How to install a toolbox in MATLAB

Today I learned how to install a toolbox in MATLAB. i know it's easy and simple for those who are experienced. But for me, it still took me a while to figure it out.

I downloaded a midi toolbox as a .zip file. Then I extracted it to one folder. The manual told me I need to "define the path varialbe", but how? Finally I knew it: File -> Set folder. One the pop-up dialogue box, use Add folder to add the path for the toolbox. Done!

Use Audacity to change size of MP3 files

Today I used Audacity to edit some MP3 files so that they can be used as my cell phone ringtones. I opened the MP3 files in Audacity, cut out the fragment I liked, and exported them as MP3 files. After I send them to my cellphone via bluetooth, I found that the files are too large to be set as ringtones.

I checked online and on the Audacity forum I found that people are talking about export 'options', but in this case, the 'option' dialogue box didn't show up at all. I guess it is because what I imported is already a MP3 file and the bitrate has been set. Then I tried several different setting at different places. Finally I figured out that the right thing to set is the 'project rate'. Decreasing this project rate results in much smaller MP3 file.

 

Contam is also fun!

Today I happened to find out that NIST has developed some software and they are free. So I downloaded one of them, Contam 2.4, followed the tutorials and finished my first ever Contam project. It's fun, though I am not sure how accurate the results could be.

Here's the link for the software:
http://www.bfrl.nist.gov/IAQanalysis/index.htm

And this is my results: