Suggestion: Provide more music file information...

[goddi]

Greetings,

I would like to see the music files shown in better ways. The following suggestions would help when one uses many music files (especially when they are very similar and hard to distinguish) in a slideshow..

1-When music files are added in Project Options/Music tab, I would like to have the music files numbered, as it is now done in the Slide List for images.

2-Then, I would like to see the numbered music files appear in the Slide List window next to the slide where that particular music file starts to play. I understand this is not real accurate but it give a certain amount of usable info.

3-Then, also, I would like the music file's number (and title, if possible) to appear in the Time Line's waveform, next to the current thin blue line, which indicates where a music file starts.

4-Also, increase the width of the thin blue line so it is more easily found when scrolling through the waveform.

Thanks... Gary

[Guest Yachtsman1]

It would be much easier if you used Audacity to add music.

Yachtsman1

[goddi]

It would be much easier if you used Audacity to add music.

Yachtsman1

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Yachtsman1...

I do use Audacity to 'edit' the music, but not to 'add' music. If I have, let say, 7 classical music pieces in the show and they are so similar, I can not distinguish between them. That makes it difficult to find which one I want to edit down or eliminate because I can't associate them with the beginning and ending slides it plays with. When I look at the Timeline, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to find where a particular music piece begins and ends and really know which file it is. I know some people get one piece of music or several and combine them all with Audacity. I like to have more flexibility to do what I do. Usually, I will add several pieces of music just to get 3 or 4 seconds of each image to display. As I add or eliminate images, I may eliminate a music selection or so. It is very hard to figure out which music file is playing with which section of images. So that is why I am hoping the above suggestions can be put into PTE.

Gary

[LumenLux]

Gary, a recent experience compels me to add a caution or reminder here. I am not refuting or challenging your request, but would caution you and me in the event the feature were added.

I had recently an unusual (for me) opportunity to present one of my PTE shows to about 300 people. A few days before the presentation I realized my laptop would not handle the show. For some reason, when I made the show two years ago, I had used the full size files from the camera. On playback now on my laptop, any zoom would not work, and many of the traditional fades would be handled as cuts so as to keep up with the music. Luckily I was able to borrow two other laptops. I tried the most likely laptop first. This laptop made it smoothly over the troublesome zooms and was smooth on transitions. However, as I let the rest of the show run, I realized it was now showing only cut transitions and was playing catch-up with the music - probably even skipping slides if necessary. Further diagnosis lead me to believe all the trouble was being caused because I had used two separate mp3 files! Fortunately, the third laptop was able to process this OK and I did not have to attempt to re-do the show. On other occasions, I have tried to use multiple mp3's and then as a late step, merge the mp3s into one. But when timing needs be absolutely precise, a late merge can be a real set back. One possible conclusion for us may be to continue to use multiple mp3 files initially, and keep better external notes so that Igor's blue-line separations are more helpful. Or, if he could just add numbers to the blue-line markers, that alone could be quite helpful.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Gary

Why not try compiling your sound track in audacity before adding your pictures in PTE. When I have a complicated multi track music/voice over presentation that's the method I use. Then I either set the slide timings to match the timelines in Audacity & PTE, or on the fly so to speak as the show plays. Your method sounds complicated.

Yachtsman1.

[goddi]

Gary, a recent experience... I realized my laptop would not handle the show.... I had used the full size files from the camera.

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LumenLux...

As I read your story, the first thing that popped into my head was that you used 'full size files from the camera'. To me, that would have been the cause of the problem of the transitions not showing up as planned. I don't think it would have been using multiple mp3's, as opposed to merging them into one. At least, that has been my experience. I always have first reduced my full camera sized images and they range in size from 100k to 400k each. I currently am working on a 1,000+ image slideshow with about 8 mp3s (not merged). Not having any problems (except that my SystemSuite is still locking the exe file when I do a Create Exe...but that's another problem I am working on).

Don't you think it was the full sized images that caused the transition problem??? I have always used multiple mp3's, not merged, with no problems.

Gary

[goddi]

Gary

Why not try compiling your sound track in audacity before adding your pictures in PTE. When I have a complicated multi track music/voice over presentation that's the method I use. Then I either set the slide timings to match the timelines in Audacity & PTE, or on the fly so to speak as the show plays. Your method sounds complicated.

Yachtsman1.

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Yachtsman1...

I work a bit differently, I guess. I would not compile a sound track until I have edited all of the images and got them into the final sequence. Since I don't use voice overs, the sequence of the images is the most important to start with. I add multiple soundtracks (not merged) while I am doing this just to get the images to be spaced out about 3 seconds (sync'd to music) so I can view them with some proposed music files and see how the images match the 'mood' of the different pieces of music. At the same time, I can be adding/moving/deleting different music files around to help match the images. If the music was compiled into one finished piece, I would not be able to easily move the music files to fit the images while I was editing the show.

Sometimes I just re-add the same music piece just to be able to see the images play out in an appropriate time... several seconds each. Once I see that the total time is, say, 15 minutes, then I zero in on the appropriate music to fit in the final length of the show. So this is why it would help me arrange the individual pieces of music if they were numbered/titled in the Slide List and in the Timeline.

As I mentioned in the previous posting, I am working on a 1,000+ slideshow with about 8+ music files....22 day trip in Austria. Seeing the music files numbered in the Slide List and the Timeline would really help.

Gary

[LumenLux]

=================

LumenLux...

As I read your story, the first thing that popped into my head was that you used 'full size files from the camera'. To me, that would have been the cause of the problem of the transitions not showing up as planned. I don't think it would have been using multiple mp3's, as opposed to merging them into one. At least, that has been my experience. I always have first reduced my full camera sized images and they range in size from 100k to 400k each. I currently am working on a 1,000+ image slideshow with about 8 mp3s (not merged). Not having any problems (except that my SystemSuite is still locking the exe file when I do a Create Exe...but that's another problem I am working on).

Don't you think it was the full sized images that caused the transition problem??? I have always used multiple mp3's, not merged, with no problems.

Gary

Yes Gary, I'm sure the over-sized files are part of the problem in my case. But the over-sized files (on the 2nd laptop) ran just fine, complex zooms and transitions included, until the point in the show where the 2nd music file commenced. I think that is the straw that broke the camel's back. I think Igor has always suggested more consistent playback can be expected by using a single music file. My understanding is that PTE ties everything to the soundtrack. It may be that the program has to do massive calculations at the start of each mp3 file. Then, if the pc processor is already taxed to the brink with large photos and complex transitions, the recalculation of the music is the killer. (Typically, I use photo files of 300 - 500 mb, and occasionally larger for zooms, etc.)

[davegee]

"(Typically, I use photo files of 300 - 500 mb, and occasionally larger for zooms, etc.)"

What camera are you using for those?

DaveG

[goddi]

Yes Gary, I'm sure the over-sized files are part of the problem in my case. But the over-sized files (on the 2nd laptop) ran just fine, complex zooms and transitions included, until the point in the show where the 2nd music file commenced. I think that is the straw that broke the camel's back....

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It would have been very interesting to see what would have happened if you were able to merge the MP3s to see if that corrected the problem with the first laptop.

Gary

PS You must have meant 300-500K?

[LumenLux]

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It would have been very interesting to see what would have happened if you were able to merge the MP3s to see if that corrected the problem with the first laptop.

Gary

PS You must have meant 300-500K?

Yes and Yes, thanks. Also, perhaps Igor could easily confirm or clarify.