Audacity Forum

I have a 75-minute MP3 file of a concert performance. This single file contains applause and time-wasting banter (typical Phil Collins) between songs. I have been deleting the excess Phil before I export to individual songs.

My question is about the sound level on either side of the deleted selection. When selecting, I can make the cut at quiet moments or during applause. If I make the cut during applause, and if I choose the wrong moment, I might cause a large increase or decrease in the level (the amplitude?) when playing across the cut.

1) Is there a way, other than trial and error, to match the applause on either side of the cut?

1a) Is there a way to see the numerical amplitude value at the cursor point (or the selection edge), or do I simply estimate it by looking at the waveform level?

2) Or if I were really picky, should I transition between the value on the left and right? Is that what cross-fade is for?

Sorry if I am being imprecise in my terminology. I know what I mean, but I hope I have made myself clear.

using version 1.2.6

You should be able to roughly match the sound levels by the size of the blue waves on the timeline. Fading has traditionally been used to hide problems like this, yes. If you do it right, the end of the first song and the beginning of the next, which used to be mired in fifteen minutes of applause, now has eight seconds and you can't really tell by listening what happened.

You can also use the graphic volume controls. Envelope tool. Second by second control of the volume is done by dragging control points and graphics around with the two white arrows and bent blue line tool upper left.

You shouldn't need any of this if all you're going to do is bust up the songs into individual tracks. Fade the beginning and end of each song and let the 2-second CD song gap cover everything else up.

A lot of problems like this respond very nicely to Chris's Compressor.

http://pdf23ds.net/software/dynamic-compressor/

This compressor was designed with music in mind and not arithmetic and code modules. It sounds a lot like a radio station while it's working.

Koz