| 1. Can I buy more labels to go with
my Sound Stripes™ Kit?
No. When the 30 labels have been used to make recordings,
the digital memory in the recorder is full. The labels simply
tell the recorder which message to play. Once your Sound
Stripes™ recorder is full, you need to purchase another
kit. Just as you may own more than one album, you may own
more than one Sound Stripes™ kit to go with your albums.
2. How long is the sound that I can record?
The length of the sound that you can record is 20 seconds.
At first glance, this may not seem like a long time. Try
this little experiment: Record yourself singing the ABC’s
song. You may be surprised to find that in most cases not
only do you get all the way through the alphabet to the
letter Z but you also get to add “now I’ve sung
my ABC’s, next time won’t you sing with me!”
3. In my scrapbook, can I stick my Sound Stripes™
label on my page instead of my page protectors?
No, the label must be placed on top of the page protector.
The Sound Stripes™ recorder cannot properly align
itself with the label if the sticker is located under the
page protector. Labels can easily be hidden or covered by use
of small, decorative flaps or envelopes.
4. Why can't the Sound Stripes recorder be stored
in my scrapbook?
We don't recommend storing anything with batteries in or very close to a scrapbook.
All batteries outgas as a normal by-product of creating power. Sometimes they even leak.
Neither of these battery characteristics are consistent with archival storage. In addition, with its 30
message capacity, you may want to use a single kit with more than one scrapbook.
Sound Stripes comes in an elegant gift box which may be used to store the recorder.
The box may even be decorated to match your scrapbooks.
5. Can I record sounds other than voices?
Yes! You can use Sound Stripes™ to record almost any
sound that has meaning to you. You can record sounds off
audiotapes, video tapes, songs off CD’s and the radio,
even sounds off the internet! You can also use Sound Stripes™
to capture the sounds around you—the cheering of the
crowd, the waves on the beach or the music at the prom.
6. Is the adhesive on the labels permanent?
Yes, it's hard to remove them once they have been adhered
to paper, so place them carefully.
7. How close to the edge of a page can I place
the Sound Stripes™ labels and do they have to face
a certain way?
You can place the labels at any angle, but please remember
to leave enough room around the label to align the Sound
Stripes™ recorder. If the label is too close to the
spine area of a book, you won’t be able to position
the recorder on the label. In a scrapbook, if you use edge
protectors on your pages, you must put the label far enough
from the edge protector so that the recorder can align with
the label. Also, if you have three-dimensional objects on
a page to which you want to add a label, try to keep the
area around the label flat so that you can properly align
the recorder to the label.
8. What is the semicircular area with a number
for?
Two purposes:
1) To make it easier to peel the backing sheet off the label.
2) Sometimes you may want to collect several messages before
you make a page using them or before you put them in your
yearbook. The numbers can help you keep track of which label
goes with which message. You can also make small notes below
the number with pencil or most pens.
9. Sometimes I have trouble aligning the Sound
Stripes™ recorder/player to the labels. Can you help
me?
Yes. Turn the recorder over and align a label into the recessed
code reader on the back of the recorder. Observe how the
label must fit into the recess. Once you understand this
alignment requirement, it makes it much easier to "feel"
when the alignment is perfect without even looking. It may
take a bit of practice, but soon becomes very easy.
10. I sometimes have trouble reading a label in
bright light or outdoors in sunlight. Is this normal?
Yes, since Sound Stripes™ uses an optical code reader,
there are some light conditions that can make it difficult
to accurately read a label. If possible, stand between the
bright light and the recorder when pressing the Play or
Record buttons. When reading a label that is not yet adhered
into a book, be sure to keep the label and code reader aimed
away from the light source.
11. When I make a recording in a noisy place, I'm
not happy with the sound quality. Is there anything I can
do?
Yes, since Sound Stripes™ has a very sensitive microphone
to allow you to capture sounds around you, your recordings
can sometimes become distorted if the background noise level
is high. It is always best to record in quiet conditions,
but when this is impossible, try to cup your hand around
the microphone to prevent stray noise from entering. Then
bring the microphone closer to you mouth and speak more
softly than normal.
12. How long will the batteries last?
Sound Stripes™ comes with a set of high quality alkaline
batteries installed for your convenience. These batteries
should last several years with infrequent use. If you use
your Sound Stripes™ player a lot, then you can expect
between 500 and 1000 recordings or playbacks per set of
batteries.
13. If I have more than one Sound Stripes™
kit, how do I match labels in my scrapbooks with the right
recorder?
The Sound Stripes™ storage box can be personalized
to match your scrapbook. In addition, you could add a label
to the inside front cover of the box and list which books
are used with the recorder.
14. Do the labels come in colors other that black
and white?
No, the labels only come in black and white. Black and white
is needed to maximize the performance of the optical reader
in the recorder.
15. Are the Sound Stripes labels archival?
Yes, the labels are archival. They are acid free and lignin
free and test data has shown them to be compatible with
all photo archival applications. *
*Data from independent tests performed at the Image Permanence
Institute at Rochester Institute of Technology.
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