Newbie Q? : Cutting Songs

Hey hopefully this will be an easy question for you to answer

When mixing in traktor i've learned how to set up cues, but I want to know if there's a way to tell Traktor to skip from one part of a song to a later part in the song. Basically, cutting the individual track down for that mix. Is traktor able to do this kind of work? If so, are the results fluid or unprofessional?

Also, if Traktor is not able to do this kind of cutting, what programs would you reccommend to edit mp3 files by cutting out certain sections, or shortening. (Making radio-like edits with less fluff in the middle @_@)

Thanks for helping guys : )

 

Yep so easy it got answered last week
Just use convert the Cues over to fade out/in and load the track into to decks A and B then play it back you will be all good. Do a search for Fade and you will get a hit on a recent thread.

Phil

 

If you do get into permanently editing your songs to remove "less than useful" parts, you'll want to work with the original wav/aiff files that the mp3s are encoded from if possible. In all the sound editors I've seen, when you "edit" an mp3, the editor converts back to wav format, you do your edits, then the program re-encodes to mp3. Since each encoding reduces the quality, you're better off editing the original. Directly editing mp3s is only possible for specially prepared mp3s in a special mp3 editing program, which means essentially that you encoded them yourself, which means that you have the original, which means you might as well edit that original sound file!
Anyone have any different experiences?

 

You should ideally work with a wav ripped from the cd, but I don't really notice any difference when i re-encode mp3 songs as long as the source mp3 is high enough bitrate. If you do a 192 or below, you may have some aliasing artifacts introduced to the song or some loss of bass. If you are using high bitrate mp3 as a source, then they aren't that lossy from the original to begin with, so its of little consiquence.

I usually write my cuts to a new file and then erase all markers from it & tag the new file for dj'ing. If i see a file full of red, something's bound to go wrong and spazz out during the set.

Sometimes I do my cuts in sony sound forge using the region list and playlist tools. But i'm an old geezer in that respect.

 

djastroboy, my experience is exactly the same as yours.

My only use for MP3 is to audition potential tracks for my playlist. I never use them in public.

*grin* ... I want to start a crusade!! No more lossy encoding!! Reclaim the sound!!

 

you can search for a programcalled mp3directcut. it's freeware, and it does what you want: cut mp3's without de- and re-encoding.

when i rip my cd's, i encode the wavs to mp3's and don't keep the wavs. then if you just want to dump a section you don't like, mp3directcut is much faster than ripping it again...

it''s pretty barebones, but it works well and i haven't found this feature in the "big" editors...

cheers, h00la

 

certainly when version 2.6 comes around, we'll be able to use AAC instead of MP3 and that will change the equation a bit.

 

Oops I'm sorry I didn't mean to say don't use mp3s to DJ with. I meant just be aware of the potential consequences of trying to edit mp3s instead of wavs. I use 256KBS VBR mp3s live and it seems fine.

 

Hah!

djastroboy, we're not friends any more!!

*grin*

 

So really the point is, experiment with different formats and find one that works on your soundsystems and with your kind of music, eh?

 

I tried this out and it works badly for the kind of cuts I do where I try to take out sections in the middle of a song. It leaves artifacts: little noises in the audio.

 

You need to find a wav editor that will let you cut at zero crossings to avoid pops at the beginning and end of sections. Sound Forge, WaveLab, and most other higher-end audio editors will do this.

An alternative trick is to expand the waveform on screen and fade in at the beginning and fade out at the end, but for a tiny fraction of time. The ear doesn't hear the fade but it eliminates the pops (actually Traktor does this automatically when you enable "smart looping"