Using Audacity to Create MP3s from iPhone Voice Memos

[Michael Simone]

I just found out I can create MP3s from iPhone voice memos using Audacity. You may already have it, if not you can dig it out on the web.

So what?

Well, I have about 30 recordings of tunes from workshops I've attended but have no way to slow some of them down to learn...because the iPhone Amazing Slow Downer app needs an MP3 file from your iTunes collection to do it's magic.

Well, if you go to 'Preferences' in iTunes, and chose 'Import Settings,' and set it to 'Import Using MP3 Encoder,' now you can right click it and have an MP3 you can then you use the 'Amazing' app to slow down the tune and learn it.

How great it that?

However, I might be very slow. Many of you may know this already.

This site has more details: http://butyoureagirl.com/5484/itunes...emos-from-m4a/

[Mark D]

Excellent topic Michael. You're about the 5th person in the past two months that recommended Amazing Slow Downer... As a new SSP'er I realized early on I had to learn by ear and "de-GHB" by thinking: re-imagine what I wanted from piping, if you will.

I naturally approach most ideas from a technology/education lens. So for me, using technology to augment my ear training was a big fat, Yes! Enter Audacity. I now use it, and use keepvid.com to grab, borrow, and capture tune settings I like from YouTube and then I slow them down in Audacity directly using the Tempo feature. There's also a nice Pitch feature.

I believe my video here explains it loosely (although I must admit it's been a few months that I've watched it): http://youtu.be/8JPbPRUlvSs

I always thought using .mp3's to learn "traditional" music was cheating. But then I heard of a Cape Breton fiddler that, back in the day, used to slow down his record player (to learn tunes at a slower tempo) by attaching a dimmer to the power plug.

[teuchter46]

The FiRe app for iPod/iPhone is also very good for recording, especially if you use an external mic: you have stereo recording and more control over the process. It will also convert format and save wirelessly to other machines or "the cloud". I use it with the Mikey Blue microphone and my (2nd generation) iPod touch to record my own practice and any folk sessions I go to. I've only been playing SSP for a few months so am always on the lookout for tunes outside the mainstream GHB corpus; recording a session gives me a chance to do that.

Of course you can use Audacity to speed stuff up and then play along if you want a real test for practicing too

[Johnniez]

Roni Music Slow Me Down is an ap for Winamp that I use all the time..

It allows you to slow or speed the tempo with out pitch change.. Also can change the pitch,[ tune to pipes etc] with out losing the speed or you can do a combination of both..

If interested just type the 'Roni Music Slow Me Down' in google for winamp..

It works great !!

Johnnie

[Michael Simone]

Originally Posted by teuchter46

The FiRe app for iPod/iPhone is also very good for recording, especially if you use an external mic: you have stereo recording and more control over the process. It will also convert format and save wirelessly to other machines or "the cloud". I use it with the Mikey Blue microphone and my (2nd generation) iPod touch to record my own practice and any folk sessions I go to. I've only been playing SSP for a few months so am always on the lookout for tunes outside the mainstream GHB corpus; recording a session gives me a chance to do that.

Of course you can use Audacity to speed stuff up and then play along if you want a real test for practicing too

I just got Blue FiRe and it is great. Far beyond the native Voice Memo app. I think it was free for the basic edition and the only advert is the first page asking if I wanted to upgrade to the higher end version. But the basic version is quite adequate for simple tune recording without a microphone.

[bob864]

This company has software called iExplorer that is good for getting the recordings off the iPhone and onto a computer:

http://www.macroplant.com/support.php

I just used voice recorder to record some stuff and it works surprisingly well.