Audacity Forum

I am using a 45rpm to practice editing, and it took me 2 days to figure out how to get the Effect menu to work, the manual just says:" The items in this menu only work when you have audio selected" and of couse I could not find anythng sayng "select audio" I finally lucked out and clicked on ALL in the EDIT menu and got the Effects to work., and I did some editing. I then tryed to make a label and followed the directions to the letter, but I guess I do not know what is supposed to happen. I tought it would put a lable to the song but

Effects: You can select a portion of the audio to apply an effect to by clicking and dragging with the cursor. The simplest way to select the whole project is to use the Ctrl-A shortcut.

Labels: yes, labelling is used to create track labels for the MP3 tags on export - and it can be used to separate a longer recording into tracks each with it's own label/tag using the Export Multiple command. To create a label move the cursor to where you want to create a label, track-break or right at the beginning say, then click there and click Ctrl-B. If it's the first label, a label track will apppear and a little box to create the text for the label (you may need to click in this box to start typing the label).

BTW: Labels are much better handled in the Beta version of Audacity 1.3.3

WC

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Thanks for answering, I wish I had known about that Ctrl-A shortcut a longtime ago..
I did follow your label INST. and I think it has worked, but somehow with all the other editing I had done before that, I wound up with several AU and data files, which I deleted - but in so doing I also deleted the RAW master file ( I think I am Hopeless) I guess I could use the final edit as a NEW Master file -- or record the record again????
As I said I am useing this record as a practice device so that mabey I will be able to get this process" MASTERED" before I start doing it for "REAL"
I downloaded AUD 1.3.3 but I have not installed it yet because when I was reading the following in the Information BOX :

Window only: Audacity is incompatible with some professional sound cards and may crash if one of these cards is the default when you open Audacity. As a work around , make a different sound card your default when using Audacity.

I don't know if they are talking about my PC crashing or the AUD.program and also I don't know what they are talking about by making a different sound card???
My sound card is a "Unimodem Full-Duplex Audio Device.
Also I am wondering if I could be able to use it with as much trouble as I am having with AUD.1.2.6 because they say AUD.1.3.3. is really for advanced users, which I know I am not.
However, I may try it out.
Thanks Again.

I would go ahead and try installing 1.3.3 and running a test recording. The worst that will happen is that Audacity may crash - it won't (he says full of bravado and confidence) fry your soundcard or PC.

You can always revert to 1.2 if 1.3 doesn't work for you. All you can't do is move an Audcaity Project to 1.2 after it has been created in 1.3 or a 1.2 project that has been opened in 1.3. You don't have to use all the advanced features in 1.3 - but you will benefit from improved labelling and the Repair tool/effect.

BTW: the Ctrl-A is a general Windows shortcut - works in Word, Excel and many other windows applications, to select the entire file - provided that the developers have implemented it properly - unlike the morons who wrote my diving computer software.

WC

Thank you very much.I am going to follow your advice and see what happens????