[robmd]

Good evening!

I was recently making a slideshow of our first grandchilds first 48 hours.

When I wanted to add background music I needed to join 2 files together, fading one into the other to get continous music, then save it as One Track The program I was using to make the slideshow (Pinnacle Instant PhotoAlbum) will only accept one file to attach to a slideshow, so the Music file has to be either long enough for the Slideshow, or repeated continously..

I was using Roxio 6 to edit the tracks, but it will only burn the file to a CD, and not save it to hard disk from where it can be used.

Can anyone recommend a program that can Fade music In and Out, get rid of the pause between tracks and join tracks together to form a continous music track (the ability to Split tracks would also be useful).
A relatively simple program will suffice, as I will probablty only use it for the above purpose.

I don't mind if the program is Freeware, Shareware or Commercial.

[mrdobalina]

i think cool edit pro has 30 day trials, soundforge is also alot like cool edit.

j/w, but where is the music coming from, do you have it on the hard drive already? or is the music still on a cd?

[robmd]

Morning mrdobalina,

Thanks for your reply and suggestions. I'll take a look at those progs.
The music is on CD at present, but I can take it off them O.K. as mp3.

I expect to make a few slideshows as my son is making free with my digital camera and snapping his firstborn at every oppotunity!!

[stallion74]

hello robmd. here is a GREAT freeware program to do exactly what you are wanting to do. the program name is audacity and it will join files split tracks and just about anything else you would ever want to do with sound. the url is here
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

good luck and congrats on the grandchild

[robmd]

Thanks for the info and congrats stallion74, I'll go have a look at that prog. I don't need anything overly comprehensive as I only require a few features.

As I said, I am using Pinnacle Instant Album to create the slideshows. It does a reasonable job, but is not very flexible with respect to adding transitions (either one, or the whole lot - you cannot choose just 2 or three), and it will only accept 1 music file to use as a soundtrack, hence the need to merge tracks to make up one of the required length (unless a shorter one is repeated continously - Boring!).

[Telstar]

Originally Posted by stallion74

hello robmd. here is a GREAT freeware program to do exactly what you are wanting to do. the program name is audacity and it will join files split tracks and just about anything else you would ever want to do with sound. the url is here
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Yes! Audacity will do what you need. You can save your final product as an MP3 after merging 2 or more music files, cut pauses, fades in-out, add your own voice-over, etc.
I was confronted with the same problem until Audacity was recommended to me in this very Forum.

Telstar

[robmd]

Thanks for alll your input, I have downloaded Audacity, and am also looking at Cooledit Pro & Soundforge. I'll see what I can handle best! I can use most progs. O.K., but I don't have an artistic bone in my body, so anything TOO creative is wasted on me!!!