Audacity for Playback Presentation?

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

Hi,

Would like to use Audacity for a “Playback Presentation” that is a long musical composition. The major factor is the ability to mark various segments and be able to move to these segments when needed.

Is this possible with Audacity 2.x?

If not does anyone of any audio software that can do this?

Thanks

Ken

2

You can stack each segment one above the other on their own timeline. Click-select solo and the spacebar will begin playing a segment independent of the others. No moving required.

If that doesn’t work for you, you’ll need to explain in detail the requirement or goal.

Koz

3

Hi Koz,

Thanks for your suggestions!

Did not explain what I want to do very well. Will retry.

The “long musical composition” is 1 piece.

I would like to mark certain times (for example 5’ 30"…) and be able to easily jump/move to these times.

Is this possible with Audacity 2.x?

If not does anyone of any audio software that can do this?

Thanks

Ken

4

I thought there was a way to do it with the label tracks, but I couldn’t find one.

http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/label_tracks.html

Koz

5

Koz,

Thanks for the “label tracks” tip!

I read “Labels can be used to mark then restore chosen points or regions of audio for playback or editing” This seems similar to what I am trying to do.

Hope someone is using this feature and can give additional suggestions!

Ken

6

Probably not. Because they’re really separate tracks, it requires multiple button pushes and clicks to “select” a label, and then more buttons to shift to the music track and play it.

I know what you want. Tab, Tab, Tab to get to the third track or label and then SpaceBar play. Quick and efficient.

Audacity is aggressively not real time for anything. It’s a Feature Request.

Koz

7

Koz,

Thanks for correcting me!

“I know what you want. Tab, Tab, Tab to get to the third track or label and then SpaceBar play. Quick and efficient.” Do you know of any audio software that will do this?

Ken

8

TAB between labels works now, when you use DOWN arrow or UP arrow to move the yellow focus border into the label track.

So you can do it easily if you are prepared to use the Play button (or hover the mouse over the Play button and use a foot pedal that can deliver mouse clicks).

It’s harder to do with a shortcut, but it can be done if you open Keyboard Preferences , clear the SPACE shortcuts for Play and Stop, then change Play/Stop (near the bottom of the list) to some shortcut that can’t type in the label. Then you can use that shortcut twice to restart playback at the label you TABbed to.

Anything more elaborate like a shortcut to TAB to and play a label is indeed a “feature request”.


Gale

9

Hi Gale,

“TAB between labels works now, when you use DOWN arrow or UP arrow to move the yellow focus border into the label track.” Excellent!!!

What do you consider is the easiest way using a standard Windows Laptop (may be able to add a USB mouse if needed) to rapidly get to different chosen points of the “long 1 piece musical composition” I mentioned?

Also are there any videos that demonstrate the different alternatives you mentioned?

Last is the information you mentioned anywhere on the Website? Thought I had searched it but found nothing.

Thanks

Ken

10

Have you considered making a CD with CD Text? A CD can have up to 99 tracks, and the you can have one long-continuous performance (like with a “live” or crossfaded “mix” CD).

You could do it with a DVD too (with the video showing “slides” of whatever text you wanted to display). A DVD title (movie/program) can also have up to 99 chapters, and obviously there are no gaps/pauses between movie chapters. And, a DVD can contain up to 99 titles (typically trailers or special features) if they are short-enough to fit on the disc, but there are gaps between titles. The downside is that making a DVD requires DVD authoring software and a learning curve.

11

Do you know of any audio software that will do this?

So that would be no.
Koz

12

Why not using Powerpoint or similar?

13

Why not using Powerpoint or similar?

That would be using presentation software for your presentation.

Koz

14

I’ve never used PowerPoint for anything. Do they let you key a timeline as needed? My experience has been solely with still images and talking the presenter out of using thousands of different transitions.

“Ooooo. Here’s a pretty Zoom effect. Can I use that?”

“No.”

Koz

15

Who are you presenting this project to and what is the purpose? If we knew that we might be able to suggest better ways of doing what you want. Do you have to go to each of the labeled sections in turn or do you choose the section to go to randomly?

If you don’t have a pointing device, you can use Mouse Keys to move the mouse pointer . If that is not agreeable or you don’t have a foot pedal with appropriate software then you will have to use keyboard shortcuts to control Audacity playback.

Audacity Team do not make support or documentation videos. It takes too long to redo them as soon as any detail of the instructions or the interface changes.

Changing the keyboard shortcuts is described in the Manual: Audacity Manual .

You won’t find a Frequently Asked Question for this question because it is not frequently asked. :wink:

Yes the Manual says you can TAB between labels Audacity Manual .


Gale

16

Quick note. Don’t forget to place a label at the beginning of the performance or the Tab Advance will not find it.

Koz