settings for the future.

6.1.2 Customising the voice options

In order to select a different voice or to adjust the settings such as speed, pitch or volume, do the following:

• Select the "Option" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+O".
• On the drop down menu, select the "Selection of the TTS Engine" option or press "S". This will leave you in the dialogue box where you can select a different TTS engine or make alterations to the existing one.
  
  
  
  
• Press "Tab" or "Shift+Tab" to move around this dialogue box and "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to make alterations to the various settings. Larger modifications can be made by using the "Page up" or "Page down" keys.
• The items that can be altered are: the TTS engine used, pitch, speed and volume.
• When you are happy with your alterations, press the "OK" button or the "Enter" key.
• If you wish to cancel your alterations, press the "Cancel" button or the "Escape" key.

  Note 1: The list of TTS engines available to you in this dialogue will depend on other software you have installed on your computer as well as PRS.
  Note 2: If you make a mistake with your modifications to the pitch, speed or volume, you can use the "Default" button to reset these values to their original setting for that TTS engine.
  Note 3: The settings you select in this dialogue box will become the default settings when you start PRS in the future.

6.2 Customising the display settings

This section describes how to modify the font size in lists and message boxes.

6.2.1 Modifying the list font size

The list font size affects the size of text in the Section and Phrase Lists on the main screen. To modify the list font, do the following:

• Select the "Option" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+O".
• Select the "List font size" option from the drop down menu or press "F".
• From the list that appears, use the "Up" or "Down" Arrows to choose your desired setting. The options are Largest (G), Larger (L), Smaller (S) and Smallest (A).
• Press the "Enter" key to make your selection.

6.2.2 Modifying the message font size

The message font will affect the size of text you see in dialogue boxes. To modify the message font, do the following:

• Select the "Option" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+O".
• Select the "Message font size" option from the drop down menu or press "M".
• From the list that appears, use the "Up" or "Down" Arrows to choose your desired setting. The options are Largest (G), Larger (L), Smaller (S) and Smallest (A).
• Press the "Enter" key to make your selection.

  Note: In both situations above, Largest is 2.5, Larger is 2.0, Smaller is 1.5 and Smallest is 1.0 times the standard Windows icon font size.

6.3 Setting the default folder for recordings

Before working with the software it is worth taking a few moments to decide where you want your PRS projects to be located. PRS allows you to specify a default folder which can be an existing folder or a new one. This section explains how to set the default folder for your system.

6.3.1 Setting an existing folder as the default folder

To set an existing folder to be your default folder, do the following:

• Select the "Option" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+O".
• Select the "Recording" option from the drop down menu or press "R".
• Alternatively you can press "Control+R" directly from the main screen.
• This will take you to the "Recording Function" dialogue box. The detail of this dialogue will be discussed later in this manual.
• If you wish to enter the folder name manually, tab round the dialogue box to the "Open folder when new creation" edit box. Type in the desired folder path and name and press "Enter" to confirm your folder selection.
• If you wish to select an existing folder from a folder list, tab round the dialogue box to the "Select folder" button and press "Enter". You will end up in another dialogue box.
  
  
  
  
• Press "Shift+Tab" to go to the folder list. Use your "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to select the required folder. The Right and Left Arrow keys can be used to open or close the list of sub folders respectively. Once you have highlighted the required folder, press "Enter" to confirm this selection. You will return to the "Recording Function" dialogue box. Press "Enter" once again to complete the process.

6.3.2 Creating a new folder to be the default folder

To create a new folder and set it as the default folder, do the following:

• Select the "Option" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+O".
• Select the "Recording" option from the drop down menu or press "R".
• Alternatively you can press "Control+R" directly from the main screen.
• This will take you to the "Recording Function" dialogue box. The detail of this dialogue will be discussed later in this manual.
• Tab round the dialogue box to the "Select file" button and press "Enter". This will open another dialogue box.
• Press "Shift+Tab" to go to the folder list. Use your "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to select the folder in which you wish to create your new folder. The Right and Left Arrow keys can be used to open or close the list of sub folders respectively.
• Once you have highlighted the required folder, press "Shift+Tab" to select the "New folder" button and press "Enter".
• Type in the folder name for the folder which will become the default folder. If you do not type in a name, the default name of "New folder" will be assumed.
• Press the "Enter" key to confirm the entry.
• Press "Enter" again to confirm the selection of the new folder. This will return you to the "Recording function" dialogue box. Press "Enter" one last time to complete the process.

6.4 Selecting the default CD writer

Although you may not require to use the CD writing facility for some time, it is a good idea to configure the software for this at an early stage to avoid unnecessary errors later on. This section details how to set up the software to work with your selected CD writer.

To configure the software to work with your desired CD writer, do the following:

• Select the "Option" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+O".
• Select the "CDR Drive" option from the drop down menu or press "D".
• Alternatively you can press "Control+D" directly from the main screen.
  
  
  
  
• This will take you to the "Setting of the CDR Drive" dialogue box. This dialogue has 2 elements, a list of available CDR/CDRW drives and a radio button which allows you to turn on or off the facility for creating a temporary image file whilst recording.
• The focus will be on the list of available drives. Use the "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to select your preferred drive.
• Press "Tab" to move to the radio button for the temporary image setting. Use "Up" or "Down" Arrows to set this feature to "On" or "Off".
• Press the "Enter" key to confirm your selections.

  Note: After confirming your selection, this will become the default selection in the future. You can also change the selected drive or the temporary image setting at any time.

6.5 Exercises for configuring PRS

You have now covered the basic methods of configuring the PRS software. Before continuing, you may wish to practice some of these skills. Exercise 1 in Appendix A gives you some ideas of things to try.

Return to Chapter 6 of ToC

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7 Opening and Creating New Projects

This chapter details how to open existing projects from the hard disk and how to create new projects. It also describes how to open existing completed DAISY books from CD to prepare them for further editing.

7.1 Opening an existing projects

This section of the manual describes how to open an existing PRS project from the hard disk. This can be done when the software is launched or from within the program after it is loaded. The dialogue box, which appears in both cases, is identical.

The 2 methods of opening an existing project are detailed below. Following this the dialogue box itself is described.

7.1.1 Method 1 - if you are not already in the PRS software

• Launch the PRS as described in an earlier section of the manual.
• Select "Open" from the "Selection of the Operation" dialogue box which appears and press "Enter".

7.1.2 Method 2 - if you are already using the PRS software

• Select the "File" menu from the Main Bar or press "Alt+F".
• Select "Open" from the drop down menu or press "O".
• Alternatively you can press "Control+O" directly from the main screen.

7.1.3 Description of the "Open" dialogue box

Both methods above will cause the "Open" dialogue box to appear. It has 6 elements and can be navigated by pressing the "Tab" key to move forwards or "Shift+Tab" to move backwards. The 6 elements are as follows:

• File name edit field - type the required file name. You can use up to 63 alphanumeric characters for the name of the project folder - do not use spaces. Use "Alt+N" to jump to this element from anywhere else in the dialogue box.
• Files of Type combo box - select the type of file to be opened from the list provided. You will be offered either "Project file (NCC.IMDN)" or "NCC (NCC.HTML ; NCC.HTM)". To open an existing project, you should select the Project file option. Use "Alt+T" to jump to this element from anywhere else in the dialogue box.
• Look IN combo box - use the "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to locate the folder which contains your existing project and press "Enter" once you have highlighted it. The contents of the folder will be displayed in the list box provided. Use "Alt+I" to jump to this element from anywhere else in the dialogue box.
• File List - this will display the contents of the selected folder in the "Look in" combo. Use your "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to move up and down the list or the initial letter of the file you are looking for (Note: PRS project files will always be called "NCC.IMDN"). To choose a file or folder in this list, highlight the item and press the "Enter" key. Use the "Backspace" key to move up one level in the folder structure.
• Open button - once you have selected the "NCC.IMDN" file for the project you wish to open, press the "Open" button and the project will be loaded.
• Alternatively you can use "Alt+O".
• Cancel button - Tab to the "Cancel" button and press "Enter" if you no longer wish to open an existing project. You can also press the "Escape" key if you prefer.

7.2 Creating a new project

This section of the manual describes how to create a new PRS project. This can be done when the software is launched or from within the program after it is loaded. The series of dialogue boxes, which appear in both cases, are identical.

The 2 methods of creating a new project are detailed below. Following this the 3 dialogue boxes themselves are described in the order that they appear.

7.2.1 Method 1 - if you are not already in the PRS software

• Launch the PRS as described in an earlier section of the manual.
• Select "New" from the "Selection of the Operation" dialogue box which appears and press "Enter".

7.2.2 Method 2 - if you are already using the PRS software

• Select the "File" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+F".
• Select "New" from the drop down menu or press "N".
• Alternatively you can press "Control+N" directly from the main screen.

  Having chosen to create a new project, you will be offered a series of 3 dialogue boxes. The first is for setting the recording format for the project. The next gives you an opportunity to specify a name and folder for your new project. The third is for entering the book information if you wish. The 3 dialogue boxes are described in more detail below:

7.2.3 Description of the "Recording Format" dialogue box

The first dialogue box to appear is the "Recording Format" dialogue. This is used to specify the recording format you wish to use in the new project. It has 3 elements and can be navigated by pressing the "Tab" key to move forwards or "Shift+Tab" to move backwards. The 3 elements are as follows:

• Recording Format combo box - use your "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to select your preferred recording format. You can choose from the following10 formats: PCM 44.1 kHz Stereo, PCM 44.1 kHz Mono, PCM 22.05 kHz Mono, MP3 256 kbps Stereo, MP3 128 kbps Stereo, MP3 64 kbps Mono, MP3 48 kbps Mono, MP3 32 kbps Mono, MP3 24 kbps Mono and MP3 16 kbps Mono. The PCM 44.1 kHz Stereo option will give the highest sound quality but will use the most disk space. A table showing the recording times available for each recording format, on different types of CD, is given at Appendix D, Table D2.
• OK button - once you have selected the required recording format from the list provided, press the "OK" button to accept your selection.
• Cancel button - Tab to the "Cancel" button and press "Enter" if you no longer wish to specify a recording format. You can also press the "Escape" key if you prefer.

  Note: Once you select a recording format, you will not be able to change it when the project is being edited. You will, however, be able to change the format by using the "Audio Export" feature of the PRS software which is described later, in this manual.

7.2.4 Description of the "Folder Name" dialogue box

The second of the 3 dialogue boxes is the "Folder Name" dialogue. It is used to specify the name and location of the new project folder. It has 6 elements and can be navigated by pressing the "Tab" key to move forwards or "Shift+Tab" to move backwards. The 6 elements are as follows:

• File name edit field - type the required file name. You can use up to 63 alphanumeric characters for the name of the project folder - do not use spaces. Use "Alt+N" to jump to this element from anywhere else in the dialogue box.
• Save as Type combo box - in this instance, you are only offered the choice of "Project File" so you do not require to specify anything in this field. Use "Alt+T" to jump to this element from anywhere else in the dialogue box.
• Save IN combo box - use the "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to locate the folder where you wish to save your new project folder. Press "Enter" once you have highlighted a folder in order to view its contents. These will be displayed in the list box provided. Use "Alt+I" to jump to this element from anywhere else in the dialogue box.
• File List - this will display the contents of the selected folder in the "Save in" combo. Use your "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to move up and down the list or the initial letter of the folder you are looking for. To choose a file or folder in this list, highlight it and press the "Enter" key. Use the "Backspace" key to move up one level in the folder structure.
• Save button - once you have typed a name for the new project and specified the folder in which it is to be saved, press the "Save" button.
• Alternatively you can use "Alt+S". A confirmation dialogue box will appear. Press the "Enter" key to confirm or the "Escape" key to abort.
• Cancel button - Tab to the "Cancel" button and press "Enter" if you no longer wish to create a new project. You can also press the "Escape" key if you prefer.

