sparkfun KIT-14173 Hook-Up Manual page 19

Page 19 of 33
A new window will pop up with a slider, a couple of text boxes, and one
checkbox. The slider will be pre-positioned to amplify the sound as much as
possible without "clipping" it. "Clipping" occurs when you try to amplify a
sound more than the system you're playing it through can stand, and it
results in a sort of grating buzzing noise during playback.
You have a choice, now: you can either accept the system's suggested
level, or you can click on the "Allow Clipping" check box and increase the
amplification more with the slider. I've chosen to accept the clipping
limitation for the image above; comparing it to the image of the file higher
up, you can see how I've trimmed the dead time at the ends and increased
the amplitude vertically.
Why would you want to allow your sound to clip? Well, first of all, the preset
amplification only takes into account the peak value of your sound, so if one
small section of the audio is allowed to clip, it may allow the vast majority of
the sound to be substantially louder. Secondly, if you're playback device is
of relatively poor quality, or the sound file itself is, allowing clipping may
increase volume significantly without making the sound quality too much
worse than it already is. Thirdly, volume intensity may be far more important
than sound quality, and allowing clipping lets you push the volume as high
as you can.
Now that you've successfully edited the sound, export it to OGG Vorbis as
we covered above.
Example Project
Let's use the contents of the Spectacle Light and Sound Kit to put together
a working project! We're going to set up a laser gun type setting, where a
light comes on and a sound plays when a button is pressed, then the light
goes off when the button is released.
Connect the boards