Audacity to the rescue

[Vandelay]

If you haven't downloaded Audacity (FREE audio editing software), I highly recommend it. I've found tons of uses for it lately -- thought I'd share the latest example:

On Sunday, my band started working on a new cover tune, but we quickly decided to shorten the original version and lower the key by a half-step. Also, since the original ends with a fade-out, we decided to repeat the opening riff and use it as an ending.

In a 10-piece band like ours, it's hard for everyone to keep all this straight. So on Monday I used Audacity to edit the MP3 of the original, and in about 15 minutes I had a version of the original that matched all our changes, including the new transposed key! (Audacity can change the pitch without changing the tempo, or vice versa). I gave the edited MP3 to the band members, and we're using it as a guide.

Amazing what you can do with free software these days.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

[tbone409]

cool link, thank you!

[Stegre]

It will capture any audio that comes off your sound card too! Many uses for that

Stefan
coverbandbook.com

[toaster2k3]

I've used Audacity for the last 8 months and I have to say that it is by far one of the best pieces of freeware ever.

[51m0n]

Audacity is very good, Hydrogen is as good but a drum machine, and if you want to really go that route get Ubuntu-Studio its absolutely excellent. It is an entire Linux distro though for those afraid of the Penguin

[Depth_Charge]

Yeah I use Audacity for a few things, it comes in quite handy especially transposing to new keys (my friends and I often play half tuned down songs in standard as my guitards are too lazy to down tune haha)!

ATM I am wondering about how cover bands use a laptop through a PA to sample single instruments, ie a keyboard or a lead guitar etc. I can't find anything on this topic as I'm probably not asking the right questions

[::Saint::]

I've been using Audacity to record my own musical projects (multi-tracking bass, vocals and some drum tracks) and I find it an excellent program in general. Seems to have all of the bells and whistles that I need and is fairly easy to edit, cut, paste, tracks, etc.

Can anyone reccomend a drum program that I could use with Audacity that would be easy to use? I'm no drummer, so I don't want to have to know too much drum theory to be able to create some usable tracks... to be honest I don't have the slightest clue how that would even work...

[MadMark5]

thanks for the link, I'm def gonna try this out. we also play a half step down and this will help out big time...
I use cool edit pro also and it's a great program for editing...


as far as drums, I got a (shhhh) pirated copy of reason from a friend and I tend to use that to create drum tracks....

[bro)))616]

how do i download the effects and things

[Diggler]

Hmmm... I've been using WinAmp to drop the keys in our songs on the fly as well as making converted files... I'll have to try it out.

[IndyBass]

I use Audacity to export short MP3s from larger WAV files that we capture while working on new ideas at rehearsals. The big WAVs have several song ideas within, and Audacity works great for selecting the various pieces and exporting them to MP3.

The feature that's nice for slightly older/slower computers like mine is that it will export the selection to MP3 without actually having to trim/edit down the original WAV file at all. You just select a section of the larger WAV, export that to MP3, slide the pointers around to select a new section, export that, etc. You only have to load the original WAV file once.

[51m0n]

hydrogen