7.2.5 Description of the "Book Information" dialogue

The last of the 3 dialogue boxes is the "Book Information" dialogue and is used to enter a range of important information about the original printed book and about the people who have created the DAISY version. This information can be completed at any time during the editing of the project up to the point where the book is built. The dialogue has 11 main elements (apart from the "OK" and "Cancel" buttons) and can be navigated by pressing the "Tab" key to move forwards or "Shift+Tab" to move backwards. The 11 elements are nearly all simple edit boxes for entering textual information.

A brief description of these elements follows:

• Title - title of the original printed book.
• Creator - name of the creator.
• Source publisher - name of the publisher of print source.
• Source date - date for publication of the print source. PRS accepts numerical number only. The syntax is "yyyymmdd".
• ISBN - unique code for the original print book.
• Identifier - this is a randomly generated code which should be unique for this project. The PRS software can generate this automatically if left blank.
• Language - this is a combo box with a list of available languages. English is the default on installation.
• Character Set - default entry is ISO-8859-1.
• DTB publisher - name of the person generating the DAISY book.
• DTB date- date for publication of DAISY book. PRS accepts numerical number only. The syntax is "yyyymmdd".
• Narrator - the name or names of those doing the reading.
• Producer - name of organization/production unit generating the DAISY book.
• Genre - the genre of the DAISY book.
• Scheme of subject - keywords or classification codes.

Note: When this dialogue appears, if you do not wish to enter the data at the time, simply press the "Enter" key and the dialogue will vanish.

7.3 Opening an existing book from CD

This section describes how to open a finished DAISY book in order to do further editing. The procedure is useful if you wish to use the PRS to edit a recording that you have created on the Plextalk PTR1/PTR2 portable recorder. The "DAISY Import" feature is similar to the procedure described in this section but it is more versatile. The "DAISY Import" feature is described in detail in Section 14.1 of this manual.

In outline, opening an existing DAISY book involves: locating the required NCC file, setting the correct audio format for the new project (if necessary), selecting the folder where you wish to save the new project and running the import process.

To carry out this process, do the following:

• Select "File" from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+F".
• Select "Open" from the drop down menu or press "O".
• Alternatively you can press "Control+O" directly from the main screen. The "Open" dialogue will be displayed.
  
  
  
  
• Press "Tab" to go to the "Files of Type" element.
• Use the "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to set the type to "NCC (NCC.HTML ; NCC.HTM)".
• Tab to the "Look In" box and select the drive where your CD book is located.
• Tab to the list box showing the contents of the selected drive and use the "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to select the folder which contains the finished book.
• Press "Enter" to select this folder. You can use the "Backspace" key to move up a level in the folder structure.
• When you have located the required folder, the list box should display one NCC file with either an "HTML" or "HTM" file extension.
• Select the file and press "Enter". This will start the process of opening your book.
• If the audio format of the existing book is not recognised by the PRS software, the "Recording Format" dialogue will appear.
  Select the desired audio format from the list and press "Enter".
  
  
  
  
• Next a dialogue box will appear which prompts you to specify a project name and a location where you wish to save the imported project. Type in a project name and specify the required location in the list box provided. When complete, tab to the "Save" button and press "Enter" or press "Alt+S".
• A confirmation dialogue box will appear. Press "Enter" to confirm that you wish to save the new project in this location.
• After confirming this dialogue box, the import process will start. During this process, the Voice Guidance will intermittently say "Running". If you wish to check the progress of this procedure at any time, press the "F12" or "F9" key and the percentage complete will be spoken.

  Note 1: When saving the new project, the file name can include up to 63 alphanumeric characters. Do not use spaces.
  Note 2: If you are importing a large project, this process may take some time so be patient.

7.4 Exercises for opening projects and existing books

You should now have a good idea of how to open existing projects and books. If you would like to practice these procedures, Exercise 2 in Appendix A sets you some simple tasks.

Return to Chapter 7 of ToC

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8 Navigating and playing projects

This chapter explains how to navigate around your project and how to play sections and phrases. It also explains how to use some of the additional navigation features of the PRS software.

8.1 Navigating sections and phrases

To navigate around the Section or Phrase Lists, do the following:

• Press "Tab" to select the Section List or the Phrase List. The Voice Guidance will say "Section" or "Phrase" to indicate the list you have moved to.
• Once you have selected the list you want, use your "Up" or "Down" Arrows to go to the section or phrase you wish to play.
• Additionally, you can use "Home" or "End" to move to the first or last section or phrase in the Section or Phrase List you are in.

8.2 Playing sections or phrases repeatedly

To play or stop a section or phrase repeatedly, do the following:

• Select a section or phrase as above.
• In the Section List, the first phrase will be played and then stopped automatically. In the Phrase List, the selected phrase will be played and then stopped automatically. Press the "Left" or "Right" Arrow key to play again.
• To stop play, select "Stop" from the "Control" drop down menu or press the "Spacebar".

8.3 Continuous play

To play continuously, do the following:

• Select "Play Continuously" from the "Control" drop down menu or press "F5" from the main screen. The project will play continuously from the start of the selected section or phrase until the end of the project.
• To stop continuous play, select "Stop" from the "Control" drop down menu or press "Spacebar".

8.4 Adjusting playback speed

To adjust the playback speed, do the following:

• To increase playback speed, select "Speed up" from the "Control" drop down menu or press "F6".
• To decrease playback speed, select "Speed down" from the "Control" drop down menu or press "Shift+F6".
• The speed can be adjusted to 5 positions which are 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 times the normal speed.
  
  
  
  

  Note: The speed selected will become the default speed.

8.5 Adjusting playback volume

To adjust the playback volume (Wave out volume), do the following:

• To increase the volume of the playback, select "Wave out up" from the "Control" drop down menu or press the "F3" key.
• To decrease the playback volume, select "Wave out down" from the "Control" drop down menu or press "Shift+F3".

  Note: The new volume setting will become the default volume.

8.6 Getting section and phrase information

This section describes how to obtain section and phrase information.

To acquire section or phrase information, do the following:

• Select the section or phrase you want information about.
• Press the "F12" or "F9" key to hear the information for that item.
• In sections, the Voice Guidance will speak the Section number, the Section heading, the Section level, the number of phrases in the section and the total time to play the section.
• In phrases, the Voice Guidance will speak the Phrase number, the Phrase attributes (such as page or group information), the Length of the phrase, the amount of pause time in the phrase and the file name where the audio is stored.

8.7 Searching for heading text

A section heading is the text associated with the section. The heading information can be used to search for a section in the project.

To search for heading text, do the following:

• Select the "Find" option from the "Move" drop down menu or press "Control+F". The search dialogue box will appear.
  
  
  
  
• Type in the text you wish to search for and press "Enter". PRS will locate the first section whose heading contains the specified text. The first phrase of the section which has been found will be played.
• If you wish to continue searching for the same text, press the "Enter" key again.
• If you have found the section you were looking for, press "Tab" to go to the "End" button and press "Enter" or press the "Escape" key. The find dialogue box will disappear and the section containing the text that was searched for last will be highlighted.
• If the specified text is not found in any of the headings, a dialogue box will inform you of the search failure. Press the "Enter" key to return to the main screen. If you wish to search for different text, repeat the procedure above.

8.8 Jumping to Pages

To jump forwards or backwards to the next page, do the following:

• To jump from the current phrase position to the next page, select the "Next Page" option from the "Move" drop down menu or press "Control+Down Arrow".
• To jump from the current phrase position to the previous page, select the "Previous Page" option from the "Move" drop down menu or press "Control+Up Arrow".

8.9 Jumping to Groups

To jump forwards or backwards to the next group, do the following:

• To jump from the current phrase position to the next group, select the "Next Group" option from the "Move" drop down menu or press "Shift+Right Arrow".
• To jump from the current phrase position to the previous group, select the "Previous Group" option from the "Move" drop down menu or press "Shift+Left Arrow".

8.10 Jumping to Marks

To jump forwards or backwards to the next mark, do the following:

• To jump from the current phrase position to the next mark, select the "Next Mark" option from the "Move" drop down menu or press "Control+Right Arrow".
• To jump from the current phrase position to the previous mark, select the "Previous Mark" option from the "Move" drop down menu or press "Control+Left Arrow".

8.11 Jumping to Events

To jump forwards or backwards to the next event, do the following:

• To jump from the current phrase position to the next event, select the "Next Event" option from the "Move" drop down menu or press "Shift+J".
• To jump from the current phrase position to the previous event, select the "Previous Event" option from the "Move" drop down menu or press "Shift+F".

8.12 Exercises in playing and moving around a project

You should now have a good knowledge of how to move around a project and play sections and phrases. Exercise 3 in Appendix A gives you an opportunity to try out these skills in a real project.

Return to Chapter 8 of ToC

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9 Recording

This chapter details how to set up your computer and software to make a recording.

9.1 Checking the Volume Control options for the computer

Before trying to record a project, it is worth checking the Volume Control settings within your operating system. You will need to ensure that the devices that you intend to use for recording, such as the microphone or line in sockets on your sound card, have been activated in the Windows Volume Controls. If this has not been done, you will not be able to record in the PRS software. For further information on how to make these checks, refer to your Windows Help system.

9.2 Selecting the required input device

Having ensured that your Windows system is properly configured, you now need to set up the PRS to accept audio input from the correct source. You can choose to record from the microphone socket or from the line in socket on your sound card. If you want to make a live recording you would probably want to use your microphone. If you wished to record from another device such as a cassette player or CD player, you would use the Line in option.

To set up the PRS software for either of these input sources, do the following:

• Select the "Control" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+C".
• Select the "Selection of the Recording Volume Control" option from the drop down menu or press "V".
• This will open a sub menu with 2 items, "Line" and "Microphone". Use the "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to select the option you wish to use for the recording input and press the "Enter" key.

9.3 Confirmation of the storage information

Either before or after recording, you may wish to check the recording capacity of your system. This section details how to acquire information such as the recording format, the recorded time, the disk space used, the available recording time and the available disk capacity.

To acquire the storage information, do the following:

• Select the "Tool" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+T".
• Select the "Storage Information" option from the drop down menu or press "S".
• Alternatively you can press "Control+S" directly from the main screen.
  
  
  
  
• A dialogue with this information will appear. Press "Enter" when you have read the required details. If you wish the Voice Guidance to repeat the information, press the "F9" or "F12" key.

9.4 Setting up the recording functions

Several recording features can be customized by the producer of the DAISY project. These include the phrase pause time, noise level, section pause time, whether to create a new audio file or not, time to stop recording and the recording speed. This section outlines the purposes of each of these settings and how to make changes.

To access the "Recording Function" dialogue box, do the following:

• Select the "Option" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+O".
• Select the "Recording" option from the drop down menu or press "R".
• Alternatively, you can press "Control+R" directly from the main screen.
  
  
  
  
• This will open the "Recording Function" dialogue box where you can alter the following settings. Use the "Tab" key to move around the dialogue. Press the "OK" button to confirm alterations or "Cancel" to abort the changes.

9.4.1 Phrase pause time

The phrase pause time is the amount of silence that the PRS software will accept before automatically creating a new phrase. Pause times can be set in increments of 0.1 seconds, in the range 0.1 seconds to 1.0 seconds. The default setting on installation is 0.4 seconds.

