Audacity Forum

Hello

I am a brand new user of Audacity. Loving it but just have one query which i'm hoping someone can help me with. I am converting from a USB deck vinyl to MP3. When the process has been completed through Audacity i am left with a data file / folder, aup file and MP3 file for each downloaded track on my desktop. I can click onto the MP3s to enable them to open up in my iTunes. However, in order for my desktop to be in order i have tried to put all the files into a single folder. Problem is when i am syncing my ipod for example it does not sync the downloaded mp3s unless they are on my desktop out of any folder? Does anyone have any ideas why this is and what i need to do? Also, do i need to keep every data file, aup file and MP3? I thought i could just keep the MP3 files and delete the other two but seems like i cannot? Any help very much appreciated on this as right now my desktop and iTunes / ipod are a mess when i just want to convert all my vinyl to my iTunes and ipod. With over 6000 pieces of vinyl to convert i need to ensure i'm doing everything correctly and not using up unecessary space on my hard drive.

Many thanks.

You can delete the .aup files and the _data folder if you want. It's a high quality version of every track in each Audacity project, so if you need to do any editing later it's good to have, but if you're never going to do any more editing and you've already got the MP3 quality you want, then go ahead and delete them.

I can't answer your question about the iPOD, I'm a Creative Zen user myself.

What you're supposed to do is produce your work at good quality--44100 or 48000 WAV, collect the songs and dump them into iTunes. iTunes will import and convert everything to whatever you chose in your iTunes preferences and that's the step where you include all the meta-data (song names, artist, album title, etc.) iTunes encourages you to produce folders, one per album--or actually, anything you want.

Then connect your iPod and sync to each folder. This should give you clearly organized and easily managed high quality performances.

DO NOT compress the music into MP3 ahead of time. The native compression of iTunes isn't MP3, it's AAC and does a much better job than MP3 in a smaller file size. If you compress ahead of time, iTunes has to compress twice adding damage at each step.

MP3 and AAC are both destructive compressors. Music isn't as high a quality after you apply either compressor. Music safety archives (original vinyl capture) should always be in as high an uncompressed quality as you can manage. As compression technology improves, you can produce better and better copies for your enjoyment in portable players. In some cases, if you still have the original capture WAVs, you can use better and better noise suppression technology.

This, of course, flies in the face of space on your hard drive. WAV files are big.

"..oh my ducats, oh my daughter.." Shylock, Merchant of Venice, Scene 2.

Koz

And to save the space on your hard drive - invest in an external USB drive to archive/backup your WAV files, thay are extremely cheap these days I paid c. UK£60 for a 250gb drive on Amazon last year.

WC