Importing from PC to multi-track recorder

[tnicol]

I have some people in other states that want to collaborate with me by sending me MP3 files and have me add music to them on my Fostex multi-track recorder. I was sent an MP3 yesterday (and I can convert to WAV, so I can try either way), but I cannot for the life of me get it to import into my recorder so I can combine and mix. Does anyone know of a way of doing this? I am brand new to Audacity - just downloaded it - is there a way to do it the other way around - import my background music from my recorder into Audacity and mix 'em there?

Thanks!

Tom

[steve]

You need to consult your Fostex manual. Some multi-track recorders allow you to import and export WAV files, but some do not. If you can import and export, you may still have a problem getting everything to line up correctly.

Hard disk recorders will often import and export full audio tracks (starting at the beginning of the song and ending at the end). In this case it is easy to line up the tracks as they all start at the same time. Some recorders (particularly flash memory recorders) only import and export sound clips, so if you record a riff that starts a minute after the start of the song and lasts 30 seconds, then the exported audio will just be a 30 second clip. Getting a clip to line up exactly in the right place is a pain.

If your Fostex does not export, then you could simply record the mix into Audacity.

The advantage of mixing in Audacity is that it has far more flexibility than a hardware recorder and you can see what you are doing on a computer screen rather than a little display panel.