How to Process Mutiple Files in Audacity

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Editing Multiple Files

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Audacity 1.3.x is now obsolete . Please use the current Audacity 2.1.x version.

Mac 0S X 10.3 and earlier are no longer supported but you can download legacy versions of Audacity for those systems HERE.

Editing Multiple Files

Post by alexius » Sat Nov 26, 2011 10:38 pm

Audacity v1.3.13-beta, Mac OS X v10.6.8

Two issues regarding editing multiple (AIFF) files with Audacity.

As you know, in Mac OS X one can cycle through an app's open windows with the cmd-tilde shortcut. So let's say I open 5 files with Audacity. Here's what I expect to happen:

• I edit file 1 -> cmd-tilde ->
  move to file 2, edit -> cmd-tilde ->
  move to file 3, edit -> and so on

But here's what actually happens:

• I edit file 1 -> cmd-tilde ->
  move to file 2, edit -> cmd-tilde ->
  move to file 1 (mumble) -> cmd-tilde ->
  move to file 2 (mumble some more) -> cmd-tilde ->
  move to file 3 -> and so on

(2) Repeat Last Effect.

The Effect > Repeat Last Effect command is document-centric, whereas I think it should be application-centric. To elaborate, let's say I have 2 files opened. Here's what I expect to happen:

• Normalise file 1 ->
  move to file 2, cmd-R (apply last effect, ie normalise)

Here's what actually happens

• Normalise file 1 ->
  move to file 2, repeat last effect is unavailable, have to choose again Effect > Normalize.

It could be argued that, if I wanted to apply the same effect to a number of files, I should use Audacity's macro/batch processor (Chains), but that's not always practical. (Imagine that I have 10 files, and instead of merely normalising, the problem is that in each file, somewhere between 02:00.000 and 04:00.000, there is a 30s loud background noise which needs to be eliminated or at least reduced.)

I tested several apps. Sound Studio 2 and Amadeus Pro do both the right way; Sound Studio 4, like Audacity, does them both the wrong way; TwistedWave and Wave Editor do the windows the wrong way, but TW doesn't have a 'repeat last effect', while WE does this the right way. (Of course, 'right way' and 'wrong way' is IMHO.)

Got a bunch of files that need to be edited the same way? You can automate the process to save time and effort using Audacity's Chain feature and modify tons of files at the same time.

Batch processing is really useful when you want to make the same edits to multiple files. It comes in handy if you want to remove background noise from a series of audio lectures, remove clicks from recorded vinyl albums, or apply normalization to a bunch of sound clips. In our example, we'll be creating an Equalizer preset and applying that to a series of wav files, then exporting them all as mp3s.

Getting Our Presets Set

Let's start by opening Audacity and go to Tracks > Add New > Audio Track.

We're only creating it so that we can edit some options that we can't get to without a project loaded. Go to Generate > Silence.

You'll get a prompt for the duration. Just go with the default 30; it doesn't really matter.

Go to Effect > Equalization.

Here, you can click on intersections on the line to redraw it. This is a visual way to edit the equalizer settings. I'm tweaking some of my sitar tracks from long ago, so I'll bump the highs and lows a bit. Of course, you should edit the EQ for whatever your needs are.

That's much better. Now click on Save As to save your preset.

Give it a name. Then click OK until you're back at the main window. Then go to File > Export.

We're going to change the mp3 export options, so choose mp3 from the drop-down and click Options.

I want this down in high quality, so I chose 320 kbps. Click OK. You don't actually have to save your fake project, so just hit cancel and close the track.

Creating and Applying Chains

To create a "Chain" of effects and processes, go to File > Edit Chains. You'll see a window like so:

Click Add to create a new chain and give it a name. Then click on Insert to add an effect.

Here, double-click on Equalization to bring up the parameters. Click on the Edit Parameters button.

Where it says Select Curve, choose the new EQ preset we made earlier, then click OK twice. You'll be back at the Edit Chains window, so click Insert again to add another process to our chain.

Double-click on ExportMp3. Unfortunately, you can't edit the parameters here, which is why we did it earlier. Click OK, then at the Edit Chains window click OK. Our chain is all saved!

To actually batch process files, we need to go to File > Apply Chains.

You can select a chain and apply it to your current project as well, but for our guide, let's apply it to a couple of different files.

Then, sit back and watch Audacity work for you!

Batch processing comes in handy when you want to repeat long effect chains to multiple files, or even for common functions in standard editing. It's perfect for low-maintenance changes, like cleaning up dictations and exporting them in compressed formats. Share your uses and favorite effects in the comments!

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Editing multiple files

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This board is ONLY for general feedback and discussion about Audacity 2.X.

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Editing multiple files

Post by deaconsinned » Wed Aug 26, 2015 9:29 pm

Re: Editing multiple files

Post by Trebor » Thu Aug 27, 2015 6:31 am

That sounds like "batch processing". Audacity's version of batch-processing is called "Chains", see .
http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/ch . ation.html

If you are just batch-editing metadata , (rather than batch-processing the audio) , there programs specifically for that , like MP3tag.

Re: Editing multiple files

Post by Gale Andrews » Thu Aug 27, 2015 4:16 pm

No. See the pink panel at the top of the page. MP3Tag is for Windows so if we guessed your operating system wrong, you can't use MP3Tag.

If you are exporting to lossy formats like MP3 or MP4 you should not use Audacity just to change the metadata because Audacity must re-encode the audio which will degrade its quality.

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Amplify multiple files to same volume

Amplify multiple files to same volume

Post by pthubbard » Thu Jan 28, 2010 8:50 pm

Re: Amplify multiple files to same volume

Post by billw58 » Thu Jan 28, 2010 9:33 pm

Use the Normalize effect and set how close you want each file to be to 0 dB. For example you could Normalize each file to -3 dB. Although I don't understand why you wouldn't want to maximize the volume of each file, which would accomplish the same end.

Although it is a sad fact that normalizing a group of files so the peak level is identical in each file does not guarantee that each file will "sound" equally loud. That is dependent on the dynamic range of each file and the amount of dynamic compression applied to each song during the recording/mastering process.

Re: Amplify multiple files to same volume

Post by pthubbard » Thu Jan 28, 2010 10:49 pm

Re: Amplify multiple files to same volume

Post by billw58 » Fri Jan 29, 2010 12:03 am

I'm not familiar with MP3Gain. Their setting of "89 dB" doesn't make sense to me. In Audacity, as in most (if not all) digital audio editors, 0 dB is maximum volume. Anything less is specified as a negative value, e.g. -3 dB.

If you are concerned that Normalize will adversely affect the stereo balance, then Amplify is the way to go. Just accept it's default settings and it will maximize the volume of the selection.

This allows you to batch process files. But Amplify is not the effect to use in Chains as the parameter that is retained is the amplification factor, which may necessarily be different for each song. Normalize is better in this respect as the retained parameter is the desired maximum level.

And as I said, the perceived "loudness" of a track does not necessarily relate to the maximum peak amplitude. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war

Re: Amplify multiple files to same volume

Post by kozikowski » Fri Jan 29, 2010 12:20 am

Audacity is doing what MP3Gain claims to avoid. It does peak normalization.

MP3Gain does not just do peak normalization, as many normalizers do. Instead, it does some statistical analysis to determine how loud the file actually sounds to the human ear.

So we can't do what you want.

We do have a plugin called Chris's Compressor which will certainly do all those jobs and very well, too. It was designed to even out volume variations to your ear, but it's not an internal Audacity tool and last I looked, wasn't on the list of tools that you could chain.

Copy Ctrl + C

Copies the selected audio data to the Audacity clipboard without removing it from the project.

Cut Ctrl + X

Similar to Copy, but removes the selected audio data and and places these on the Audacity clipboard. Any audio data to the right of the selection are shifted to the left.

Paste Ctrl + V

Pastes audio which has been cut or copied to the Audacity clipboard, either inserting it into the selected track(s) at the cursor point, or replacing the current selection region(s).

When you select Paste and the cursor is outside a clip, and there is enough room for the audio that is on the clipboard, the audio on the clipboard can be inserted without any other clips being shifted over if "Editing clips can move other clips" is not checked. If "Editing clips can move other clips" is checked, the following audio will always be moved.

Pasting outside a clip, with "Editing clips can move other clips" checked: Pasting outside a clip, with "Editing clips can move other clips" not checked:

Pasting into a new track

If you want to create a new track and paste into that, the paste will automatically create a new mono or stereo track as appropriate, with the audio starting at time zero, if you:

• Paste into an empty project window
• Click in the gray background underneath the last track in the project to deselect all the tracks, then paste.
• You can paste from a mono track into a stereo track – the mono audio will be replicated in both stereo channels.
• You cannot paste from a stereo track into a mono track. (You will get an error message if you try to do this.)
• You cannot paste from one track type (audio label, note) into a different track type. (You will get an error message if you try to do this.)

If you want the paste to start at other than time zero you must first use Tracks > Add New > Mono Track (or Add New > Stereo Track), place the cursor where you want to paste, then make the paste.

Duplicate Ctrl + D

Creates a new track containing only the current selection as a new clip. The new clip is at the same position on the Timeline as the original audio. This is essentially a shortcut method of performing copy, add new track and paste, except that the duplicated audio is not copied to the Audacity clipboard, so cannot be pasted anywhere else.

Here is a beginner's guide on how to use Audacity, the free audio editing software. These Audacity tutorials will show you how to record and edit audio like a pro.

Audacity is a free and open-source digital audio editor and recording software, available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Table of Contents

• 1 Audacity Overview
• 2 How to Install Audacity
• 3 User Interface
• 4 Recording & Editing Audio
• 5 How to Import Audio
• 6 Removing Background Noise
• 7 Removing Pop Sounds
• 8 Working With Multiple Tracks
• 9 Removing Breathing Sounds
• 10 Audio Normalization
• 11 Audio Equalization
• 12 Applying Effects
• 13 Envelope Tool
• 14 Compressor
• 15 Installing Lame Mp3 Encoder
• 16 Recording A Podcast
• 17 Export Audio

How to Use Audacity

1. Audacity Overview

Here is an introduction to using the Audacity audio editing software.

2. How to Install Audacity

This tutorial will show you how to install Audacity on a Windows computer.

3. Audacity User Interface

In this tutorial you will learn about the Audacity interface.

4. Recording & Editing Audio

This tutorial shows the basics of using Audacity to record and edit audio.

5. How to Import Audio

The video shows you how to import and play an audio file using the Audacity software.

6. Removing Background Noise

By using Audacity, you can easily remove background noise from your recording.

7. Removing Pop Sounds

This tutorial shows how to remove unwanted pops and clicks in your audio.

8. Working With Multiple Tracks

This tutorial shows you how to work with multiple tracks in Audacity.

9. Removing Breathing Sounds

This tutorial shows you two ways on how to remove unwanted breathing sounds.

10. Audio Normalization

This tutorial will show how to add normalization to your audio.

11. Audio Equalization

Adding Audacity effects to a vocal track is easy. Adding the Audacity equalizer can help improve the sound of your tracks dramatically.

12. Applying Effects

This Audacity tutorial shows you how to add, tweak, and double up effects like fades and volume amplification to your audio tracks.

13. Envelope Tool

This video shows you how the Audacity envelope tool works, and how it can be used to adjust the volume of your audio recordings.

14. Compressor

The compressor effect is a wonderful tool to bring down the spikes in your audio without reducing the softer parts.

15. Installing Lame Mp3 Encoder

This tutorial will show how to install an lame MP3 encoder to be able to export MP3 files.

16. Recording A Podcast

Here is a video tutorial on how to use Audacity to record a podcast.

17. Export Audio

This tutorial walks you through the process of exporting an audio file using Audacity software

Additional Beginner Guides

I hope you found this beginner's guide on how to use Audacity helpful.

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Most export formats support at least the seven default tags in Metadata Editor, but support in player applications varies from almost universal for the ID3 tags used by MP3 and MP2 to very limited for WAV . See this Frequently Asked Question for details.

For both MP3 and MP2, only ID3v2.3 tags are exported. ID3v1 can be exported using Cmd-line export.

• By default, Metadata Tags Editor appears for each exported file after choosing the file format in the Export Audio or Export Multiple dialogs.
• Metadata Tags Editor shows data for the most recently imported track in the project, not the selected track. If you need the editor to show separate data for each track, import the files into separate projects.
• Use the OK button in Metadata Tags editor to complete the Export. The Save. button only saves an optional template of tag names and values.

Tag and Value fields

• Tag Name: The first seven Tag names are permanent and cannot be edited. You can add more tag rows and give them a customized name and value using the "Add" button (see below).
  • WAV files: Some applications such as Apple Music/iTunes will not see tags in WAV files. Some applications such as those made by Microsoft can only read INFO tags in WAV files, in which case the only customised tags they will see will be "Copyright" and "Software".
• Tag Value: Type in the data you want for each tag, or accept the data already present from an imported file. You do not have to fill in every value. When exporting multiple files, the "Track Title" and "Track Number" tags are pre-filled automatically from the names and ordering of the tracks or labels.
  • Once a value field has been replaced or edited, press the Return key to select the next value field, or click in any other one to select it.

• Add: Adds a new, empty row to the list for your own custom Tag (by default there is already one empty row at the bottom of the list).
• Remove: Removes the currently selected custom row from the list, or the value data only from the currently selected permanent row.
• Clear: Returns the Editor to default state (seven permanent tag names with empty values, plus one empty row).

Genres

• Edit: Edits the dropdown list displayed in the Value field of the Genre tag. The entire list is selected on open. To navigate it for editing, click the required item or use the keyboard Arrow keys. To add an entry, press keyboard End then type the name you want. The list will be automatically sorted when saved.
• Reset: Resets the genre list to the default.

Template

• Load: Loads a previously saved list of tag names and values into Metadata Editor.
• Save: Saves the current list of tag names and values to a file on your drive.
• Set Default: Makes the current list of tag names and non-empty values the default state whenever opening a new, empty project. To clear the default, press Clear then Set Default .

Even if you set a Default, if you import a file containing metadata, that metadata will appear in Metadata Editor. If you always want a fixed set of metadata to show after importing a file, you need to save that set as a template then load the template after importing the file.

Suppress the metadata dialog

At the bottom left of the dialog is a checkbox labelled "Don't show this when exporting audio"

Checking this "on" will cause subsequent exports to take effect without interruptions for the Metadata Editor dialog. This is equivalent to un-checking the checkbox labelled "Show Metadata Tags editor" in Import / Export Preferences (they are basically the same Preference setting).

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(How) Can i batch convert files with audacity ?

(How) Can i batch convert files with audacity ?

Post by Board index » Wed Mar 17, 2010 10:44 pm

Re: (How) Can i batch convert files with audacity ?

Post by Trebor » Wed Mar 17, 2010 11:11 pm

If I were you I'd learn how to use Audacity on single files first before you try write a macro (chain) to process batches of files.

When you export (save) the file "save as type mp3" click on "options" to set the bitrate.

Re: (How) Can i batch convert files with audacity ?

Post by Board index » Wed Mar 17, 2010 11:23 pm

Re: (How) Can i batch convert files with audacity ?

Post by Trebor » Wed Mar 17, 2010 11:38 pm

I don't think 1.2 does chains, 1.3.11 does, you can get it here, free . http://audacityteam.org/

According to Irish et al .

Re: (How) Can i batch convert files with audacity ?

Post by steve » Thu Mar 18, 2010 2:22 am

Re: (How) Can i batch convert files with audacity ?

Post by tagMacher » Sat Jul 24, 2010 7:12 am

Re: (How) Can i batch convert files with audacity ?

Post by steve » Sat Jul 24, 2010 9:03 am

Audacity uses whatever settings were used last. If you need to change the bit-rate, export a short dummy file in the required MP3 format and those settings will be retained by Audacity and used for future MP3 exports.

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Selecting Multiple Clips Simulateously

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This forum is for Audacity on Windows.
Please state which version of Windows you are using,
and the exact three-section version number of Audacity from " Help menu > About Audacity".

Audacity 1.2.x and 1.3.x are obsolete and no longer supported. If you still have those versions, please upgrade at https://www.audacityteam.org/download/.
The old forums for those versions are now closed, but you can still read the archives of the 1.2.x and 1.3.x forums.

Selecting Multiple Clips Simulateously

Post by quail » Mon Nov 05, 2012 9:56 pm

Re: Selecting Multiple Clips Simulateously

Post by steve » Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:03 pm

Re: Selecting Multiple Clips Simulateously

Post by quail » Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:35 pm

Re: Selecting Multiple Clips Simulateously

Post by steve » Mon Nov 05, 2012 11:54 pm

OK I think I can see what you are trying to do.

You are correct in that you cannot select more than one discontinuous region at the same time, so you can't, for example, select from 5 seconds to 10 seconds and from 30 seconds to 35 seconds at the same time.

Re: Selecting Multiple Clips Simulateously

Post by quail » Tue Nov 06, 2012 12:07 am

Thanks again. That puts my mind at ease. I will try your suggestion.

I was a little concerned that my age might be starting to show. Perhaps I am approaching this from the wrong direction. All the other software I use, CAD, CAM, Solid Modeling, allows for many methods by which you can select multiple entities to perform and edit or operation on simultaneously. But of course this would be intrinsically essential to this type of software. Perhaps not so for audio editing?

Re: Selecting Multiple Clips Simulateously

Post by quail » Tue Nov 06, 2012 12:09 am

Re: Selecting Multiple Clips Simulateously

Post by steve » Tue Nov 06, 2012 12:53 am

It would perhaps be more complex for audio editing.

One example of why it might be confusing:
When a region is selected and you press "Play", the region starts to play.
If multiple regions could be selected, and you pressed play, then presumably all selected regions should start playing simultaneously
Graphic programs don't really have an equivalent to "play".

Another problem is the the "Selection Toolbar" can only really accommodate one selection. Again this does not apply to graphic programs.

There is an alternative approach that can be used in Audacity, which is to separate the regions across 2 (or more) tracks like this:

How to Process Mutiple Files in Audacity

Source: https://sportsclinictampico.com/design/how-to-quickly-edit-multiple-files-in-audacity/

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