Loop question

[Shadow86]

Am I able to create a loop that embeds itself into the file?
I wish to create a sound pack for Team-Fortress 2, but .wav's intended to loop do not under normal circumstances.

I don't wish to clog up my own (and other's, if I upload it) space by using the Repeat effect.

[steve]

WAV files (or any other audio file) do not automatically play repeatedly. Repeated playing of a file is controlled by the software that is playing the file.
Any program that can "loop play" a WAV file can "loop play" any WAV file. The only "special" thing about a "looped" WAV file is that it is edited so that the beginning and the end match up so that when the file is played repeatedly it will play smoothly without clicks or jumps when it reaches the end of the file and starts again.

When creating a "loop", you can test in Audacity how well (how smoothly) the loop will play by selecting the file and pressing SHIFT+Spacebar to start "loop play".

[Shadow86]

Sorry to bump, but let's turn this into a suggestion now.

Went around a bit and found this: http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Looping_a_Sound
Are you perhaps able to add cue point functionality to Audacity?

[steve]

In Audacity you would "loop" a sample multiple times using the "Repeat" effect. However I suspect that you are wanting Audacity to provide cue points that are compatible with some other program - am I right?

[Shadow86]

Yes, that is correct.
However, it could prove compatible with a few other programs as well.

[steve]

Or perhaps not. The WAV format specification does not include loop point information, so looping programs are using a custom format to support this feature. However, not all looping programs do this in the same way, so there are different "standards" depending on what program you are using to play the loops. One of the most common formats is that used by Acid, but this is only "common" within the limited sense that many programs have partial support for "Acidized" WAV files. As the format is owned by Sony there are probably licensing restrictions that would prohibit full support of the format in an open source program such as Audacity.
More about Acidized WAV files: http://www.kvraudio.com/wiki/?id=ACIDized+WAV

Most looping programs also include features that allow creating or editing of loops with exactly the correct format that they require. Given that it's probably impossible for Audacity to fully support all loop formats for all looping applications, I'm not sure how useful it would really be if Audacity had partial support for some loop formats for some looping applications, particularly as those applications can do the job properly.