Audacity Forum

New user and very much a novice. I have several voice recording of my mother interview. I want to select a few passages from some of these tapes and insert them into a new project. The idea is to then export this "master" file to a CD for futher selection and editing and insertion to a Slide show Presentation. I have opened two windows ---one with the tape and the 2nd a blank file where I want to paste my selection. No luck. Any help? Thanks, Jon

maybe
try this
close the second window
use the window with the file you want to use
create another track in that window
select copy paste from 1st to new track
export 2nd track when you are done
save project then exit
burn cd from saved wav file

1) Upgrade to Audacity 1.3.12

2) Import one of the recordings.

3) Find a part that you want to use and "select" it (click and drag across the track with the mouse).
(Tip - select a bit more than you really want - you can trim it down accurately later)

4) Press Ctrl+D (duplicates the selection onto a new track).

5) Repeat steps 3 and 4 for any other sections that you may want to use.

6) Delete the imported track (click on the [X] in the top left corner of the track)

7) Switch to the "Time Shift Tool" (double headed arrow button, or press the F5 key)

8) Drag all of the clips into one track
(Tip - you may want to leave a bit of space between the audio clips so that you can see easily where they all start and end.)

9) Delete all of the empty tracks.

10) Save your project (File menu > Save)

11) Export a backup copy of this track (File menu > Export)
(Tip - if the "metatag editor" is displayed, just click the "OK" button and continue to export the track.)

12) Click on the "Mute" button on the left side of the track.

13) Import the next recording and duplicate the parts that you want to keep in the same way that you did with the first recording.

14) When you have finished doing the second recording, save the project using "File menu > Save As" and give the project a new name.
This is a safety measure so that if anything really bad happens and your project is destroyed, you have an almost complete copy with a different name.

15) Export the new track by selecting it (double click on the track so that it is highlighted) and then from the file menu "File menu > Export Selection".
(This is a backup of your rough edited "recording 2")

16) When you have imported and rough edited enough recordings, drag all of the clips so that they are in a sequence and play one after another (not all at the same time).
They do not all have to be on the same track - just play it through and check that it all plays correctly, then do a final "Save" of the project and a final "Export".

Tip - keep your projects to a manageable size. Big projects are more difficult and slower to work with. Your final CD can be made up from multiple Exported WAV files, and it is likely to be easier to aim for one finished CD track per project rather than aiming to do the entire CD in one project.

Thank you very much. Had to remember to keep adding to the original selection project before saving (to a different name), or will end up with several selections. And I guess not to use Lable until you get to your final selection. Then I used ITunes to burn to a CD. Thanks again. Jon