In need of some advice

[ottomatic]

Greetings All.

Rank noob here looking for some ideas.
I would like to take source recordings (mp3) and generally mess with them. Say, birds, or traffic or crowd noise, or machinery sounds and apply effects until they're unrecognizable. I'd also like to manipulate tempo. Any ideas regarding software, methods, etc? Any help is appreciated - as I say, rank amateur, so please speak slowly!

Thanks!

[ecc83]

I understand that there is very little software around that can edit or otherwise manipulate MP3?

However there is no reason why you can't load an MP3 into a sequencer and then render the track as a .wav (and I would go for 16bit, 44.1kHz). As a .wav there is shedloads of free software FX you can use, probably a lot to kick off with in Reaper?

Of course the .wav version cannot sound any better than the original MP3!

Dave.

[littlegreenman]

Switch will convert mp3 to pretty much any file type you want. As ecc said, wav. would be best. http://www.nch.com.au/switch/index.html

Plenty of (legitimately) free Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) around that you could then load it into and mess around with the sounds to your heart's content.

Reaper, as mentioned. http://www.reaper.fm/download.php

Samplitude is also worth a look. http://pro.magix.com/en/samplitude/m...glish.730.html

What is it you are specifically after as an end result? Just some whacky noise? Foley sound effects? Would help to know that before offering any further advice really.

[ottomatic]

Thank you for the suggestions, I'll follow up.
littlegreenman, I'm looking to do two things: First, organize "random" sounds, like crowd noise (identifying patterns and\or outliers) and second, to obscure familiar sounds like speech - conversations, public addresses, interrogations, sermons, etc. I'm a guitarist, so these experiments, I'm thinking, will lead to ideas for compositions.

[Jazzy_Jefferson]

You dont need to change the file type. If you have an MP3, import it into your DAW as a standard audio track, and you should be able to apply any effects/eq/comp you like, as you would when you record in say, an instrument.

Logic is good for adjusting tempo and what not. However I know nothing about this process.

[ecc83]

You dont need to change the file type. If you have an MP3, import it into your DAW as a standard audio track, and you should be able to apply any effects/eq/comp you like, as you would when you record in say, an instrument.

Logic is good for adjusting tempo and what not. However I know nothing about this process.

Sure you are right Jazz. I know my son was messing about with MP3s some time ago and found he could do little with them until he saved them as .wavs.

But then we are both pretty DAW thick!

Dave.

[MrMenturm]

Sure you are right Jazz. I know my son was messing about with MP3s some time ago and found he could do little with them until he saved them as .wavs.

But then we are both pretty DAW thick!

Dave.

No, he's right.

Cubase, Reaper, Studio One, Ableton Live, and a stack more, they can all import MP3 files. Some of them will convert to WAV on import, and some of them don't. Can't quite recall which ones.

[ecc83]

No, he's right.

Cubase, Reaper, Studio One, Ableton Live, and a stack more, they can all import MP3 files. Some of them will convert to WAV on import, and some of them don't. Can't quite recall which ones.

Sorry Mr M, you will have to run that last by me again!

FYI I have Cubase, Reaper Sonar X1e but mainly use Samplitude SE8.

Dave.

[MrMenturm]

Sorry Mr M, you will have to run that last by me again!

FYI I have Cubase, Reaper Sonar X1e but mainly use Samplitude SE8.

Dave.

Well, some DAW's will be able to stream the mp3 from disk directly. Others will convert to WAV once you import it into a track. Once it's in there though, you can treat it just like any audio.

I'm a Presonus Studio One guy, meself.

[maltingsaudio]

Import your mp3 straight into audacity http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ its free and go for it you don't need a multitrack DAW for just playing with mp3's