Subject:wav>separate tracks

Posted by: wheresjerry

Date:10/11/2012 1:47:25 PM

Hi,

I tape live concerts as a hobby, and would love to know how to split a large wav file into separate tracks..there are other programs to do this with on a PC, but with a Mac, its different. I loved soundforge for pcs, but never got the task down of splitting larger wav files into individual tracks and saving them for burning onto cd's.

I know how to add markers, and with other programs, you can do this and split track at markers. For example:

I have a 2 hour show, and after I place markers at each song break, say 20 songs/20 markers, how do I save them into 20 separate files so I can save them and burn them onto disk? Seems like this should be easy, but....

Thanks in advance! Karl

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: roblesinge

Date:10/11/2012 2:14:54 PM

There is a way to extract regions as files in SF for Windows. I don't think that functionality made it into this first Mac release. I could be wrong though.

Rob.

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: pwppch

Date:10/11/2012 3:29:46 PM

File | Export Regions


Covered on page 24 of the manual.

Peter

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: wheresjerry

Date:10/12/2012 7:05:00 AM

tried that, but Export Regions greyed out, and non selectable.....

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: J.

Date:10/12/2012 9:49:04 AM

Have you created any regions? It's only enabled if there's something to export.

J.

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: roblesinge

Date:10/12/2012 11:41:25 AM

In your OP, you mention knowing how to add markers. Make sure you're actually creating Regions. Highlight the section you want as a region and then hit the R key. Repeat for all regions and then try to extract.

Rob.

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: pwppch

Date:10/12/2012 9:36:31 PM

Make sure you have at least one region created.

Chapter 3 covers Makers and Regions.

Peter

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: wheresjerry

Date:10/13/2012 5:54:44 AM

can they make it any more difficult to understand? Marker placement isnt tough, it is the section on Regions I can figure out...can someone please lay this out step by step for me and am sure others to understand.

Soundforge for PC seems to be just as difficult, as I resorted to other programs for this purpose...

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: pwppch

Date:10/13/2012 8:42:33 AM

Make a selection that you need. Type 'r' or select region from the menu.

Repeat for the rest of the regions you need.

You can adjust the regions by dragging the beginning or end. You can also edit them in the marker and regions tool.

Here is a workflow that I just tried that should work by using markers to set each track.

1. Set the cursor to the beginning of the first track. Hit the "I" to set selection start point.

2. Move the cursor to the next track start. If a marker is there, select it in the marker region tool or click on the marker in the ruler to move the cursor to this new point.

3. Type "o" to set the selection end point. The "track" will become the selection. Type "r" to make a region from the selection.

4. Type "I" to set the current position, which is the ending of the last track and the beginning of the next, as the selection start point.

5. Repeat 2 - 4 until you reach the last track's beginning.

6. Move the cursor to the end of the last track. Type "o" to set the end of the selection.

7. type "r" to create the final region.

You can now adjust the region's start and end, as well as label them for reference.

Finally, choose Export Regions to generate your file per track.


If there is something specific that is not clear, please post.

Peter

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: wheresjerry

Date:10/14/2012 5:47:56 AM

Thanks! I too figured it out...

I know how to add markers. Once I did that, I double clicked on my trackpad the area s in between each marker, and from the pull down menu, made that into a region. I repeated that for all the individual areas, then exported regions to my desktop.

Thanks for all the help!

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: Geoff_Wood

Date:10/14/2012 4:14:57 PM

"You can not adjust the region's start and end, as well as label them for reference."

I think that should have been "now". ;-)

geoff

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: pwppch

Date:10/14/2012 7:00:58 PM

Fixed. I blame the iPad I post with.<g>

Thanks Geoff

Peter

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: wheresjerry

Date:10/15/2012 3:23:26 PM

Its amazes me that there isn't an easier way to cut files into separate track, then export them....the way I discovered is a tad tedious and it just seems you can accomplish the same result with fewer mouse clicks, etc....

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: J.

Date:10/16/2012 9:25:55 AM

Perhaps you could suggest your preferred workflow.

Is it tedious simply because you started with markers rather than regions or is there something else to improve? How do you do it in Forge 10 (or other applications)?

J.

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: Geoff_Wood

Date:10/16/2012 6:17:27 PM

It's more a matter of using the appropriate software for the job. If you are splitting into 'tracks' and exporting to mix elsewhere, why not acquire the tracks in the other app in the first place ?

SF is a multi-channel audio editor, not a multi-track DAW.

geoff

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: wheresjerry

Date:10/17/2012 7:02:47 AM

I could never figure it out in SF10, and when I was on a PC, there were programs that could easily split a single track into multiple tracks with a mouse pointer and a click (cdwav http://www.milosoftware.com) and save files to a folder. What I am asking is, after using SF for Mac to edit and master a large track, why does it have to be a tough challenge to split this track into smaller tracks and export the separated tracks into a folder for burning?

This companies audio editor does just that, place markers where you want to split tracks and a few menu clicks and your done. http://www.hairersoft.com/pro.html

I really like Sound Forges layout, plug ins etc, and opted to use this over any other program available to Mac users.It seems that SF for Mac makes a simple task a bit more difficult to figure out, even when you've read the manual section, and tried to figure it out.

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: roblesinge

Date:10/17/2012 7:23:47 AM

You just described the process in SF. I don't understand what more you want. Place regions, click to extract. How much easier does it have to be?

Highlight the region you want, type R, repeat for all tracks, then use the menus to extract to files.

I guess there are tradeoffs based on what you want software to do. Apparently, if you want the layout and plugins, you'll have to just deal with a few (?) extra steps to prepare for burning.

Rob.

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: Chienworks

Date:10/17/2012 10:30:23 AM

Well, from a practical standpoint, the operation does take about twice as much effort in Sound Forge. A region consists of two points, both of which have to be specified. I get the feeling that in the other software placing a marker creates the end of the previous region and the start of the next all in one click. In Sound Forge you have to either a) drag-highlight to select a region, b) set in and out points, or c) double-click between two markers to select the region, and then *after that*, one must press R to convert the selection into a region. That's a whole lot more than a single click. OK, not a whole lot more, and when you get used to it it goes pretty darned fast. It also gives us the option of *not* including sections that we don't want by simply leaving those areas out of the regions.

Then afterward, one must pull down a menu, select the export regions function, an then briefly fiddle with a dialog box before the export begins. Yes, that's a few steps, but also yes again not really onerous ones. It just seems like a lot when you're used to a simpler solution.

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: J.

Date:10/17/2012 2:57:39 PM

Would adding an equivalent to SF10's "Marker to Regions" feature resolve this?

I suppose it could just be an option in Export Regions, but then it's not clear what will happen when you have both markers and regions present.

J.

Subject:RE: wav>separate tracks

Reply by: Geoff_Wood

Date:10/17/2012 10:32:15 PM

Easier still - select (highlight) section, Copy, Paste To New . (Presumably implemented in MacSF....)

geoff