To fade down vol (but not to silence) and then fade back up

[winkdinkerson]

Hi folks,

Please note: The emphasis on my problem is FADING. Please read on.

I used to be a long time user of cool edit pro, so the similarities are close. However, that was long ago and for this problem, I just can't seem to figure if it's possible or not. To be honest, I'm not even sure if I could of done it with Cool Edit Pro but do think I worked around it. I'll explain it in easy detail. First off, I'm using the current program (Audacity 2.0.6).

I have an mp3 that's 3:00

( I want to use % for the volume to make it more clearer in the explanation)

At the 1:00, I want to fade down the volume (which is at 100% to 50%) to the 1:10 mark. Then at 1:10, I want to blend/mix a spoken mp3 (at 100% volume) that is 0:30 seconds in length. And just shortly after the spoken part (which would be 1:41 mark), I want the original mp3 to fade back up to 100% volume. All the while, there is no break nor silence during that whole spoken section. In other words, the original mp3 is still playing.

NOW please, I know with the original mp3, I can just copy between 1:00 to 1:41 or 1:10 to 1:41 and lower the volume (I've been using Effect > Amplify, I'm hoping there's another way) but I don't like that sudden drop of sound. It's quite disruptive for what I'm after. I just need it to slowly fade down to the volume I want before making the blend/mix, and then slowly back up.

I hope I made it clear enough for my bit of a dilemma. Thanks.

[JeffB]

I don't really know how to do it, but I've accidentally activated the envelope tool in the past and struggled with how to get rid of it. But it looks to me like it's probably the tool you are looking for.

Here's a page from the tutorial(?) on it:

http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/envelope_tool.html

That page also had a link to a fader tools tutorial:

http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/fades.html

[winkdinkerson]

Hi Jeff,

I found it accidentally, with your help. While reading the envelope tool link, there was a link to fades. Now I've always known how to use the fades, but apparently I didn't know about the 'adjustable fades'. So I clicked that link...

http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/fa ... adjustable

and after doing some trial and errors, I figured it out and now can do exactly what I was inquiring about.

And so, I thank you.

P.S. Once figured, it was really easy. And when I get the time, I'm going to read up on the envelope tool and do some trials. It did seem to describe what I was after but doubt it now. But I'm still intrigued.

[steve]

You guys have figured it out. There are two ways to do what you want (with Audacity). One is to use the "Adjustable Fade" effect. The other is to use the "Envelope Tool".
The "Adjustable Fade" acts directly on the audio, changing it immediately according to the fade that you apply.

The "Envelope Tool" I find a bit tricky to use (which is why I wrote the Adjustable Fade effect), but has the significant advantage that it is "non-destructive". The envelope tool does not directly change the audio data, but rather "tells Audacity how to play the audio". That means that whatever you you do with the Envelope Tool, it can be undone at any time, simply by removing the envelope.

I would recommend using the Envelope Tool for the task in hand, but if you find it too fiddly, give the Adjustable Fade effect a go.

[winkdinkerson]

Hi Steve,

Also thanks for your input. After figuring it out, I did a few trial runs using Envelope Tool but just couldn't get it to do what adjustable fade did for me. For one, the Envelope Tool only did the whole track, and not the section. I'm thinking I need to play around with it more, but thanks anyway.

I'll edit the title with solved.

Thanks!

[Gale Andrews]

the Envelope Tool only did the whole track, and not the section.

True, but you can still use the selection boundaries as vertical guides for where to place the envelope points.


Gale