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My main interest is wildlife field recording and have 2x questions:

1 - Whats the best way to organise the audio clips on the computer and also search for them, i.e. search for a particular species or atmosphere recording.

2 - I currently use Audacity editing software but this does have limitations. Most of my work is editing clips and mixing/overlaying clips wildlife recordings and atmosphere recordings.

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Boswell Sat, 03/16/2013 - 12:06

It's a bit of an open-ended question!

I would open Notepad and then replay a recording. When an event happens that you want to note, type the time and a description of the event into Notepad. Unless you are an exceptional typist, you may have to pause the replay during particularly busy parts. Give the Notepad file and the wav file similar names and archive them together.

To take it to the next stage, transfer the Notepad material to a database that you can search. Make sure you have separate fields for the wav file name and the time in the file plus as many as you need for the descriptive material.

anonymous Sun, 03/17/2013 - 05:27

...and to add to what Boswell mentioned, if you are finding yourself doing multiple overlays, you might consider moving into a program dedicated to multi track recording as opposed to just a two track editor.

Organizing clips will differ depending on whom you talk to. Many choose to create folders with a description of the content within, and the date... for example,
"March 17 2013 Bird Sounds". You could then add sub folders to your master folder that could get even more descriptive...

"March 17 2013 > Bird Sounds > Sparrows > Flock > Single" at which point you could include in the folders various shortcut icons to a wordpad or notepad description that got into even more detailed description.

fwiw
-d.

RemyRAD Mon, 03/18/2013 - 02:22

Alphabetically works. Numerically works. Microsoft Works. Photographic memory helps. And then you can also use a computer.

Alphabetically speaking, you could use the word A, a two document animals. A bird, a frog, a cat, I know this is wrong... but a owl, a pack of cheap, a herd of horses. Whereas natural environmental events might start with THE? The traffic. The volcano. The touchdown. The waterfall, the P 51, the F-15, The shipyard. And then there's people and you could title that Idiot woman, idiot teenage goofball, idiot sales guy, idiot drill sergeant... what? The brig? Leavenworth? But I was only recording sound effects? Yes SIR! No, SIR! Thank you, SIR. You want my recorder?

OK OK... I'm leaving...
Mx. Remy Ann David