Creating Compilations with Audacity (back)

Have you ever want to combine two or more songs? We have found wonderful “FREE” software that lets you do this… it is called Audacity. Audacity lets you combine and edit songs, creating professional sounding compilations. In about 5 minutes you can combine 2 or more songs with professional fades … creating fluid musical transitions. Furthermore, you can shorten or eliminate unwanted portions of a song. Below is a brief overview of how Audacity works. This is an overview, refer to Audacity’s “Help” files for more assistance.


Benefits

You can create custom musical compilations to meet your needs or specific family requests. Need a longer song? Combine songs to any desired length. You will be impressed by how easily you can create and save compilations.


Downloading Audacity



There are two files you will need. The Audacity program plus an MP3 utility that converts the Audacity file to an MP3 format. (MP3 is the music format used by TimelessTributes™)

Download Audacity Music Editor 1.2.1

Download MP3 Utility

(NOTE: Save this installer to your hard drive at a location you will remember. After it is downloaded, double-click on the file and accept all of the default installation options. Visit the Audacity website for system requirement information and installation instructions.)


Setup

Install the Audacity program then the MP3 utility.

Go to the FILE tab on the navigation bar and click-on the PREFERENCES option from the drop-down menu.



Select the FILE FORMAT tab. You will see the following screen. Set the BIT RATE to “32” for videos that will be played on the web or to "128" for videos that will be burned to DVD.



The Bit Rate refers to the quality of the audio. 128K is CD quality; however dial-up users can only receive at 46K. Using 32K enables a rich sound while enabling it to be played over the Internet. (NOTE: A 3 Minute Song @ 128K is 4 to 5 MB in size versus 1 MB when saved at 32K. Our music library is already set at 32K.)

Next click-on the FIND LIBRARY button and locate a file called “lame_enc.dll”. It will be located on your hard drive at C:\Program Files\Lame. Click-on the OK button to complete the set-up.


Combining Songs

Let’s assume you want to combine two songs. Go to FILE > OPEN and select the desired songs. After opening both songs your screen will look like this. The top window is SONG #1 and the bottom window is SONG #2.



Audacity allows you to view the wave-forms that create your music. To combine two songs, simply highlight the second song by dragging your cursor over the whole song (while holding-down the left mouse button) or, going to EDIT > SELECT > ALL.



Use the COPY command then move your cursor to the end of the first song and PASTE. You will see the second song appended to the first.




Fades

To give your compilations a professional touch, have the first song “fade-out” and the second song “fade-in”. It’s easy to do.

Highlight the last 6-8 seconds of the first song then select the EFFECT button on the navigation bar. From the drop-down window click-on FADE OUT,



You will see the wave form at the end of the first song fade to silence.



Do the same with the beginning of the second song except select FADE IN. The song will gradually increase its volume, creating a fluid transition between songs.


Saving songs in MP3 Format

You will want to save you songs in an MP3 format. (That is the format TimelessTributes™ uses.) To do this select FILE from the navigation bar, then select EXPORT AS MP3



Save the file to your hard drive. We recommend you save it to C:\VideoTributes\Music\Compiliations.

Audacity has a lot of additional audio editing features. You can insert silence, change volume/pitch, add echo and lots more. Go ahead and play with it. We think you will like it!


Musical Tips

Use a single musical theme (e.g. genre) – It is best to have all the music in a compilation from the same genre. For example, avoid mixing “country” with “classical”. Mixtures are great to meet specific family requests; otherwise, avoid the eclectic.

“Silence isn’t always golden” - Avoid long quiet spots between songs (e.g. more than 1 second). Most viewers will think the video is concluding versus transitioning to the next song.

Avoid large jumps in volume – If you are combining two songs that have a large volume difference, include a long fade-in to the second, louder song. (Or, long fade-out from a louder first song.) This creates a gradual transition versus a choppy volume “jump”.


Unique Ideas – adding voice-over's

Adding special prayers or a child’s voice provides an incredible level of personalization. This is an advanced feature that Audacity offers. You will need to read Audacity’s “Help” files plus practice a few times but it is easier than you think.


About Copyrights

You are allowed to create compilations from our Music Library. Just remember, our music can only be used in conjunction with a TimelessTributes™ video.