Creating a simple action

[BigA]

I have a batch of MP3s which I need to import into Audacity, trim to 30 seconds, then apply a fade out starting at the 27th second. Very simple to do but I have so many MP3s to go through I was hoping to be able to write a simple action which I could apply to the MP3s as I import.

Is there an easy way for me to do this?

Thanks.

[kozikowski]

http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php?title=Automation

I can't find the wiki on actually how to execute what little scripting is already there. Called "Chains" by the way.

Koz

[BigA]

Thanks Koz. Was able to find this link: http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php? ... ffectsTips where it states that a chain can be created by simply accessing File -->Edit Chains but that seems to relate to the Beta version. i can't find anything similar in version 1.2.5

At least now I know what it's called

[waxcylinder]

Don't be put off by the "unstable" labelling of the Beta 1.3 - 1.3.7 is fairly mature now and relatively stable I would advise using 1.3 over 1.2 (note that you can have both on your machine at the same time - but you can't run them botha at the same time - and note too that 1.2 projects can be opened in 1.3 but not the other way around, and if you open a 1.2 project in 1.3 and then save it, it will become a 1.3 project.)

WC

[BigA]

Cool thanks - installed and can find the Chain option. I can see how to create the title of a new chain but not sure how to assign actions to it. Also seem to have lost the 'snap to' option.

[BigA]

Found 'Snap To'. Are the default commands the only available or can others be defined?

I need to:
1. Snap to 30s
2. Trim
3. Snap to 27s
4. Apply Fade Out from 27s to 30s
5. Export to MP3

[steve]

Are the default commands the only available

Yes

or can others be defined?

No

1. Snap to 30s
2. Trim
3. Snap to 27s
4. Apply Fade Out from 27s to 30s
5. Export to MP3

"Chains" is pretty basic batch processing. It can't do that.
I can't think of any other program that can either.

[BigA]

Rats. Ok - thanks for letting me know all the same

Wonder if it could somehow be achieved with an Apple Script...

[kozikowski]

As has been pointed out already, none of this stuff works in Audaciy 1.2, whose forum this is. It's all available in Audacity 1.3. Audacity only had very sketchy support for command line operation. I believe zero or maybe the ability to launch the application with a file already loaded.

And yes there are programs that can do that trick. Photoshop has a Learn command and a scripting language. You can set it loose on a pile of pictures and it will execute, if not all, then almost all of the production tools and save the work to another location. I don't know another sound program that can do that.

Koz