File Size

[kerryln]

Hi.
I just started using Audacity to convert my LP albums to WAV files for use in Windows Vista Media program. I noticed that each track (and there are 12 tracks to a typical album) is approx 30MB long! This is 10 times greater that the usual 3 MB file. In no time I will fill up my hard drive. What am I doing wrong or is there no hope?

[kozikowski]

The larger size is what happens when you Export As WAV using Audacity default settings. That's a "real" sound file. The files you're used to are compressed and slightly damaged. MP3, WMA, AAC, M4A are all technologies to reduce the size of sound files, but they all add distortion and damage.

You might want to set Windows to show you file name extensions. This juggling act is a lot easier when Windows isn't hiding information from you. Right Click My Computer > Explore > Tools > Folder Options > [ ] uncheck "Hide File Extensions of known file types" > OK > Apply to the whole computer.

You can open any of those larger files in Audacity and Export As MP3 to get the smaller sizes. You need to get and install the "lame" software package because MP3 is a licensed technology. You also need to know that compression is an open-ended process. You can make a totally excellent sounding file that isn't very small and you can make a really tiny file that sounds like voicemail. There is a quality slider and you get to pick.

If you open up the sound files in Windows Media, that will produce WMA files which are small.

I wouldn't get rid of those larger files so fast. You can go downhill to the compressed formats from a full WAV file, but you can't ever come back and you can't do good quality production, effects, and editing in MP3.

Koz

[kerryln]

Hi Koz
Thank you for the information. I didn't quite understand what you meant by "If you open up the sound files in Windows Media, that will produce WMA files which are small".
Kerryln

[kozikowski]

Were you able to get windows to show you the whole filename? Many people think that "Sound FIles" are all MP3 because it's a little rough to interpret the Windows icons -- particularly since Windows sometimes scrambles them to "help" you.

If you expose the filename extensions, you will find that your sound files all have an extra three letters after the name. MyMusic suddenly becomes MyMusic.wav or MyMusic.mp3. That's what we mean when we keep insisting you tell us what kind of sound file you have. Audacity doesn't always manage all types properly and you need to know.

If you right-click on one of your music files and Open With > Windows Media Player. WMP will open up and play the file for you. I believe WMP will also make an internal copy of the music in its own format, and that file will be very much smaller than the one you started with.

The Windows people will be along and they will have more information about how to deal with your files.

Koz

[waxcylinder]

Windows elf reporting for duty ...

I just had a look at a WAV file I exported yesterday of a track that is just over 2 minutes long - and it weighs in at 23.7Mb - so I would expect a typical 3 minute WAV to be about the 30Mb you report.

You have a couple of choices Export to MP3 rather than WAV - this will give you roughly 10:1 compression getting you down to the 3MB you are looking for - with some sacrifice in sound quality. Or you can buy an exteral USB/firewire disk to store your WAVs - a 1TB disk can be bought quite cheaply these days.

WC