Audacity Forum

steve wrote:I'm not keen on automatically processing files on import. It could easily become a nightmare for support ("Why is the audio bad when I play things in Audacity?").
If we have this at all I think that it has to be off by default.

Rather than multiple options for processing audio on import, I'd much prefer one option to apply a user defined chain on import (off by default).

Obviously, I like the option to be able to process files on import. One thing to remember, while it is doing the processing there's a big window open on the screen showing the progress of the processing; we already allow one kind of automatic processing on import (Normalize) – when the user sees the progress dialog she can always click Cancel or even use Undo.

It would have to be off by default.

I also would much prefer and On/Off option to apply a user defined chain on import but this would require a lot of conditional coding because only some Chain-available processes are appropriate on import. Given the nature of external plug-ins it would be impossible at compile time to determine which plug-ins would be appropriate. I know that the Developers would never go along with the way I would implement it, but…

I would add a new panel to Preferences – maybe "Import Processing" – which would have an On/Off checkbox for every built-in processing effect (and maybe even the analyzing effects) plus an additional overall/global "Do/Do Not" apply on import checkbox. I would even go so far as to allow the user to store and recall different "chains"/settings of the panel.

Other than the "store and recall" part this would only take a few minutes to code up.

Edgar wrote: but this would require a lot of conditional coding because only some Chain-available processes are appropriate on import

Can you give an example of a Chain that would be a problem on import?

steve wrote:

Edgar wrote: but this would require a lot of conditional coding because only some Chain-available processes are appropriate on import

Can you give an example of a Chain that would be a problem on import?

Thinking about this, probably not with the exception of anything that includes an Export. I quickly threw together: but realize now that, while it will work for me, it does not allow one to set the order or the values. The way to do it is clearly to use whatever Chains the user has created.

Edgar wrote:with the exception of anything that includes an Export.

Why not include an Export in the chain?
For example, I might want to export a backup copy of the file after DC offset removal and before Click removal.

steve wrote:

Edgar wrote:with the exception of anything that includes an Export.

Why not include an Export in the chain?
For example, I might want to export a backup copy of the file after DC offset removal and before Click removal.

Too true; do the export "effects" in chains allow you to build-from-the-import, supply then use a new file name all while retaining the original import file name?

When applying a Chain to files and using one of the export commands, the exported files are placed in a sub-folder, which for historical reasons is called "cleaned".
http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/apply_chain.html

If you had the full power of Chain commands available on import (including support for Nyquist plug-ins) then there are all manner of cool things that could be automated on import. How about automatically trimming silence from the start and end of the file? Or how about notching out mains hum, or perhaps automatically labelling sounds or silences, or widening/narrowing the stereo spread?

This is my current thinking: The check box at the top turns the feature On/Off. Below that are a pair of file picker buttons to allow the user to store and recall processing chains. Below that is the current processing chain with a button at the top which accesses a "chain picker dialog". Each chain the user chooses is added at the bottom of the list. Each chain has two associated controls - the one to the extreme left is an Up/Down rocker which allows the user to control the order in which the chains are applied; possibly a better method would be to allow the user to drag and drop chains for placement. The button with the red X deletes that chain from the process.

Note that the current Preferences panel design does not allow for resizing of the window beyond a fairly small maximum (my Preferences window can be resized up to 90% of the available screen real estate); nor does it allow for scrollers on the right-hand panel which would probably be necessary: Note that in the first image I photoshopped in the rocker buttons and the big red Xs.

Given Vaughan's recent catch of a bug in Click Removal and the ensuing debate on Quality - it looks like this would be a *very* bad idea right now.

Peter

So what do you all want me to do with this???

Peter.

BUMP.

Lack of further input will result in this being moved to the FR archived detailed discussion section of the forum.

Peter