Automatic splicing in Protools (or equivalant)

[Vic]

Hi all,

I wonder if anyone knows an automated work around for this.

I have a number of audio files, some are an 1 hour long or more.

I need to chop then down into 3 minute section. The key to this is the time, of three minutes, so no other critical editing needed to find the splice point the just need to be cut into 3 minute sections.

Is there a way I can say "Here is a audio file that is one hour long, please cut it into 3 minute sections for me?"

I have about 54 hours of audio files that I need to do this to so finding a semi automated way would be a dreeeeam.

I have running the following programs

Protools 9
Digital Performer
Ableton Live
Adobe Audition

Any ideas?

Regards

Vic

[jkhuri44]

what you need i think is to use "macros" )(never used them myself just to let you know) perhaps in cubase or windows (if you're not a mac guy). if you find a way to logically do the process in which the computer understands. you would just do the process 1 time, and then the computer would follow the same steps u took to get all 54 hours done...

[Vic]

Hi,

I will look into macros. (I am on a mac).

I have been wondering if it might be a job for something like Max MSP or Pure Data?

Vic

[Hybrid88]

hmm, shame you don't have logic, all you would have to do is find the first three minute point, and use the scissors tool and hold Alt/Option while you click. Makes consecutive evenly spaced cuts to the end of the file. Saves a lot of time.

[walding]

hmm, shame you don't have logic, all you would have to do is find the first three minute point, and use the scissors tool and hold Alt/Option while you click. Makes consecutive evenly spaced cuts to the end of the file. Saves a lot of time.

DP can do this I'm sure, just check the manual.

[Thirteen]

In Protools can't you just put each of the 54 files onto 54 tracks one above the other, all starting at the same point, then select all tracks and then cut the whole stack at once at 3 minute intervals, 20 cuts should do the whole lot up to one hour....

[Vic]

It seems that both these things will work for different part of this.

Lining the 54 files up on 54 tracks is a neat way to do it - missed it for some reason
The Alt/Scissors option in DP (had a look and it seems that this will work) will be useful for another stage that requires multiple 3 second long files. So both these methods should work well, thanks for the help.

Vic

[Ben M]

Like Steve's saying Vic.
In Protools, hit "All" (bottom left) then select where you'd like to splice then do "apple" "e" to separate all tracks at once. Then export.
You'll be exporting in real time, so 54 hours could take a week. Maybe do it on a separate computer to your main.
Not sure about automated splicing, maybe some sort of batch editing software but you can do this with the software you have.

[Sammas]

Like Steve's saying Vic.
In Protools, hit "All" (bottom left) then select where you'd like to splice then do "apple" "e" to separate all tracks at once. Then export.
You'll be exporting in real time, so 54 hours could take a week. Maybe do it on a separate computer to your main.
Not sure about automated splicing, maybe some sort of batch editing software but you can do this with the software you have.

Doesn't exporting from the regions/clip bin occur faster than real time?

[Sammas]

Like Steve's saying Vic.
In Protools, hit "All" (bottom left) then select where you'd like to splice then do "apple" "e" to separate all tracks at once. Then export.
You'll be exporting in real time, so 54 hours could take a week. Maybe do it on a separate computer to your main.
Not sure about automated splicing, maybe some sort of batch editing software but you can do this with the software you have.

Doesn't exporting from the regions/clip bin occur faster than real time?

[Vic]

Thanks Ben,

Cutting them like this will actually be really useful. I don't need to export them out individually but need to bounce them (all 1000 odd files) together to create one 3 minute file.

So, no long exporting required, just lots of moving things around.
So I can then bounce down each vertical row of 54 tracks as a 3 minute track and do that all the way along then be left with 20 or so 3 minute tracks that I can them re-import and then bounce down into one final 3 minute track.

That sounds like a reasonable plan

Vic

[gigpiglet]

what are you actually doing??

[mylesgm]

yeah, WTH is this actually for?

[smash]

I looks like you have already sorted this out, but you could also setup an automator script to do this using Quicktime on OS X.

Simon "Smash" Ashby

[Vic]

Haha,

It's for a sound installation. This part of it is about Religious Institutions, the bible and people's true understanding of it and also about density of sound and delivering mass messages in a multilayered cacophony.

The project takes a reading of the entire bible and cuts it up into 3 minute section and lays them on top of each other so you are left with the entire bible being read, in real time, in 3 minutes. There will also be a 3 second version. A direct Bible Injection.

The sound will be triggered once people step under a light shining from within a parabolic speaker in a darkened room.

You see?



Vic