While recording our Sunday services, the computer keyboard was accidentally hit and the recording was stopped, however the screen was showing that the program was in play mode. I stopped the play and pressed the record button. This opened up another track which I thought was OK, but after I saved the file and listened to it, both tracks were playing (one on top of the other). Is there any way I can lift the first recording so I can recover the entire service? I hope I explained this correctly to you. As it stand I can’t use the file because two recorded tracks are playing together.
Do you mean that you “exported an audio file” or “saved the Audacity project” (or both)?
(If you saved the project then it will be easy to recover the recordings, but not possible just from an exported audio file.)
As above, if you still have the project with the two sets of blue waves one over the other, then it’s a simple matter to select or mute as needed to separate them. If all you have is the WAV or MP3 mix, then that’s the end of the world.
If you have to do this again, Select one of the two track by clicking just right of the up arrow and File > Export > Export Selected. Then select the other track and File > Export > Export Selected. That will give you two separate show files. There are also techniques I can’t remember to push the bottom track so its start lines up with the top track’s end.
Left on its own, Audacity will mix everything on the timeline into one show. I believe it warns you it’s going to do that…
Also if you didn’t change it and you’re on the latest Audacity, just pressing R will add new show to the end of the old one. An older Audacity will do this with Shift-R.
Depending on the Windows, isn’t there a Step Back tool? You might be able to step the machine back to just before the export. You said you saved the show. Did you really? Or did you really export a sound file?
Hello Forum,
Thank you for your replies. I’ll try to be more clearer.
While recording the service, the phone hit the keyboard. This stopped the recording somehow. When I noticed, it was playing back the recorded file, so I stopped it thinking that if I hit the record it would pick up. Well, it did, but on a second track (beneath the first track). At the end of the service I saved the file and exported as always. I also created a new file by cutting and pasting the two separate files into one and saved it as a backup. When I played the original file, I could hear both files playing one on top of the other. So if it is possible I would like to see if I can salvage the file as I need to make a edited copy for the radio station to air.