-=PCTechTalk=- Re: audacity program question, recording from tape to computer

  • From: Gman <gman.pctt@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:33:21 -0400

See below

Peace,
G

"The only dumb questions are the ones that are never asked"

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "cristy" <poppy0206@xxxxxxx>
To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 10:22 PM
Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Re: audacity program question, recording from tape 
to computer


> So..you do not first save your project as a .aup file? (audacity project
> file?).  You import the file that has say for instance one whole side of a
> cassette tape as a "wav" file and then later drag it in audacity to edit 
> it?
> What is the diff in saving it first as an .aup file than importing it as a
> wav when you can later import it as a wave file, save time this way, plus 
> it
> must be a huge file to work with too.



My primary goal when it comes to choosing file formats is compatability with 
any editing utility I choose to use as well as any burning app I end up 
using as well as keeping the data as pure as possible.  Any proprietary 
formats will only get in the way of my being able to move these files from 
one app to another or burning them to a disk in a format that any stereo can 
play.  Plus, I fear that a proprietary format might remove parts of the data 
similar to how MP3 removes a lot of it.  So, in my mind, ripping or 
importing into any proprietary format would be a waste of my time, hard 
drive space and peace of mind.



> I have cassette tapes that have "voice lessons", live song recordings, and
> more that may or may not have been recorded on the day day or time or same
> volume even so they would not all necessarily have been recorded with the
> same signal strength right?  This can make it hard for me to work with the
> entire big file all at once but rather split them up and then work with 
> each
> individually which I can send each individual song file to be burned all 
> at
> once on a CD?



For tapes where the source changes, you really have no choice but to split 
the file at those trasitions and work with each part separately.  If you 
have 4 tunes in a row from a Live performance followed by two lessons which 
is then followed by a bunch of songs you recorded off the radio, you'll end 
up with 3 distinct files after breaking it up.  Assuming the live tunes were 
all recorded during a single performance and nothing changed the settings of 
the recorder during that time, you should be able to work on all 4 songs as 
a single file.  Same thing goes for the two voice lessons and the radio 
recording.  If you choose to add anything to these to better separate or 
join together songs (such as add some auduence cheering betwen live tunes or 
some voice over talking tot he radio edits), you may have to create the 
extra parts in a separate session and import them into these editing 
sessions when needed.  I hope that makes sense.



> I know there is a way to label each song as you go somehow with and then
> perhaps save or burn multiple files at once.  Ok, just read below again,
> some of mine will be from different sources, some not so more work for me 
> I
> guess!  On many of the live voice lessons from my old teacher, I will want
> to edit out much of the talk inbetween the actual scales being 
> taught/sung,
> meaning the talk that is not associated with the lesson going on at the
> time.



You'll find that it's very easy to remove entire sections such as off-topic 
discussions during a voice lesson.  As you complete a phase, use Save As to 
give the edited file a new name and choose the format you prefer to use for 
it.  If I recall correctly, there should be a drop down box where you can 
choose from different formats.  I, as you know by now, always choose WAV.



> I see I have my work "cut out" for me, that is cut and pasted out
> lol...spliced/diced and otherwise..why does this project seem overwhelming
> now all of the sudden?  Wish my current course I am taking would give me
> credit for this project ;0..you see I dont mind working so hard on 
> something
> I am really into.



You're getting plenty of 'credit' for taking on this project.  You just 
can't see the joy I am feeling towards your project through the words in my 
replies.  I may not be reflected in your school grades, but it'll go a LONG 
way towards helping you understand how programs work with files, plus you'll 
be left with a bunch of absolutely treasured gifts at the end of it all. 
Just make sure you burn the resulting WAV files to more than one disk each 
(using Copy Verification on both during the burn) and keep a copy in WAV 
format on the hard drive.  I would also consider burning at least one DVD 
since that technology is likely to be around a little longer than CDs, at 
least for computers.



>>  For a separate project like that, I should be able to
>> construct another seemingly 'live' disk by cross recording one track to
>> the
>> next, using audience noise as my buffer between the tunes, as needed.
>
> What do you mean by "cross recording" taking a song wave you created or a
> track you created and cut and pasting it into another track?



I had a feeling you might ask that and I'm really glad you did.  Imagine 
that you have finished editing and burning the full "Live Performance" tapes 
that you possess.  If you've heeded my advice, you also have a copy of each 
of these finished edits still sitting on your hard drive in WAV format. 
Pull a Copy of one of them back into the editor and start breaking them up 
into single songs.  You can figure out exactly where the beginning of the 
song is and then use maybe 2 seconds of audience sound as a fade-in to 
introduce the tune.  Then, do the same to the end of the song so that it 
fades out to cheers and such over another 2 seconds or so.  When you're 
finished with the entire performance, you'll have your full version plus 
each individual song as a separate WAV file.  If you were to do this to all 
of them, you'll end up with a bunch of single song files performed by you 
and your band and can then start picking and choosing the best of the best 
from all of them for compilations (maybe even send one to each former member 
when you're done).  When it comes time to put together a compilation from 
them, you have the choice of just leaving a 2 second gap between each song 
and let the fades take care of themselves.  OR, you can blend the files at 
each fade transition by overlapping the fades (one song's fade-out combined 
with the next song's fade-in) so that the audience sound doesn't fade at 
all.  In essence, you'll be creating a new performance tape that was 
actually made from songs recorded at different times and places.  Depending 
on how good your editing skills are, you might be able to get them to all 
sound close enough to fool the listeners into thinking they are all from a 
single performance.  The trick is to have very good fades already in place 
on these single tune files before you begin, although it could be done using 
other, more involved techniques.



> Can I pull in a previously created .wav I made into audacity, then pull
> in/add another into that same track and continue like that to create a
> CD/disk and just label each song inbetween each?



Yes.  Move your marker to the very end of the file that's already loaded and 
import the new file you want to add.  It will always be added wherever you 
have that marker, so be aware of its location at all times.  If you have a 
section highlighted, the Import will replace that section.  for this reason, 
I always found it best to move the marker to its destination using the arrow 
keys instead of the mouse.  Of course, I would use the mouse for huge moves, 
but then fine tune the selection with the arrow keys.



> I always try to work with copies of things.  By copies of files, you mean
> copies of .wav files you created from audacity already?



Yes, except that I use a different program to initially bring them into my 
hard drive.  I then make a copy of the ripped file and work on that copy, 
leaving the original otherwise untouched.  If I somehow ruin the Copy, I can 
just go back to the original and make another one to try.



> Hey Gman,  this was very  helpful with how you organize your in process
> editing files and all, using the dates is very helpful indeed, I finally 
> to
> wise to doing that with my .ftw, family treemaker files so I knew which 
> was
> the last one I updated.
>
> thanks for all of your help.



You're very welcome, Cristy.  What you're doing here has a very special 
place in my heart and brings back tons of very fond memories (which FAR 
outweigh the frustrating ones).  I want you to have all of the info I can 
possibly provide to help you succeed with these projects.       :O) 


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