Wow. This one’s just got me. I have v3.x and never liked that I couldn’t import an mp3 - only a .wav - so I’m into a trial of 5.x and it just isn’t intuitive.
My basic goal is to fade out live audience at the end of an mp3 so it doesn’t just cut off abruptly. I’ll assume a fade in would be equally possible. I have about 40GB of mp3s that were just dumped on me by a buddy and I imagine that much of it needs editing.
Here are my steps, please tell me what’s missing from my theory:
I right click on any mp3 and open in n-Track
Draw my Master Volume and drag the Master Volume line to my preferences
Then I save it as a .wav
Then try to convert the .wav to an .mp3 within n-Track
(I can use CDeX to convert but I’d rather not have to open another application)
After the save, I listen to the track in WinAmp only find that the volumes are not adjusted. I can’t figure it out.
Please offer me your advice. Thanks in advance.
I suggest trying Audacity. What you are trying to do, while can be done easily in n-Tracks when the files are waves, might be just as easy in Audacity, and it’s free. (It does require LAME for exporting MP3.)
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Maybe n-Tracks will add better MP3 support later, but most of us rarely need to import MP3 files, and most of us encode/decode with other apps anyway.
The problem with the volume envelopes is because you will need to do a mixdown of each song. Unless the edit is done destructively (can volume envelopes be applied destructively? don’t remember) then the underlying wave will be left untouched (which is a good thing). This is another reason to try Audacity.
Hi Arranger:
I stand corrected on this reply…
But…
I think to save the “Edits” you do using n-Track you have to do a “SAVE AS” and maybe re-name the file to get the editing to work…
It’s not the editor you use to make the “End Product”… It’s the editor you get used to using to get to the “End Product”…
Most of the editing I do here is completed using n-Track…
or…
GoldWave…
However, when I edit the tracks you describe… I use a utility called “PolderbitS”…
It’s made by a guy over in the Netherlands…
What a great little editor it is…
BUT…
he wouldn’t update the application so 24-bit Res. .wav files can be processed with it…
He knows, I’ve been after him…
But…
He just don’t listen…
Bill…
p.s. Sorry phoo… I jumped in there…
When you play the wave file does the fade occure?
If I follow correctly, you load a wave file, create fades with the volume envelope, mixdown to a new wave file and then convert to an MP3.
Should work.
Only thing I can think of is that you are either not mixing down the altered wave.
You have to do a mixdown/render of the track(s) for the edits to be “permanent”. n-Track can render directly to mp3 if the Lame mp3 codec is installed properly.
D
I just did this in CoolEdit -
that is import mp3, apply a fade at the end,
save as pcm wav file (44.1k 16bit), then re-import the wav to check - and it has the fade.
The mp3 edit was non-destructive (if you do not save it).
I just wanted to see that you can indeed do a non-destrctive
edit on one format, and save the edit permanently as another
format.
Not sure how N handles these things.
Then I save it as a .wav
Then try to convert the .wav to an .mp3 within n-Track
In beta 6 - you can just go to FILE menu / convert.wav / to mp3
As long as you have the lame encoder - you are good to go.
I just did it, N told me I did not have lame and pointed me
to the download site. I downloaded (you don't even have to
put it in the n-track folder) just tell n where it is located.
'that is lame.dll'
It will come up with the bit-rate slider and convert the wav
to mp3. I had no problem doing this. And the fades I put in
are there.
Ok - I see what you mean now.
Using N6 beta
Open file.mp3
N converts it to ‘file From Mp3.wav’ on the fly.
That is what is currently in the timeline.
Apply your volume envelope -
But then you have to go to Edit/Apply track effect/envelopes
This will re-write the file with the volume envelope on the timeline.
NOW you can save as mp3. And when you do, N seems to automatically save
a .wav file version as well.
But this edit will have no effect on the original mp3 file
unless you save using the same file name in which case it will
overwrite the original with the volume change.
Outstanding replies, all. Thanks so much.
Yes, I did need to apply the changes, or mixdown first. The results are nice. I wish it didn’t generate all the alternate files, though. the .sng files and extra .wav files all need to be deleted every time.
Thank you again.
Any further advice is welcome.
arranger