Re: breaking mp3s
Hi,
All these programs are capable of this task, and for a normal editing job, I'd recommend any of them. However, the euber geeks will probably be interested in an additional program to add to that list: MP3 Direct Cut. If you're not an euber geek, or don't want to read the ramblings of one, I'd suggest putting this post down and reading something else...
Mp3 Direct Cut is a free program which allows you to edit mp3, and I believe mp2 files. With some additional libraries, you can edit AAC files as well, though the AAC editing capabilities are somewhat limited because of the nature of the format, and it will not accept mp4 or m4a files, they must be converted to AAC first. I think there is also a similar program for OGG, but Mp3 Direct Cut can't do that.
What makes this program different from most, is that it allows you to edit the data directly, without decompressing it. This has its pros and its cons. First the pros:
Since you&
#039;re editing the data directly, there's no quality loss when you save the file. Other editors do not edit the data directly, they decompress it to wav output first. So they cannot save the file as it originally was. Instead they end up converting it back to a compressed format, which loses some quality, which you may or may not notice.
Editing the compressed data directly doesn't have huge temp files crawling around your hard drive.
The program is initially awkward to use, but is quite accessible and has a decent manual. You'll soon get more used to it.
Now, disadvantages:
Sometimes, you will hear a little blip in the places where you edited the compressed file. This is a side effect of cutting the compressed data as opposed to decompressing it first. Sometimes you can avoid the little blips by changing your edit points slightly... it all comes down to finding a sweet spot.
You can't make the most precise selections, because of frames.
When an mp3 is made, it splits the file into a large number of individual segments, called frames, to be converted to mp3. The frames are then re-combined as the conversion progresses. So, you can only edit in whole frames, you can't, say, delete half a frame. The point being, that your selections can only move in increments of about 0.013 seconds for most mp3s. Other formats have their own frame sizes.
I hope that this helps somebody out. I've used this program to edit things which I didn't want to have quality loss and wanted to preserve the original format.
URL: http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=143710#p143710
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