MP3 and me....

[misschessplayer]

Truly, another beginners question:

Okay, so I am trying to turn an audio track from Audacity into a MP3 file. I seem to be able to make a WAV file with LameFE 2.23, but not an MP3 file. Any guidance as to what I need to download...an encoder, codec....my god, I just don't know...am running Vista on PC.

mcp

[JoeActor]

You just need to get "Lame" (no pun intended).

Here's the wiki entry from audacity on how to do it:
MP3 - Audacity Wiki (http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php?title=MP3)

Cheers,
Joe J Thomas
Joe J. Thomas Acting Portfolio (http://www.JoeActor.com)
SoundsGoodToYou.com - Joe J Thomas - Voice Actor (http://www.SoundsGoodToYou.com)

[speechlady]

Yes, once you download the LAME program (I believe the Audacity site will have a link to it ...somewhere...) you will also have to go into your Audacity settings and link it up to that LAME program. I think it will be in your preferences or settings menus. (I'm working from memory here!) After that you should see an MP3 option in the same 'save as' menu along with your WAV option, etc.
Have fun!
Lydia

[misschessplayer]

Is Audacity my only option?....instead of getting LAME, I am just feeling lame right now.....something is not right here in Valhalla

mcp

[Mike Sommer]

No there is Adobe Audition. But it's not free.

[JoeActor]

There are plenty of other options, but they all cost $$$.

Audacity is worth the effort. It's a solid, free program. You're just one step away from your goal. My advice would be to install LAME.

If you'd like a low-cost alternative, look into Magix Audio Cleaning Lab. I use it on a daily basis. The latest version does quite a bit, and is under $40.

For a bit more, you could get Sony's SoundForge. The cheapest version is around $70.

Cheers,
Joe

[misschessplayer]

I can't believe it...I went to the Audacity site and downloaded every darn thing they had, including the kitchen sink, and now I am able to make MP3 files....

thanks guys. now, who can I send one to that will give me an honest thumbs up or thumbs down....I need to know if I sound like Phyllis Diller after a bender

mcp

[JoeActor]

who can I send one to that will give me an honest thumbs up or thumbs down....I need to know if I sound like Phyllis Diller after a bender

Great! Glad you got it working...

Why not post your mp3 here:
http://www.voice-overs.com/forum/leads-reads/2957-now-hear-2009-july-dont-july-me.html

The "Now Hear This" threads are where folks post auditions and short audio for others to listen and comment.

Be bold!
Joe

[misschessplayer]

thank you joe, i am there....

mcp

[Gregory Cleveland]

Hmmmm. As a newbie, I jumped in and am starting out with ProTools. I was told by several that it's the way to go. I own Soundforge and Audacity, but they pooh poohed those programs.

Since no one has mentioned ProTools in this blog yet...am I alone here?
Sorry...still a newbie.
Just checking.

Greg

Greg Cleveland
http://www.voicebygreg.com (http://www.voicebygreg.com/)

[JoeActor]

Hmmmm. As a newbie, I jumped in and am starting out with ProTools. I was told by several that it's the way to go. I own Soundforge and Audacity, but they pooh poohed those programs.

Since no one has mentioned ProTools in this blog yet...am I alone here?
Sorry...still a newbie.
Just checking.

Greg

Hey Greg,

We've got some ProTools users here, and it is fairly popular.

That being said, it's also a bit of overkill if you're just recording your voice for auditions. I know several major studios that swear by SoundForge. It's fast, has fewer problems with XP and Vista, and does the job. Audacity is a great starting point. Once folks are ready for more, there are plenty of lower cost options aside from ProTools, IMHO.

I use SoundForge, Acid, and Magix Audio Cleaning Lab...
Joe

[Lee Gordon]

As a newbie, are you planning to record your own voice and maybe mix in some background music and/or the occasional sound effect, or are you planning to dive headlong into stuff like sound design for video games and movie sound tracks?

If your needs are simple (mostly VO recording), then those guys who are dissing Soundforge and Audacity are just dead wrong. ProTools may be the industry standard for big time production houses doing big time productions, but for cutting demos and voice tracks it is way more program than you need.

If you wanted to go to Windsor, Ontario you could probably get on a plane and fly there but I'll bet you could get there faster and cheaper riding a bike. Think of Soundforge, Audacity or Cool Edit/Adobe Audition as bikes and ProTools as a 747.

[shenecke]

I use ProTools with no problems on an old Pentium 4 machine. Sure for VO work you don't need all of the features but like my car with 530 horse power, I rarely use all of it, but if I need it, it's there!