Audio Workflow on the Surface Pro Windows 8 Tablet - Part 2

Line-in Jack Issue Solved on the Surface Pro!

Last week, I began Part 1  of this series giving an overview of my TechTalk4Teachers podcastaudio workflow now that I have converted to using only the Surface Pro as my teaching and learning device of choice. I mentioned that I was able to keep my normal audio workflow with one exception while using the Surface Pro.

Using my normal recording method I simply take out the SD card from the digital audio recorder when the podcast recording is finished and put it into a USB SD card adapter. Next, I plug the adapter with the SD card inserted into the Surface Pro and then copy the files over to a folder for editing. Once the files are copied to a folder on the Surface Pro I then use Audacity to edit and splice together the different segments of the podcast, add finally add the intro/outro and transition music.

The last step in this process is to save the file as a MP3 file with the metadata and album art to upload to the TechTalk4Teachers blog. From there the RSS feed from the TechTalk4Teachers blog populates iTunes directory with the latest episode of TechTalk4Teachers where listeners can subscribe and download. This all works wonderfully.

If you have not subscribed to our TechTalk4Teachers podcast please do!

The RSS feed is:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/techtalk4teachers

The audio issue that I was facing on the Surface Pro is that sometimes I do record directly into the computer using Audacity to capture the incoming audio stream. The existing audio port on the Surface Pro only supports headphones using a single standard 3.5mm jack. What that means in practical terms is that I could not use a “line-in” connection to directly plug my mixer or another microphone with a 3.5mm jack into this audio port for recording audio.

I am happy to report I have found a satisfactory solution to this issue, thanks to the help of one of the readers of this blog. I have been corresponding with Professor Barnhurst about using the Surface Pro as a screencasting device for flipping the classroom.

Professor Barnhurst is a Chemistry professor from Southern Adventist University and has been using a Tablet PC to record video screencasts of his lectures and then post them online for his students to review. He was curious about the possibilities the Surface Pro had to offer for screencasting and stumbled upon this blog.

The Surface Pro is like a Tablet PC on steroids. It is fast and powerful, comes with a digital pen, USB 3.0 port for easy transfer of multimedia files, extra microSD card storage, and is a natural choice for those interested in creating screencasts for the flipped classroom.

We discussed the different ways that I was using the Surface Pro for instructional use and that I had even been successful with using a wireless microphone to record audio into the Surface Pro for screencasting purposes and passed along the information about my setup.

Professor Barnhurst is doing some great work recording his lectures and using a Tablet PC (and now the Surface Pro) to annotate over illustrations of chemical equations to demonstrate the way the chemicals react to form the product. I hope to provide a blog post in the future about the benefits of this approach for his Chemistry students. People have been using Tablet PC’s like this for many years, long before screencasting became fashionable. Sal Khan used a Tablet PC to create his now famous screencasts that resulted in the creation of the now famous Khan Academy.

https://www.khanacademy.org/

Professor Barnhurst suggested I look at a USB audio adapter that converts the Surface Pro’s only USB port into a line-in port and speaker port. I took his suggestion and ordered the adapter last week. He used this adapter to successfully connect a wireless audio receiver to the USB port of the Surface Pro. This wireless microphone approach allows the teacher to roam about the room while teaching and still be able to record high-quality sound for the screencast. When needed the teacher can return to the podium where the Surface Pro is connected to a projector and then use the digital Pen to write on the Surface Pro’s screen. All of this while the Surface Pro is recording the screen and with audio!

The audio adapter I ordered and received last week only cost $8 and so far it works quite well on the Surface Pro.

Syba SD-CM-UAUD USB Stereo Audio Adapter

http://www.amazon.com/Syba-SD-CM-UAUD-Adapter-C-Media-Chipset/dp/B001MSS6CS

It has a red-colored 3.5mm female jack (Line-in) and a green-colored 3.5mm female jack (Line-out for speakers or headphones). You are probably familiar with the red and green jacks on sound cards and this adapter converts the USB port to the common female 3.5mm jacks used when recording audio. This effectively solves my line-in issue and will allow me to continue to use my mixer to record multiple audio sources into the Surface Pro in the future. Problem solved.

The only thing I do not like about this solution is that it takes up the only USB port available on the Surface Pro. If you have been reading this blog then you know that the single USB 3.0 port on the Surface Pro is very precious to me.

So, while I was ordering I also picked up a USB 4 port hub for another secret project I am working on over the summer involving the Surface Pro as a presentation device in the classroom (more on that later this summer :)

Amazon Basics USB 2.0 4 Port Ultra Mini Hub

http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-USB-4-Port-Ultra-Mini/dp/B003M0NURK/

I probably should have picked up a USB 3.0 hub to take advantage of the Surface Pro’s high speed USB 3.0 port but this one was less than half the cost and will work for my intended project given my very limited research budget.

If you want to record audio wirelessly you will also need a wireless microphone setup. These however can be quite expensive. I have used the Canon Bluetooth Wireless Microphone WM-V1 successfully although it may be discontinued now. I have also been successful using the very expensive Sennheiser EW100ENGG2B. 

Professor Barnhurst said he has been successful with using the Audio Technica Pro 88W wireless microphone used in combination with the Syba USB to 3.5mm jack stereo adapter on the Surface Pro.

http://www.amazon.com/Technica-PRO88W-R35-Wireless-ATR3350mW-Omnidirectional/dp/B00006I523/

Of course, you do not have to use a wireless microphone at all, but it does give you the freedom to move about the room while recording screencasts.

Most people however just use an inexpensive wired lavaliere style microphone that plugs directly into a 3.5mm line-in jack. You are then limited by the length of the cable while you record. I have been known to buy a 25 foot long audio extension cable when I was using a Smart Board to record Smart Board lessons. Worked great but be careful you do not trip over it!

So there you have it, how I solved the lack of a line-in jack on the Surface Pro.

Thank you for reading our blog.

Until next time.

Keep on Learning,

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

Follow me on Twitter @tomgrissom 

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