Editing Multiple Files

[alexius]

Audacity v1.3.13-beta, Mac OS X v10.6.8

Two issues regarding editing multiple (AIFF) files with Audacity.

(1) Window Cycling.

As you know, in Mac OS X one can cycle through an app's open windows with the cmd-tilde shortcut. So let's say I open 5 files with Audacity. Here's what I expect to happen:

• I edit file 1 -> cmd-tilde ->
  move to file 2, edit -> cmd-tilde ->
  move to file 3, edit -> and so on

But here's what actually happens:

• I edit file 1 -> cmd-tilde ->
  move to file 2, edit -> cmd-tilde ->
  move to file 1 (mumble) -> cmd-tilde ->
  move to file 2 (mumble some more) -> cmd-tilde ->
  move to file 3 -> and so on

(2) Repeat Last Effect.

The Effect > Repeat Last Effect command is document-centric, whereas I think it should be application-centric. To elaborate, let's say I have 2 files opened. Here's what I expect to happen:

• Normalise file 1 ->
  move to file 2, cmd-R (apply last effect, ie normalise)

Here's what actually happens

• Normalise file 1 ->
  move to file 2, repeat last effect is unavailable, have to choose again Effect > Normalize.

It could be argued that, if I wanted to apply the same effect to a number of files, I should use Audacity's macro/batch processor (Chains), but that's not always practical. (Imagine that I have 10 files, and instead of merely normalising, the problem is that in each file, somewhere between 02:00.000 and 04:00.000, there is a 30s loud background noise which needs to be eliminated or at least reduced.)

I tested several apps. Sound Studio 2 and Amadeus Pro do both the right way; Sound Studio 4, like Audacity, does them both the wrong way; TwistedWave and Wave Editor do the windows the wrong way, but TW doesn't have a 'repeat last effect', while WE does this the right way. (Of course, 'right way' and 'wrong way' is IMHO.)

[kozikowski]

We're usually pretty pleased when we can get one song out the door. Koz

[alexius]

We're usually pretty pleased when we can get one song out the door.

Non multa, sed multum is a good slogan for music, but is Audacity for music editing only?

In fact, you remind me of yet another item linked to the two above, which should have been first--

(3) Unitasking.

Although Audacity allows several files open at the same time, it applies effects only to one file at a time; by contrast, in Sound Studio 2 or in Amadeus Pro, effects can be applied to several files concurrently.

I think that all three issues are linked to Audacity's fundamental paradigm, which is sequential processing (not unique to Audacity, btw; see, for instance, Sound Studio 4). If the basic workflow its developers had in mind was working on a single document until it was done, then, of course, items like cycling through windows or repeating the last effect did not warrant much attention.

I prefer the model of Sound Studio 2 or Amadeus Pro, where I can work on multiple files concurrently; for instance, editing one, while a complex filter is applied to another and a third is being normalised.

[steve]

Sound Studio 2 and Amadeus Pro do both the right way; Sound Studio 4, like Audacity, does them both the wrong way

Why did the developers of Sound Studio decided to upgrade their software to do it the "wrong" way?

[alexius]

Why did the developers of Sound Studio decided to upgrade their software to do it the "wrong" way?

I guess you'd have to ask them/him. As I wrote in another thread, Sound Studio has a rather checkered past; to be fair to the original/current developer, some of the changes were introduced under different management.

[steve]

Although Audacity allows several files open at the same time, it applies effects only to one file at a time; by contrast, in Sound Studio 2 or in Amadeus Pro, effects can be applied to several files concurrently.

In Audacity you can work on multiple files sequentially or concurrently.
To apply an effect to multiple files at the same time, Import multiple files into one project, select all of the tracks and apply the effect.

I'm not quite sure what your point is. Are you putting forward a "feature request"?

[alexius]

In Audacity you can work on multiple files sequentially or concurrently.
To apply an effect to multiple files at the same time, Import multiple files into one project, select all of the tracks and apply the effect.

You're joking, right? Have you missed the part where I said "for instance, editing one [file], while a complex filter is applied to another and a third is being normalised"? That is working concurrently.

I'm not quite sure what your point is.

Well then, let me be explicit.

I upgraded from PPC to Intel/Snow Leopard; this created the need to upgrade or update the software I used.

In terms of audio editors, my primary tool has been Sound Studio 2 (and still is, so far). Garage Band was bundled with the OS, but it was clearly not for me; I wasn't aware that SS had been resurrected as Sound Studio 4, so the obvious choice was Audacity. I've been testing Audacity for my own needs, and, finding it unsatisfactory, I tested others, including SS4, Amadeus Pro, TwistedWave, Wave Editor, BIAS Peak.

I don't know about you, but for me, writing is not instantaneous; it takes time, especially when I try to be clear and accurate; and I have a family and I'm not retired yet. I shared my observations an the problems I found with Audacity because it is free and open source; by contrast, unless they paid me for it, I shouldn't dream of wasting a second on giving feedback to the developers of the ridiculously overpriced Peak.

If you feel that my comments are de trop and you prefer to be untroubled in the belief that Audacity is the best of all possible audio editors in the best of all possible worlds, that's fine. I get the message -- and my daughter will very likely thank you for it.

[Gale Andrews]

editing one [file], while a complex filter is applied to another and a third is being normalised

That (and exporting and importing simultaneously) used to be possible in earlier Betas (in different project windows) but Audacity isn't threadsafe enough to do that, so any way of doing that was locked down a couple of Betas ago.

You could do it if different instances of Audacity were allowed, but they're not (for resources reasons).

I'll add your vote for "multi-tasking" so that it's recorded. It would be an aim at some time to re-enable what you want.


Gale