Dual simultaneous instances of Audacity on one computer?

Is there any possibility to run, and timer record, two instances of Audacity on one computer? As it is, I have to be on the system at 1:30 am to engage the second recorder.

I am recording two 24-hour tracks over the weekend. I hesitate to record it all on one 48 hour track.
I might be able to get a second computer for Audacity but it seems to be a waste.

Many people want to make Audacity into a surveillance recorder with time stamps and automatic overlapping and posting time blocks.

Not as far as I know.

It sounds to me like a place for a second computer—or an actual surveillance system.

Koz

Can a surveillance system record podcasts?

When Audacity starts up, it checks to see if it is already running, if so, it wakes up the already running copy, then exits. There is a thing called Portable Audacity, which allows you to put an Audacity installation on a USB stick and move it from machine to machine (see Portable Audacity), but I suspect this suffers the same limitation.

I wrote this proposal 6 years ago back in 2016 - it has not been taken up:
https://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Proposal_Multi-event_Timer_Record

I did not transfer this to the Muse GitHub issues log, maybe I should have done …

Peter.

A second timer-record in one session of Audacity would be extremely helpful.

I agree the “VCR” function which records the same “Doctor Who” time slot each week would be handy, but I can also see the complaints almost immediately that it doesn’t provide perfect time blocks. There’s going to be tiny slices of time at the intersection between two shows that don’t get recorded and somebody’s world is going to end if those time blocks are missing.

I have an off-air digital recorder (my “TV Set”) that automatically overlaps two minutes on adjacent shows so I don’t miss anything. And I don’t, but for four minutes, the system has to perfectly record two different shows at the same time. That function has caused more confusion and broken recordings than anything else. And that’s with the actual recording process working perfectly. Now go through midnight. The show is on Tuesday, but because of the overlapping, actually starts Monday.

Look through the Audacity forum complaints and count the number of damaged single recordings that are presented. Now overlay double recording problems.

If you wanted to design a double recording process, I’m sure Audacity’s parents would be happy to work with you to produce a stable product. There are people on the forum who do recording and production management directly in programming rather than going through the user interface. You could contact them.

Koz

The concentration for programming escaped me long ago.
Now all I can do is patchwork on my own code (most of the time)…

I recall that one of the main reasons we abandoned this idea was just what does one do about the time interim between the two or more scheduled Timer Record events?

a) Lock out all other use of Audacity (as single-shot TR currently does) - a bit drastic if it’s a week between episodes.#

b) What you you do if you allow Audacity access in the interim and the user is still using Audacity when the next TR event wants to start?
Also possibly drastic if the user is doing something important - do you kick the user out and abandon the TR or do you just forget about the TR.

:confused: :unamused: :nerd:
Peter.

What you you do if you allow Audacity access in the interim and the user is still using Audacity when the next TR event wants to start?

That’s easy, you start the third instance. Nobody wrote you have to stop at two. I submit that’s when it stops being simple Audacity and starts being a separate product.

@Emerogork

You see the problem? You’re in the “All I Need Is” loop, but developers have to think ahead. They’re doing "Since we’re making this change, we might as well also [Different Related Change]."

There is another, lesser known Friedel Loop. “We should do this, but doing that is way too much work or complexity, so we won’t do anything.”

Koz