Audacity Forum

I've used Audacity before to edit raw files, but now I have a record player which *creates* MP3s. I've recorded a bunch of whole sides as files, and now I find I can do nothing but play them. Any way to split them up into their associated tracks? Also, I've tried to locate that LAME thing, and can't figure it out. Can anybody help there?

There's a small problem with editing MP3 files which is due to the nature of MP3s.
MP3s are "compressed" - that is, that the audio information is squashed up by "encoding" the data and "unimportant" parts are discarded, so as to make the file size smaller. This process will slightly reduce the sound quality, but usually the loss is not very noticeable, if at all.

The problem comes when you try to edit the file. Most audio programs, including Audacity, need to "decode" the file before it can be edited. That's no problem, but the problem comes if you then encode it again as an MP3. When the file is re-encoded, the data is "squashed up" again, and a bit more "unimportant" information is thrown away. Obviously you can't keep discarding audio information and expect it to sound the same. Each time it is re-encoded it will sound a bit worse, and the "discarded information" can never be recovered. Before long the beautiful music becomes a horribly metallic bubbly mess.

The ideal way round this problem is to start with the music file in an "uncompressed" format (such as WAV) so that it does not need to be decoded. If the final file needs to be in MP3 format, for example if you want to put it on an MP3 player, then you would make a copy of the original in MP3 format.

Of course, if you are starting with MP3 files, then the "ideal" solution is not practical, so the next best thing is to either, import the MP3s into Audacity and export from Audacity in WAV format (so that the audio is not being re-encoded), or to edit the file without de-coding it.
Do you need the final edited file to be in MP3 format? If you intend to put the files onto a CD, then Exporting as WAV would be the best option. If you intend to put the files on an MP3 player, then you will need the final format to be MP3.

Unfortunately Audacity (and most other audio programs) cannot edit MP3 files without decoding them first, but fortunately there is a free program called MP3Split that can. It is a very basic program that can do little more than split MP3 long files into smaller MP3 files, but it can do that without decoding them, so there is no loss additional in sound quality. MP3Split is available here: http://mp3splt.sourceforge.net/mp3splt_page/home.php (there is a Windows version on the Download page).

If you need to do more complex editing and you have to have the final files in MP3 format, and you don't mind the small additional loss in sound quality, you can use Audacity, but you need to install "Lame" to enable Audacity to encode MP3s. I would recommend that you install Audacity 1.3.12 (Audacity 1.2.6 is virtually obsolete now).
Audacity 1.3.12 is available here: http://audacityteam.org/download/beta_windows
Full instructions for installing Lame are here: http://audacityteam.org/help/faq?s=install&i=lame-mp3

Thank you so much for such a complete answer to my problem. Indeed, all I really wanted to do was record a whole side on my record player (which only saves in MP3 format) and then split it up on my computer while re-naming all the tracks and putting title information in, and so on. As I write this, I'm downloading that program you suggested, which should completely solve my problem.

Thanks again.

fathergord wrote: As I write this, I'm downloading that program you suggested, which should completely solve my problem.

I've only used that program myself on Linux (not tried the Windows version), so do let us know how you get on with it

OK, I got another question for you ... I installed mp3splt-gtk 0.6 (because the other version was command-line only) and it can't seem to work on my files. When I open a file, and click on the play arrow, it says 'gstreamer error: could not get info on "E:AUDIOAUDIO037,MP3". Yet the file plays just fine on Winamp. So I can't do any manipulating on the file. What am I doing wrong?

I've just tried the .zip version on Windows XP and that worked OK on my test machine.

Sorry, I can't provide technical support for Mp3Split, but I can tell you what I did to test it:

• Downloaded the zip archive for Windows from http://mp3splt.sourceforge.net/mp3splt_ ... nloads.php
• Extracted the contents to my Desktop -- creates a folder called "mp3splt-gtk_0.6_i386" (the folder could be extracted anywhere on your computer where you have read/write access - I just used the Desktop because it was convenient for me).
• Open the folder and find the file "mp3splt-gtk.exe"
• Create a Desktop shortcut to that file.
• Double click on the Desktop shortcut to launch the program.

When splitting files it is necessary to include a split point at the beginning and at the end of the file.

I used the .exe download, and have the gui up, but it looks as if it has a thing to play the file, but won't work. And I can't seem to figure out how to put a split point at the beginning, or how to get through the file to the end, other than via the "player". It now says "gstreamer error: Resource not found."

Any ideas?

The only thing I can suggest is to try the ZIP version - it worked for me.
If that does not work, it can be "uninstalled" by simply deleting it.
For support with Mp3Split you would need to contact them.

If all else fails, I previously posted a link for how to install Lame, so you could use Audacity (though Mp3Spit would be better if you can get it working).