Audacity Forum

http://audacityteam.org/help/faq?s=editing&i=join

I tried it out on a live album and Abbey Road (they're on MP3).

There's a little gap, unless I'm not doing something right (or it's a bug). It's the same in the released version.

I'm using Mac 10.4.11 and 1.3.12 beta.

MP3 files always have a small gap at the beginning - it's a limitation of the MP3 format.
If you zoom in close on the beginning of the track you can trim off the leading silence.

Thanks Steve. If this is the case, could a note perhaps be added to the guide?

iTunes plays the files fine (as long as they don't playback less than 3 seconds from the end). Do you know how that handles it?

Can there be a feature in which you can trim off the silence precisely?

chen lung wrote:If this is the case, could a note perhaps be added to the guide?

I don't think that it would be practical to note every format quirk in each tutorial but there is a note here: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/MP3#Limitations

chen lung wrote:iTunes plays the files fine (as long as they don't playback less than 3 seconds from the end). Do you know how that handles it?

Sorry, I don't use iTunes so I'm not familiar with what it does.

chen lung wrote:Can there be a feature in which you can trim off the silence precisely?

That's not quite as easy as it sounds as the length of the leading silence is not predictable - it varies from one MP3 file to another and it is not "total" silence (it contains a tiny bit of noise). If you zoom in vertically (Left Click on the vertical scale) you can usually see well enough where the track actually starts. (Right Click on the vertical scale to zoom back out)

chen lung wrote:iTunes plays the files fine (as long as they don't playback less than 3 seconds from the end). Do you know how that handles it?

iTunes supports gapless playback through audio buffering.

chen lung wrote:Can there be a feature in which you can trim off the silence precisely?

Effect > Truncate Silence might work, but in the case where the MP3s fade in at the start it might not give a good result.


Gale

I now understand why people aren't fans of MP3.

Thanks

<<<I now understand why people aren't fans of MP3.>>>

We're totally fans of MP3 for product delivery, email, running on the beach with your iPod, and on-line posting. For musical effects, archive, and production it sucks.

Note that almost all complaints of quality of sound and failures of filters, etc, are posted by forum people trying to do top quality production with downloaded MP3 -- the same MP3s that are slightly damaged and intentionally designed to be the dead end of the line.

Koz

I just meant in the way some formats have superseded it claiming to be superior (AAC), despite their compatibility issues, etc.

But you're right, yeah .