Hello, people!!! 
I 'm new in Audacity. I’m on Windows 10 and I use the Audacity 2.3.2 version.
I want to merge several copies of the same track into one track so that many single voices together will sound like a choir.
In other words, I want the same track playing multiple times simultaneously.
Is there a way to do that?
Thanks!!!
You can search for a 3rd-party Chorus plug-in effect. 3rd-party effects (typically VST effects) can be hit-or miss with Audacity so you may have to try more than one. Usually chorus effects (or 'automatic double tracking" effects) are not realistic, but they are still very-commonly used.
I want to merge several copies of the same track into one track so that many single voices together will sound like a choir.
Mixing an exact copy will simply make it louder. Ever digital-sample is simply doubled in amplitude. And, you’ll usually have to reduce the volume before or after mixing to prevent clipping (distortion).
For example - If you record yourself saying “hello” and mix it with an identical copy, the volume will simply double (+6dB). If you subtract one from the other (or invert and mix) you’ll get pure-silence.
But if you record yourself saying “hello” twice and mix, you’ll hear the mix of two voices. And, if you subtract you’ll also hear a normal-mix of two voices! That’s because the actual digital samples (i.e. 44,100 samples-per second) are uncorrelated. Half of the samples are positive and half are negative, and to the ear this “random mix” sounds (about) the same added or subtracted.
Thanks so much for replying!
For example - If you record yourself saying “hello” and mix it with an identical copy, the volume will simply double (+6dB). If you subtract one from the other (or invert and mix) you’ll get pure-silence.
But if you record yourself saying “hello” twice and mix, you’ll hear the mix of two voices. And, if you subtract you’ll also hear a normal-mix of two voices! That’s because the actual digital samples (i.e. 44,100 samples-per second) are uncorrelated. Half of the samples are positive and half are negative, and to the ear this “random mix” sounds (about) the same added or subtracted.
What’s the difference between the two examples? Sorry, I’m not familiar with the subject…
What’s the difference between the two examples? Sorry, I’m not familiar with the subject…
In the 2nd example, you have two separate recordings with slightly-different sound and totally-different digital data.
With 44,100 samples-per-second (or at whatever sample rate you’re using) any slight differences in the analog performance make huge differences in the digital samples.
Chorus and ADT effects automatically make non-exact copies with (slightly) varying pitch and timing to simulate what happens when you have multiple separate recordings or multiple performers.
several copies of the same track
Left out pieces there. Does the track have music behind the voices? That may kill you right there. We can’t cleanly split voices from musical instruments and what ever you do with the voices; delay, echo, reverb, inversion is going to happen to the violins and guitars, too. Chances of having them both sound good are really tiny.
voices together will sound like a choir.
The reason choirs sound like that is they’re all different. Most choirs never drop below a certain number of different performers.
Changing a single voice to sound like somebody else is really rough. Most tools make you sound mechanical, muffled, like a bad cellphone or just weird. That’s why many producers add echoes and delay and hope nobody notices.
That’s not to say you can’t get software to do this, but it’s probably not free.
Try that. Duplicate to three voices and add very slight delay and different reverb to two of them. It’s really easy to overdo it.
Koz
Try that. Duplicate to three voices and add very slight delay and different reverb to two of them. It’s really easy to overdo it.
A couple more “hints” for you…
If you have multiple tracks open, by default they will mix together when you export.
But since mixing is done by summation and you want to avoid clipping the safest thing to do is export to a 32-bit floating-point WAV file, which won’t clip. (You can optionally reduce the levels of the individual tracks before exporting.) You (or the listener) can still clip your DAC when you play back (plus, floating point is an “odd” format), so re-import and Amplify or Normalize to bring the volume down (for peaks of 0dB or less), then re-export to the format of your choice. If your audio goes over 0dB (potential clipping), Amplify will default to a negative value (actually attenuation rather than amplification).
If you want to add a new-silent track - Tracks → Add New.
Then, you can copy/paste from one to another.
If you want to open an existing audio file as a new track - File → Import → Audio.
You can add a delay by moving the track with the [u]Time Shift Tool[/u]. Zoom-in so you can make delays of a few milliseconds. But a short delay by itself, mixed with the original, will create a “phasing effect” (comb filtering). The comb filtering is worst when the volume of both files is the same, so this can be minimized by using different volumes for the different tracks. Of course a longer delay, mixed with the original, makes an echo.
You can also try the Change Pitch effect on one or more of the copies. Of course, you don’t want enough that it sounds out-of-tune, just slight enough to make a “difference”.
You can also try the Tremolo effect on one or more tracks. This is more-like how the professional chorus/ADT effects work.