Notice

This page show a previous version of the article

Shtooka Recorder is an audio recorder tool specialized for recording audio for Tatoeba. It runs on Windows. We have verified that it works on Windows XP and Windows 7. It is distributed in a kit (Kit Shtooka) that contains other tools, but only the Shtooka Recorder is of interest to us. Note that you can find the Shtooka Recorder within the "Kit Shtooka" folder on your Start Menu once you have installed it.

Installing and Configuring Shtooka Recorder

1) Download the Shtooka installer from the Tatoeba download site.

2) On the "Words" tab:

a) Select the ISO 639-3 code for your language (for example, "eng" for English). If you are unsure of the code, see the SIL ISO 639-3 finder.

b) Set "Silence between words" to 0.50.

4) On the "Speaker" tab, fill in your name or username and your native language. The other fields are optional.

5) On the "Output" tab:

a) Fill in the "Target" field with the location to which you want your audio files to be written. It's best to choose a top-level folder here under which you will add an individual subfolder for each recording session.

b) In the "Mask" field, write:

%1

c) Leave "Ogg compression" unchecked, but check "Flac compression", "Delete .wav file after compression", and "Delete .txt file after tagging".

Obtaining a list

If you would like to obtain a ready-made list, send a private message to CK.

Otherwise, follow these instructions to prepare your own list.

  • Select sentences that have been written by a native speaker. Make sure that no audio has already been recorded for these sentences. Refer to CK's list of self-identified native speakers if you do not already have a speaker in mind.

  • Create a list by going to "Browse"/"Browse by List". Type the name of a new list (for example, "English-for-recording-A-00") underneath "Create a new list".

  • Either add your own sentences to the list, or (better yet) find sentences by a particular user who is a native speaker, and use the "Add to list" button above each sentence that you want to add to your list. Make sure to click "OK", or your sentence will not be added to your list.

Videos and additional documentation

  • youtube.com/watch?v=AcJoLBjUOaY (video by AmberShadow)
  • bit.ly/shtooka (made by CK) = video and documentation