Use ADEX to correlate LENA clock time to elapsed time
LENA displays all data by clock time, but in audio analysis software (e.g., Transcriber, Audacity, Praat, Audition, ELAN, etc.) the exported .wav file will be displayed in elapsed time. This article describes how to correlate a clock time of interest to the elapsed time in the full audio file.
Before beginning, please:
- Export the WAV file
- Export the ITS file for the same recording
- Add the ITS file to ADEX
Notes:
- This article assumes familiarity with the above steps for your product, and some basic familiarity with ADEX output.
- The example images show ADEX output in Microsoft Excel and WAV file analysis in Transcriber, but the concepts will apply to other programs you may be using for the same purposes.
1. Create ADEX output file.
1.1. Customize ADEX to apply time zone shift to exports.
Note: Outside the continental US and Canada, the method described here sometimes yields incorrect times. If after following these instructions you see that the ADEX output times do not match your LENA clock times, you will need to make additional adjustments to work directly with UTC. Please contact LENA Support for assistance.
This step eliminates the need to calculate the clock time from UTC to local after exporting from ADEX. (This step is recommended, but optional if you prefer to manually calculate local time later in Excel - not explained here.)
Click Settings, choose Customize, then check the box.
1.2. Select desired ADEX output resolution.
To find the elapsed time for the start of a specific clock time interval, select that time interval. For example, to find the start time for each 5-minute bar on the corresponding LENA report, select Time Interval - 5 Minutes.
For access to elapsed time at the segment level, select Vocalization Activity Block for your output row resolution. Also check Segment Details, as shown:
1.3. Select ADEX output columns to include Time Data.
In additional to your variables of interest, you will need:
- Recording_Index
- Elapsed_Time
- Clock_Time
If you'd also like to access LENA segment offset times, select the Segment_Duration column. (You must select Vocalization Activity Block resolution and check Segment Details for access to this column.)
1.4. Filter rows by Clock Time if desired.
Usually it is equally easy and more flexible to filter the data after export. Using ADEX to pre-filter by time at the VAB level will also eliminate segments that are in that VAB but outside of the time.
1.5. Export from ADEX, naming the .csv file for clarity.
2. Open the .csv just created.
We are using Microsoft Excel in these examples.
Tip: You can use ADEX settings to choose the preferred output file viewer and/or open your exported file automatically.
3. Find the clock time of interest and the corresponding elapsed time.
The Clock_Time_TZAdj column shows you the onset time in your local time zone.
The Elapsed_Time column displays the onset in seconds from the beginning of the recording.
Tip: In Excel you can expand the formatting of the Clock_Time_TZAdj to get seconds if desired:
- Highlight the column.
- Under Format Cells, Number tab, select Custom.
- Use m/d/yyyy hh:mm:ss to show date plus time with seconds added.
Tip: To find the elapsed time for the segment offset, add a column with Elapsed_Time + Segment_Duration.
Copy the Elapsed_Time value to your clipboard.
4. Paste the Elapsed_Time value into your audio analysis software to jump to the selected spot in the audio stream.
Example in Transcriber:
- Double-click on the bottom left bar near the word Cursor.
- Paste the Elapsed_Time in seconds in to the cursor window.
- Click OK.
You will be taken to that spot in the audio. In the example, we'd jump from 22.183 seconds elapsed time to 71.38 seconds.
