For running training I need to follow a scheme of intermittent short runs of varying duration and walking. Instead of setting a timer on my mobile for each interval, I’d like to prepare an mp3 with beeps at the start and end of each running interval. I started doing this using the Audacity GUI which is possible but cumbersome. Is it possible to specify the sequence of silence and beeps in terms of XML for example? This would make it much more easy to generate the mp3 file.
I don’t know what method you were using in the GUI, but I don’t think it should be too difficut.
Just to be clear, what you want is: beep, x minutes of silence, beep, y minutes of silence, beep, x minutes of silence, etc.
Generate tone of volume, length and frequency you want
Press the right-arrow key to move the cursor to the end of the tone
Generate silence of the length your want (this is the running time)
Press the right-arrow key to move the cursor to the end of the silence
Generate second tone of volume, length and frequency you want
Press the right-arrow key to move the cursor to the end of the tone
Generate silence of the length your want (this is the walking time)
You now have the walk-run sequence timed the way you want.
Select All
Edit > Copy
Press the END key to move the cursor to the end of the track
Edit > Paste, End key, Edit > Paste as many times as you want
I’ll assume that is what is required, but offer an alternative method (using Audacity 1.3.12)
Track menu > Add New > Audio Track
Create a plain text file (for example in NotePad) and enter a list of times in seconds for the duration between beeps. Each time value must be on a new line. For example, to mark 30 seconds, 1 minute and 5 minutes the text would look like this:
30
60
300
Generate a beep of the required type/duration (this will be at time = 0.0)
Ensure that the beep is selected and copy (Ctrl + C)
“File menu > Import > Labels” and select the file that you created in step 2.
Click on the “Fit Project” zoom button (or press Ctrl + F)
Click on the audio track directly above the first label. The label position will briefly light up yellow while the mouse button is pressed - if it doesn’t, you’ve missed the label position, so have another go.
Press Ctrl + V (paste the beep at the current position)
After that it is just “Click > Ctrl+V > Click > Ctrl+V …” until you done all of the labels.
If you have reasonably good mouse control this will be really quick.
There are many variations of this method, for example:
You can click in a label, then press "Enter, Enter, Up, Ctrl+V
Then click in the label again and press “Tab, Enter, Enter, Up, Ctrl+V”
Then click in the label again and press “Tab, Enter, Enter, Up, Ctrl+V”
…
(this method does not require accurate mouse clicks)