9.4.2 Noise level

The noise level is the level of background noise. If this is high, PRS will find it difficult to split phrases and the recording will be one long phrase. If there is no background noise, you may end up with too many phrases. PRS offers you 10 noise levels, from -20dB to -40dB. The default setting is normal. If the background noise is high, set this option to "High" and if there is no background noise, set the option to "Low". Low noise levels are typically around -40 dB, normal noise level is around -28 dB and High noise level is around -20 dB.

9.4.3 Section pause time

The section pause time is the amount of silence that PRS will allow before automatically creating a new section and continuing to record. This is particularly useful when recording from tape cassettes and other media as it can greatly reduce the editing time required. The Section Pause time can be set in increments of 1 second in the range of 1 second up to 5 seconds. This setting can be ignored if set to "Nothing". The default setting is "Nothing".

Note: The Section Pause time is only valid in "Overwrite" recording mode.

9.4.4 Create a new audio file

This setting allows you to specify if PRS should take a new audio file when a new section is created. The default setting is "Yes". If you are recording in a location where the recording level is low such as in a conference or lecture room, set this setting to "No" and you should be able to record the low levels.

9.4.5 Time to stop recording

This setting would generally be used when recording from cassette or other device. The setting can be used to specify an amount of silence after which the recording will stop automatically. The available settings are 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes and 5 minutes. This setting can be ignored if set to "Nothing". The default setting is "Nothing".

9.4.6 Recording speed

This can be set to "Normal" (1x) or "Double" (2x) speed and is useful if you have a cassette player or other device which can play at double speed. This will half the time to record from that device. For normal use, set this to "Normal" and set it to "Double" if using a device capable of playing at double speed.

9.4.7 Remove DC offset

This option may help to reduce static noise from DC power sources. Noise of this kind can cause problems with phrase detection and it is recommended that, if you have tried changing the "Noise Level" options without success, you should try this option. There are 2 settings, "On" and "Off". The default setting is "Off".

9.4.8 Sound Boost

This option makes recording volume larger as selected decibel. Please enable this option when input volume of the sound device can not achieve the level you want. However, if sound contains certain noise, please turn off sound boost because sound boost amplifies the noise as well.

9.4.9 Open folder when new creation and "Select Folder"

By using these 2 elements, you can specify a default folder for all project recordings. These were described in more detail earlier in the manual.

9.5 Selecting the recording mode

Within the PRS software, there are 2 recording modes that can be used. These are "Overwrite" and "Punch-in" modes. This section explains the meaning of these modes and describes how to select the desired mode for recording.

9.5.1 Changing recording mode

To change from "Overwrite" to "Punch-in" mode or vice versa, do the following:

• Select the "Control" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+C".
• Select the "Record Mode" option from the drop down menu or press "M".
• Alternatively you can press "F7" directly from the main screen. The Voice Guidance will announce the selected mode.
• Repeat the process until you have selected your desired recording mode.
  
  
  

  Note: Whichever setting you last select during a session, will become the default setting.

9.5.2 Recording in "Overwrite" mode

"Overwrite" mode allows the producer to overwrite the whole of a specified section, from the selected phrase onwards, regardless of how long the original section was or how long the new recording is. The new recording will overwrite all phrases in the current section from the selected phrase onwards. It will not overwrite audio in the following sections!

To record in "Overwrite" mode, do the following:

• Ensure that you have selected "Overwrite" mode recording as detailed above.
• Move to the phrase which is the first phrase in the section that is to be overwritten.
• Select the "Control" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+C".
• Select "Record" from the drop down menu or press "R".
• Alternatively, you can press "F8" directly from the main screen.
• This will place you in a test recording mode. At this point you can adjust the recording volume for this section of the project. The Voice Guidance will indicate if the level is "High", "Good" or "Low".
• Once you are happy with the recording level, press "F8" a second time and the recording will start.
• To stop recording, select "Stop" from the "Control" drop down menu or press the "Spacebar".

  Note 1: If you do not wish to use the test recording mode, press "Shift+F8" and recording will start immediately.
  Note 2: When you start to record, the system will stay on pause until an audio input is detected by the software. Once the audio is detected, recording will start automatically.
  Note 3: To create a new section whilst recording, press the "Insert" key - ensure that the number lock is "Off" - this does not work in "Punch in" mode.

9.5.3 Recording in "Punch-in" mode

"Punch-in" mode enables the producer to insert audio at the selected location, without overwriting any audio. It can also be used to overwrite specified phrases in the selected section.

To record in "Punch-in" mode, do the following:

• Ensure that you have selected "Punch-in" mode recording as detailed above.
• Move to the phrase where you want to insert or punch-in your new audio.
• Select the "Control" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+C".
• Select "Record" from the drop down menu or press "R".
• Alternatively, you can press "F8" directly from the main screen.
  
  
  
  
• The "Punch-in" dialogue box will appear. This allows you to specify the phrases, in the current section, that are to be overwritten.
• If you do not want to overwrite any phrases (i.e. you want to insert new audio without deleting any existing audio), you should select "Nothing" in this dialogue.
• If you wish to delete some phrases in the section and replace them with the new audio, use the "Up" and "Down" Arrow keys to select the phrases to be replaced.
• If selecting multiple phrases, you can only select phrases that are next to each other. Move to the first phrase to be removed, hold down the "Shift" key and press "Down Arrow" until all required phrases are selected.
• When you have made your selection, press "Enter" to confirm.
• This will place you in a recording monitoring mode. At this point you can adjust the recording volume for this section of the project. The Voice Guidance will indicate if the level is "High", "Good" or "Low".
• Once you are happy with the recording level, press "F8" a second time and the recording will start.
• To stop recording, select "Stop" from the "Control" drop down menu or press the "Spacebar".

  Note 1: When selecting phrases to be deleted, you can press "F5" to hear a phrase you have selected or press "Shift+F5" to hear all the phrases that have been selected.
  Note 2: When you start to record, the system will stay on pause until an audio input is detected by the software. Once the audio is detected, recording will start automatically.
  Note 3: You cannot insert sections when recording in "Punch in" mode.
  Note 4: PRS will only allow you to record into a single section at a time, whether in "Overwrite" or "Punch-in" mode.

9.6 Adjusting the recording volume

When making a recording it is important that the recording volume is neither too high nor too low. If it is too high, the recording will be "clipped" and the recording may well be distorted to listen to. If the recording volume is too low, it may be difficult to hear. In both these cases, the phrase detection may not work properly.

You should be aiming to record in a middle range to avoid both situations. This section describes how to adjust the recording volume.

To adjust the recording volume, do the following:

• Select the "Control" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+C".
• Select the "Record" option from the drop down menu or press "R".
• Alternatively, press "F8" directly from the main screen.
• This will place you in the test recording mode.
  
  
  
  
• Now adjust the recording volume as required.
• The best way to do this is to speak a word at a time and then pause to listen to the feedback from the PRS software.
• If using the Voice Guidance, you will hear "High", "Good" or "Low". You should adjust the recording volume until you hear "Good" most often.
• To increase the recording volume, select "Input volume up" from the "Control" drop down menu or press "F4".
• To decrease the recording volume, select "Input volume down" from the "Control" drop down menu or press "Shift+F4".
• During this process, you should check that the phrase detection appears to be functioning well. This can be gauged by speaking several short sentences and viewing the number of phrases that have been detected during the test recording process. This information is visible in the Monitoring Display area of the screen or can be listened to by pressing the "F12" or "F9" keys.

  Note 1: "Low" indicates a peak level lower than -12 dB, "Good" indicates a peak level between -12 dB and -3 dB and "High" indicates a peak level which is -3 dB or higher.
  Note 2: If setting the recording volume visually, you should set the level to be around -10 dB.

9.7 Exercises for practicing recording techniques

You should now have a good understanding of the main issues involved in making a recording with the PRS software. If you would like to try some practical exercises in recording, see Exercise 4 in Appendix A.

Return to Chapter 9 of ToC

Return to ToC

10 Editing

This chapter focuses on how you can edit your project including manipulating the recorded information and structuring in the DAISY features such as pages and groups. At the end of this part of the manual you should be able to record and edit using most of the facilities in the PRS software.

10.1 Selecting multiple sections or phrases

Selecting multiple phrases or sections in a PRS project, is very similar to selecting multiple items in other Windows list boxes. The process is as follows:

• Move to the phrase or section from which you wish to start selecting.
• Hold down the "Shift" key and press the "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to select the phrases or sections above or below your initial position. The Voice Guidance will speak the phrases or sections as they are selected.
• Continue to hold down the "Shift" key until all the required phrases or sections have been selected.
• If you wish to select all the phrases in a section or all the sections in the project, you can select "Select All" from the "Edit" drop down menu or press "Control+A".
• Now you are ready to perform the necessary action on the selected phrases or sections. This could be: cut, copy, delete etc.

  Note: You can only select multiple phrases or sections that are contiguous.

10.2 Standard editing commands for phrases and sections

Now that you know how to select single and multiple phrases and sections, it is simple to action a number of the basic editing features of the PRS software. Many of the commands will be familiar from other Windows based programs. Below is listed some of the most useful commands:

• Cut selection - press "Control+X" or select "Cut" from the "Edit" menu.
• Copy selection - press "Control+C" or select "Copy" from the "Edit" menu.
• Paste selection - re-position the highlight where you wish to insert the phrases or sections being copied or moved and then press "Control+V" or select "Paste" from the "Edit" menu.
• Undo previous edit - press "Control+Z" or select "undo" from the "Edit" menu.
• Delete selection - press "Delete" or select "Delete" from he "Edit" menu.

10.3 Editing a section

This part of the manual deals with some of the basic editing commands for working with sections.

10.3.1 Joining sections

To join 2 or more sections together, do the following:

• Select the sections to be joined, as above.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Join" option from the drop down menu or press "J".
• Alternatively, you can press "Control+M" from the main screen.
• A confirmation box will appear. Press "Enter" to proceed or "Escape" to cancel.

10.3.2 Splitting a section

On occasions it will be necessary to split a section into smaller parts. The procedure to do this is explained below:

• Go to the Section List and select the section that you wish to split.
• Press "Tab" to move to the Phrase List for that section.
• Locate the phrase that is to be the first phrase of the new section.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Split Section" option from the drop down menu or press "O".
• Alternatively, you can press "Control+Q" from the main screen.
• A confirmation box will appear, press "Enter" to accept the split or "Escape" to cancel.
• The result will be the creation of a new section with the phrase which was at the split point being the first phrase in the new section.

10.3.3 Deleting sections

To delete a section, do the following:

• Select the section or sections to be deleted.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Delete" option from the drop down menu or press "D".
• Alternatively, you can press the "Delete" key directly from the main screen.

10.3.4 Deleting all sections

If you wish to delete all the sections in a project, do the following:

• Go to the Section List by pressing "Tab" until the Voice Guidance announces "Section".
• Select the "Edit" menu or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Delete All" option from the drop down menu.
• A confirmation dialogue box will appear, press "Enter" to confirm the deletion of all the sections or "Escape" to cancel.

10.3.5 Inserting a new section

If you wish to insert a new empty section, do the following:

• Go to the Section List and locate the position for the new section to be inserted.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Insert Section" option from the drop down menu or press "Shift+Insert".
• A confirmation box will appear. Press the "Enter" key to confirm, and the new empty section will be created, or press "Escape" to cancel.

10.4 Editing phrases

This section deals with some of the basic commands used for editing phrases.

