hi
now, this is a real issue.
the new version freezes up [NOT RESPONDING} and processes edits such as audio cuts VERY SLOWLY - for up to 3-4 minutes, which is of course unworkable.
what’s the solution?
thanks
I have this issue mainly when I copy and paste clips between the Audacity windows.
I usually have two Audacity windows open in two Firefox tabs, where I dump spare clips and test audio on the second window. It makes my workflow easier and quicker (if there is no delay, of course).
Previously, yes there was some delay and freezing with long clips, but now, Audacity clearly does NOT like it at all. It will take 3-4 minutes to process a clip between the two windows regardless whether it is 10 min, 5 min or one second clip.
Could you offer your thoughts on this please
thanks 
This is because Audacity now has what are called “smart clips”.
when you make a clip from part of an existing clip the new small clip contains not just the visible audio data in the clip, but also all of the data from the original clip “hidden”. You can thus expand out the small clip by clicking and dragging on the top 1/3 of its left or right edges.
This means that if you take what look to you like a small clip and copy it to another project window you can actually end up with a very large project that happens to look small in the Audacity window.
Muse are aware of this - there are other Forum and Discord threads and there is a GitHub issue logged:
Performance and file size issues when copying and pasting a small portion of a very large clip #3820
https://github.com/audacity/audacity/issues/3820
Muse are considering offering the user a dialog (or maybe a setting) that would enable you to copy just the data of the visible clip to a new project window - but I don’t think that will be in the upcoming 3.2.2
Workaround
If after copying the small clip to a different project window you Mix and Render the track, then the hidden data will be discarded, You may want to close and reopen the Audacity project so that compaction occurs in the project’s database.
Peter
thank you - this explains the issue.
I look forward to having the option to copy just the visible part of the clip I want to copy.
As I mentioned, working in two Audacity windows makes my workflow much easier and faster, so this feature is actually quite important to me.
I don’t mean to undermine the creativity of the developers, but honestly I can’t see the purpose or application of such smart clips. I mean, if I want to copy or cut the whole original clip, I can easily do that. I don’t want to cut or copy what I can’t see - I work only with what I see.
The workaround you suggest is not suitable for my purpose, as it adds an extra work - Mix and Render and then close and reopen the project. which takes more time. The main objective for me here is to save time.
Secondly, the second project window is only temporary and it serves as an editing clipboard (dump,grab, test), if you like, where I can quickly paste selected small clips from the project and then as quickly grab them and paste back elsewhere in the project as needed. I can’t wait 3 minutes every time I do that.
oh, here is an idea - how about creating a Clipboard in Audacity?.…don’t ask me how or what it would look like, or how would it be linked etc 
I don’t have a clue- this is just an idea. I leave it your genius developers to think it through if they like it.
Anna
one additional comment -
it looks like these smart clips also impact on the editing process overall - cutting and pasting anything even silence, even in the same window.
Up until this version this process was immediate, with hardly any delay, at least not noticeable.
Now - it takes a fraction of a second to 1-2 seconds for this action to be processed.
Overall, my verdict is that this version of Audacity is significantly heavier, slower ad less responsive than the previous versions, which is NOT a good sign and not a very good post production experience - where things should be flowing smoothly and quickly to support the editing process which as we all know can take several hours so it can’t be tedious or frustrating.
PLEASE include the option to disable the smart clips ASAP or better still as a TOP PRIORITY
in the meantime - please provide ASAP a link to revert to the previous version of Audacity. These smart links are not only useless to me (is anyone using them?), but they seriously impede my post production work while I’m working to tight deadlines.
thanks
Anna
thanks - in which version the smart clips were introduced?
there are few versions there, and I skipped some of them, so need to go back to the last version before the smart clips.
never mind - found it
thanks
Consider first copying the small clip to a new track in the original project window and doing the Mix and Render. Then copying the Rendered track to the new project. This will will be a lot faster.
thanks - pasting the selection into a new track in the main project eliminates the need to paste it in another window.
That’s what I have been doing, but it still takes too much time as I need to search for those clips. Can’t spend any more time on them - these are just temporary tiny clips like on a clipboard. Dump and grab. that’s it.
I have now rolled back Audacity to 3.0.5 before the smart clip. Will update to 3.2.1 once there is an option to disable smart clips.
unfortunately, the 3.0.5 version doesn’t have many features I have already got used to, such as the moveable clips on a track. Which is strange, as I remember having them in the previous version I had before the smart clips.
could you please confirm in which version the smart clips were introduced, and whether including the option to disable them is coming up in the next minor update?
thanks
Anna
3.0.5 is is last version before Smartclips were introduced in 3.1.0, but the 3.2.0 update is the one that aggravated your situtation. I think you’ll find that 3.1.3 will work properly for you.
The next version of Audacity will be 3.2.2, which is currently a week behind schedule. A solution for the issue is hoped for in 3.3.0, which will come later.
Thanks!
I believe that many users have complained about the impact of the smart clips in the latest version on their workflow, as it makes Audacity slow, unresponsive and heavy.
I’m curious why the option to disable the smart clips has been postponed instead of being implemented in the next update i.e. as soon as possible?
I’m not an IT expert but assume that it is not technically that difficult…is it?
I agree with you. 
Note that the issue only seems to be present when more that one project is involved. For additional discussions related to this issue, please see: https://github.com/audacity/audacity/issues/3820
Also, let me reiterate:
I suspect (from reading the threads on Muse’s GitHub) that Muse has no intention of providing any disabling of smart-clips.
Peter.
Thanks Jademan and Peter.
For some reason, I didn’t receive an email alert about your replies…
Yes. I have downloaded 3.1.3 and it seems to be working fine.
forgive the ignorance of my logical mind, but since this feature, while pride and joy of the developers, is clearly not working for so many users as described in so many posts, why would Muse NOT want to include a disabling option for this feature?..
We are not asking them to remove it completely but to give us a choice to use it or not to use it. Why do they want to enforce the happiness on us we don’t want? Is the developers’ objective to facilitate audio production for the users or something else? Sorry but this doesn’t compute.
The greatest power and attractiveness of any program or app is always choice - options and flexibility, not the enforced features people don’t want.
I don’t think the developers engage on this forum but I’d like to hear their reason for not wanting to make this feature optional.