Sector Boundary Errors (SBEs)

[smokeydusky]

Thanks for all the useful info I've found in the forums.

I recently switched from PC to Mac and am still learning the differences.

One issue that some Windows audio editors address is sector barrier errors (or SBEs), in order to avoid clicks or pops between CD tracks when creating tracks.

Does Audacity avoid SBEs? If so, is there anything I need to do to avoid SBEs when using Audacity? And if not, how are SBEs avoided or fixed when audio editing on a Mac?

Thanks in advance

[kozikowski]

<<<Windows audio editors address is sector barrier errors (or SBEs)>>>

I've never heard of that and I use all three platforms. That sounds like Windows errors when it's trying to play or produce sound that takes up more than one sector on the hard drive and everything has to wait until the operating system sorts it out. I would personally defragment my hard drives and never let anything get over 90% full.

Mac OS-X is sitting on a UNIX operating system that isn't nearly as subject to that kind of thing. OS-X is constantly managing its world, not just when it has to add a music or other sound file like Windows does. That and we never let anything get over 90% full, either

A very early iTunes had issues with producing dance tracks where the music didn't stop for two hours, but the track labels changed every three minutes. That got patched and hasn't been a problem in like forever.

I think you'll find a number of things that you don't have to worry about any more. OS-X was the turning point where even the hard-core LINUX users have a PowerBook hidden under their desks because they can do system level IT chores on the network and then kick back with iTunes, DVD Player, FireFox, and iChat with Grandma in Schenectady all running at once.

If you're into either audio or television production, you'll find FireWire drives a good deal less of a pain in the butt than USB. They were designed for this level of work and reliability and if you've used both, the difference can be very noticeable.

You will also find that little QuickTime Player when upgraded to QuickTime Pro, will easily translate between most of the world's major audio and video formats. Windows people tend to not catch on to that because Windows Media Player likes Windows Media. A lot. And nothing else. WMP also never used to have export functions although I understand that has changed. WMP can now export several different entertainment formats...into Windows Media.

You might post in the Mac section instead of General for your new problems. I appear to be one of leading problem solvers up there.

Koz

[alatham]

I think you're talking about the fact that CD-audio is divided into sectors and if you try to burn a CD with tracks that aren't exactly an integer multiple of sectors then you'll get little blank spots right at the end of each track (since the CD burning software fills the rest of the last sector with silence).

Audacity can be set to snap to these sectors for editing purposes: Open Audacity, click View -> Set Selection Format. For CDs, you want "cdda min:sec:frame"

Then you also need to click Edit -> Snap-To -> Snap On in order to enable cursor snap.