10.4.1 Joining phrases

• Select the phrases to be joined, as above.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Join" option from the drop down menu or press "J".
• Alternatively, you can press "Control+M" from the main screen.
• A confirmation box will appear. Press "Enter" to proceed or "Escape" to cancel.

  Note 1: Phrases to be joined must be contiguous.
  Note 2: If the error message "Unable to join these phrases" appears, you should carry out one of the following actions. If the audio format of your project is "PCM", run the "Build Book" process from the "Tool" menu. If the audio format of your project is "MP3" run the "Audio Export" process from the "Tool" menu.

10.4.2 Splitting a phrase

On occasion you may wish to split a phrase to break down a long phrase into smaller pieces. This can be done as follows:

• Select the phrase you wish to split.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Split Phrase" option from the drop down menu or press "H".
• Alternatively, you can press "Control+P" directly from the main screen.
  
  
  
  
• The Voice Guidance will ask you to select the splitting position.
• Now use the "Left" and "Right" Arrow keys to adjust the splitting position to the desired position in the phrase. You can press these keys one press at a time or you can hold down the keys to scroll through the recording more quickly. Holding down the "Shift" key in combination with the "Arrow" keys will allow you to jump backwards or forwards 1 second at a time. Use the "Shift" key with "Left Arrow" or "Up Arrow" to move backwards. Use the "Shift" key with "Right Arrow" or "Down Arrow" to move forwards.
• The phrase will be played, each time you move, from the selected split position forwards in the recording. This way you can hear where the split will occur before making the Change.
• Once you are happy that you have chosen the correct position for making the split, press the "Enter" key.
• A confirmation dialogue box will appear, press "Enter" to confirm the split or "Escape" to cancel your selected position and adjust the split position further.

  Note 1: When you start the splitting process, the splitting position will always start at the beginning of the phrase to be split, so pressing the "Left Arrow" key at the start, will have no effect.
  Note 2: You will be unable to split a phrase if you are positioned at the beginning or end of the phrase.
  Note 3: During the splitting process, pressing the "F5" key will cause the Voice Guidance to speak from the split position. Pressing it again during the audio playback will stop the audio output.
  Note 4: If you wish to cancel the splitting process at any time whilst selecting the split position, press the "Escape" key to return to the main screen.
  Note 5: If you click on the phrase wave form with the right mouse button, the whole wave form will be displayed. Clicking a second time with the right mouse button will return the screen to normal.

10.4.3 Deleting a phrase

To delete a phrase, do the following:

• Select the phrase or phrases to be deleted.
• Select the Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Delete" option from the drop down menu or press "D".
• Alternatively, you can press the "Delete" key directly from the main screen.

10.4.4 Deleting all phrases

If you need to, you can delete all the phrases in a selected section. This can be done as follows:

• In the Section List, select the section that all the phrases are to be deleted from.
• Press "Tab" to move to the related Phrase List.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "All Delete" option from the drop down menu or press "E".
• A confirmation dialogue box will appear. Press "Enter" to confirm the deletion or "Escape" to cancel.

10.5 Undoing editing

Similar to a word processor, PRS allows you to undo previous edits. You can undo the previous 10 edits in reverse order. In the event that you wish to undo editing, do the following:

• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Undo" option from the drop down menu or press "U".
• Alternatively, you can press "Control+Z" directly from the main screen.
• You can repeat this process for the previous 10 edits, in reverse order.

  Note 1: The "Undo" command is valid for the following editing commands: Join, Split, Delete, All Delete, Insert, Cut, Paste, Page setting, Group setting, Mark setting, Level setting, Section property and Phrase property.
  Note 2: The "Undo" command will not work for undoing recording, DAISY import, Audio Import, Audio Export, Text Import, Build Book and CD Writing.

10.6 Editing the section properties

For every section in the project, there are 2 pieces of information that will always be present. These are the section heading and the section level. Assuming that you have not previously made alterations to a section's properties, the default text for every heading will be "Heading" and the default level will be Level 1. Although you can leave these unaltered, the information in the section properties is much more meaningful if it is customized to suit the particular project. It also makes it possible to search for particular sections by use of the heading text.

The information can be modified either manually, one section at a time, or by using the "ToC Import" feature of the PRS software. This feature will be discussed in the next chapter of this manual.

The section properties contains the information that makes up the Table of Contents for the DAISY project. This section describes how to edit the section properties manually. Manual editing is likely to be used when there are only a small number of sections in the project or when there is only a small amount of editing required.

10.6.1 Editing the section heading

To edit a section's heading, do the following:

• Select the Section List on the main screen by pressing "Tab".
• Select the section you wish to edit and then select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Property" item on the drop down menu or press "R". The "Section Properties" dialogue box will appear with the highlight on the "Level" element.
  
  
  
  
• Alternatively, you can press the "Enter" key directly from the main screen.
• Press the "Tab" key to move to the "Heading" element.
• Type in the appropriate text for the section heading.
• If you wish to edit the previous or next section information, press the "Previous" or "Next" section buttons or use "Alt+Left Arrow" or "Alt+Right Arrow" respectively.
• If you wish to hear the first phrase of the section, press the "Play" button or press "F5". The first phrase will play and then stop.
• When you have finished editing, press "Enter" to confirm the changes or "Escape" to cancel.

10.6.2 Editing the section level

Every section in a PRS project can be assigned a level from 1 to 6. Level 1 is the highest level of navigation and Level 6 is the lowest. The default setting for a new section is Level 1. You may wish to alter the assigned level for a section, in order to make the navigation of your project more specific. This section details how to raise or lower the section levels.

To raise the level for a section, do the following:

• Select the section that is to have its level raised.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Level Up" option from the drop down or press "V".
• Alternatively, you can press "F11" directly from the main screen.

  To lower the level of a section, do the following:

• Select the section that is to have its level lowered.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Level Down" option from the drop down menu or press "W".
• Alternatively, you can press "Shift+F11" directly from the main screen.

  Note 1: If you wish to adjust the level of multiple sections, select the desired sections and use the same process as above to raise or lower the level as appropriate.
  Note 2: The level information is also available on the section properties dialogue box. Open the section properties and make alterations to the level element by using the "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys. Press "Enter" to confirm the changes.

10.7 Setting and removing page information

The PRS software allows you to specify phrases in the project that are to be marked as "pages". The page marker adds extra navigation functionality to the DAISY project. This can be particularly useful where the original text does not have many other natural break points, such as novels, which may only have chapters and paragraphs. It is also very useful in reference works as a means to find information quickly.

The PRS software allows you to use 4 types of page coding as follows: Auto page, Manual page, Front page and Special page.

This section explains each of the page codings and how to use them.

10.7.1 Auto page numbering

The auto page numbering feature allows you to place page codes on phrases in your project. Having inserted these page codes, they will automatically number themselves according to their position relative to the other page codes. The first code will become Page 1, the second will be Page 2 and so on. There is no need to enter specific page numbers.

To enter an automatic page code, do the following:

• Select the phrase which is to be given the "Page" coding.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Page" option from the drop down menu or press "A". The phrase will be coded with an automatic page tag.
• Alternatively, you can press "P" directly from the main screen.

  Note 1: As you enter automatic page codes into the project, a small cross will be added under the "Page" column. Pressing the "F12" or "F9" key will cause the Voice Guidance to announce the phrase number followed by "Attributes Page Automatic" along with the other phrase information.
  Note 2: If you wish to determine the currently assigned page number for that phrase, you need to refresh the information on the screen. Do this by selecting "Refresh" from the "Edit" menu or by pressing either "Control+L" or "F10" directly from the main screen. The small cross will change to the relevant page number. After refreshing the information, pressing "F12" or "F9" will cause the Voice Guidance to say "Attribute Page Automatic Number XX" (where XX is the calculated page number at that time), along with the other phrase information.
  Note 3: Any time you add or remove automatic page codes from the project, you must use the "Refresh" function to determine the new page number in the project.

10.7.2 Manual page numbering

You can choose to enter a specified page number rather than using the automatic page numbering. You might want to do this in various situations, for example, if you are creating a DAISY version of only part of the original text and want the page numbers to still match the original.

To enter a manual page number, do the following:

• Select the phrase to which the page code is to be assigned.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Properties" option on the drop down menu or press "R".
• Alternatively, you can press the "Enter" key directly from the main screen.
  
  
  
  
• You will be on a list where you can select the type of page (No Page, Auto page, Manual page, Front page or Special page).
• Use the "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to select "Manual".
• Press "Tab" to move to the edit box where you can enter a page number. Enter the required page number and press "Enter" to confirm or "Escape" to cancel.

  Note 1: Manual page numbers must be specified in sequence. If they are not, an error message will be displayed when you execute the "Refresh" command (F10).
  Note 2: Manual page numbering can be used in combination with automatic page numbering. For example, if a phrase has a manual page set to be Page 10 and phrases later in the project are coded as automatic pages, the first page after the manually set page will become Page 11 and the next one will become Page 12 and so on.
  Note 3: When a manual page has been specified, the page number will appear in parentheses "(" and ")" on the phrase list under the "Page" column. Pressing the "F12" or "F9" keys will cause the Voice Guidance to say "Attribute Page Manual Number XX" (where XX is the specified page number), along with the other phrase information.

10.7.3 Front page option

In printed books, the pages before the main content of the book are often numbered with Roman style numbering such as "i", "ii", "iii", "iv" and so on. You can use the "Front Page" option in the PRS software to enter this type of page numbering in your DAISY project, in order to match the original text.

To enter a "Front" page code, do the following:

• Select the phrase to which the page code is to be assigned.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Properties" option on the drop down menu or press "R".
• Alternatively, you can press the "Enter" key directly from the main screen.
• You will be on a list where you can select the type of page (No Page, Auto page, Manual page, Front page or Special page).
• Use the "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to select "Front".
• Press "Tab" to move to the edit box where you can enter a page number. Enter the required page number and press "Enter" to confirm or "Escape" to cancel.

  Note: When you specify a front page code, the page number specified will appear in square brackets "[" and "]", under the "Page" column of the phrase properties. Pressing the "F12" or "F9" keys will cause the Voice Guidance to say "Attribute Page Front XX" (where XX is the specified front page number), along with the other phrase information.

10.7.4 Special page option

The special page option can be used to specify non-standard page numbering such as "1-34" or "1-iv", where the hyphen "-" is used to separate numbers which can be standard numbers or Roman numerals.

To set a "Special" page code, do the following:

• Select the phrase to which the page code is to be assigned.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Properties" option on the drop down menu or press "R".
• Alternatively, you can press the "Enter" key directly from the main screen.
• You will be on a list where you can select the type of page (No Page, Auto page, Manual page, Front page or Special page).
• Use the "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to select "Special".
• Press "Tab" to move to the edit box where you can enter a page number. Enter the required page number and press "Enter" to confirm or "Escape" to cancel.

  Note: After entering a special page number on a phrase, the specified number will appear in angle brackets "<" and ">" under the "Page" column on the phrase properties. Pressing the "F12" or "F9" keys will cause the Voice Guidance to say "Attribute Page Special XX" (where XX is the specified number), along with the other phrase information.

10.7.5 Removing page codes from a phrase

If you wish to remove the page coding from a phrase, do the following:

• Select the phrase from which you want to remove the page code.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Page" option from the drop down menu or press "A".
• Alternatively, you can press "P" directly from the main screen.
• The page code will be removed from the phrase.

  Note: This method will remove page codes from the selected phrase regardless of the type of page code.

10.7.6 Deleting all page codes from the project

If you wish to delete all the page codes from the project, do the following:

• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Delete all pages" option from the drop down menu or press "S".
• A confirmation dialogue box will appear. Press "Enter" to confirm or "Escape" to cancel.
• If confirmed, all page codes will be deleted from the entire project.

