A Comprehensive Guide for Recording a Powerpoint Presentation at TCSS
There are three main steps to recording the presentation:
1. Attaching the laptop to the Sound System and Checking Input Volume; 2. Using the Spotlight Pointer; and,
3. Powerpoint Recording.
Also included at the end of this manual are sections on: 1. troubleshooting audio problems (section 4); 2. how to adjust the recording volume (section 5);
3. connecting the laptop to the video projector (section 6) and, 4. configuring the laptop to project to the video projector (section 7). Section 1 – Attaching to the Sound System and Checking Input Volume
To obtain the best quality sound for the narration do the following (please make sure the laptop is on and booted into Windows):
1. On the main stage is a cabinet containing the audio-visual equipment. In the cabinet look for: a. the 30’ Mini Plug cable which has 2 plugs (one red and one white) on one
end and a single plug on the other end. Here is what a single Mini Plug looks like:
b. the audio controller that has the “Pyle” name and logo on it (see picture to the right).
2. On the right side of the unit is where you will plug in the end of the audio cable that has the two male plugs that are red and white:
a. each color on the plug represents one channel (red is left and white is right) b. insert the matching color plug (see following picture) into the “Out” side
c. Here is what the correct connection looks like:
d. Then make sure the “Master Volume” is turned to 50%, in the below picture it is at 0%.
e. At the other end of the cable, insert the single plug into the laptop as shown below – the first picture is an overview of the laptop and the second is a closeup of correct connections.
3. When you plug the Mini Plug into the jack as shown above, Windows will prompt you with the following:
a. Click on “Line In” and then “OK”.
b. To make sure the laptop is receiving sound, on the main screen of the laptop, please click the
“Audacity” icon.
c. Audacity is a sound recording/monitoring utility. This is used to make sure the input is correct as well as the volume.
d. Have the presenter (or another person) start speaking into a microphone attached to the AV. 4. Then, click the red “record” button in the menu at the top left.
5. If connected correctly, to the right of the “record” button are two volume meters. They should be in the green zone with only a few bumps into the yellow/red.
e. If consistently in the yellow/red zone, turn DOWN the volume (see section 5). f. If consistently at the LOW end of the green zone, turn UP the volume (see section 5). g. You can safely ignore the large graphs at the bottom (which show the loudness in a graph). h. Please do not press any other buttons or use any other functions in Audacity.
i. Here is a screen shot of what you will see:
6. Turn off Audacity by clicking on the red “X” in the upper right corner of the screen, as with any Windows program.
7. Answer “No” to any prompts from Audacity.
Section 2 – Using and Configuring the Spotlight Pointer
1. The TCSS uses a new kind of laser pointer which you are probably not familiar with but is easy to use. 2. Why do I need to use this pointer? So that the pointer is recorded for our video posting. Using an
“external” pointer will not be recorded by Powerpoint and while seen in the “live” meeting setting, will not be seen in the recording.
3. Note you, as the presenter, will only see the pointer in Slide Show mode (as well as in the exported video).
4. The following steps show how to charge it, what the buttons do and how to change the color of the pointer.
5. First, before starting Powerpoint, plug in the Spotlight receiver into either of the USB ports to the immediate left of where the Mini Plug was plugged in. Here is a picture of the USB ports:
6. Here is a picture of the receiver:
a. Note our receiver is BLACK.
7. Secondly, make sure the Spotlight is charged.
a. It is charged by plugging one end of the charging cable (the smaller end) into the Spotlight and the other larger end into any USB port on any computer.
b. 5 minutes of charging will provide 3 hours of use. c. A full charge will take 2 hours and 45 minutes.
8. An LED on the top of the Spotlight device indicates battery status. a. A pulsing white light indicates charging.
b. A solid red light indicates that the battery is low and should be recharged.
i. NOTE: The LED turns from white to red when there is approximately 5% battery life remaining.
9. Special software is needed to allow the pointer to work. It is called “Spotlight Presenter.” a. Spotlight Presenter must be started before starting Powerpoint.
b. Note: this software should have been loaded automatically on the laptop when the laptop is started. If you don’t see the icon ( ) in the lower right tasklist, then please perform the below step:
c. On the laptop’s main desktop screen please click the “Spotlight Presenter” icon on the left side.
It looks like this:
10. To check that the Spotlight is ready to use, make sure you are in the “Presentation Slide Show Mode” ( ) in Powerpoint and follow the below button instructions.
11. Below is a graphic showing the various buttons and their functions:
12. To change the color of the pointer, exit the “Presentation Slide Show Mode” click on the Powerpoint top menu – Slide Show, Setup Slide Show. Click on Laser Pointer Color as shown below on the next page (choice of red, green, blue).
a. Then click the OK button
b. Also, the screen shot above is how the Slide Show options should look like.
