Working with audio is a bit of a double-edged sword. Its benefits are numerous: a complete and accurate record of events containing the original nuances of phrasing, indisputable identification of speaker and easy capture. However, it is a nightmare to use: navigation, editing, annotation and organisation are all very difficult to do with current tools. Put simply, audio has a number of problems:
- Annotation – how do we use words with sound together?
- File Management – how do we know what recording is of what?
- Navigation – how do you find the bit in a recording that you were looking for?
- Staying Focused – how do you concentrate for long periods of time when all you’ve got is the audio?
- Organisation – how can you organise audio such that it’s available quickly whenever you need it?
This has led to a trend for computer software to centre on processing text, or more lately, images and video, instead of using audio.
However, our company ethos is to design with sound at the centre. We wish to develop tools to make using sound easy, because we feel audio is a great medium, but needs careful design to be really useful. Since 2007 we have strived to create software that facilitates this realisation.
Visit our company website at: www.sonocent.com