10.8 Setting and removing group information

A group code can be specified for any phrase in a project apart from the first phrase in any section. You may wish to use this code for marking the first phrase in a paragraph, a note, a warning or safety related item or for other items such as tables or pictures. Essentially this code can be used by the project producer as a 'wild card' type of coding.

To set the group code on a phrase, do the following:

10.8.1 Setting the group code in the phrase properties

• Select the required phrase.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Properties" option from the drop down menu or press "R".
• Alternatively, you can press "Enter" directly from the main screen.
  
  
  
  
• The phrase properties dialogue box will appear.
• Tab round to the "Group" element and set it to "On" by using the "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys.
• Press "Enter" to confirm the setting or "Escape" to cancel.

10.8.2 Setting the group code directly

• Select the required phrase.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Group" option from the drop down menu or press "G".
• Alternatively, you can press "G" directly from the main screen.
• The group code will be set.

  Note: Having set the group code on a phrase, pressing the "F12" or "F9" keys will cause the Voice Guidance to say "Attribute Group" along with the other phrase information.

10.8.3 Removing the group coding

To remove the group coding from a phrase, do the following:

• Select the phrase concerned.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Group" option from the drop down menu or press "G".
• Alternatively, you can press "G" directly from the main screen.
• The group code will be removed.

  Note: You can achieve the same result by setting the "Group" item to "Off" in the phrase properties dialogue box.

10.9 Marks

Marks are a method by which the producer of the project can easily find a particular phrase in the project. Essentially it is a way of tagging the phrase for future attention.

To set a mark on a phrase, do the following:

10.9.1 Inserting a mark using the phrase properties

• Select the required phrase.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Properties" option from the drop down menu or press "R".
• Alternatively, you can press "Enter" directly from the main screen.
  
  
  
  
• The phrase properties dialogue will appear.
• Tab around to the "Mark" element and use the "Up" or "Down" Arrows to set the item to "On".
• Press "Enter" to confirm or "Escape" to cancel.

10.9.2 Inserting a mark directly

• Select the required phrase.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Mark" option from the drop down menu or press "M".
• Alternatively, you can press "M" directly from the main screen.
• The mark code will be set on the phrase.

  Note: Having set the mark code on a phrase, pressing the "F12" or "F9" keys will cause the Voice Guidance to say "Attribute Mark" along with the other phrase information.

10.9.3 Removing a mark

To remove the mark coding from a phrase, do the following:

• Select the phrase concerned.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Mark" option from the drop down menu or press "M".
• Alternatively, you can press "M" directly from the main screen.
• The mark code will be removed.

  Note: You can achieve the same result by setting the "Mark" item to "Off" in the phrase properties dialogue box.

10.9.4 Deleting all marks from the project

If you wish to delete all the marks from the project in one operation, do the following:

• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Delete all marks" option from the drop down menu or press "K".
• A confirmation dialogue box will appear. Press "Enter" to confirm or "Escape" to cancel.
• If confirmed, all mark codes will be deleted from the entire project.

10.10 Setting page, group or mark codes whilst recording

If you wish to insert the page, group or mark codes whilst you are recording, simply press "P", "G" or "M" respectively at the appropriate place in the recording.

Note: This method is recommended for advanced users only.

10.11 Comments

In order that the producer of the DAISY project can make notes for a section or phrase, this software provides the "Comment" element in the section or phrase properties dialogue box. This may be used to store information about a section or phrase that will be referred to later or further guide the editing of it. The comment text can also be used as an additional way of navigating the project before it is finished. Comment information does not affect the final DAISY book in any way.

10.11.1 Adding a comment to a section's properties

To add or edit a comment for a section, do the following:

• Select the section that is to have a comment added or edited.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Properties" option from the drop down menu or press "R".
• Alternatively, you can press "Enter" directly from the main screen.
  
  
  
  
• Press "Tab" until you are at the "Comment" element.
• Type in the required comment text and press the "Enter" key.
• The comment will now be added to the section properties.

10.11.2 Deleting a comment from the section properties

To delete a comment from a section properties, do the following:

• Select the appropriate section.
• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Properties" option from the drop down menu or press "R".
• Alternatively, you can press "Enter" directly from the main screen.
• The section properties dialogue box will appear.
• Tab round the dialogue box to the "Comment" element.
• Press the "Delete" key to remove all text in this edit box.
• Press the "Enter" key to confirm the action or "Escape" to cancel.

10.11.3 Deleting all comments from the project

If you wish to delete all comments from the entire project, do the following:

• Select the "Edit" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+E".
• Select the "Delete all comments" option from the drop down menu or press "N".
• A confirmation dialogue box will appear. Press "Enter" to confirm the action or "Escape" to cancel.
• If confirmed, all comments will be removed from the project.

10.12 Exercises in editing a project

This chapter has covered most of the basic editing commands of the PRS software. If you would like to practice some of these skills, Exercise 5 in Appendix A gives you this opportunity.

Return to Chapter 10 of ToC

Return to ToC

11 Creating and Editing the Table of Contents (ToC)

The Table of Contents is a collation of the information held in the "Section Properties" dialogue boxes. This information can be created or edited before or after making the recording. The method selected will depend on the way the recording is made. For example, if you are creating a DAISY version of a printed book, you may choose to set up the Table of Contents first and then record the audio directly into your project. If you wish to make a recording on location somewhere and then create a DAISY book with this audio, you would tend to make the recording first, import the audio into your new project and then edit the structure and the Table of Contents.

In the previous chapter you learned how to edit the heading, level and comment information in the "Section Properties" dialogue box. This chapter describes how to create the appropriate files for use with the "ToC Import" feature. It also details how to run the import when the file has been created.

The "ToC Import" feature of the PRS software allows for the import of 3 file formats. The information that can be imported will depend on the file format chosen. Each format is discussed in detail below.

11.1 From HTML

The format for a ToC file to be used in the import process is HTML. Relevant files will have a ".HTML" or ".HTM" file extension. Within the file there will be a list of the headings, each of which has been marked up for the appropriate heading level. For example, the HTML code for a simple Table of Contents might look like the following:

<html>
<head></head>
<body>
<h1>Chapter 1</h1>
<h2>Section 1.1</h2>
<h2>Section 1.2</h2>
<h3>Sub Section 1.2.1</h3>
<h3>Sub Section 1.2.2</h3>
<h1>End of Book</h1>
</body>
</html>

If viewed in a web browser, this would simply look like a list of headings of the correct level. In order to create this file, you can use an HTML editing software, manually code the information into a text editor or you can type the text in a word processor and save the file in HTML format. Either way the file should be saved with a "HTML" or "HTM" file extension.

In addition, if you specify an existing "NCC.HTML" or "NCC.HTM" file as the source file for the import, any book information which is stored in the meta data of the file, will be imported along with the heading and level information.

Note: If you use a word processor, ensure that each heading is on a separate line and that the appropriate style is selected. For example, If a heading is to be Level 1 in the DAISY project, you should use the style "Heading 1" and so on.

11.2 From CSV (Comma Separated Variables)

The CSV format allows you to import level, heading and comment information directly into the section properties. You do not have to specify a comment for each section - if no comment is appropriate, simply leave this entry blank. The level and heading information, however, must be included.

One way to create the source file in CSV format would be to use a spread sheet package and then "Save as" "CSV" format. To ensure the correct result after the ToC Import, please note that the first column used should contain the level information and the second column should have the heading text. Once saved in CSV format, the equivalent file for the example above would look like:

1, Chapter 1, Appropriate comment if required
2, Section 1.1, Appropriate comment if required
2, Section 1.2, Appropriate comment if required
3, Sub Section 1.2.1, Appropriate comment if required
3, Sub Section 1.2.2, Appropriate comment if required
1, End of Book, Appropriate comment if required

You could also create the appropriate file for CSV import using a text editor and type the information as above with the information for each section on a new line. Once typed, save the file as a text file ensuring that you give the file a ".CSV" file extension.

11.3 From TXT (Text)

This format is the least flexible import format and will only allow the heading information to be imported. Level information cannot be imported using this format.

In order to prepare a text file for use with the "ToC Import" feature, type your heading information on separate lines in a text editor and save the file with an appropriate name and with a ".TXT" file extension. The text file for the example project above would look like:

Chapter 1
Section 1.1
Section 1.2
Sub Section 1.2.1
Sub Section 1.2.2
End of Book

11.4 Running the "ToC Import" process

Having prepared the necessary file, you can import the information, either before or after making the recording, as follows:

11.4.1 Importing the Table of Contents before recording

In order to run the "ToC Import" feature before recording, do the following:

• Select the "Tool" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+T".
• Select the "ToC Import" item from the drop down list or press "O".
• You will then be prompted to confirm that you wish to overwrite the existing Table of Contents (this dialogue appears even when the project is empty). Press "Enter" to confirm or "Escape" to cancel.
  
  
  
  
• You will then be asked to specify the file to be imported. Either type the folder and name of the file or press "Tab" to select the "Select File" button.
• If you choose to select the file, a typical file open dialogue will be displayed. Select the type of file to be ToC (*.HTML), CSV or TXT as appropriate and use the "Look in" and file list elements to locate the correct file. Press "Enter" when you have selected this file.
• Press "Enter" again and the file selection will be finished.
  
  
  
  
• A dialogue will appear which asks you to confirm the ToC Import process. Press "Enter" and the import will begin or "Escape" if you wish to abandon the process.
• When the import is complete, a final dialogue confirming that the import has been completed will appear. Press "Enter to acknowledge this message.

11.4.2 Importing the Table of Contents into an existing project

This procedure is exactly the same as in the previous section except that more care has to be taken. When the recording already exists, you should ensure the following before importing a Table of Contents:

• The number of sections in the existing project should exactly match the number of headings in the file to be imported.
• The order of the items in the import file are the same as the order of the sections in the project.

  Once you are happy that these points are OK, run the import process as before. It is always worth thoroughly checking the project after the import process as an extra precaution.

11.5 Exercises in working with Tables of Contents (ToC)

Exercise 6 in Appendix A gives you a chance to try working with a variety of ToC formats and the "ToC Import" feature.

Return to Chapter 11 of ToC

Return to ToC

12 Building the book

Having completed all the recording and editing of the project, there is one final process which must be carried out before CD writing. This is called "Building the Book". This chapter details how to run the "Build Book" process and the changes that this makes to the PRS project.

"Build Book" process has two purposes, one is make project as DAISY2.02 compliant book, and the other one is clean up audio files. Clean up process deleting unnecessary part of audio files, and justifying one audio file corresponding to one smile file.

12.1 How to run the "Build Book" process

To run the "Build Book" process, do the following:

• Select the "Tool" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+T".
• Select the "Build Book" option from the drop down menu or press "B".
• Alternatively, you can press "Control+B" directly from the main screen.
  
  
  
  
• A confirmation dialogue box will appear.
• To continue with the process, press "Enter" or press "Escape" to cancel.
• If you choose to continue, the build book process will start. This may take a while for larger projects.
• On completion, a dialogue box will appear. Press "Enter" to acknowledge that the process is complete.

  Once this process has been finished, the book is ready to write to CD.

  Note 1: Pressing the "F12" or "F9" keys during the "Build Book" process will cause the Voice Guidance to announce the percentage complete.
  Note 2: Before running the Build Book process, you should ensure that the "Book Information" has been completed.

