Category: Geeks r Us
does anyone know of any accessible file splitting programs I could use to shorten a file that's over two and a half hours long?
I know they're out there, but I haven't needed to try and locate one, before now.
any help would be greatly appreciated.
Do you mean like editing?
You say shorten, so if I'm understandeing, you would need to edit the file, or put it in to a different file format to make it smaller.
You can also compress it, but unless you take stuff out, seems it remain as long as it is if you are talking audio.
You could speed it up making the run time shorter, but would that be worth it?
Explain more?
I don't mean editing it, but shortening it, as I said.
there are programs that look at the file length, then separate it into multiple files (part A, part B, part C), ETC, so that you're working with much smaller files.
Chelsea, I'm not going to say your program doesn't exist, but if it does, it might operate under a different category. A bit of technical info here:
File splitting historically has been used for storage on limited-sized media. Meaning, you separate a file that would take 3 traditional CDs into 3 parts, put each part on a CD. Then you use the File Join part of the program to rejoin the file when you're ready to use it.
Here's why: All files have several bytes of information at the very beginning of them, just to "indicate" their existence to the operating system. After that, the file of a given format has whatever "header" information is needed by that particular format. I have never deconstructed an MP3, but I'm pretty sure we'd see some information at the beginning of the file with instructions for the player, information about the content. This is typical. It's also why most files containing text are not the size in bytes as they are in characters. Even ASCII text files.
Then at the end of the file is an "end of file" marker. Something that tells the software it's done. Certain text files are the single exception to that rule.
So, if there is a splitter like you're talking about, it would need to be a splitter for your own file format, and split it where you want, and add and end marker to the end of the first file, and the header information to the beginning of the second. Otherwise, the file is useless to your audio software.
The split / join software takes the file apart, creates two "halves" as separate files, with the relevant information in the header of each. Actually it can do thirds or fourths or whatever you want. Anyway, all that information is part of each split, instructing the software of the order to put it all back together again.
I'm not saying your software doesn't exist. But It isn't going to be anything like a UUEncoder / UUDecoder or the split functions in WinZip.
It needs to make two mp3 files out of your single one mp3 file. That also presumes audio can be determined programmatically: A set of instructions can break up a Word file meaningfully, because it can break a file by paragraph. I could see it then recreating two separate smaller Word files. Same with a PDF or similar file type. But for each, the proprietary nature of the file would have to be known to the software, and some of these formats aren't available for dissection like this. I imagine MP3 is, just as Word files now are. They weren't at one time.
Anyway, you just want to be careful because what you're looking for is not what some of us think of when it comes to file splitting, and you don't want to get the wrong application.
I hope this helps give you a general understanding of how this stuff works. Again, I have never deconstructed an mp3 file -- perhaps I ought to just to look at it. But again, the instructions make sense to the ploayer who knows the format. I guess mp3 is so widely used I could find the format info pretty easily. I've just never had the reason for this.
But you want something that could detect separation in the audio and split at the right spot. Because you're looking for two files you could actually use, not just two pieces to be reassembled later.
I know, this split / reassemble probably sounds weird to some, but remember it was for a time when media was a lot smaller.
hope this helps,
Leo
GoldWave will split your file quite nicely. You tell it how long each part should be, or manually drop your queue points, then tell it to split it. I don't know if a free program like Switch will do it or not. Goldwave isn't free.
leo, I didn't understand all your technical jargon, but I don't know that you fully understand why I want something like this.
I only need to shorten such a huge file so that I can complete it more efficiently.
this means that, in having several files that are all under an hour long, I would be able to A, break up my computer time easier, and B, work with ease, knowing I didn't have such a lengthy file to go through.
in case anyone is curious, when a file is over two hours long, that means it takes several more hours than that, to fully transcribe it.
anyway, I know there are free programs out there that do what I'm asking, but I didn't know where to look.
I didn't think anyone here would know, but I figured asking would at least be a start.
That be editing what Anthony's talking about. I agree what he suggest can do it, but automaticly?
I don't know as Leo pointed out, how it know where you want the edits.
Sorry Chelsea, tried to be explanatory. It does sound like Anthony and Wayne are probably right. The splitting I'm familiar with leaves two or more file parts, but you can't use them.
Alternately, is there a way you can bookmark within a file where you stopped, and then return to that place in the file?
Also, splitting sound files can degrade the quality because of re-encoding.
I have a few ideas.
first, do you want the file to be shortened at a spasific time (so if its 120 minutes long, it'll be split into to 60 minute parts?)
or do you want it to stop at a time that makes sense, (such as a book chapter?)
second, could you just play this file in Winamp, and bookmark it when you want it to stop ?
third, if you want me to do this on files for you, feel free to find a way to contact me and send me the files.I have Sound Forge and could easily do this.
Jusgt let me know who you are when you contact me please.
As one audio transcriber to another, I know what you mean. Yet another diea is to use Audacity, which is free and, for what you're doing, accessible. You're able to jump to a specific time with the keyboard, then you can just select from that time to the beginning of the file, then cut from the original audio file into a new one. It opens in a project, and unless you've got it set to modify the source file, it won't effect the original file. To be doubly sure, don't save the project. A bit convoluted, but it will work, and it's free as I said. It sounds like a lot of steps, but it's pretty easy.If you need more of a step by step guide to do that, Let me know. I do it quite often. It won't degrade the quality doing it this way.
Maybe I'm misreading Chelsea's needs, but, has she ever said this is an audio file?
If it is an audio file, then it could be done quite easily with audacity, goldwave or soundforge.
If it's a word document, then it could be done with Microsoft word.
Seems like we need more enlightening here.
Bob
It's not blatently stated, but given that she's transcribing it, and it's over two hours long, I'd say it's safe to infer that's what is being asked.
You can also take a look at the programs page on jaws-users.com. All the programs there are accessible, or can be made so with scripts, and I'm pretty sure I've seen a couple of free programs there that are specifically for splitting mp3 files.
yes, this is an audio file. I didn't say so, cause I figured that would be obvious.
the audio files are sometimes MP3's, or sometimes WAV.
I had no idea this would be almost as time-consuming as transcribing itself, but at this rate, I'll stick with what I'm doing.
I appreciate everyone's help, though.
Chelsea, I have GoldWave and would be happy to split any files you have.
Unfortunately, I lost your email addr when moving to my windows 7 computer. If you want to take advantage of this offer let me know.--Then I could get your address again too.
Bob