RavenViewer Frequently Asked Questions
Getting started
- What is RavenViewer?
- Do I need RavenViewer to listen to recordings?
- Why do I need QuickTime?
- Where can I learn more about RavenViewer's features?
- What are the system requirements for RavenViewer?
Installing
- Why are there so many things to install?
- Why do I need to install other stuff besides QuickTime?
- I just installed everything but I am still asked to update. What's wrong?
Problem solving
- I have some feedback, where do I send it?
- Can I use RavenViewer on my own website?
- What if I want to open my own recording?
- Do the audio visualization displays in RavenViewer render the full resolution of the audio files?
- The audio visualizations do not seem to be rendering fast enough for my computer. How can I improve their display?
Getting started
What is RavenViewer?
RavenViewer lets you visualize animal sounds in the Macaulay Library's online archive. With RavenViewer, you can display and control the spectrograms, waveforms, and power spectra of audio and video files over the Internet.
RavenViewer took 2nd place in the prestigious "Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge" - an international competition sponsored by Science magazine and the National Science Foundation.
RavenViewer was developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and is a FREE interactive QuickTime tool that works on Macintosh and Windows.
Do I need RavenViewer to listen to recordings?
No, you do not need RavenViewer to listen to and view animal recordings from the Macaulay Library, but you do need to have the Adobe Flash plug-in installed in your browser.
Why do I need QuickTime?
RavenViewer was implemented with Apple's QuickTime. The latest version of QuickTime is needed, allowing us to take advantage of the latest video and audio playback capabilities.
See the RavenViewer download page.
Where can I learn more about RavenViewer's features?
If you want to learn more about all the features and options available within RavenViewer, we have created a details page specifically for you.What are the system requirements for RavenViewer?
See the RavenViewer download page.
Installing
Why are there so many things to install?
There are two things to install to use RavenViewer: QuickTime, and a RavenViewer plug-in (a QuickTime component). You probably already have a version of QuickTime on your computer. Just make sure it is QuickTime 7 or newer.
See the RavenViewer download page.
You will only have to do this once. Once done, you can visualize the world's largest online archive of animal sounds and videos for free.
Why do I need to install other stuff besides QuickTime?
We use a standard set of functionalities in QuickTime for most of our interactivity, but in order to draw the audio visualizations, we are using third party QuickTime components (plug-ins), developed specially for us and you. You can download and install these components from our
See the RavenViewer download page.
I just installed everything but I am still asked to update. What's wrong?
If you just installed the RavenViewer plug-ins but are still asked to update, it is most likely because you need to restart your web browser and restart QuickTime (in order to initialize and register the components).
Problem solving
I have some feedback, where do I send it?
Feedback, positive or negative, is always a positive thing for us! Our website is always under development, and we aim to improve it. You can send feedback from our contact page.
Can I use RavenViewer on my own website?
We do not currently license RavenViewer, but if you are really interested in it, you can contact us and try to convince us.
What if I want to open my own recording?
In the future, you will be able to visualize your own audio files within RavenViewer. Sound file formats supported are AIFF, WAV, MP3, MP4, AIFC, and any QuickTime format.
That said, if you are serious about audio visualization and analysis, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a suite of desktop tools available for you, including Raven Lite, which is a free software program that lets users record, save, and visualize sounds as spectrograms and waveforms. Raven Lite is intended for students, educators, and hobbyists, and can be used for learning about sounds, as an aid in birdsong recognition, and in musical instruction.
Do the audio visualization displays in RavenViewer render the full resolution of the audio files?
The audio available within our online catalog is compressed using MP3 codec for single audio files and AAC codec for audio associated with video. Due to the compression algorithm used, some of the frequency resolution is lost (mostly in the upper frequencies). This should not impair your ability to listen and to visualize the audio with RavenViewer, but if you wish to analyze the full-resolution audio file, you need to contact us to order the high resolution file (usually digitized at 96/192 Khz @ 24 bits).
The audio visualizations do not seem to be rendering fast enough for my computer. How can I improve their display?
A simple answer would be to upgrade your computer :-) But more realistically, there are a few steps that you can take within RavenViewer to improve the rendering of the audio visualization.
- Reduce the number of views displayed. Simultaneously displaying the left/right channels for the spectrogram, waveform, and power spectrum requires more processing than displaying fewer channels.
- Zooming out of the timeline while the sound is still playing might prevent the audio visualizations from properly tracking the current time. If you zoom out entirely, RavenViewer will only draw the visualizations once and then move the playhead instead of rendering the visualizations as they move across the display.