Somewhat related to Ruth Lewis' Query question over digital audio for qualitative research, I have a question.

I have 20+  (analog) tapes about to be transcribed for subsequent textual analysis via aquad or some other text base package.

My question is: if I had these tapes converted into digital sound, then could I circumvent transcription by having the (largish)sound files coded, categorized and what have you, directly by a package that allows it from that form of file.

Basically then, I could listen to the tapes on the computer, and 'parse' my points of interest, by making the categorizations as I go. For presentation purposes (presumably if it can be done), I could then use the marks to instantly jump and play the relevant parts of the file IN ITS ORIGINAL SOUND.

While scouring the qualitative software pages, I came across a program called KIT that seems to afford something like this. However, there wasn't a great deal of information on the web pages that it does all the tricks I would like it to do.

1. Has anybody heard of this package, and perhaps used it?

2. Has anybody heard of another program?

3. Is this idea pie in the sky?

Any comments from the community will make me absolutely delighted.

Glen S. Hamilton,

Georgetown Univ.

Washington DC