12.2 Outline of the alterations involved in the "Build Book" process

During the "Build Book" process, the PRS software makes a number of alterations to the files that you will find in the project folder. The main alterations are as follows:

• The creation of a "NCC.HTML" file as the main navigation control file for the finished DAISY book. This is created in addition to the "NCC.IMDN" intermediate NCC file which has been in use up to this point.
• The creation of the smile (.SMIL) files to link the navigation and audio files correctly.
• The completion of the "Date" and "Identifier" entries in the Book Information.
• Deletion of any unnecessary audio files in a clean up process.

  Note 1: Only PCM format audio files will be cleaned up during the "Build Book" process. To clean up MP3 audio files it requires the "Audio Export" function.
  Note 2: The "Build Book" process can also be used when the project needs to be cleaned up during the editing stage.

  Return to Chapter 12 of ToC
  
  Return to ToC

13 Creating the CD

The process of creating the new DAISY book is complete but the information must now be saved to CD. You can either choose to save the book as a "Master" copy or as a "Distribution" copy. The master CD will contain all the files which have been used in creating the project whereas the distribution CD will only have the finished audio files, the relevant ".HTML" files and the ".SMIL" files.

This Chapter explains how to create the final CD and how the CD writing options affect the way in which the CD can be used afterwards.

In order to run the CD writing process, there are 2 stages as follows:

13.1 Configuring PRS for your CD writer

If you have not already done so when you first set up PRS , you need to configure the software to know which CD writer you wish to use.

To configure the software to work with your desired CD writer, do the following:

• Select the "Option" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+O".
• Select the "CDR Drive" option from the drop down menu or press "D".
• Alternatively you can press "Control+D" directly from the main screen.
  
  
  
  
• This will take you to the "Setting of the CDR Drive" dialogue box. This dialogue has 2 elements, a list of available CDR/CDRW drives and a radio button which allows you to turn on or off the facility for creating a temporary image file whilst recording.
• The focus will be on the list of available drives. Use the "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys to select your preferred drive.
• Press "Tab" to move to the radio button for the temporary image setting. Use "Up" or "Down" Arrows to set this feature to "On" or "Off".
• Press the "Enter" key to confirm your selections.

  Note 1: After confirming your selection, this will become the default selection in the future. You can also change the selected drive or the temporary image setting at any time.
  Note 2: If you do not specify an appropriate CDR or CDRW drive, when you try to write a CD, the error "Incorrect drive setting" will appear.
  Note 3: It is highly recommended you use the CD-R/RW drive manufactured by Plextor corp.

13.2 Writing the CD

To start the CD writing process, do the following:

• Ensure that the "Build Book" process has been carried out before running CD writing.
• Select the "Tool" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+T".
• Select the "CD Write" option from the drop down menu or press "W".
• Alternatively, you can press "Control+W" directly from the main screen.
  
  
  
  
• The CD writing dialogue box will appear. This contains 4 radio buttons which are: Writing speed, Purpose of use, Select last session and Post editing by the PLEXTALK portable recorder. Further details on each of these is given below.
• Press the "Tab" key to move around the dialogue box and use the "Up" or "Down" Arrows to select the options you require.
• Finally press the "Enter" key to confirm the settings.
• A confirmation dialogue box will appear. Press "Enter" again to start the CD writing or "Escape" to cancel.

  Note1: During CD writing the Voice Guidance will regularly say "Running" to confirm that work is still being done. Press the "F12" or "F9" keys to cause the Voice Guidance to speak the percentage complete.
  Note2: Do not use another CD writing application to write to a CD written by PRS. In some cases, the PRS material will become unreadable.

13.3 Explanation of the CD writing dialogue box

The four main elements in the CD writing dialogue box are detailed below with their functions:

13.3.1 Select writing speed

The range of options offered in this box will depend on the selected CD writer. Use the "Up" and "Down" Arrow keys to make your selection.

13.3.2 Purpose of use

This can be set to "Master Project" or "Distribution Copy". For the master copy, all the project files, including the intermediate files, will be saved onto the CD. The distribution copy CD will only contain the basic set of files required to play the DAISY book. A master project CD will be able to be opened directly by the PRS software. In order to edit a distribution copy CD book, the DAISY Import function would need to be used.

13.3.3 Select last session

This option allows you to select between "Valid" or "Invalid". The "Last session" referred to is the previous CD writing session or sessions on the CD you intend to write to. If this option is set to "Valid" you will be able to view all previous sessions and the current session when viewed on a computer. You will also be able to access all previously written sessions on the Plextalk PTR1/PTR2 and on other DAISY players. If you select "Invalid" you will only be able to see the most recent session on a computer or any other player. Essentially, by setting this option to "Valid" you will be able to create multiple book CDs whereas the "Invalid" option will leave only the current book 'visible' on the CD. The "Discinfo.html" file will be adjusted by the software to suit your selection.

Note: When you select "Valid" to create a multiple book CD, the books will be automatically listed alphabetically.

13.3.4 Post editing by Plextalk portable recorder

This can be set to "On" or "Off". If set to "On", the book will be able to be edited after running the preparation for editing process on the Plextalk PTR1/PTR2. If set to "Off", no further editing will be possible on the Plextalk PTR1/PTR2.

Exercises in finishing the project and writing a CD.

Before looking at any of the more advanced features, you may wish to try completing the process of creating your own DAISY book CD. Exercise 7 in Appendix A sets this challenge.

Return to Chapter 13 of ToC

Return to ToC

14 Additional Features of PRS

The PRS software contains a number of additional functions which enhance the way in which you can work with DAISY projects. This chapter details the features that have not been covered earlier in this manual.

14.1 DAISY import

On occasion you may wish to work on a DAISY book that you prepared earlier or that has been supplied to you by someone else. You may want to edit the content, modify the structure or update the DAISY content from DAISY2.0 to DAISY2.02 format. You may also wish to combine a number of DAISY books into a single book. The first part of the process, for any of these situations, is to know how to import the original book. The "DAISY Import" feature allows you to do this in a simple way.

To import an existing DAISY book into an existing or new PRS project, do the following:

• Create a new project file or open the project into which you wish to import the DAISY book.
• Select the "Tool" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+T".
• Select the "DAISY Import" option on the drop down menu or press "D".
  
  
  
  
• A dialogue box will appear where you can either type the location and name of the NCC file of the book to be imported or press "Tab" to the "Select File" button.
• If you choose to select the file from a list, a standard file open dialogue box will appear. Use this dialogue box to locate your desired NCC file and then press the "Open" button. You will return to the previous dialogue box.
• Once you have selected the correct file or have typed it in manually, the file name will appear in the edit box.
• Press "Tab" to move round the dialogue box to the next element which is the "Audio Format Conversion" radio button. This can be set to "On" or "Off". If set to "On", the imported audio files will be converted to the same format as the parent project. If set to "Off", no audio conversion will take place.
• Press "Tab" again and you will move to the "Auto Page Conversion" radio button. Again this can be set to "On" or "Off". If set to "On" automatic page codes and manual page codes in the original book will be retained and/or converted to automatic page codes. Front page and special page codes will be ignored. If set to "Off", all page codes will be discarded.
• Once you have set the relevant options, press "Enter" to start the DAISY import.
  
  
  
  
• A confirmation dialogue box will appear. Press "Enter" to start the import or "Escape" to cancel.
• When the import is complete, a final confirmation dialogue box will appear. Press "Enter" to acknowledge the completion of the process.

  Note 1: The "DAISY Import" process will retain all section and level information from the imported book(s). When importing multiple books, only the book information from the first imported book will be retained.
  Note 2: You can only import NCC files which have a ".HTML" or ".HTM" file extension.
  Note 3: During the import process, pressing "F12" or "F9" will cause the Voice Guidance to speak the percentage complete.
  Note 4: Regardless of where you were in the project when you action the import function, the imported book will be placed at the end of all existing sections.
  Note 5: PRS can import books that are in the DAISY2.0 or DAISY2.02 format. A full list of the audio formats which can be imported is given at Appendix D, Table D3.

14.2 Audio Import

The PRS software enables you to easily import audio files for use in a DAISY project. As the files are imported, the pause detection process is applied in order to split the audio automatically into phrases. Once imported, the audio can then be edited in the normal way.

In order to import an existing audio file into a PRS project, do the following:

• Select the position at which you want to insert the audio. If you select a section on the Section List, the imported audio will be inserted at the beginning of that section. If you select a phrase on the Phrase List, the imported audio will be inserted into the section at that location. If you position the highlight at the end of the Section List, the imported audio will be paced in a new section. If you position the highlight at the end of the Phrase List, the imported audio will be added at the end of that section.
• Select the "Tool" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+T".
• Select the "Audio Import" option from the drop down menu or press "A".
• The "Recording Function" dialogue box will appear. As discussed previously, here you can specify a number of settings relating to the way the audio will be interpreted on import. These include phrase pause time, section pause time and noise level settings.
• Make alterations to these settings as appropriate and then press the "OK" button or press "Enter".
• Depending on where you positioned your highlight prior to the import, you may be asked to confirm that you want to create a new section. Press "Enter" to confirm this or "Escape" to cancel.
  
  
  
  
• If you choose to continue, or if this dialogue box did not appear, a file selection dialogue box will appear in which you will be asked to specify the file to be imported. Either type this in directly or choose the "Select File" button to select the file from a standard file open dialogue box.
• Once you have selected the required file for import, press "Enter" to continue or "Escape" to cancel.
  
  
  
  
• A confirmation dialogue box will appear, press "Enter" to start the import process or "Escape" to cancel.
• When the import is complete, a final confirmation dialogue box will appear. Press "Enter" to acknowledge the completion of the process.

  Note 1: It is possible to specify multiple files to import in the same import. Just use the file list box to highlight the required files before running the import. Files must be contiguous.
  Note 2: Pressing the "F12" or "F9" key during the import, will cause the Voice Guidance to speak the percentage complete.

14.3 Audio Export

The "Audio Export" feature allows you to convert the audio format of an existing DAISY project to an audio format you specify. This is done by creating a new DAISY project which has your chosen audio format, whilst the existing project remains unaffected.

"Audio Export" function deleting unnecessary part of audio files including MP3 format.

To run the "Audio Export" process, do the following:

• Select the "Tool" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+T".
• Select the "Audio Export" option from the drop down menu or press "E".
  
  
  
  
• You will then be asked to specify the audio format for the new project. Select one of the audio formats from the list provided and press "Enter".
• Because the process creates a new project, you will then be presented with a dialogue box which requires you to specify a project name and location for the exported project. Select a suitable project name and press the "Save" button.
  
  
  
  
• A confirmation dialogue box will appear. Press "Enter" to confirm or "Escape" to cancel.
• If you accept the new project name, you will then be asked to confirm the export process. Press "Enter" to start the export or "Escape" to cancel.
• After the export is complete, you will be asked to confirm that you want to open the new project. Press "Enter" to open the project or "Escape" to keep the old project on screen.

  Note: During the export process, the Voice Guidance will regularly say "Running". If you wish to check the percentage progress, press "F12" or "F9".

14.4 Text Import

This feature enables you to create a DAISY project from a source text file. The "Text Import" process converts the text into synthesized speech which becomes the audio files for the project.

To run the "Text Import" process, do the following:

• Select the location in the project where you wish to insert the new audio or create a new empty project.
• Select the "Tool" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+T".
• Select the "Text Import" option from the drop down menu or press "T".
• The "Recording Function" dialogue box will appear. Set the various options to the required settings for the import and then press "Enter".
  
