Mp3 Audio Editing

One of the great things about digital audio is the ease with which it can be edited. Unwanted noises like pops and scratches can be automatically removed, the volume can be increased or decreased, tracks can be rearranged and audio material can be inserted or deleted.

Some of this editing falls in the realm of special effects, but a lot of it is very useful for the average listener.

For example, wouldn't it be nice to have all of your music collection play at the same relative level rather than having to adjust the volume for each track?

And if you have MP3 files that were converted from an analog source such as cassette or record, the sound can be improved to near CD-quality.

There may be some MP3s in your music collection for which you no longer have the original source.

If these MP3s are defective in any way you have three basic choices - put up with the imperfections, delete them or edit them to improve the sound.

Editing audio requires audio editing software. There is a whole range of this type of software available from professional to consumer levels. There are several freeware titles, but these tend to be limited in their editing capabilities. Commercial software specially designed for ripping, converting and editing audio is available at a reasonable cost.

If there are problems with MP3 files which you have ripped yourself, the solution is simple - go back and rip it again. Problem MP3s from other sources (we won't ask from where) can often be salvaged with editing software.

For example, if the MP3 suddenly cuts off before the end of the song, editing software can be used to fade out the ending. Sure, you're missing some of the song but a fade is better than the 'arrggghhh' feeling that a sudden cut off can create.

Another problem with some MP3s is digital noise that sounds like cats squealing. Many commercial programs have special filters to remove this kind of noise automatically. Simply set the level of noise reduction and the whole file is cleaned up in a matter of seconds.

Automatic noise reduction is also available for audio which came from analog sources such as records and cassettes. Pops, scratches and tape hiss can easily be removed.

One of the most annoying things about MP3s is their varying volume level. This is particularly noticeable if you are listening to MP3s from various sources. You may have to change the volume for every song.

Fortunately, your whole music collection can be 'normalized'. Normalization works by making loud tracks softer and soft tracks louder so that on the whole, they average out. An entire folder full of audio files can be normalized at the same time, or you can be more selective, choosing tracks which make up a certain playlist.

Normalization can also work on individual tracks by making soft sections louder and loud sections softer. Normalization is such a common process that it is included in almost every audio ripping program - freeware and commercial.