Effects History

Special Interest Groups Audio Processing
1

It would be awesome if a effects history window could be made available.
This feature would vastly speed up the editing process compared to the
present protocol.

My understanding is that this is accomplished presently by creating an effect chain,
and therein one can / may edit the effects. But an effect chain is not always needed
or required to complete a project.

How simpler it would be to just quickly view which
effect(s) have been applied so they can be deleted or added at will.

Just a suggestion. S

Cool program, kudos.

fatharock

2

You can see which effects have been run and some (not complete) information on the parameters applied at View > History… .


Gale

3

Hey thanks Gale or the reply to my post !

I got that, but I find that the history option is blank when I
Launched Audacity the next time. The edit chain option is cool but,
it only displays the native plugs that come with the program.

I’m certainly not griping about such a great, free piece of
software; but if for just a couple of options more, it
would be tremendous.

Thanks for your help,
Best regards,

fatharock

4

P.S.S.

Once an effect has been applied to an audio file and an effect chain
has not been created beforehand, the effect can not be removed from
the audio file. Correct?

I’ve searched high and low but came up with nada.

Your advice please,

fr

5

We sometimes get requests to store the Audacity history in the AUP project file (assuming you save a project). This could be just a list, with no way to undo back to the project stages for previous Audacity sessions. Or if the user was prepared to store GB’s of audio data, it could include undo for previous sessions.

But you want just a continuously stored list of effects applied, irrespective of which projects they were applied in, and even if you never saved a project? And do you want that list to include all the parameters applied for each effect? That information is only currently recorded in history for shipped effects (those above the divider in the Effect Menu).

Would it be useful if you could export the contents of View > History… as a text file? I can’t see the developers being very keen on storing a continuous undo list irrespective of the project they relate to.

It can also display Nyquist Plug-ins added by the user.

So is this also a feature request to add VST plug-ins to Chains? Or some other plug-in format?


Gale

6

The Chain is just an ordered list 1,2,3… of effect or export commands.

Effects applied outside a Chain can be individually undone the while the project window is open, but you can only undo in sequence. If you apply effects 1, 2 and 3 then you can undo effect 1, but only if you also undo effects 2 and 3.

When you apply effects in a Chain, you can only undo the entire Chain, not individual effects in the Chain. Undo for Chains is also sequential, that is, if you apply Chains 1, 2 and 3 then you can undo Chain 1, but only if you also undo Chains 2 and 3.

You can’t undo effects (in Chains or otherwise) once the project has been closed (because History is not stored in the project file - see above). Nor can you (generally speaking) “undo” effects that were applied to audio files that you have now exported.


Gale

7

Hey Gale,

"But you want just a continuously stored list of effects applied, irrespective of which projects they were applied in, and even if you never saved a project? And do you want that list to include all the parameters applied for each effect? "

Not what I meant sorry. To condense :

  1. A text file export would be helpful.
  2. I always save a project file; there is no crossover of effects history needed between projects.
  3. It is a feature request to have VST plugs be read by the effects editor option.

Again, I love Audacity; I’m just a details oriented guy.
Really happy with your input.

Thanks,
fr

8

Do you mean by Chains? VST plug-in operations are already stored by View > History. No need to reply if you meant Chains, we’ll take it as that.


Gale

9

@Gale: have you collected the implied FR votes from this thread - -f so I will move it to “Audio Processing”?

Peter

10

Yes I have now gathered the votes, and made a clarification edit to Effects History - #6 by Gale_Andrews .


Gale