Metadata Editor

[Steam]

I'm using Mac OS X 10.7.5 and Audacity 2.0.3 with .dmg installer.

I've recorded music (20 songs) and labeled each of the song tracks with the discrete song titles. For the labeling, I used the sidebar to the left of the waveform track. For each song I clicked on the Audio Track>Name dropdown and then typed in the song title. Using the Audacity "Splitting a Recording into Separate Tracks" tutorial, I followed the instructions for exporting under step 4 of that tutorial. Something, however, went awry at the Metadata Editor step. The instruction says track title and track number will be pre-filled, but only the track number was pre-filled; track title says "untitled". I went ahead anyway, clicking the "ok" button for what I anticipated would be each of the 20 songs I wanted to export. When I got to the 3rd song, however, the export action took place, instead of at the last, 20th song, as the instruction stated should happen.

When I dragged the file to iTunes there was no list of songs, as I remember there was the last time I used the Audacity/iTunes combination. The "playlist" at iTunes showed "1 song", but no song title for the "one" song. I went ahead with the cd burning procedure to see what would happen. Although I haven't played the entire cd, I know that at least the first 4 songs are on it, since I played that many. The songs play one after the other, but I can't choose a given song. The cd player shows "1" in its track window for all 4 songs I have listened to so far, i.e. I can't select a particular song to play since they aren't individually numbered.

Something wrong with labeling process I used, or......?

[billw58]

To use the method you've described you should have 20 separate tracks in the Audacity project window, one above the other. Is that correct?

The splitting recordings tutorial does not recommend that method. It recommends having the 20 songs one after another on one track and using labels to identify each song.

If you dragged one file to iTunes then it is not surprising that the CD shows 1 track. You must export 1 file (AIF, WAV, MP3 or whatever) for each song.

This topic isn't really about the Metadata editor, but the failure to produce 20 separate songs/tracks in iTunes and on the burned CD. What you saw of the metadata editor (appearing 3 times) indicated that three files were exported.

Please have a careful read of the tutorial again, and try using labels for each song instead of trying to put each song on a separate track.

-- Bill

[Steam]

Bill-

Yes, each song is on a separate track, one below the other, with each subsequent track beginning after the ending of the previous track, i.e. the first song's track begins at 0 seconds and ends when the song finishes, usually about 2 1/2 minutes later, then the second song's track begins about 3 seconds later and finishes at the end of that song, and so on. The 20 songs were obtained from 20 separate recordings, each with a discrete beginning and end, so Audacity automatically changed tracks 20 times, one track for each song.

After reading your analysis of the problem I tried shifting the tracks upward using the track control panel's "move track up" choice so all 20 songs would be on one continuous track (with the 3 second spacing between songs). That action, however, doesn't merge the 20 tracks into one so the 20 songs are spread along one track; rather it just shifts the tracks one above the other. I tried the tutorial's option of dragging the tracks by clicking in the Track Control Panel, but that action just moves a given track to an empty track position rather than to the track immediately above.

Since the nature of this project is such that I can't record all 20 songs on one continuous track will I have to somehow separate the now-single project into 20 separate projects, then export each one to iTunes, and then try to burn them all to a single cd?

-Chuck

[Gale Andrews]

After reading your analysis of the problem I tried shifting the tracks upward using the track control panel's "move track up" choice so all 20 songs would be on one continuous track (with the 3 second spacing between songs). That action, however, doesn't merge the 20 tracks into one so the 20 songs are spread along one track; rather it just shifts the tracks one above the other. I tried the tutorial's option of dragging the tracks by clicking in the Track Control Panel, but that action just moves a given track to an empty track position rather than to the track immediately above.

There is no reason you can't export multiple with the Audacity tracks above each other, but you will have to set Export Multiple to export by Tracks, not labels. If you decide to export by tracks, you will need to put the Audacity tracks back into order so that the top Audacity track is the first track for the CD, the second Audacity track the second CD track and so on. Any label tracks you have will be ignored.

If you do want to make the songs into one Audacity track, COMMAND + A to select all, then Tracks > Align Tracks > Align End to End. 2.0.3 does not have that command, so get Audacity 2.0.6 from http://audacityteam.org/download/mac. After the align, do Tracks > Mix and Render, then you will have all the songs on one Audacity track. Then label the songs as in the Tutorial, and set Export Multiple to export by Labels.

Since the nature of this project is such that I can't record all 20 songs on one continuous track will I have to somehow separate the now-single project into 20 separate projects, then export each one to iTunes, and then try to burn them all to a single cd?

No need. Just do one of the above.


Gale

[Steam]

I recorded another project yesterday using the 2.0.3 version of Audacity I had installed years ago (I don't remember how I solved the "align end-to-end" problem when I last discussed it with you in 2014).

If I update now to 2.0.6 (or whatever is current now), as you or Bill suggested, won't I have to re-record the project using 2.0.6 (or whatever is current now), and then proceed with alignment using the "end-to-end" option?

[billw58]

Audacity 2.1.2 (the latest version) will open projects created in version 2.0.3.
-- Bill

[Steam]

Hello Bill-

Ok....that's good (that the latest version will open projects created in earlier versions)....

I just downloaded the 2.1.2 version, but when I attempt to open it (from Finder) nothing happens. I tried closing the 2.0.3 version, and then tried opening 2.1.2 (again from Finder), and still nothing. When I click on the Audacity icon in the dock I get the 2.0.3 version....???

-Chuck

[Gale Andrews]

Ok....that's good (that the latest version will open projects created in earlier versions)....

I just downloaded the 2.1.2 version, but when I attempt to open it (from Finder) nothing happens. I tried closing the 2.0.3 version, and then tried opening 2.1.2 (again from Finder), and still nothing. When I click on the Audacity icon in the dock I get the 2.0.3 version....

Trash all your folders containing the Audacity application.

Give yourself a clean start with all Audacity settings. Open Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder and type or paste

Code: Select all

~/Library/Application Support/ 

Trash the "audacity" folder you see there.

Remove the Audacity icon from the Dock (right-click or CONTROL-click and choose "Remove from Dock" or similar).

Then mount and open the 2.1.2 DMG and drag the "Audacity" folder into /Applications. Eject the DMG. Launch Audacity from /Applications.


Gale

[Steam]

Gale-

Bill said 2.1.2 can open projects created with 2.0.3 (the current version in my computer), but if I trash all Audacity folders I'll have to re-record the projects I've saved in 2.0.3 won't I?

-Chuck

[billw58]

Chuck:
Read Gale's post carefully. First he said:

Trash all your folders containing the Audacity application.

Those folders should be in your Applications folder.

If you have been saving your projects into folders that contain the Audacity application then you should obviously move those projects somewhere else - preferably your Documents folder - before you trash those folders.

-- Bill