Mix
use Audacity to make a single mix file
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- Listen and
choose.
Once you've assembled your collection of
.aups, .mp3s, CD audios, or what have
you, you're ready to mix. Deciding what
sounds go where is the heart of the
venerable art of mixing, and discussed
further in the websites listed at left.
- Cut and
paste.
Open each sound file in Audacity
individually, then copy and paste it,
with 9-second silences (or use DJ-like
overlapping fade-ins and fade-outs), into
a single stereo Audacity file. Leave
about 9 seconds of silence between
tracks.
- Convert to
MP3.
For file formats Audacity won't open,
like .wma or .m4a, you may need
audioconverter, software, like Xilisoft Audio
Converter. Yeah, that's something you
might have to buy. But it's, like, $30.
- Keep
volumes even—kind of.
Subtle volume management is the key to
mix tape greatness. You may need to
adjust the volume level of some tracks so
no one track is too loud or soft in
relation to the rest. Use Audacity's
Amplify (under the "Effects"
menu) to raise—or lower— the
volume of different selections:
Don't clip: allowing clipping during
amplifying lets you make the sound
super-loud, but distorts it by cutting
off the higher and lower wave
frequencies. Try to avoid clipping.
Piano: some wave forms, like limpid piano
selections, look deceptively weak. Unless
you enjoy resting your head directly on
the piano during recitals, don't amplify
quiet piano selections to maximum level.
Match the middles: usually—but not
always—keeping a song's wave form's
middle part (the light blue part) the
same height as surrounding audio will
keep volumes level between songs.
Listen: even so, a few songs still might
sound too loud or soft despite the
appearance of their waveforms, so listen
to your mix, by pointing within the song,
and toggling (pressing once turns on,
pressing again turns off) the space bar
key to hear brief moments of sound. If a
track still sounds too loud or soft, use
Amplify to adjust its volume accordingly,
so your listener won't want to turn the
volume down or up while listening to your
tape.
- A briefest
primer on the aesthetics of mixing.
Follow the unspoken rules of mixtape
making—start with a slow
instrumental, interpose hits among
obscurer tunes, put rockers up against
mopers, never have two songs by the same
artist in a row, put briefer songs in the
middle, end with a catchy little-known
dance anthem—then break them!
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