Re: 8-bit 8 kHz

Hi Lynette - it has been a few months - I was wondering if you had any luck with your codec issue.

I too am a mac user who has had to create IVR phone prompts. Essentially, what I do is record them at high quality bit depths and sampling rates on my mac.

I then import those files into Sony Sound Forge on a PC. That software lets me convert them to the exact format you needed as well : 8 bit, 8kHz, uLaw Codec (pretty standard for telephony). (You could probably also convert using free software like "Switch Sound File Converter." Sound Forge will likely do a better job though, especially if you have a lot of files and want to do batch conversion.

Sadly, Mac doesn't deal with this specific format. Hard to believe I know, but trust me -- I looked -- EVERYWHERE.

Obviously, at that spec, files don't sound great, but your best bet is to record at 48kHz instead of 44.1. That way when the PC dithers down, it is a cleaner division than from 44.1.

And remember, voice prompts through the phone won't show the flaws you'll hear in your studio speakers. I did these for a major international corporation, and they were happy with the results.

Did you have any success ? I'd love to know if someone has found a better way.

Mark Alexander