So I want to apply a particular effect to certain areas of the same track without applying it to all of the track. It seems to me that there should be an option make multiple selections within the same track so that I can get it done in one fell swoop. I’m using a Mac Mountain Lion (newest version). If I need to be more descriptive, here’s exactly what I’m doing: I’m editing an audio book and I have the space in between my narration where I have been using the noise reduction tool. This can be a very long process. I want to be able to select each of these spaces (all at the same time, without selecting any of the narration) and apply the noise reducer. Can this be done? If it’s not possible, can one of the programmers out there please make this a possibility?
Currently there isn’t. However in most cases it would take longer to make the multiple selections than it would to (re)apply the effect one section at a time.
The last used effect may be applied to a new selection with the shortcut Command+R.
Perhaps the (optional) Noise Gate plug-in would be more appropriate for this task as it only operates on low level audio, so that it can be applied to the whole track (if it’s not too long) in one go. The Noise Gate is available here: Missing features - Audacity Support
Instructions for installing: Missing features - Audacity Support
Note: This is a “Nyquist Plug-in”. These types of plug-ins are not designed to run on very long tracks as they often work entirely in RAM. For most Nyquist plug-ins on a modern machine, selections up to about 30 minutes should be fine. Nyquist plug-ins can be quite slow, so test on a short section (say, 20 seconds) first.