Topic: Audacity NOOB help needed - Splitting a recording into separate tracks

[BigDaddy]

I don't like making these kinds of posts, but I'm stuck...

Using Audacity 2.02 on a Win machine

So I've read this http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/splitting_a_recording_into_separate_tracks.html

When I do Step 1 it deletes the entire recording.  I've tried it repeatedly and every time it does the same thing.  I've got Snap to unchecked.  I don't know WTF is happening.  Help!

[runonce]

You want "snap to" checked - and set the display to samples...

Set the cursor to where you want to make a track and hit "Ctrl+B"

that will add a track marker - repeat for each.

When you have all your markers in place...File>Export Multiple

[ScoobieKW]

I don't like making these kinds of posts, but I'm stuck...

Using Audacity 2.02 on a Win machine

So I've read this http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/splitting_a_recording_into_separate_tracks.html

When I do Step 1 it deletes the entire recording.  I've tried it repeatedly and every time it does the same thing.  I've got Snap to unchecked.  I don't know WTF is happening.  Help!

Or, split tracks with CD Wave Editor. Shareware, always does splits on sector boundries, fast, simple.

http://www.milosoftware.com/en/index.php?body=cdwave.php

[F.O.Bean]

I don't like making these kinds of posts, but I'm stuck...

Using Audacity 2.02 on a Win machine

So I've read this http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/splitting_a_recording_into_separate_tracks.html

When I do Step 1 it deletes the entire recording.  I've tried it repeatedly and every time it does the same thing.  I've got Snap to unchecked.  I don't know WTF is happening.  Help!

Or, split tracks with CD Wave Editor. Shareware, always does splits on sector boundries, fast, simple.

http://www.milosoftware.com/en/index.php?body=cdwave.php

and makes cue sheets so you can track once and use a cue sheet for the 16 AND 24bit files

[jbell]

I don't like making these kinds of posts, but I'm stuck...

Using Audacity 2.02 on a Win machine

So I've read this http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/splitting_a_recording_into_separate_tracks.html

When I do Step 1 it deletes the entire recording.  I've tried it repeatedly and every time it does the same thing.  I've got Snap to unchecked.  I don't know WTF is happening.  Help!

Or, split tracks with CD Wave Editor. Shareware, always does splits on sector boundries, fast, simple.

http://www.milosoftware.com/en/index.php?body=cdwave.php

[adrianf74]

I'm with Scoobie and Bean: CD Wave all the way.  SOOOOOO much easier.  I do the main work in my audio editor of choice (Adobe Audition 3.01) and then do the tracking in CD Wave

[runonce]

I think if you favor another editor - obviously Audacity for tracking isnt ideal. If you do use it for an editor - I think it's worth learning to use it for tracking also.

I cant see much difference in workflow - Audacity's stock setup sort of assumes you know the song names in advance - and offers prompts for meta infos on Export Multiple.
You can turn those off in Edit>Preferences>Import/Export. I think thats why some people find it confusing.
You should probably also turn off dither if you arent making edits - or changing bit depth.

For tapers, no meta infos might be preferable - because we often tape bands we arent totally familiar with - and don't know the songs - and its easier to research song titles once a set is tracked out.
Otherwise - whats the difference? Click where you want a track spilt - In CDWave you Alt+F5...in Audacity you use Crtl+B. In CDWave you hit Save...In Audacity its "Export Multiple"

Cue sheets arent an issue - you can use the same marker track for both 24 and 16 bit exports. (I think - there may have been a bug here once upon a time)

The nice thing about using the meta prompts - once you hit export...short of a ffp - you're done.

Ultimately Audacity has more options, but that adds confusion - particularly if you were already used to a CDWave workflow.

[SmokinJoe]

That Step 1 is basically saying "select (highlight) the crap at the beginning of the tape you don't want, and delete it".

I'm working on my Windows workstation I use the old CDWAV download from etree.org, before it went shareware.

If I'm on my Linux box, I do it in Audacity.  Set it so it selects CDDA blocks, that way you won't end up with sector boundary issues.  Hit "Control - B" when the cursor is where you want a split.  It makes no difference what you type for a label.   I name my files before I split with name like "aeg2012-12-31d1t.wav".  When it Exports Multiple... they become "aeg2012-12-31d1t-01.wav".  Then I have a script to remove the pesky hyphen.  I have never typed in the metadata in audacity when splitting, I don't want it in the wav files, I want to tag the Flac or MP3 files I create from the wave files, which I do via a homebrew script.

Hope that makes sense.

[BigDaddy]

Thanks guys.

I ended up using CD Wave just to trim the beginning (before band started) and ending off the wav file, then audacity to label the tracks, normalize and export.  Worked for me.

For some reason I just could not get Audacity to trim the beginning and ending off the file no matter what I tried.

[runonce]

Thanks guys.

I ended up using CD Wave just to trim the beginning (before band started) and ending off the wav file, then audacity to label the tracks, normalize and export.  Worked for me.

For some reason I just could not get Audacity to trim the beginning and ending off the file no matter what I tried.

If you put your first marker/label at the beginning of the first track - everything before that will be omitted unless you check "Include audio before first label"

Or just select the part you want removed and hit the little scissors (cut) icon.

[JimmieC]

Have been using Audacity (v2.02 in Windows 7) to label tracks with the "snap to" checked and set the display to samples.  However, Taper's Little Helper still says the "Export Multiple" FLACs are "data is not cut on a sector boundary."  Why SBE?

Started to redo them CDwave but was disappointed in having to redoing them in CDwave and stopped but the cue trick makes me feel a little bit better.  I thought I was going to have to track both the 16 bit and the 24 bit.  Might have to give Samplitude a try.

[runonce]

Have been using Audacity (v2.02 in Windows 7) to label tracks with the "snap to" checked and set the display to samples.  However, Taper's Little Helper still says the "Export Multiple" FLACs are "data is not cut on a sector boundary."  Why SBE?

Started to redo them CDwave but was disappointed in having to redoing them in CDwave and stopped but the cue trick makes me feel a little bit better.  I thought I was going to have to track both the 16 bit and the 24 bit.  Might have to give Samplitude a try.

I think the correct setting is "Snap To > CDDA Frames" for SBE-free tracking.

[JimmieC]

Yeah tried that setting too but TLH still complaining.

[runonce]

Yeah tried that setting too but TLH still complaining.

Hmm - I tried it also - and TLH said all cuts were good except the last one...which is the track that has the end of the file...so you probably need a final marker - so you get a clean cut. This might vary depending on how your recorder closes a file.

[tim in jersey]

That Step 1 is basically saying "select (highlight) the crap at the beginning of the tape you don't want, and delete it".

I'm working on my Windows workstation I use the old CDWAV download from etree.org, before it went shareware.

If I'm on my Linux box, I do it in Audacity.  Set it so it selects CDDA blocks, that way you won't end up with sector boundary issues.  Hit "Control - B" when the cursor is where you want a split.  It makes no difference what you type for a label.   I name my files before I split with name like "aeg2012-12-31d1t.wav".  When it Exports Multiple... they become "aeg2012-12-31d1t-01.wav".  Then I have a script to remove the pesky hyphen.  I have never typed in the metadata in audacity when splitting, I don't want it in the wav files, I want to tag the Flac or MP3 files I create from the wave files, which I do via a homebrew script.

Hope that makes sense.

Would you mind posting both of those scripts?