Hello, I am using Audacity 2.0.6 on Windows 7-
When I export individual tracks as .WAVs and send to my editor(Lead vocals, harmonies, etc.) they are not lining up properly. He uses a program other than Audacity and thinks this is because each track does not run the full length of the song.
1.) If he is correct about what is causing the problem, how do I extend each track so that it is the total length of the song?
2.) If he is not correct, does anyone know what might be causing the problem here?
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated- thank you!
If there is white space before the start of any tracks, that is the problem - Audacity does not include the white space when exporting. You can click the |<< Skip to Start button, CTRL + SHIFT + K to select in all tracks, then Generate > Silence… . It only needs to be a few milliseconds of silence.
If you see left pointing arrows ← at the left edge of any tracks then the problem is that part of the track is behind zero. SHIFT + HOME, CTRL + SHIFT + K, then Tracks > Align Tracks > Start to Zero.
When you export individual tracks, make sure you export the whole track by clicking in the Track Control Panel, anywhere there is not a button or slider.
Gale
Thank you, Gale-
I have generated one second of silence before each of the tracks but the main problem is that when I export these and send them to someone they don’t line up. Any advice on this would also be much appreciated!
-T
Generating silence won’t make any difference if there was not white space before the start of the tracks.
We can’t see your computer so I suggest you post a screenshot of the Audacity tracks before you export them.
Open a new project window in Audacity then import the exported files back into Audacity. Do they line up there? If not, post a screenshot of that also.
Please see here for how to attach files: https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/how-to-attach-files-to-forum-posts/24026/1
Note that if you export as MP3, MP4 or most compressed formats except OGG, these have silence padding at the start and/or end. MP3, MP4 and OGG are all lossy. If possible, send intermediate tracks to other users as WAV files. Only use lossy formats for the final mix.
You can ZIP wave files and reduce the file size to some extent.
Gale
Gale,
I have exported the tracks individually(saved on my desktop) and then imported them into a new Audacity project. The second and third tracks are chorus vocals which as you can see begin at the beginning of the track instead of lining up in their proper placement. The top track is ‘verse vocals’ and the chorus vocals should line up with the gaps but they do not-
Thank you for all of your help!
-T
What format exactly are you exporting to?
You will need to line up the tracks as you want them before exporting.
As previously explained, if in the project you have white space (not a flat line or blue waves) before the audio starts, Audacity will not export that white space. The exported tracks will then be shifted left of where they should be. As previously explained, the answer to that is to generate silence at the start of all the tracks.
As previously explained, you must select all the track when you export selection.
If you still cannot figure it out please post a screen shot of the project with the tracks lined up as you want them.
Gale