New features in this release

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This page is an overview of the key new functionality that has been introduced in Audacity 2.3.0

Contents

Coming up soon:
  • Scripting using Python or Perl
    • Example advanced script using wxPython to create a new toolbar.
Coming up soon:
  • Real time adjustment of play-at-speed.
  • Spectrogram and Wave of same audio shown in the same track.
Coming up soon (Paul):
  • Nyquist Effects now translatable.
Peter 23Apr18: ToDo-1 the effect "Sliding Time Scale - Pitch Shift" may have its name changed to Sliding Stretch
  1. Macros command replaces Chains
  2. New Tools menu
  3. Scriptables added to the Extra menu
  4. Help Buttons
  5. Half-wave option for collapsed tracks
  6. Increased legibility of trackname display
  7. Bug Fixes


Batch Processing

A collection of features added to Audacity for 2.3.0 are related. They come from a project to improve batch processing. Listed here, they are described in more detail in following sections. The project improved:

  • Macros feature, for repetitive tasks that can be done without using a scripting language.
  • Scripting using a scripting language such as Python running outside Audacity.
  • The project led to the new tools menu, and the new scriptables sub menu with many new commands.


Macros command replaces Chains

The old Chains command (for batch processing and effect automation) has been replaced by an extended Tools > Macros... command. Macros can do everything that Chains did before, however there are now many more commands it can use - including new commands that have been created specially for batch processing.

  • We have changed the user interface. We have integrated the functionality so that you now can view, edit and apply your macros from the same single dialog window, simplifying the usage of macros.
ManageMacros.png
    • Re-setting the parameters for commands in macros has been simplified. Now double clicking on a command in a displayed chain will pop up the parameter settings dialog for that command.
    • The dialog window can be reduced in size and scope by using the Shrink button. This reduced 'Macro Palette' dialog can apply macros to your project, but does not edit them.
    • Many more commands are now available to Macros. Previously the commands were mostly effects. Now nearly all menu items are included.


New Tools menu

A new menu item Tools has been created, with customizable tools.

The Tools Menu contains customisable toolsThe Extra menu provides access to additional Commands that are not available in the normal default Audacity menusThe Help Menu lets you find out more about the Audacity application and how to use it.  It also includes some diagnostic tools.Enable or disable particular Effects, Generators and AnalyzersCreates a new Macro or edits an existing MacroDisplays a menu with list of all your MacrosReset most settings back to the default valuesA tool, mainly used in documentation, to capture screenshots of AudacityA tool for measuring the performance of one part of AudacityBrings up a dialog where you can enter Nyquist commandsA  Nyquist plug-in that simplifies the installation of other Nyquist plug-insPlaces labels in a long track so as to divide it into smaller, equally sized  segmentsReads the values of successive samples from the selected audio and prints this data to a plain text, CSV or HTML fileReads numeric values from a plain ASCII text file and creates a PCM sample for each numeric value readThe MenusToolsMenu.png
Click for details
Click on the image to learn more


 


  • Chains feature renamed as 'Macros'.
  • Extended documentation on using Macros for presets and other tasks.
  • Dialogs have help buttons
  • Some new prebuilt macros are available in Tools, and you can configure and add your own.
  • Macros are bindable to key presses.
  • New Nyquist Prompt in Tools with enhanced capabilities.


New Scriptables sub menu

New Extra > Scriptables I and Extra > Scriptables II submenus in the Extra menu

  • 24 New functions in these menus
    • These are likely to be particularly useful to VI users.
    • Actions that are currently done by mouse that can now be done by keyboard.
    • These function too are available from Macros.

Click Scriptables I and Scriptables II to learn more.


Help Buttons

Help buttons Help Button have been added to the Macros full and reduced dialogs, to some error message dialogs and to some other dialogs that did not previously have them.


Half-wave option for collapsed tracks

For collapsed tracks there is now an option settable in Tracks Preferences to show the upper half of the wave display only in order to show a little more detail.

Half-wave display when collapsed.png



Increased legibility of trackname display

Increased legibility of trackname display. the Track Name overlay now has a background.

Audio Track with track name superimposed.png



Bug Fixes

  • There will undoubtedly be some
Indeed there are some bug fixes. As of end March, Wiki:Next_Release shows 45 2.2.2 bugs that are DEVEL - FIX MADE or better for 2.3.0


==Additional new features== This page New features in this release - appendix gives an overview of further new functionality that has been introduced in this release of Audacity.

Links

> Audacity Release Notes 2.3.0 - detailed release notes for this release of Audacity