|
I use a digital recorder to capture what I hear. It records to MP3 format which is of good quality and produces much smaller files than recording to WAV format. The problem is that to dissect an MP3 file, picking out the parts I am interested in, can be a problem. Most audio editing programs I've tried - the free and cheap ones, that is to say - must first convert the MP3 file to either WAV format or some other internal form. On a large 15 or more minute recording, it can be a slow process just importing the original file before editing can begin.
I came across a free program called mp3DirectCut, which is fairly simple and small, but quite useful. It works with MP3 format files directly - no conversion needed or time wasted - and lets you listen and easily cut or segment the file into smaller MP3 files. It even has a useful visual display of the audio as it is playing. The ability to move back and forth, and mark segments to export is easier than many of the higher priced editors I have tried. This is perfect for picking out the short but priceless parts of a recording. These small segments can then be further processed by a more sophisticated editing program, if necessary, with much less time needed to import.
Here is a blurb from their web site:
mp3DirectCut is a small tool for editing mpeg audio directly. You can remove parts, change the volume, split files or copy regions to new files. All without the need to decompress your mp3 into pcm/wav. This saves work, encoding time and disk space. And there is no quality loss through any re-compressions.
The program is free and small, so it's easy to download.
I have no personal interest in the program, just thought it was too good to not pass along.
W. Curt Deegan
Boca Raton, (South East) Florida
[JRC NRD-535D, LF Engineering H-800 & M-601,
Quantum Phaser, ANC-4 noise canceler, GAP DSP] |