Macros

Gale 13Feb13: ToDo-2 Although clearly this is much better than before, equally clearly there are still debates about the manner of presentation of this landing page and how much complexity it should have. So it is hardly finished.

• Peter 12Feb13:I really do prefer the top version on the Talk page where the "Examples" note div is positioned at the foot of the page.

A Chain is a sequence of preconfigured commands in a set order (mainly effects) that can be applied automatically to projects or audio files. Any built-in or Nyquist effect shown in the Effect Menu and export commands can be added to a Chain. The two uses of Chains are for:

• Batch processing (where many audio files are processed unattended with one or more effects then saved to a new file),
• Effects automation (where the track or tracks in the current project are subjected to the same prescribed sequence of effects that are used for other projects, and optionally, a file exported).

See the examples below.

Peter 12Feb13: I don't like the title "Workflow" for this section. How about "Using Chains" or similar?

• Ed 12Feb13 : A quick random search of a handful of other pages in the manual found no other page which had a section heading immediately following the intro div - I suspect there may be others though. Personally, I would just get rid of it completely but, if not, I have nothing better to offer for wordage.
  • Peter 13Feb13: +1 (and see below)
• Gale:13Feb13 "Workflow" is quite common in the Manual http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/Tutorials#workflow .
• Ed 12Feb13 : I still think that where the section heading is not necessary as an anchor it just breaks up the flow between the intro div and the subsequent text.

Ed 12Feb13 : This opens a whole new can of worms! Compare:
http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/Sample_workflow_for_exporting_to_iTunes
with
http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/Recording_78rpm_records
Two drastically different styles used in two stylistically identical tutorials. Anyway, the one which (vaguely) this mimics stylistically (iTunes…in that it has a section header "Workflow") also has an intervening TOC (in this case quite lengthy). Take a look at that page zoomed out so that the page title and the Workflow section heading is in view - see the picture I posted on the forum. Note that in the case in which a TOC exists we use the heading as an anchor for the TOC. As an aside, once again I would like to point out that the text of the section heading is in (smaller?,) less bold font than the text of the sub-sections' headings that follow.

• Peter 13Feb13: Gale said " "Workflow" is quite common in the Manual" - indeed yes, but we have to consider whether or not we are creating a workflow tutorial here or not. For my money this page is (or should be) about documenting a compound command in Audacity. As Steve has pointed out earlier Edit Chains and Apply Chain are two halves of the same coin and easily could have been implemented as a single "Chains" command (and I personally think it would be better that way). For now we have what we have and need to document it, hence this helicopter overview page (which links to the more detailed pages for the individual commands Edit Chains and Apply Chain). This begs the question of whether we need a true tutorial/workflow on the use of chains (in addition to these three pages) - Steve suggested we needed one a while back and I am increasingly inclined to agree with him. It's a fairly complex task using chains properly and I suspect many users could do with a bit more hand-holding of the sort that a detailed step-by-step tutorial with illustrations can provide. Imo this page is not (nor should be) a proper workflow tutorial and either losing the H2 "Workflow" a Ed suggested, or re-titling it as I sugggested, would remove the indication that it was such.
• Gale 13Feb13: I am not wedded to "workflow" as a name, but whatever the complexity we attempt here I am increasingly convinced that it needs to be more steplike, which means trying build the Edit Chains section into the "Workflow". I have not had time yet (too many e-mails being sent). As I see it, there are lots of permutations in Edit Chains, and I'm not convinced a Tutorial would help unless it covered all the permutations, so of inordinate length. Also I don't see lots of complaints that people don't know how to use Chains, except for the GOTCHAS like having to double-click to add an inserted command, having to pre-configure export options, having to pre-configure the Noise Profile... These necessities are what we need to have covered, though it's a judgement if you do it here or on Edit Chains.

Workflow

Peter 13Feb13: Is it really helpful for the dear reader here to shunt them off to the File Menu page from the menu spans below. That page carries less useful information that this one. It would probably be more useful if those links went direct to the Edit Chains and the Apply Chain pages - or even internal links to the relevant sections on this page.

