keeping one track consistent with another

[schnahz]

Hi,
I am using audacity to edit foreign language speakers that I recorded. I take the recorded track and then cut and paste from it to a new track, pasting small chunks of the conversation and generating silence in between the chunks so that the student can repeat after the native speaker. Pretty soon the track which I am creating is no longer aligned with the source track and I use the double headed arrow to move the track along and find where I was on the track to bring down the next chunk of conversation.This gets kind of confusing since all I have figured out to do is go by the waveforms. Is there an easier way?
Thanks in advance, Schnahz

[kozikowski]

You may be working too hard. After you capture a foreign language performance, Export As WAV to get a protection sound file, then go through and set a label (Control-B) at each pause point. Labels are sticky, so when you go back through to insert the silent segments, you can go to each one very easily.

Each Silent Insert will push the rest of the performance later (to the right) to make room.

We have been after the developers to make Generator a hot key, but no luck so far. A trick I use is to create a new track with your silence only on it. Select that and Copy. Then it's find a label in the performance track, Control-V paste, find the next label, etc. Bang, bang, bang. Should be far faster than what you're doing, if I understand the work.

Koz

[steve]

Do I understand the question correctly? You just want to insert some silent gaps at certain places within a track?

If this does not work in Audacity 1.2.6, then upgrade to Audacity 1.3
1) Make a copy of the file that you are going to work on. Use the copy - that way, if you mess up you will still have the original.
2) Import the file into Audacity.
3) Listen to where you want the first gap and (while is "stop" mode, not just "pause") click on the track at the place that you want the first gap.
4) Select "Split" from the Edit menu (shortcut Ctrl+I)
5) Use the time shift tool to drag the later part of the track to the right, thus creating a gap.
6) Continue in this manner until you have finished, then Export the finished project as an audio file (WAV/MP3)

[schnahz]

Dear Kowzikowski and Stevethefiddle,
Thanks for opening my eyes. I downloaded 1.3.7 and will work on the methods outlined.
Schnahz