Audio Editor for Mac that can auto-truncate?

stubbsonic · Post by **stubbsonic** » Mon May 13, 2024 10:06 am

I have a specific task where I need to trim some silence from samples.

Ideally, I'd like a batch editor which allows me to set a threshold, and some pre/post roll.

In essence:

1. Trim start from zero to XX ms/samples before breaking YY.Y dB threshold.
2. Trim tail XX ms/samples after dropping below YY.Y dB threshold.

I don't think DSP Quattro has this ability.

I can kind of do it in DP by dragging a bunch of sample into tracks, using strip silence, and then edge editing to add back in a safety buffer, but it's not very precise.

Any suggestions?

bayswater · Post by **bayswater** » Mon May 13, 2024 12:45 pm

Can’t DP do this?

The Strip Silence command has a threshold setting (along with attack and release times). If you use that, then select all the new soundbites, you can edge edit any of them and it will apply the same edge edit to all of them. You can zoom in and have the transport set to real time, allowing that edge edit to be accurate the millisecond.

I remember doing this to a tom track with very few hits over a track that was quite long, when saving disk space mattered. It worked quite well.

stubbsonic · Post by **stubbsonic** » Mon May 13, 2024 9:34 pm

Thanks. As I mentioned, I'm aware of what DP does. I probably should have mentioned, this isn't for tracks. It's for a bunch of short samples.. Strip Silence doesn't have much resolution in the level setting. Also, it's the way I have to drag tons of samples into tracks, then export them.

I was hoping to find something that could do it to a large folder full of small samples, and keeping their filenames intact.

It's come up a few times over the years.

DSP Quattro can remove a fixed a mount from fronts & backs, but not based on some level. Also DSP Quattro has turned into kind of a hassle. I used to be able to open an audio file, do a quick thingy, save and quit. Not any more.

stubbsonic · Post by **stubbsonic** » Wed May 15, 2024 9:00 am

Just in case anyone is tracking this topic, I may have found a free (!) solution, right under my nose.

Audacity has a set of features I'd never used. First is how it does batch processing. You can create a "Chain" of processes, then you can "Apply Chains" to either the currrent project or to multiple files. And among those things you can put into a chain is "Trim Silence".

I'll take this for a spin and see how they fly.

bayswater · Post by **bayswater** » Wed May 15, 2024 2:49 pm

Interesting. DSP does just about everything in batch mode. Odd that it doesn't do trim silence.

bayswater · Post by **bayswater** » Wed May 15, 2024 4:05 pm

I was still convinced I could do this in DP. I tried it out, and it does some of is, but doesn't work on sound files that might have a spot of silence part way though. This splits the file into two files, when maybe all you want to do it it trim the start and end until the sound reaches a certain threshold.

First,
1. I created a load of small audio files by recording a sequence of staccato guitar notes on one track.
2. Used the cut tool to slice this one soundbite up into a few dozen soundbites, each with a single note, with various amounts of near or real silence before and after the note.
3. Select all soundbites in the Sequence Editor (not the Soundbite widow), right click and export soundbites to a folder on the desktop (don't drag and drop because DP 11 still crashes when you do that)

At this point I have what I think you started with -- a load of sound files with various amounts of unwanted material at the start and end.

Now,

1. Start a new project, go to the Finder, select all the exported soundbites, and drag them into the left side of the Tracks Window. Each soundbite it placed in it's own track at its original recorded time.
2. Select all, and apply the Strip Silence command with an appropriate threshold, attack and decay time.
3. Check out the results on a few soundbites.
4. Select all, right click and export soundbite to another Finder folder.

The folder will contain trimmed audio files. but as per above, a few extra very short files of misc transients from sloppy guitar playing. I could possibly fix this by adding a gate with appropriate attack and release times or perhaps just using a gate instead of the Strip Silence command.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Fri May 31, 2024 1:33 am

annadisuza wrote:Hi,
For precise batch editing to trim silence based on a threshold, consider using Audacity or Adobe Audition. Both tools should meet your needs for trimming silence efficiently and accurately.

Thanks

Are you AI?

(Yes it was. Account deleted.)

stubbsonic · Post by **stubbsonic** » Fri May 31, 2024 8:21 am

James Steele wrote: ↑Fri May 31, 2024 1:33 am
annadisuza wrote:Hi,
For precise batch editing to trim silence based on a threshold, consider using Audacity or Adobe Audition. Both tools should meet your needs for trimming silence efficiently and accurately.

Thanks
Are you AI?
(Yes it was. Account deleted.)

FWIW, the robot wasn't wrong (but the robot doesn't know it wasn't wrong). I'm nervous that I'm going to have to prove I'm a real boy.

bayswater · Post by **bayswater** » Fri May 31, 2024 8:30 am

stubbsonic wrote: ↑Fri May 31, 2024 8:21 am FWIW, the robot wasn't wrong (but the robot doesn't know it wasn't wrong). I'm nervous that I'm going to have to prove I'm a real boy.

Part of the upcoming registration process includes posting a picture of your nose.

stubbsonic · Post by **stubbsonic** » Fri May 31, 2024 8:57 am

bayswater wrote: ↑Fri May 31, 2024 8:30 am
stubbsonic wrote: ↑Fri May 31, 2024 8:21 am FWIW, the robot wasn't wrong (but the robot doesn't know it wasn't wrong). I'm nervous that I'm going to have to prove I'm a real boy.
Part of the upcoming registration process includes posting a picture of your nose.

I cannot, even a little bit, tell if you are joking.

cuttime · Post by **cuttime** » Fri May 31, 2024 10:50 am

Been seeing quite a few Chat GPT responses across the net lately. I still wonder what the purpose is? Could it have something to do with data scraping, as I don't see how it could monetize at this point? Luckily it is still very easy to spot - always very vague and general responses that could be Googled in about three seconds. I'm convinced I work for a manager that uses Chat GPT to compose his emails. They're always very vague and overly verbose, and the vocabulary is unnecessarily elaborate.

AI - Always Incomplete?
Attorney's Income?
Alternate Identity?

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Fri May 31, 2024 12:55 pm

stubbsonic wrote: ↑Fri May 31, 2024 8:21 am
James Steele wrote: ↑Fri May 31, 2024 1:33 am
annadisuza wrote:Hi,
For precise batch editing to trim silence based on a threshold, consider using Audacity or Adobe Audition. Both tools should meet your needs for trimming silence efficiently and accurately.

Thanks
Are you AI?
(Yes it was. Account deleted.)
FWIW, the robot wasn't wrong (but the robot doesn't know it wasn't wrong). I'm nervous that I'm going to have to prove I'm a real boy.

Yeah... I searched the users posts. Only 2 since joining on May 29, I think. The other post was even more generic and odd. I'm pretty certain it was some sort of AI bot, which is disconcerting that they create memberships and somehow scan the topic and come back with something *almost* believable. I don't know what the purpose was as I they hadn't posted any sort of links in their posts or signature. Weird. They almost always sign up with gmail.com addresses.

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