How to Move Playback Cursor Back and Forward to Find Precise Split Point

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

I often have to take a long file and cut it up into several tracks. I know how to split the track and create a label, but I can’t seem to find out how to move the playback cursor around to get to that precise point right before the new track. If I play the file and can’t stop it at the right spot, how do I move forward or back slightly until I get to the correct spot to make the split?

2

You need to use scrubbing (but Audacity’s scrubbing is not particularly easy to use).

See: Scrubbing and Seeking - Audacity Manual

Peter

3

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I tried to use that and almost wound up throwing my laptop across the room!! Any tutorials on how to use it??

4

@SteveRomo

Well I personally never use either - it’s far too clunky. At the time of development some years ago now @steve Daulton and I worked hard to try to get the developer involved to make it more usable, but he refused to listen …

What I do use is the Timeline Quick-play (that Steve developed IIRC).

See: Timeline - Audacity Manual

Peter.

5

Are you zooming-in? If you zoom-in far enough you can you can see, and you should be able to click-on, an individual sample.

(You may have to run-off Select at Zero Crossings.)

6

Thanks! I have zoomed way in but you still have to stop from full-speed play and if you try to click on the timeline at the spot, it starts playing at full speed from that spot. Very frustrating!!