When possible, record and capture your sound at CD quality: 44 kHz, 16-bit. If, due to file size or equipment limitations, you must record or capture at reduced rates, lower your kilohertz (to 22, then 11) before sacrificing bit depth. The sound degradation is generally more noticeable between 16-bit and 8-bit sound than between 44 kHz and 11 kHz sound.

Always perform your edits on the highest-quality (preferably CD-quality) source files that you can record & capture, and then save a copy of this produced file before doing any downsampling or compressing. You will then have this high-quality edited file to recompress later when codecs improve and/or your bandwidth increases.

During downsampling, compromise sample rate before sample depth. The difference between 16-bit and 8-bit sound is more noticeable than that between 44 kHz and 11 kHz. If your data rate and codec will allow, stay at the 16-bit level. Note: The Lernout & Hauspie is a 16-bit codec; do not offer it 8-bit files. It will accept them, but you will have wasted bandwidth and unnecessary quality loss.

You can use any source. The better the quality to start with, the better the output will be. This is just like copying VCR tapes: If you make a copy from a copy from a copy the signal will deterioriate with each generation. The encoding process is a lossy process, so if you start with a poor quality signal and throw out chunks of the signal you will not have the same results as you would starting with a quality signal.

If you are working with several audio files destined for the same ASF, you should join them into a single file before performing any edits. This will ensure that they join exactly as you wish and that they have uniform volume and quality. Always combine audio files into a single file before adding them to the Microsoft NetShow T.A.G. Author project.

You can only have one .aep file per directory. However, you can have more than one ASF per directory, with multiple files created from a single Microsoft NetShow T.A.G. Author Project. To create a second ASF, change the file name and build.

The Microsoft NetShow T.A.G. Author will create a default ASF filename based on the name of the Microsoft NetShow T.A.G. Author Project (AEP) project. To change this name (particularly important if you want to create multiple ASF versions from a single AEP), click File/Properties/Bit Rate Properties and enter your file name in the "Output File" box. Then click OK.

The Microsoft NetShow T.A.G. Author has a default end time of 1 minute. To extend this, you must first extend the timeline window beyond the desired end time. There are a couple ways to do this:

 Import a sound file. This automatically extends the end time to the length of the file and the timeline to just a little longer than that.

 To increase the timeline without importing a sound file, you must first click-and-drag the end of the timeline (in your editing window) beyond the point of your desired end time. Don't drag your arrow beyond the edge of the Microsoft NetShow T.A.G. Author window. If, while dragging, the timeline stops lengthening, just jiggle your mouse from side to side in the small space along the right edge of the window. It will get there eventually.

The "-out" command is only necessary if you wish to specify an ASF file name different than that of your .wav file. Otherwise, WavToASF will automatically give your ASF the same file name as the source WAV.