I have two AUP projects, and I need to merge parts of them into one.
In this case. I need to take a section from Project 2 and replace it into Project 1, matching sound locations. (The time stamps are slightly off).
Previously, I would cut and paste the segments. Is there a better way? I’m not seeing this in manual.
Thanks in advance!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a “How To Edit.”
I don’t think I would be patching one of the two tracks. I think I would be creating a new, third track and Copy-Paste into that. That way you can mark up both of the original tracks to keep account of where everything is.
It also lets you make horrible, ghastly mistakes without flushing everything down the pipes.
If you’re particularly clumsy (raising hand) and have a long show, do it in three or four separate tracks. You can push a whole show segment sideways with the Time Shift Tools (two black sideways arrows). Audacity will export all the tracks you select into one show.
There is one wacky trick to that. If you go the multiple finals path, create one long silent track the same length or longer than the whole show and export that along with the individual tracks. If you don’t do that, Audacity might scramble your tiny silent edits (if you have them).
Koz
Thanks Koz.
New wrinkle…stereo recording 1 has a flaw in it, and is at one level (reaches +/-1) and stereo recording 2 is at a lower level (reaches +/- .75…guessing as the numbers aren’t there to see specifically).
I have marked and found the zero crossing on beginning and ends in both projects for what needs to be cut & replaced.
I tried “amplify” on project 2. It was limited how much it would increase it, and it wasn’t enough.
When I tested the playback of spliced area, you could hear the volume difference (piano instrumental, building to forte).
Any ideas how to match them so I can splice them together?
Yes, I’ve learned to leave the first save alone, and save anything changed as a new WAV & project.
That’s a common error and another reason you want to be on a third, separate track.
Struggling with volume management and overload problems while you edit is futile. What you should do on the separate third track is reduce the volume by 6dB to 10dB and do all the editing at that volume. Match the presentation, volume and tones at that volume as you cut. You won’t have to worry about low volume noise because in the land of Digital, the noise volume will go up and down with the show volume. It’s only in the land of Analog you have to worry about keeping the volume high to compete with the fixed and damaging noise floor.
Then, when you get everything cut together exactly the way you want it (with your speakers or headphones bumped up a bit to make up for the low volume edit), Save a Project (with separate filename), crank the volume back up to normal and deal with compression, peak distortion and other volume problems. You’re doing that starting from a clear, and completely undistorted edit master.
I would be investigating Effect > Limiter. In its more gentle configurations, it will gently crush the blue wave peaks without sounding like it’s doing anything. That may leave enough room to pump up the volume to where you want it. If not, then the other Limiter or compressor tools may be needed.
You didn’t say anything about some of the segments of the show already being compressed and limited and finished. If that’s true, then very little of the above is going to work well. You’ll need to match the raw segment quality to the finished segments before you start editing. Oh, and we can’t take effects out of a production or split up a mixed show into individual instruments, voices and sounds.
This may be why I’ve never seen “How To Edit.”
You should know that Audacity Projects do not save UNDO. There is no open a Project and “step back” to an older edit. If you don’t have a separately-named Project at that save point, then it doesn’t exist. And don’t continuously save to, and step on one single Project. If that one Project becomes damaged, that’s the show, face-first right in the mud.
Koz
Hi Koz.
No effects, just two straight up recordings.
I’ll look into what you’ve recommended. Using Amplify was the first time I’ve looked at the Effects menu.
Thast’s one of the forum problems. We can’t tell where you are until the second or third post.
There is an on-line manual.
http://manual.audacityteam.org/
And you can look up the effects and how to use them.
http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/index_of_effects_generators_and_analyzers.html
http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/amplify.html
“Man” is computer-speak for Manual.
All amplify does is change the overall volume. It pushes the blue waves up and down. Full stop. Normalize does that, too. It has a fancier name and everybody thinks it does fancy jobs, but no. It just changes the volume. You tell them how to work in different ways, and Normalize can repair some minor sound transfer damage, but that’s it.
I would still create a new blank track (Tracks, Add New) and copy/paste into that rather than trying to repair one of the original tracks. Also, keep protection copies of the original music. If the computer goes into the mud with your only copies of the work, that’s the end of the world.
Koz