Splitting a large MP3 file into tracks

Help for Audacity on Windows.
Forum rules
ImageThis forum is for Audacity on Windows.
Please state which version of Windows you are using,
and the exact three-section version number of Audacity from "Help menu > About Audacity".


Audacity 1.2.x and 1.3.x are obsolete and no longer supported. If you still have those versions, please upgrade at https://www.audacityteam.org/download/.
The old forums for those versions are now closed, but you can still read the archives of the 1.2.x and 1.3.x forums.
drad dog
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2016 7:23 pm
Operating System: Windows 10

Re: Splitting a large MP3 file into tracks

Post by drad dog » Tue Jun 27, 2017 10:55 pm

steve wrote:Encoding as MP3 loses information.

Most editors need to decode MP3s before they can be edited, so if you edit an MP3, then save or export as MP3, the audio has to be encoded again, which loses some sound quality. The lost quality cannot be recovered.

MP3directCut and MP3split are unusual in that they are able to perform simple edits of MP3 files without decoding the MP3s, so there is no re-encoding, so no additional sound quality loss. (Note that the Windows installer version of MP3split may contain adware).

WAV, FLAC and AIFF are "lossless" formats, which means that if you export in these formats after editing, there is no additional sound quality loss.

Audacity is able to analyze tracks to find silences and mark the silences with labels (see: http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/sile ... ml#silence).
When the gaps in the track have been labelled, you can then export each labelled section using the "Export Multiple" feature: http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/export_multiple.html

See also: http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/spli ... racks.html
I am converting my cassettes to digital through audacity. Can they be initialized as something other than MP3 when I do this? Choose WAV at the time? Can I convert my preexisting MP3 files to WAV files and then manipulate them without loss?

drad dog
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2016 7:23 pm
Operating System: Windows 10

Re: Splitting a large MP3 file into tracks

Post by drad dog » Tue Jun 27, 2017 11:01 pm

OK so audacity has silence finder. It gives an output of a graphic with a lot of flags for silent moments. Can it make the tracks into files for the output? In the form I see it it is unwieldy for my purpose.

Does waveform lose information on processing?

steve
Site Admin
Posts: 81627
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2007 11:43 am
Operating System: Linux *buntu

Re: Splitting a large MP3 file into tracks

Post by steve » Tue Jun 27, 2017 11:07 pm

drad dog wrote:Can it make the tracks into files for the output?
Yes you can export each labelled section as a separate WAV file with "Export Multiple". See my previous post for details.
drad dog wrote:Does waveform lose information on processing?
Not if you export as WAV.
9/10 questions are answered in the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

drad dog
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2016 7:23 pm
Operating System: Windows 10

Re: Splitting a large MP3 file into tracks

Post by drad dog » Tue Jun 27, 2017 11:28 pm

steve wrote:
drad dog wrote:Can it make the tracks into files for the output?
Yes you can export each labelled section as a separate WAV file with "Export Multiple". See my previous post for details.
drad dog wrote:Does waveform lose information on processing?
Not if you export as WAV.
Can audacity output a file of split fragments of the whole file based on silence detection? Or are you doing a multi click process for each fragment?

Can I convert my cassettes to WAV through Audacity instead of MP3? Will they be much larger than the MP3 and not have lost that information?

Gale Andrews
Quality Assurance
Posts: 41761
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:02 am
Operating System: Windows 10

Re: Splitting a large MP3 file into tracks

Post by Gale Andrews » Wed Jun 28, 2017 11:57 am

drad dog wrote:
Gale Andrews wrote:
drad dog wrote:I'm editing my own cassette tapes converted to MP3. Audio diary and music. I might have 100 cuts to make on a tape.
Use mp3DirectCut. That way you won't lose quality rewriting the MP3s as you will with Audacity.
When I'm installing and I get to extraction path I get access denied (invalid characters) when I try to DL MP3cut. Any idea?
MP3DirectCut is not our product and we do not provide support for it. However it does work as intended if you follow normal Windows permissions protocols.


Gale
________________________________________FOR INSTANT HELP: (Click on Link below)
* * * * * Tips * * * * * Tutorials * * * * * Quick Start Guide * * * * * Audacity Manual

Post Reply