Very green newbie questions:
I am trying to record a band in a live nightclub environment using Audacity and a USB interface (Scarlett 2i2). I have recorded this group using hand-held digital recorders (Zoom H2 & TASCAM DR5) that save to WAV files, but now need better microphones to eliminate club chatter.
Should I “convert” these WAV files to Audacity and leave them as Audacity files until I export? Is there any advantages to working with only WAV files? It seems that if I am going back and forth between Audacity and WAV I will have trouble keeping the files properly identified. What is the best work-flow?
oldbear
Audacity doesn’t save “files.” It saves Projects which are full-blown suites of control, data, dependency, and folder systems.
http://manual.audacityteam.org/help/manual/man/faq_opening_and_saving_files.html
http://manual.audacityteam.org/help/manual/man/audacity_projects.html
Anyway, the material that is taken from the recorder is likely to be the best quality the work will ever get. Those are the original capture files and those are the ones you treat with respect and back up if they’re important to you.
You would want to save a Project if you combine and edit your capture files in a particular way that would be difficult or impossible to recreate. You can save a Project and open it up later right where you left off with one important exception. Audacity Projects do not save UNDO.
need better microphones to eliminate club chatter.
Club environment is stunningly difficult to record in. As a practical matter, the only people who go home with a good recording are the people who take over the club and put their own sound system in either in parallel with the club system , or out and out replacing it. Modern microphones overload in the face of a good bass guitar amplifier or other club equipment and that’s a major problem with casual recordists.
“My sound from the club is crunchy and popping, is there a filter than can remove those sounds?” No.
How have you been doing the captures? Paint the room for us.
The H2 is very difficult to beat as a high quality recording device.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzzCFlMTZGU
I have for years considered taking up one of the company bands on the invite to see the performance, and then try to record it. I’ll probably need to go home after and lie down for a while.
Koz
One more. I personally use the date and time to identify each capture sound file. 20120628-2200.wav That’s right now. I’m not good with post production bookkeeping because I never do it. That will be somebody else’s post. Koz
Since you’re on Windows, you might should gotta turn off hiding of file extensions.
– Hidden File Extensions
– Start > My Computer > Tools > Folder Options > View > [ ] Hide Extensions for Known File Types (deselect)
– Apply (to this folder) or Apply to All Folders
– OK
This lets you use the same name for multiple uses.
DylanInConcert
DylanInConcert
DylanInConcert
All look like very similar files, but when the file extensions are revealed, turn out to really be…
DylanInConcert.wav
DylanInConcert.mp3
DylanInConcert.m4a
…the latter being an iTunes file and DylanInConcert.wma, the Windows Media FIle.
Koz