There must be an easier way

[Sinduction]

Ok, running 1.3 on Vista

I am using audacity to record my hypnosis tracks. No music just voice. I've recorded separate parts of what I use for every hypnosis. My problem is taking these shorter files and getting them in order. I've saved each file as .aup, 44100Hz, 16-bit. Each file is only a few minutes long.

The problem I'm having is simply getting these shorter files into one complete mono file. What I've been doing is opening the first file and then opening the second (and subsequent) file in a new window, copying it, and then moving back to the first window to paste it. Then I have to magnify and fix where each file meets.

I tried importing both files, using the "find zero crossings" then cutting and pasting and I had no audio playback at all even though the waveform was there. It seems that the program has a hard time importing its own files? Maybe I should save them as something else? Once the tracks are completed, I convert them to mp3 and send them to my sound guy who puts in the background music.

There must be an easier way. I've read the tutorials and searched through everything I could find but I doubt very much that I'd even recognize the answer if I read it. I would very much like to not have to record a 20 minute session when I can break it into 6 shorter files but the editing time takes me even longer than that. Please help me, I feel like I'm doing this all wrong. It might help to explain it as if you were speaking to a 5 year old.

Thanks in advance.

[steve]

The good news is that you've already done the hard bit without even realising it
You have Audacity installed and you are able to record and play back - that's the hard bit.

Next we need to sort out a bit of terminology:
Audacity does not save audio files. Audacity saves "Audacity Projects".

An Audacity Project is not a normal audio file, it is a "project" and is made up of lots of little bits. The most obvious part of the Project is the "Project File". This is the .AUP file that is created when you "Save" the Project. The .AUP file is important because it tells Audacity what to do with all of the other parts of the project, but it does not contain any audio.

When you make a recording, the audio data is initially stored in a temporary file, then if you save the project it is copied into a data folder. The name of the data folder will be the same as the name of the .AUP file, but with "_data" added to the end. For example, if you save a project and give it the name "hypno1", then a file called "hypno1.aup" and a folder called "hypno1_data" will ve created. The audio data will be in the _data folder and the .AUP file tells Audacity how to put all of the data back together to recreate the project.

To create a normal "audio" file, you need to "Export" from Audacity. Audacity can Export several different file types, but for best quality you should export as a WAV file. If the final format is going to be MP3, then it is best to leave encoding to MP3 to the very last step.

MP3 encoding reduces the sound quality. Editing an MP3 file and re-encoding it to MP3 will reduce the sound quality further. The effect is cumulative and cannot be fixed, so it's best to leave MP3 encoding 'till the very end so that encoding is only done once (by your sound guy).

Regarding your work-flow, it may be worth trying some different approaches:

I would very much like to not have to record a 20 minute session when I can break it into 6 shorter files

Suggested work-flow 1
Start the recording and record a bit, then press the "P" key. Recording will be paused.
If you need to do a retake, just ignore the first take for now, press "P" to un-pause and record it again, then press "P" to pause.
When' you're ready to record the next bit, press "P" to un-pause, speak the next section then press "P" to pause.

When you have recorded all the parts, press "Stop".
Export the recording as a WAV file - this is your back-up file in case of emergency.

Now go through the recording and chop out all of the bad bits.
Export your finished masterpiece (preferably as a WAV file) and send it to your sound guy.
Optional step: If you may want to go back to the project at a later date and make any changes, "Save" the Audacity Project. I would advise creating a new folder for the project so that the .AUP file and the _data folder are kept safely together.

Suggested work-flow 2
Similar to work-flow 1, but use the "Stop" button or the Space-bar to stop between each section, then use SHIFT+R to resume the recording.

Suggested work-flow 3
Make a recording of one section, then Export the recording as a WAV file.
Repeat for each section.

When you have all of the sections, create a new project and "Import" all of the audio files into the new project.
Each of the files will be imported on its own track.
Use the "time shift tool" (F5 key, or press the double headed arrow button <--> ) to slide each section left/right into the correct place.
Export the finished masterpiece.

WARNING for work-flow 3.
By default, when Importing WAV files, Audacity will "link" to the file rather than copying the file into the _data folder. This makes importing files a bit quicker, but it means that the Project will depend on the existence of those files. If you use this method I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you make the following change to the Audacity preferences:
Edit menu > Preferences > Import/Export
Set "when importing audio files: Make a copy ... (safer)"

[Sinduction]

You are a genius! I had no idea I wasn't saving an audio file, that makes sense now. Thank you for the easy to follow breakdown and for the option to copy on import. I (obviously) would not have known that. Thank you so very much for your help!

[steve]

I (obviously) would not have known that. Thank you so very much for your help!

You're welcome.
We are doing our very best to draw users attention to the pros and cons of this feature. There is already a pop-up message about it, but many users cancel such "annoyances" before they grasp what the message is telling them, so we're now trying to make it as prominent as we can in the Audacity documentation. A lot of new users run into trouble because they don't understand about files and projects, so any suggestions of how to make it clearer for new users would be welcome.