  
  
  
• You will then be asked to select the text file to be imported. Either type this in the edit box provided or select the "Select File" button to be given a standard file open dialogue box where you can specify the required file.
• After selecting the file, press "Enter" to continue or "Escape" to cancel.
  
  
  
  
• Another dialogue box will appear which allows you to specify the voice, pitch, speed and volume of the synthesized speech to be used in the import process. Use "Tab" to move around this dialogue and "Up" or "Down" Arrows to alter the setting on each element. You can also use the "Page Up" or "Page Down" keys to make larger alterations.
• Once you have made your selections, press the "OK" button or "Enter" key to continue, or "Escape" to cancel.
  
  
  
  
• If you choose "OK", a confirmation dialogue box will appear. Press "Enter" to continue with the import or "Escape" to cancel.
• When the import is complete, a confirmation dialogue box will appear. Press "Enter" to acknowledge the completion of the process.

  Note 1: Experimenting with the settings for pause detection and the speed of the selected synthesizer, can result in the automatic phrase splitting being very consistent throughout your new audio. For example, you should be able to get the phrases to be created each time a new sentence or paragraph is detected. This can save a lot of editing time.
  Note 2: It is possible to specify multiple files to import in the same import. Just use the file list box to highlight the required files before running the import. Files must be contiguous.
  Note 3: During the import process, the Voice Guidance will regularly say "Running". If you wish to check the percentage progress, press "F12" or "F9".
  Note 4: In the dialogue box where you specify the synthesizer properties, you can use the "Default" button to reset the settings back to the default settings for the selected voice.

14.5 Detecting the pause time

This is a simple feature of the PRS software. It enables you to check what the pause time is for phrases in your project. Sometimes this is not displayed, for example, after a "DAISY Import" no pause time will be displayed in the phrase properties. Running the "Detecting the Pause Time" feature will display the information.

To run the "Detecting the Pause Time" process, do the following:

• Select the "Tool" menu from the Menu Bar or press "Alt+T".
• Select the "Detecting the Pause Time" option from the drop down menu or press "P".
  
  
  
  
• A confirmation dialogue box will appear. Press "Enter" to continue or "Escape" to cancel.
• After the detection process is complete, a confirmation dialogue box will appear. Press "Enter" to acknowledge the completion of the process.

  Note: During the process, the Voice Guidance will regularly say "Running". If you wish to check the percentage progress, press "F12" or "F9".

14.6 Exercises for the additional features of PRS

This chapter has covered a number of the more advanced features of the PRS software. If you wish to practice some of these, see Exercise 8 in Appendix A for some ideas.

Return to Chapter 14 of ToC

Return to ToC

APPENDICES

Appendix A - Sample Exercises

This appendix gives you a series of exercises to try out as you progress through the PRS manual. Detailed instructions for each task are not given here but, at times, some useful hints are given. If you feel you need more detailed information, you can return to the chapter which relates to the exercise and read the relevant sections again.

Copies of the exercises are available on the "http://www.plextalk.com" Products: PRS Pro. And select the "Support" from products menu.

It is hoped that you will find the exercises to be a useful addition to the manual and that they help you to reinforce your understanding and enjoyment of the product as you learn.

Exercise 1 - Configuring PRS

This exercise will give you practice at configuring the PRS software including the Voice Guidance, the display settings, Default folder for recording and selecting a CDR or CDRW drive.

a. First of all you need to launch your PRS software. Go ahead and do this now. Remember that you can either use the "Plextalk Recording Software" icon on the Desktop or by selecting it from the Windows Start Menu

When you get to the first dialogue box, select "New" from the list and then press "Enter" to accept the suggested recording format. At the next dialogue, just enter a simple folder name and press "Enter". Press "enter" again to accept the creation of the temporary folder. One final press of the "Enter" key will allow you to bypass the book information for now, leaving you in a new empty project.

b. Once in the software, try turning off and on the Voice Guidance feature. (Hint: "Voice Guidance" on the "Option" menu). Double check that you have succeeded by trying to navigate the menu system or main screen. If you have turned off the Voice Guidance, also note that the "F12" and "F9" keys have no effect.

c. Before trying the next task, you will have to make sure that you have turned on the Voice Guidance following the previous one. Set the voice to be "Mary" with a pitch of 200, speed of 150 and volume of 100. (Hint: try selecting the "Selection of the TTS engine" option on the "Option" menu). Once you have successfully managed to alter these settings, reset the voice back to its original settings by using the "Default" button.

Finally, go back to the same dialogue box and select a voice that you wish to keep as your default voice. Set the pitch, speed and volume to suit your preferences and save the settings.

d. Now try adjusting the list and message fonts. Have a go at changing both of these settings. (Hint: Try the "Option" menu and look for "List font size" and "Message font size"). Try setting these to the largest and smallest option offered and see how this affects the on screen information.

e. The next task is to set up a default folder for all your PRS projects. By using the "Select folder" button in the "Recording Function" dialogue box, now go ahead and try to set up a completely new folder in your "My Documents" folder which is called "PRSProjects". (Hint: You can access the "Recording Function" dialogue box from the "Recording" option on the "Option" menu. Remember to select the parent folder and then press the "Add New Folder" button before typing in the new folder name).

f. The last task in Exercise 1 is to select a valid CDR or CDRW drive for writing to later on. Go ahead now and try to set up your preferred drive as the default drive for the PRS software. (Hint: Try selecting the "CDR Drive" option from the "Option" menu).

If you had difficulty with any of the tasks, try reading Chapter 6 again.

Exercise 2 - Opening projects and CD books

This exercise aims to give you practice in opening existing projects or books and creating new blank projects. Before starting this exercise, place the "PTR1/PTR2 User's Guide" CD in your CD drive.

On the CD there is a folder called "PRS\Sample Projects\Samples" which contains 5 versions of the same project in different stages of production. The folders are called "AfterBuild", "BeforeBuild", "DistributionCD", "MasterCD" and "Synthesized". Before starting this exercise, you may find it useful to browse this folder and familiarise yourself with the files in the various locations. You will probably note that many of the folders have similar files but there are important differences. These will be highlighted during this exercise.

a. Opening an existing project. Try to open the project in the "Samples\BeforeBuild" folder. You can either do this as you launch the PRS software by choosing "Open" from the initial dialogue box or by using "Open" from the "File" menu. (Hint: You are looking for a file called "NCC.IMDN" because you are looking for a project file not a finished book file).

You can confirm that you have successfully opened the project by pressing the "Left Arrow" key. You should hear the words "Bogmoor Amateur Athletics Club" spoken.

b. Creating a new project. Having successfully opened the existing project, you now decide to create a new project altogether. Without exiting from the PRS software, try to create a new project and call it "TestProject1". Remember that, if you have created a default folder earlier, your new project will be saved into this folder unless you specify a different location. (Hint: Select "New" from the "File" menu or press "Control+N").

Set the audio format to be "MP3 64 kbps Mono" and complete the "Book Information" with fictional information of your choice. Leave the "Identifier" element empty for now.

Now exit the PRS software and re-launch it. At the opening dialogue box, select to open a project and select the project that you just created. You should see that this project has been selected automatically. PRS always assumes that you want to continue working on the last used project.

c. Opening a finished book from CD. If you feel happy opening existing projects, try opening a finished DAISY book from CD. This is very similar to opening an existing project except that you have to locate a file called "NCC.HTML" or "NCC.HTM". You will also be required to specify a new project name because the only way to edit an existing DAISY book is to copy the information onto the hard drive and create a new project. Information on a finalized CDR cannot be modified.

Try to open the finished book which is located in the "PRS\Sample Projects\Samples\DistributionCD\AfterBuild" folder on your sample CD. When prompted to give this a new project name, give it the name "TestProject2". Remember to set the "Files of Type" setting in the "Open" dialogue box to the correct type of file).

If you had difficulty with any of the tasks, try reading Chapter 7 again.

Exercise 3 - Playing and navigating in projects

This exercise is all about navigating around a PRS project. First of all, open the project called "TestProject2" which you created in the previous exercise. This should be located in your default folder. Once you have opened this project, try the following tasks:

a. Try switching from the Section List to the Phrase List. Examine how the Phrase List changes according to which section is highlighted. (Hint: Try using the "Tab" key).

b. Use your arrow keys to navigate up and down on the Section List and the Phrase List, listening to what is spoken as you move. Try to locate the section that begins with the words "4.1 Competitions". Count how many phrases are in this section of the project (the answer should be 8).

c. Try moving to the start of the project and start listening to the project in continuous play mode. Periodically stop the playback and then re-start it. (Hint: "F5" to start and "Spacebar" to stop).

d. Adjust the playback speed and volume using the relevant function keys. (Hint: "F3" for volume and "F6" for speed. Remember that "Shift" with these keys reduces the volume or speed).

e. Use the heading search facility to find the heading containing the word "Competent". This should take you to the "Any Other Competent Business" section. Remember to press "Escape" to exit from the search facility after finding the section.

f. This project has been coded with page and group codes. Use the relevant navigation keys to move around the document to find these codes. Try to find out how many pages are in this project. The group code has been used to indicate the items on the Treasurer's summary of the income and expenditure. Use the group codes to find how much money is still due in membership fees.

You should find 3 page codes and the outstanding membership fees come to 150 pounds.

Also note that the phrase which mentioned the outstanding membership fees is coded with both the page and group codes.

g. Try using the event jump command to navigate backwards and forwards through the project. Remember that an event can be any of the following: the first phrase in a section, a phrase marked with a page code and a page marked with a group code.

If you had difficulty with any of the tasks, try reading Chapter 8 again.

Exercise 4 - Recording

In this exercise you will try out some of the basic recording features to create your own first project. However, before you start recording, there are a few checks to carry out.

a. Ensure that you have connected a microphone to the correct socket on your sound card. Also check that the Windows Volume Controls are set correctly for accepting audio input from the microphone. If you are not sure of how to do this, you should seek help from the Windows Help system.

b. Open the project you created earlier called "TestProject1". This should still be an empty project with no recorded audio.

c. Now set PRS to accept input from the microphone. (Hint: Try the "Selection of the Recording Volume Control" option on the "Control" menu). This should be set to "Microphone".

d. Before recording it is usually sensible to check out the available resources. Check what available resources you currently have on your system. (Hint: Use the "Storage Information" option on the "Tool" menu). Remember to OK the dialogue box when you have reviewed the data.

e. Now set up the "Recording Function" dialogue box with the following settings: Phrase pause time=0.3 seconds, Noise level=Normal, Section pause time=Nothing, Create a new audio file=Yes, Time to stop recording=Nothing, Record speed=Normal speed Remove DC Offset=Off and Sound boost=Off. (Hint: Use the "Recording" option on the "Option" drop down menu).

f. Set your PRS software to be in "Overwrite" mode. (Hint: Try using the "F7" key).

g. Ensure that your microphone is turned on and set the software into "Test Recording" mode. Check that your recording level is in an acceptable range and then start recording. (Hint: Use "F8" to start the process and "F4" key to adjust the recording volume). Try to record about 3 or 4 minutes of audio. You may wish to read from a document or book. As you record new audio, you should see the phrase splitting working. This will be clear from the lower section of the main screen as the Phrase List starts to grow. When you have recorded a reasonable section of audio, stop recording (Hint: Use "Spacebar").

h. Check through your new project and observe how the phrase detection process has worked. If the phrases are very short, you probably need to increase the phrase pause time. If the phrases are very long, you may need to reduce it.

i. Make any adjustments that you think might be necessary to the pause time in the "Recording Function" dialogue box. Move your highlight to a phrase somewhere in the middle of your recording. Choose a new piece of text to record and select "Punch in" recording mode. Press "F8" to bring up the Punch in dialogue box. Leave this set to "Nothing" and press "Enter". You should now be in "Test Recording" mode - adjust the recording level to suit. Press "F8" again to start recording and read some of your new piece of text. Again the phrases in the new recording should start to appear on the Phrase List. Stop recording after a minute or two.

j. Try navigating through your project. You should observe that the new audio has been entered into the middle of the original recording.

