Spectrogram - how to make it the default view upon opening?

[Worez]

Hi

I would like to know, if it is possible to make Audacity automatically / always open like that:
A] the view is spectrogram [and not waveform]
B] the view [zoom] is maxed out [so that I can see the highest kHz from the start without additional clicking]
C] the file takes up the whole window [so I would not have to drag the bottom of it to the bottom of Audacity to make it visually bigger]
D] in case of loading more than one file, each of those files is loaded maximized [like in point C], so that upon closing it another file is shown already in maximized form
F] in case of loading more than one file, if approach from point D is impossible, every file is loaded [like in point C] to a separate instance of Audacity
G] turn off "save changes before closing" question, when there were no changes done

So this is how I would like to have more than one file opened in Audacity, without any clicking [just by sending selected files to it, by whatever means / method]: http://postimg.org/image/4volhib3h/
And please notice, how the fact of a second file being opened is indicated at the bottom

If it is not possible, would the Audacity community consider making such changes / options?

For now, I use your program only as one of three ways to see a spectrogram of my music files, when trying to figure out the real quality of them; I use three different pieces of software to analyze files, but Audacity requires from me to much repetitive clicking

[steve]

Assuming that you are using the current Audacity 2.1.2 version (if not, get it from here: http://www.audacityteam.org/download/)

Items A to F:
Edit menu > preferences >Tracks
http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/tr ... ences.html

Item G.
Audacity does not open audio files. Audio files are "imported" into projects.
If you open an Audacity project, then close it without changing the project in any way, then there is no warning message.
If you "open" an audio file, then you are not really "opening an audio file". What you are actually doing is "opening a new project and importing an audio file into it". The new project is therefore "modified" because it was a new (empty) project and an audio file was imported into it. On closing the project, the warning is inevitable because it is a "modified project". OK so it looks a bit weird, but its logical and its only one click to dismiss the warning, which is less hassle than having to re-import a long audio file if you meant to save the project and forgot.

For now, I use your program only as one of three ways to see a spectrogram of my music files,

Have a look at Sonic Visualizer (http://www.sonicvisualiser.org/) it may be better suited for your needs,

[Worez]

Assuming that you are using the current Audacity 2.1.2 version (if not, get it from here: http://www.audacityteam.org/download/)

Yes; and I'm sorry for that

Before posting I've did read in the forums guidelines, telling to write down which version I'm using- and then simply forgot to do so

Items A to F:
Edit menu > preferences >Tracks
http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/tr ... ences.html

Thank you

I have now Audacity showing up almost exactly how I would like to to be





The last big issue is this: I've set "Maximum Frequency (Hz)" to 24000 so I can clearly see, if the file exceeds characteristics of a FLAC [which stops at 22000]. But depending on how a particular file actually looks in the spectrogram, it can be not clear enough. So is it possible to not set a specific number [like 24000] but a "max" [100%]. Similar to HTML editor in which you can tell a table or some line to show 100% wide in the browser, and not exactly 768 pixels or whatever number of pixels is suppose to fill the whole screen. So in case like a 96000 file with some noise at only 80123, the view at the top would stop exactly at that 80123 point; and if I wanted to see what is above it [nothing] only then I would have to zoom out to the end of its spectrum. And in case of a 22000 file with the sound in it going only to up to 19321, the view would stop exactly at that 19321 point, and thus not misleading me into thinking that it is of higher values. At the first glance [after opening] I'm interested in real and not nominal values, and in most cases that's all I will need, so do not have to see the empty space between 19321 and 24000. Or the other way around: I would like to be clearly told [somehow indicated with a single glance] without additional clicking / zooming], that area between 19321 and 24000 is completely empty







Also: can I know somehow export those settings?

Item G.
Audacity does not open audio files. Audio files are "imported" into projects.
[...]
OK so it looks a bit weird, but its logical and its only one click to dismiss the warning
[...]

Yes

It's weird but at the same time logical, once you know how Audacity works

Those clicks will be a drag in a long shot, but I can managed them in my workflow

For now, I use your program only as one of three ways to see a spectrogram of my music files,

Have a look at Sonic Visualizer (http://www.sonicvisualiser.org/) it may be better suited for your needs,

It seems to have some nice capabilities. But just as in case of Audacity, its incorporation into my workflow comes down to settings [assuming that they can be adjusted to my biding just like those in Audacity]



One more thing [setting]: how to stop Audacity after loading a file from splitting the outcome of the sound [sorry for my unprofessional lingo] equally between the left an right channel? Unfortunately I need to have more in my right speaker, because of how they are placed in the room, so every time Audacity levels my system settings to 50-50 I have to manually change them back. If I change it to something like L35-R65 while Audaciy is still open [even without a single file loaded into it], the when I load new / other files [even to other intancies of Audacity] then my operating system still has that L35-R65 retained. But if I close all windows of Audacity, the opening back makes the unwanted L50-R50 change.

I know that this is logical, in that sense that Audacity wants to help the user by making "equal hearing". But in my case of unsymmetrical set up of audio hardware, this is doing the opposite

[Gale Andrews]

This looks most like a "Feature Request" now, so moved there.