There are two related Chain commands in the File Menu called Edit Chains and Apply Chain. The workflow is as follows:

1. Use File > Edit Chains... if you need to create a new Chain or to edit an existing Chain. To create an audio file as part of the Chain process, you must include a command that exports an audio file, such as ExportWav.
2. Use File > Apply Chain... to select one of the existing chains and apply it to either:
   • the project in the current window (this is essentially a method of effects automation) or
   • a selected list of external audio files (this is essentially an unattended batch processing of many individual items).

Peter 12Feb13: I have simplified the first step. The dear reader was being given far too much overcomplicated and confusing detail at too early a stage on this page - even I don't really understand the second bullet point about "MP3_56k". That level of detail really belongs on the Edit Chains page imo.

1. First, use File > Edit Chains... to create a new Chain or to edit an existing Chain (if required).
   • To create an audio file as part of the Chain process, you must either:
     • add an Export command for 16-bit WAV, MP3, FLAC or OGG (which use any currently set "Options" for that format in the File Export Dialog ) or
     • use one or both commands to save "MP3_56k" (a low quality MP3 at 56 kbps bit rate).

Gale: Although I take the point, I changed it because your text (formerly in the intro which I think really was was too early) was incorrect. To "save an audio file as part of the Chain process", you do not have to add an Export command. You can instead save a 56k MP3. This is thus an independent MP3 preset and lets you keep the MP3 Export Options in Export File at a different bit rate.

• Peter 12Feb13: Yes, but as Steve pointed out in the email thread the MP3_56K is actually an Export command rather than a Save command despite its unfortunate and inaccurate nomenclature; in Audacity we "Save" native file format (projects) and "Export" non-native formats (audio files). So imo the text is accurate and should stand. Further reasoning in the email thread.
• Gale 13Feb13: Manual has to be accurate and unambiguous, whatever the contradictions in the software. If I was looking at Edit Chains in Audacity, and this page, your text makes me think that SaveMP3_56K does not save an audio file. And why you worry about this when we already had "To save... export."? I changed it to "To save an audio file as part of the Chain process, you must include a command that exports an audio file, such as ExportWAV." If you think it.s too long, feel free to excise "such as..." Also please stop using line breaks in text. It violates Consistency. Use a paragraph or a bullet, or leave it on one line.
• Peter 13Feb13: to remove such ambiguity/inconsistency I changed "save" to "create" in "To create an audio file ..." UPDATE LATER: I note that on the Audacity Projects page we use a simila construct to avid save/export confusion but with "make" instead if "create".

Examples:

• A batch processing Chain might use Compressor to reduce the dynamic range of multiple WAV files (also normalizing them to maximum amplitude of 0 dB), then convert them to MP3 format.
• An effects automation Chain for the current project might run:
  1. Normalize with settings of:
     • Remove any DC offset
     • -10 dB (to allow for boosting frequencies later in the Chain without clipping)
  2. Noise Removal
  3. Equalization (to perform the frequency adjustment)
  4. Normalize again at different settings (without offset removal, setting a final amplitude of -1 dB).

Edit Chains

Enables you to either edit, remove or rename existing Chains, or add a new Chain. The Chain can include a number of common Audacity functions and effects to be executed in any order you specify. In many cases, the parameters for each command in the Chain can be specified within the Edit Chains window.

Accessed by: File > Edit Chains...

The left hand box in the dialog box (labeled Chains) Chains contains a list of already defined chains. You can define the name of a new chain and select which chain is active by using the Add, Remove and Rename buttons.

The right hand box (labeled Chain) lists the ordered sequence of commands for the chain selected in the "Chains" box on the left. Here you can add or remove commands for the selected chain, change the order in which the commands execute in the chain, or edit the parameters for some effects in the chain.

For further details see the Edit Chains page.

Apply Chain

Enables you to select a Chain and apply it to either the entirety of the current project, to a single audio file or to a group of specifically selected audio files in a single directory.

Accessed by: File > Apply Chain...

The dialog window contains the list of all your current chains. Use left-click (or use the Up or Down arrow on the keyboard) to select the Chain you want to apply.

Then use the Apply to Current Project button for effects automation or the Apply to Files button to apply the selected chain to a set of files which you select (you must have a new, empty Audacity Project window open to use this option).

For more details see the Apply Chain page.