I recorded an album and then started labeling the tracks (I’m totally new to this). Label Selection was the only option available, so I scanned the track with the mouse and typed in a label. Everything else disappeared. I clicked around enough to make everything reappear so I did it again to the second selection and the remaining audio disappeared, this time, apparently, forever. What did I do wrong? Is the rest of the audio really lost?
You can download the latest Audacity for free from http://audacityteam.org/download/windows . You can read how to use labels here: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/label_tracks.html .
If you want to delete a selection that you have dragged with the mouse, just press Delete on your keyboard once. The next delete will delete all the tracks in the project but if you do this by mistake, use Edit > Undo to get the project back.
You can also choose Edit > Preferences: Directories and make sure you have the Audacity temporary directory set to a location that has plenty of disk space. You also want to choose a location that you have permission to write to or your waveforms will disappear because Audacity isn’t allowed to write there.
Gale
Gale,thank you for taking time to answer, but the question had to do with labeling and why, after choosing a section of the audio file and applying a label, the rest of the audio disappeared.
I guess I need a short course in labeling! I record an LP, I have 13 tracks, I want to label each track so once I export to CD I can skip back and forth to my chosen track. Basic stuff, but it seems the correct process is eluding me.
That’s exactly what I answered. You can click on the link (in light blue) to find out how to label. What you are describing makes no sense unless you are double deleting a section or you cannot write to the Audacity temporary directory. If the temporary directory is the problem, all the blue waves will be replaced by a flat blue line centred on zero. Is that what happens?
If there is still a problem after having read the links, and ensuring that you can write to the Audacity temporary directory, please give us exact steps 1, 2 , 3… so that we can reproduce the problem.
If the problem is that the tracks do not fit in the vertical (top to bottom) height of the Audacity window, try View > Fit Vertically.
Gale
This page from the tutorials section of the manual may perhaps more directly address dwansley’s needs: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/splitting_a_recording_into_separate_tracks.html
It’s part of this set: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/tutorial_copying_tapes_lps_or_minidiscs_to_cd.html
WC