13. Spotlight Troubleshooting/Setup
a. If the laser pointer doesn’t show up, check to make sure the following has been done:
i. In “Spotlight Presenter”, click on the icon as shown above or if not there start the software as described above.
ii. You will see the menu to the right. iii. Click on the arrow button in the “Hold
Back Button” line.
iv. You will see the following:
v. Click the “T” in “Type Keystroke” as shown in the graphic to the lower right –
vi. Then press the Control Key (CTRL) and the letter “L” at the same time. If done correctly, you should see the field filled in as shown in the graphic above (CONTROL+L).
vii. Then just click on the left arrow in the top left corner.
Section 3 – Using Powerpoint to Record the Presentation and Accompanying Audio. 1. Click on the Powerpoint shortcut on the laptop’s desktop.
2. Open the Presenter’s Presentation by:
a. Clicking on the “Open Other Presentation” link
b. Then, on the “Open” screen, select where the presentation is and click on the presentation title. 3. Then, click on the “Slide Show” entry as shown below.
4. Click on the small triangle on the “Record Slide Show” menu button.
5. Click on the “Record from Beginning” option.
6. A Pop-up window titled “Record Slide Show” will appear as shown below. a. Make sure both boxes are checked.
b. Note: If the second box (Narrations, ink and laser pointer) is grayed out that means that there is an audio input problem (i.e. no sound will be recorded).
c. Return to section 1.2 and make sure the correct input is selected and that Audacity is measuring the audio volume.
7. Click on “Start Recording”
8. A small box (see below) will appear in the upper left corner of the screen:
9. Make sure the timer is working (i.e. total time is increasing) which indicates that recording is happening. 10. Do not click or make any other changes to this “Recording Box” until ready to stop recording and save
the presentation.
11. Please leave the recording function ON through the questions and answers at the end of the presentation.
12. To save the presentation do the following:
a. Press the “ESC” (escape) key on the upper left of the laptop’s keyboard. b. You will see the main screen of Powerpoint – click on “File” then “Save As”
c. Save the presentation with a different name (such as “XYZ’s Presentation Recorded” when the original name was “XYZ’s Presentation”.)
13. Shut down Powerpoint and transfer the newly recorded file to Peter. Do not try to do any conversions on the laptop since it will take too long (past the ending time of the meeting).
Section 4 – Troubleshooting if No Sound Level is Heard
1. Right click on the Speaker icon in the lower right corner of the task bar
2. Click on “Playback Devices” menu option 3. You will see a new popup window
a. Before highlighting the “Speakers/Headphones” option, look at the Volume Meter on the right side of the window. If green bars are going up and down, it means that sound is coming through and you are connected successfully.
b. At this point, if you hear audio from the laptop, audio is working fine and ready for recording (assuming the Volume Meter is at the level shown above).
c. If not, click on “Properties” and a new popup will appear. d. Make sure the “General” tab is selected at the popup’s top.
e. Then, towards the bottom of the popup a box called “Device usage”. Make sure this says “Use this device (enable)”. If not, change it.
4. Then click on “OK” and you are done.
5. If still no volume, you will not be able to record the audio. Please let Peter know. Section 5 – How to Adjust Audio Volume
1. If you need to change the volume louder or softer,
a. Highlight the “Speakers/Headphones” (as in 4.3.a above) then b. Click on “Properties” (as in 4.3.a above)
c. A new window will open, click on the “Levels” tab in the upper horizontal menu
d. Adjust the volume slider right to make louder and left to make softer. i. Note that the number value changes in the window.
ii. The target number is generally between 40-50, depending on how loud the Presenter’s voice is.
iii. Do NOT press or click on the “Balance” button
iv. Make sure the Speaker Icon does not have a red “No” symbol – if so, click on the Speaker Icon to eliminate that.
e. Click “OK” at the bottom of the window
2. Recheck the volume meter (section 4.3.a) to make sure the bars are no more than 75% of the scale. Section 6 – Connecting The Laptop to The Video Projector
1. Find the HDMI cable which looks like:
2. Plug either end into the HDMI port on the laptop – see below:
3. Plug the other end into the video projector.
Section 7 – Projecting the Presentation
1. On the projector, press the “Input” button for input HDMI.
2. On the laptop, press the “Fn” button and the “F8” button at the same time (i.e. Fn+F8)
3. Once pressed, you should see the following pop-up on the right side of the screen:
4. Click on “Duplicate” which sends a copy of the laptop screen to the video projector.
5. Note: If the “Project” window doesn’t open, or does not have the “Duplicate” option available, you will not be able to record the presentation.
a. The reason is that there are probably video problems on the laptop.
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