If you had difficulty with any of the tasks, try reading Chapter 9 again.

Exercise 5 - Editing projects

This exercise is to get you used to manipulating sections and phrases in a PRS project. Remember that much of the editing is very similar to word processing in terms of selecting and some of the basic commands like cut, copy, paste and undo. Initially we will use the project that you created in Exercise 4 so do not worry about making mistakes, as the project is not important and was created to be used for experimentation.

a. First, spend some time moving around the project and observe how the phrase detection has worked. It is always useful to get an idea of how well this has worked in a project because, particularly for short documents, it is sometimes easier to re-record the project rather than spend a relatively long time editing it. For the purposes of this exercise, we will assume that it has worked reasonably well.

b. Try to select individual phrases and use the cut, copy and paste commands to move phrases around the project or delete them entirely. Try repeating these commands for multiple phrases. (Hint: Select multiple phrases by holding down "Shift" whilst pressing "Up" or "Down" Arrow keys).

c. Work your way through the Phrase List and create new sections at parts of the recording where you think it might be appropriate to have a new section start. This might be the start of a new paragraph or heading in the original document. If you do not think that there are any obvious splitting positions, just choose some phrases and create a new section at that location. (Hint: Use the "Control+Q" command and remember that you cannot create a new section if you are on the first phrase in the current section). Try to create around 5 sections in your project.

d. Now use the cut, copy and paste commands on the newly created sections. Observe how similar this process is to working with phrases.

e. Having made a few edits, try undoing some of these. (Hint: Use "Control+Z" and remember you can undo the last 10 edits).

f. Select a number of phrases or sections and try to join them together. (Hint: Use "Control+J" in both cases). Check that the sections or phrases have joined correctly by playing them.

g. Try to find a phrase which appears to be longer than you would like. Split this phrase into 2 phrases at a sensible location. (Hint: Use "Control+P" followed by your "Left" and "Right" Arrow keys). Try to observe how the position in the phrase can be moved backwards or forwards through the phrase and how the phrase will play from that point onwards. Remember to press "Enter" when you think you have selected the correct location for the split.

h. Insert a new blank section into the Section List at a position of your choice. (Hint: Use "Shift+Insert"). Record some new audio into this section using "Overwrite" mode.

i. For the next part of this exercise, re-load the "TestProject2" project that you saved earlier. On the Section List, select the section called "3. Reports from the Committee". Press "Enter" to view the section properties dialogue box. Tab around this box to see what the level and heading text is for this section. In this case, you should see that the level is Level 2 and the heading text is "Reports from the Committee". Move to the next section by pressing "Alt+Right Arrow" and observe the same information for this section. This time the level is Level 3 and the heading text is "President's Report". Move to other sections and check the properties. Remember that you can press "F12" or "F9" to hear the section properties spoken by the Voice Guidance system.

j. Use the page or group jump command to move to he phrase "Memberships still due 150 pounds". Examine the phrase properties of this phrase. You should observe that both the "Page" and "Group" options are selected. Try unchecking these 2 check boxes and press "Enter". Move to the top of the recording and try to navigate back to this phrase using the page or group jump commands. Neither of these should now work because the codings have been removed.

k. To reset these 2 codes, navigate to the "Treasurer's Report" on the Section List and then switch to the Phrase List. Move down the list until you find the phrase called "Memberships still due 150 pounds". Re-apply the page and group codes by pressing "P" and "G" respectively. You should now be able to use the page and group jump commands once again. Also try pressing "F12" or "F9" to hear the Voice Guidance read the properties for the phrase.

l. In order to demonstrate the simplicity of removing all page and group codes from the entire project, go ahead and do this now. (Hint: Use the "Delete all pages" and "Delete all groups" options from the "Edit" menu). Verify that this has worked after carrying out both commands.

m. If you are happy that this worked properly, undo both of these commands to return the page and group codes to the project.

n. Add comments to 3 sections of your choice. Do not worry about the relevance of the comment text as long as it is recognisable. (Hint: Do this in the section properties dialogue box for each section). Check that you have added the text correctly by reviewing the section properties after entering the text.

o. Remove all the comment text from the project using a single command. (Hint: Use the "Delete all comments" option from the "Edit" drop down menu.

If you had difficulty with any of the tasks, try reading Chapter 10 again.

Exercise 6 - Working with Tables of Contents

This exercise is to give you the chance to see the advantages of importing a Table of Contents into a PRS project rather than editing the section properties manually. A number of sample Tables of Contents have been supplied in the folder called "TablesOfContents" on the "PRS Pro Sample Projects" data. The 3 files are all called "CommitteeMinutes" but have different file name extensions according to the formats of the files.

a. Load the project called "BeforeBuild" from the "PRS Pro Sample Projects" data. Observe that this project has only the default section properties for all sections. All sections are set to Level 1 and the heading text for all sections is "Heading". This is not particularly useful information. Editing a larger project manually would take some time.

b. Move to the top of the project and highlight the first section. Now use the "ToC Import" feature to import the "CSV" format file from the "TablesOfContents" folder on the "PRS Pro Sample Projects" data. (Hint: Use the "ToC Import" option on the "Tool" menu). Observe the change in the section property information and how quickly the import process worked.

c. Use Windows Explorer to browse to the "TablesOfContents" folder and examine the contents of the 3 different files. You should observe that they all have the heading text information but the ".HTML" and ".CSV" format files are able to store other information as well.

d. Create a brand new project and call it "TestProject3". Do not enter any book information when the dialogue box appears, simply press the "Enter" key to bypass it at this time. Before any audio is included in the project, try using the "ToC Import" feature to import the ".HTML" version of the Table of Contents. You should observe that this process automatically creates empty sections ready to record the audio into. In addition to creating the required number of sections, the level and heading text information is also created. At this stage you would then have to record and edit the audio and modify the book information. Remember that, if the ".HTML" file is an "NCC.HTML" file, some or all of the book information will have been imported at the same time. Observe the book information that now exists and you will see that the project title and most of the other book information items have been entered automatically.

These short exercises will have shown you the benefits of using the "ToC Import" feature of the software. As mentioned in the manual, which method used will depend on the circumstances of the project.

If you had difficulty with any of the tasks, try reading Chapter 11 again.

Exercise 7 - Building the book and CD writing

This exercise will briefly look at the finishing of the book and writing the project to CD. If you wish to do all these exercises, you will require to have some blank CDR or CDRW disks available.

a. Use Windows Explorer to examine the files in the project folder for the "TestProject2". You should observe that there is no "NCC.HTML" file and probably no smile (.SMIL) files.

b. Load the "TestProject2" project, and run the "Build Book" routine from the "Tool" menu. Re-examine the project folder and several extra files will have appeared. Essentially this means that the folder now contains files that are required for the finished project and the files that were necessary during the creation process.

c. Place a blank disk in the drive you selected as your default drive in Exercise 1. You need to do this before continuing with the CD writing process. If a CD is not found in the designated drive, an "Unknown error" error message will appear. Select the "CD Write" option from the "Tool" drop down menu. Use the dialogue box which appears to set the following: Writing speed=4 times, Project purpose=Master project, Last session=Valid and Post editing by PLEXTALK Portable Recorder=Off.

d. Having set the correct values, press the "OK" button to accept the CD writing options. When the writing process is complete, observe the files that are on the disk. You should note 1 file and one folder. The folder should contain all your normal project files, including both the temporary files and the final book files. This is because the CD was set to be a Master Project CD. This will allow future editing of the project by the PRS software. The second item will be a file called "DISCINFO.HTML". This file is used to give information to DAISY players about the structure of the books in the folder. When there is more than one book, this file stores information on all the books thus acting as a kind of catalogue file.

e. Before writing another copy of the same project to the CD, use the Book Information dialogue to change the title of the project. Perhaps call it "Second attempt" or something similar, but certainly different than the existing title. e. Run the "Build Book" process again.

f. Now call up the CD Write dialogue again and set the options as follows: Writing speed=4 times, Project purpose= Distribution CD, Last session=Valid and Post editing by PLEXTALK Portable Recorder=Off. Go ahead and run the CD writing routine. By choosing to create a Distribution CD, the intention is that end users do not have access to all the files that would be required to immediately edit the file with the PRS software. It could still be edited but would have to be imported using the "DAISY Import" feature before this could happen. When the CD writing is complete, again examine the contents of the newly created folder and the "DISCINFO.HTML" file. This time the project folder should have no intermediate files as there were in the Master project folder. The "DISCINFO.HTML" file should now show a listing for the project with the old name and the new name. The 2 books will be listed alphabetically so do not be too concerned if the second book is listed before the first one.

This exercise should have given you a chance to experiment with some of the processes required to create your final CD.

If you had difficulty with any of the tasks, try reading Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 again.

Exercise 8 - Some advanced features

For the more advanced features of the PRS software, detailed exercises have not been supplied. However, some ideas of things to try are given below:

a. DAISY Import - Try importing several copies of the finished books into a single new project. Call this project "TestProject4". Use the "DAISY Import" feature to achieve this. Use either the "DistributionCD" folder or the "MasterCD" folder for your source books.

When setting up the project initially, set the recording format to be MP3 32 kbps Mono. When running the import, set the audio conversion to be "On".

b. Audio Import - Try importing a small quantity of audio files using the "Audio Import" feature. Create a new project called "TestProject5" for this purpose. You could also try importing more than one file at a time by selecting multiple files prior to running the import.

c. Audio Export - Run the "Audio Export" process to change the recorded format to a different one. You will be asked to specify a new folder name during this process. Call the new project "TestProject6".

d. Text Import - In the "Documents" folder on the "PRS Pro Sample Projects" data there are a number of documents in ".TXT" format. Try using one of these files to run the "Text Import" function of the software. You may need to experiment with the settings for the "Pause time" and the speed of the chosen TTS engine to try to get the phrase detection working well. Because a synthesizer is very regimented in the way it speaks, the results can be excellent. When prompted to do so, name the new project "TestProject7".

On the "PRS Pro Sample Projects" data, in the folder called "Samples\Synthesized", there is an example of a project which was created using the "Text Import" feature. Very little editing was required to this project so compare your results with this one.

If you had difficulty with any of the tasks, try reading Chapter 14 again.

Appendix B - Menu Details

This appendix details all the items which appear on the PRS main menu and sub menus. The information is displayed in a table with 3 columns. Column 1 lists the main menu item with its highlighted letter in parentheses. Column 2 lists the sub menu items and their highlighted letters in parentheses. Column 3 details the short cut keys (if one exists) for the associated sub menu item.

Appendix C - Short-cut Details

This appendix details the short cut keys available in the PRS software. These are grouped in 4 tables. The tables relate to different processes as follows:

• Commands for Selecting Phrases & Sections
• Commands for Recording & Playback
• Commands for Editing
• Miscellaneous Commands

  All of the tables has 2 columns. Column 1 details the function and Column 2 details the short cut keys.

Commands for Selecting Phrases & Sections

Commands for Recording & Playback

Commands for Editing

Miscellaneous Commands

Appendix D - Technical Details

Table D1 - List of sample rates and equivalent recording times

Table D2 - Audio formats which can be imported by the "DAISY Import" feature

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