Gale

[Gale Andrews]

One more thing [setting]: how to stop Audacity after loading a file from splitting the outcome of the sound [sorry for my unprofessional lingo] equally between the left an right channel? Unfortunately I need to have more in my right speaker, because of how they are placed in the room, so every time Audacity levels my system settings to 50-50 I have to manually change them back. If I change it to something like L35-R65 while Audaciy is still open [even without a single file loaded into it], the when I load new / other files [even to other intancies of Audacity] then my operating system still has that L35-R65 retained. But if I close all windows of Audacity, the opening back makes the unwanted L50-R50 change.

It's a bug, most likely in the PortAudio library Audacity uses.There is no setting - it should leave the balance alone.

Probably older Audacity 2.0.1 or 2.0.2 won't do it - but those old version won't have some of the Spectrograms features in 2.1.2.


Gale

[steve]

It's a bug, most likely in the PortAudio library Audacity uses.There is no setting - it should leave the balance alone.

I don't understand. Is this on importing files, or recording or what? Is it a Windows only bug?

[Gale Andrews]

It's a bug, most likely in the PortAudio library Audacity uses.There is no setting - it should leave the balance alone.

I don't understand. Is this on importing files, or recording or what? Is it a Windows only bug?

If I understood Worez correctly, none of those. I can actually reproduce it myself on Windows 7.

If I set the Left volume to 10 of 100 and Right volume to 80 of 100 in Windows Sound, then launch Audacity 2.0.3 or later, Audacity resets the Left volume to 80. The volume of the louder channel doesn't change but the quieter channel is brought up to the volume of the louder channel.

Yes I have only seen it reported on Windows.


Gale

[Worez]

[...]
So is it possible to not set a specific number [like 24000] but a "max" [100%]. Similar to HTML editor in which you can tell a table or some line to show 100% wide in the browser, and not exactly 768 pixels or whatever number of pixels is suppose to fill the whole screen
[...]

This looks most like a "Feature Request" now, so moved there.

So right now this is not achievable?

[...]
Also: can I know somehow export those settings?
[...]

Is there a config of some sort?

It's a bug, most likely in the PortAudio library Audacity uses.There is no setting - it should leave the balance alone.

I don't understand. Is this on importing files, or recording or what? Is it a Windows only bug?

If I understood Worez correctly, none of thos
[...]

I'm using Windows 7 x64. With the addition of SimpleSndVol 2.0.0.2, which allows me to set the balance by clicking on an icon in tray [something than could be done in Windows XP, but for some absurd reason was made impossible in W7]

Even if I open only empty Audacity, the balance is reset to equal. It happens also with 2.1.1 version

So it's a bug?

[steve]

The last big issue is this: I've set "Maximum Frequency (Hz)" to 24000 so I can clearly see, if the file exceeds characteristics of a FLAC [which stops at 22000]. But depending on how a particular file actually looks in the spectrogram, it can be not clear enough. So is it possible to not set a specific number [like 24000] but a "max" [100%].

The highest frequency supported by digital audio is half the sample rate. This is the known as the "Nyquist frequency".
The highest frequency that can be displayed in the track spectrogram is half the sample rate (the "Nyquist frequency".
If you set the maximum spectrogram frequency in preferences to 96000 Hz, and then import a file that has a sample rate of 44100 Hz, the maximum possible frequency supported by a sample rate of 44100 Hz is 22050 Hz, so the track spectrogram will have a range up to 22050 Hz, which I think is what you want isn't it?

[Worez]

The last big issue is this: I've set "Maximum Frequency (Hz)" to 24000 so I can clearly see, if the file exceeds characteristics of a FLAC [which stops at 22000]. But depending on how a particular file actually looks in the spectrogram, it can be not clear enough. So is it possible to not set a specific number [like 24000] but a "max" [100%].

The highest frequency supported by digital audio is half the sample rate. This is the known as the "Nyquist frequency".
The highest frequency that can be displayed in the track spectrogram is half the sample rate (the "Nyquist frequency".
If you set the maximum spectrogram frequency in preferences to 96000 Hz, and then import a file that has a sample rate of 44100 Hz, the maximum possible frequency supported by a sample rate of 44100 Hz is 22050 Hz, so the track spectrogram will have a range up to 22050 Hz, which I think is what you want isn't it?

That's not what I mean / seek


I downloaded an 160 kbps example from http://download.wavetlan.com/SVV/Media/ ... tp-mp3.htm

Here is the zoom of upper frequencies:




It show empty space, because there is nothing in there. But I know this because I downloaded a specific sample. So I didn't really had to zoom in, stop and look. But if I would opened a file like that not knowing what the supposed quality of it should be, the I would have to zoom in, stop and look very carefully

Audacity's spectrogram should do this for me and tell me about the empty space in the way I've described it: in this case, after loading the file, it would stop at around 16500 and thus not showing me the the empty space above it. I could of course zoom out then to see it for myself, but there would not be a reason for that

So in this case instead of seeing full spectro like this


I would like to see upon loading this low quality file a limited spectrogram like this