Help separating tracks

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

Hello and thank you in advance for your assistance! Apologies if this has already been asked, if so can you point me in the right direction?

BACKGROUND:

I am a new user so I am still trying to figure out how to use the program. I am using version the latest version 2.1.1. I have three tracks saved on my hard drive - two are saved as MPEG-4 (Podcast Part 1 & 2) and one is a MPEG Layer 3 format (To be used as the intro and outro). Footnote, I made the mistake of recording my podcast on an external device and NOT recording directly using Audacity. Lesson learned.

QUESTION:

When I import the tracks they are all starting at 0:00 seconds and thereby overlap and all four play at the same time when I hit play. I need help importing the tracks so the intro plays (its 24 seconds in length) followed by Part 1 of the podcast, followed by part 2 and finally the outro without them overlapping.

Please help, thank you!

2

Now that it’s too late.
Never post a hot email address on the forum. We are a spam magnet. You don’t see it, but behind the scenes, we delete many multiple postings trying to sell us ocean trips and kitchen cabinets in Manchester.

I made the mistake of recording my podcast on an external device and NOT recording directly using Audacity. Lesson learned.

I wouldn’t learn that lesson so fast. It is highly recommended that you record performances on separate sound devices rather than on a computer. The forum is stuffed with people having computer, connect, software, device, noise, cable, microphone, studio, etc. problems. All easily avoided by not using the computer for live recording.

Particularly if you already have a known, good, working external pipeline: Keep it.

all four play at the same time when I hit play.

Correct. Then you select the Time Shift Tool (two sideways black arrows) and push the tracks earlier and later until they conform to your production format. (scroll down)
http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/tools_toolbar.html

Then you can use the envelope tool (same web page) to stop and start, fade in and fade out of each track individually.

There is one trap. You should not have blank space at any time in your show, that is, a space with no tracks in it. That creates an odd condition in Audacity where spaces are deleted from the show. This problem will probably go away in a future Audacity. One way around that is to generate a long Silent Track under the whole thing. The Silent Track will always be there no matter what you do to the rest of the show and it doesn’t contribute to the sound.

The only other common newbie problem is not to export the finished work as an MP3 or other compressed format. Export as WAV (Microsoft) and that becomes your archive. Then export as MP3 or whatever your client or final delivery is. You can create sound damage by trying to edit and re-export an MP3. If you want to save all your tracks in their final positions, that’s what Audacity Projects do. Note Projects do not save UNDO.

Do Not damage or record over your original sound files. That’s your Get Out Of Jail card.

Koz

3

I changed the user name to “Jeffdevers”, removing the e-mail domain.

Gale

4

I changed the user name to “Jeffdevers”, removing the e-mail domain.

A good thing all around. I wonder if they’re going to be able to find their way back…

Koz

5

I always e-mail the user if I change their username. It would be better if we could reject e-mail addresses in user names at registration. I have not researched that.


Gale

6

It’s a long-standing feature request that we could “Import Append” so that imported files are strung out one after the other (but still in separate tracks).

If you want to add your “vote” for such a feature, we can take it into account.


Gale

7

Thank you to all! :mrgreen: