Need some audio help, finalizing mix for a short demo

starving student · Post by **starving student** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 7:22 am

so i've got on long audio file mix that i'd like to turn into 4 files but at the same time keep one file so that a listener can just play the whole file all the way through or move ahead if they wish to the next part of the mix, how do I accomplish this.

2. second problem is how do I get all of the mix to be one volume?

i'm on a pc and the studio i'm in has loads of apps which one to use, hopefully that's easy to use.

thanks in advance for your help

4am · Post by **4am** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 8:08 am

split it into 4 parts, then burn it with no pause between the parts.
most cd burning programs give by default a pause of 2 seconds between the tracks, just select 0 seconds and you should have what you want.

Komplex · Post by **Komplex** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 10:12 am

I'll just post what someone elses (Milesy) posted on blackout audio about the same thing:

cue files are the only way ive done it for years

Code:
FILE "Chris Miles - some mix blah blah.mp3" MP3
TRACK 01 AUDIO
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO
INDEX 01 03:00:00
TRACK 03 AUDIO
INDEX 01 06:00:00
TRACK 04 AUDIO
INDEX 01 09:00:00
TRACK 05 AUDIO
INDEX 01 12:00:00

and save that as say "Chris Miles - some mix blah blah.cue"
then with nero find the option "burn image" and then select the
cue file and it will burn it with the gaps at the track index's above
without spaces and without you needing to go through the painfull
process of splitting a audio file into lots of small ones.

for audio purposes the TRACK number is the only one that will
increment. the INDEX number will always be 1.
and the time format is in mins:secs:milisecs
If you want to use a .mp3 file it has to say MP3 after the
filename in quotes. if you want to use a .wav you need to
have WAVE after the filename

And you can write it in notepad aparently.

I will try this soon, let me know if it works for you.

starving student · Post by **starving student** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 12:01 pm

thanks for the tips I will try them in the morning, , what about having all of the file at the same volume, anyone know how to do that?

and thanks again

starving student · Post by **starving student** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 4:38 pm

supster · Post by **supster** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 4:55 pm

best thing to do is normalize your individual track volumes in soundforge using a quality maximizer like waves L2

do this before you mix and you mix will be nice and even all the way thru

If you set the L2 up right it wont mess with the dynamics of your tracks much.

BTW:

I wrote up a tutorial for another board about cutting Livesets using MP3DirectCut. I'll paste it here.,. hope it helps

What is the most efficient way to put the cue gaps in your downloaded live sets, and burn them to CD?

Answer:

1 - Place the gaps in the MP3 (or wav) file manually, by choosing where each track ends and the next one begins

2 - Create a CUE file from this information. CUE files (.cue extension) are what a CD burning program will use to burn the gaps onto your CD.

3 - Burn the MP3 / wav onto a CD using the CUE file

Method:

You will need the following programs

1 - MP3DirectCut

Freeware - use this to

a. Go thru your MP3 or wav file, and choose where to put your gaps

b. Create your CUE file

2 - CDR Win or Nero -

Commercial programs - not hard to get - CD burning programs that will allow you to burn the CD with your CUE file information

Install the programs, then ...

Step by Step:

1 - Open MP3 Direct Cut. Open your MP3 or wav file (File, Open)

2 - OK. You will see a visual representation of your file, peaks. You can also play the file and listen as you go through.

Figure this out: play the file, use the buttons to skip through, listen, and look at the waveform to decide where to put your gaps.

The first one (beginning of file) MUST BE SET AT 00:00:00 (very important, CDR-WIN will error out if you dont have the first one set right)

3 - When you find a place where you want to put your gap (first one at 00:00:00!), click your mouse on the waveform at that exact spot. DO NOT DRAG (keep it a thin blue line) Then click the 'Cut' button on the bottom left of the program.

This will change the blue line to orange. Continue on through your file until you place an orange gap between all of the tracks.

NOTE: MP3 Direct Cut also allows you to modify the ID3 - Artist, Name information.... allows you to fade the file in (get rid of annoying radio announcers) and fade out .... allows you to easily split long MP3 files in half or however many pieces you want. Explore it - it does a lot.

4 - If you are done with the MP3 / wave, do a SAVE AS on this file with a new name (put a CUT at the end of the filename or something ... "my-liveset-CUT.mp3) This is, in case there is a problem and you want to get back to the original to change the gaps.

5 - When you are done with this - go to "Special --> Save Cue Sheet and Edit with Notepad" on the menu

Save this CUE sheet in the same directory as your file! (important)

When it comes up in Notepad, you will see the code for the CUE sheet. Simple stuff.

Make sure the filename at the top reflects the name of your saved file (with the new filename)

You will also see where to type in the Artist / Name, and if you have a setlist, you will see where to put the names of the tracks. (near TITLE).

Careful modifying this file, if you screw it up the burner will error out.. Then save.

Now:

6 - Open CDR-Win or Nero. I will give the tutorial for CDR-WIN

7 - In CDRWin, click on Record CD. Then click Load Cuesheet on the right.

8 - Then click Record CD.

Your liveset will now be cut with the fade-ins, fade outs, inaudible gaps between tracks, and you can skip thru the set just like a commercial CD

In Nero I believe you need to Burn Image, and choose your CUE sheet as the image to burn. Same basic process otherwise.

Hope this helps.

starving student · Post by **starving student** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 5:42 pm

thank you very much for your help, but what i'm trying to do is now that I have the 4 separate files i'd like them to be the same volume on the cd, is there an app that will make them all the same volume so people listening to the cd won't have to keep turning up and down depending on the song?

Komplex · Post by **Komplex** » Fri Jan 28, 2005 10:33 pm

can you mix them again at similar levels?

If not, you will have to mess around a lot to get it even sounding. Basically you will have to draw volume envelopes over your mix in an audio editor and at the end you should put a limiter over the whole mix and jack it till its all loud. It might sound good or shit depedning on how much care you take when doing it.