Audio

I’m on my new Mac Ventura, running Audacity 3.2.4. On my old Mac, Audacity 2.3.3, I could right click a music file and choose “open with Audacity.” Then, in Audacity, I could choose file/open and the same folder which contained my opened music file would display by default. Very handy when working on a project with all its music files in one folder, right? This is not the case with the new 3.2.4. It’s opening whatever folder I was working on in a previous project. If there’s a preference for this, I can’t find it. Hope this makes sense.

See Directories Preferences.

To make this work the way you like it, first use File > Import > Audio (Cmd + Shift + I) to import the first file instead of opening it from the Finder with the right-click menu. Subsequent uses of File > Import > Audio will go to that directory.

File > Open is meant to be used to open Audacity projects, so when you use File > Open to import a music file Audacity goes to the last directory used to open a project.

– Bill

Thanks, Bill. I figured that out pretty quickly, but… that ain’t the way is used to work. :slight_smile: Hey. Looks like you know the newer versions better than I. Can you tell me why the zoom tool has been removed, and if I can possibly get it back? It’s vital and extremely convenient to be able to click-drag on a track to magnify a selection. This is, to me, a quantum leap backwards. If it can’t be solved, I’ll be forced to go back to an earlier Audacity version. Thx.

I don’t know why it was removed. It is not likely to come back.
– Bill

Muse are basically working to remove the Tools toolbar. The first two tools to go were the Time Shift tool and the Zoom tool

The Time Shift tool was replaced by the Clip-Handle drag-bars.

With the Zoom tool Muse figured that:
a) the zoom buttons in the Edit toolbar
b) the zoom commands in the View menu (and their shortcuts)
c) mouse-wheel zooming
gave more than sufficient ways to manage zooming (and I’m inclined to agree with them).

The advantage of removing the Tools toolbar eventually is that it is a bit of a bear-trap with many users over the years accidentally/inadvertently getting out of select mode and not knowing how to get back. Once the Tools toolbar has gone, the selection will always be “on” and available.

Peter

Thanks, Peter, but… dreadful, my opinion. Time shift, too? I’m just hoping I can get an earlier version of Audacity to work on Ventura.

Well… I just checked the time-shift drag bar and, VERY good. I do like that. But the zoom? I’ve seen numerous references to the mouse wheel thing. But, I’m not seeing that working at all on my Mac Magic Mouse.

Cmd+mouse-wheel should zoom at the mouse position.
– Bill

Muse are basically working to remove the Tools toolbar.

Even Tools > Macros… and Tools > Apply Macro?

Koz

Not the Tools menu - rather the Tools toolbar is due to be removed sometime:


It means that:
a) there will be a different way to access the Envelope and Draw tools (mechanism yet to be decided/designed I believe),
b) Selection will be always “on” always available,
c) the Multi-tool will just go.

This will have the big advantage of removing the bear-trap where folk accidentally switch to one of the other tool modes and then find they can’t select with the cursor and are worried by the envelope lines - and. worse, don’t know how to get back.

Peter

folk accidentally switch to one of the other tool modes

Oh, right. I got burned with that.

Koz

Me too in the early days of Audacity use!

It was probably the best ever bear-trap that we built …
bear trap.png
Peter