The tape loader is similar to the Prompter but is specifically intended for the digitization of prerecorded studio tapes or CDs.
The tape loader tool can automatically digitize a prerecorded "studio" tape or CD. Connect the output of your tape or CD player to the line input of your sound card. The tape loader will automatically detect the silent delimiting spaces between recorded prompts, cut your recordings there and save the digitized data in preassigned filenames, as defined by an ASCII script file. Again, this script file is fully compatible with the prompter and the group/ungroup script files. The loader can also automatically create incrementing filenames, which relieves you from the task of creating a script file. Once correctly set up and started, the tape loader does all the digitizing without operator intervention.
While the tape loader digitizes your tape or CD it shows you on-screen what it is doing, so that, once in a while, you can reassure yourself that all is going well. For the tape loader to work well your recordings need to be clean, without any background noise in the silent passages. It is also crucial that you very carefully select the threshold level at which Vox Studio separates silence from non-silence. This is a settable parameter. If that accuracy is not achievable, you can still use the tape loader in its semiautomatic mode where you simply tap the space bar when you hear the delimiting silence between two prompts. If you have background noise in your original recordings or if you have clean recordings but fail to correctly select the silence detection threshold, you may find it very hard to obtain consistent results with the tape loader in automatic mode.
When used with a direct microphone connection rather than connected to the output of a tape or CD player you can even use the tape loader as a sort of voice-operated prompter. Speak a message, remain silent, speak the next message, and so on. To facilitate the use of the tape loader as a voice-operated prompter the tape loader will show you the next script text to be recorded on-screen as soon as it detects the end of the previous one. This gives you enough time to read the first sentence mentally before you start speaking it. This is the fastest way to record prompts in real time.
The Tape Loader command can also be activated by clicking on 
in the toolbar section.
Tape loader options