2.1.2 Export Paste issue

Audacity Help Forum macOS
1

I I Have been collecting music for over 50 years. CDs I have vinyl, Cassettes, quarter inch reels, and eight tracks. I work in broadcasting starting in 1979 and community theater since 1992 all of which added to my collection

For my 50th birthday my wife and son replaced my external hard drive I have been trying to convert all my music to MP3 files. I have been using audacity for close to 10 years. I have an audio line that runs from my component system in the living room where I can play all these types of media to the Mac in my office.

Missed previous versions I would copy from a track list online, create a document after I cleaned up beach track I would paste the track name as I exported I would paste again into the metadata. With this version I can paste into the metadata but not the initial export window my Mac just gives me the error sound. Am I missing something? I updated to Audacity 2.1.2 the same time I updated to Mac OS Sierra I saw many posts about problems with the earlier versions and pasting into metadata but nothing regarding the first export window. It is annoying to Have to go into my exported items and paste after I export or if I forget to paste to be told let my next export is it duplicate help! Is anyone else having this issue? What can I do?

2

I have been trying to convert all my music to MP3 files.

Do you have some clear, specific reason for doing that?

We warn people that MP3 is an end-product format. You make an MP3 so you can enjoy your work posted on-line or convenient for transfer to your personal music player, or in one odd case, for posting to ACX for AudioBook publication. It’s not so good for post-production or further editing.

For example, if you intend to open your archive for the purpose of creating a playlist for a party or gathering, the MP3 you get from that isn’t going to sound as good as the originals. MP3 quality gets worse as you stack or repeat edits.

We recommend the default WAV (Microsoft) 16-bit Audacity default for archive—even on a Mac.

You can convert a WAV to anything else including MP3 with little or no sound damage, but you can’t come back.

It would be good to solve this global goal issue before you get into the weeds of running Audacity.

Koz

3

I am looking for a way o\to play all my music from my computer and have it searchable i am creating a large iTunes library all my cds and my LPS through k are just over 6400 tracks i was trying for smallest format when edit which I don’t do much anymore I import bsck into audacity do you have a recommendation of how to do this in a better format and keep the file size from getting out of hand?

4

i am creating a large iTunes library

Just a note that iTunes libraries are not open-ended. I don’t remember what the size limit is, but I know there is one and very active music producers and entertainment collectors have run into it. That’s worth a Google right there.

how to do this in a better format … ?

Music compression isn’t “free.” One pass from the original master format (LP, CD) into MP3 appears to be perfect because MP3 is really good at hiding the damage. If all you want to do is listen to it, then you can stop right there.

The problem comes when you don’t want to stop right there. There’s an awful temptation to want to create custom playlists, mixes, edits and other production. You can’t create an MP3 of the edit if you do that. You’re stuck with super large WAV export or top quality (large) MP3. You can create a tiny MP3 of the edit if you don’t mind honky, bubbly, cellphone sound. That’s what happens with multiple pass MP3.

Periodically, somebody will appear on the forum wanting to know how to download (MP3) music and create a custom mix at the same filesize without it getting honky. There are ways. There are pure MP3 editors out there which don’t change the quality of the music, but they won’t allow most effects and filters, either. They’re limited to re-arranging and cutting.


WAV archives have no rules.

Whatever you want to do with the work is permitted at excellent quality—including making MP3s. The only down side of WAVs is large filesizes, particularly if you got used to the tiny, efficient MP3 files.

keep the file size from getting out of hand?

Good WAV archives get out of hand.

FLAC is a file format that can create smaller than normal files with little or no damage. It’s not as efficient as MP3 and it’s not universally accepted across all three computer platforms like WAV and MP3 are, but that is one way.

One format note. The music on an Audio CD is 44100, 16-bit, Stereo, the same as Audacity default WAV. So if you rip, rather than copy the CD, the music comes over into files at zero (0) damage. The first time it experiences degradation in quality is when you make the MP3.

Koz

5

MP3 problems can sit patiently and wait for you. There was a poster who had a broadcast radio show which he created from downloaded MP3s. The station would only conveniently accept his finished edit in MP3. They were able to juggle the compression quality and get the show on the air, but they couldn’t make a station podcast. The music turned to trash.

koz

6

It’s a limitation due to 2.1.2 upgrading to a later version of the wxWidgets interface toolkit Audacity is built with.

As a workaround, right-click or CONTROL-click the text box in the Export dialogue, and choose Paste.


Gale