11. Uploading your Recordings to the Speech Research Laboratory

If you are participating in an experiment with the Speech Research Laboratory (SRL) using InvTool, you may be asked to send the SRL a copy of your recordings. There are two ways you can do this:

1. Upload them directly to our server via the Internet
2. Burn them onto a writable CD and mail the CD to us

The first option can take some time, depending on the speed of your Internet connection. For example, a typical voice database of 1650 sentences may take up 150 Megabytes of memory. The amount of time it would take to upload is as follows:

• At 33.3 kb/sec (a typical dial-up modem): 12.2 hours
• At 128 kb/sec (a typical DSL line): 3.2 hours

Uploading over a cable modem or T1 line will be somewhat faster, depending on the exact set-up of your Internet provider. (Please note that uploading data over the Internet is usually slower than downloading the same data. For example, a typical "56k modem" downloads at 56 kb/sec, but uploads at 33.3 kb/sec.)

Although we prefer that you use the direct upload option, we recognize that this may be difficult, especially for people with a single phone line and dial-up internet connection. Consequently, for people with a writable CD drive, we will be happy to allow you to use the second option instead. Both options are described below.

1. Via the Internet:

   When to do it: Since uploading may take some time, it is important that you do it early and often. You do not have to wait until you have finished recording, and you do not have to do it all at once. You cannot do more recording while you are uploading, however (InvTool cannot perform both functions at once). Probably the best option is to set it up before you go to bed, and let it run overnight (maybe over several nights). You can stop and re-start at any time; feel free to upload after every recording session, for example. You may also re-record any sentences you have already uploaded, although these will have to be uploaded again. InvTool keeps track of all these details.

   How to do it: The Upload function of your copy of InvTool is inoperable until it is activated by registering with SRL. The SRL will give you an Upload Registration Key (this is not the same as the Download Registration Key or any other password you may have with the SRL). To register your copy, click on the "Settings" menu, then "Register...", as shown below:

   

   This will bring up the Registration dialog box:

   

   Type your Upload Registration Key into the 3 white fields in the Registration box, and click "Register". If a correct registration key is entered, the program will give you a message saying that you have successfully registered. You will not have to register again at any time.

   When you are ready to upload your recordings, first make sure your computer is connected to the Internet. Next, open your inventory. Next, select the "Upload..." option in the "Tools" menu:

   

   Clicking this selection brings up the Upload dialog box:

   

   Enter your SRL UserID and Password in the appropriate boxes (you created these when you registered for the experiment on our webpage). Click "Login" to connect to the SRL speech databank. When you are connected, the word "Connected" will appear below the password box, as in the picture below:

   

   Now click on "Start" to begin uploading. The gray field labelled "Number ready to upload" indicates how many sentences you have recorded, and are ready to upload. As the uploading continues, this number will decrease, and the number in the box next to it, labelled "Number Uploaded", will increase correspondingly, until the upload process is finished or stopped. You are free to stop the process at any time with the "Stop" button and resume at a later time. (When you click "Stop", InvTool will finish uploading the last sentence it started; it may take a minute to actually stop.) The next time you upload, the process will continue right where it left off.

    

2. By mail:

   If you wish to take this option, let us know by email (tts@asel.udel.edu) and we will mail you a blank CD and return mailer. Once you receive it, open up your InvTool directory (which should be located at C:\Program Files\SRL\InvTool). In this directory, find your inventory file (e.g. "JohnDoe.inv") and your WAV directory (e.g. "JohnDoe_wav"):

   

   Copy these two items onto the CD (be sure to leave the original files on your computer!), and mail the CD back to the SRL (we will provide a stamped and addressed mailer for this).

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