Tools for Audio and Video - Freeware

Sartori · Post edited by Sartori at 2013-06-20 15:18:42

Another limited interest thread , for those poking around things , I`ve used computers for a squillion years and used old command line tools and wrote scripts to control them ......but these new fangled days , we have Windows and things - the following tools are the `modern` tools I use to do tasks , all are Freeware .

I try and keep whatever video or audio I have , in its highest quality . Ripping a video/audio in its broadcast version as opposed to recording the video/audio via screengrabbing software or audio recorder will keep it as it was broadcast .

Rip
Why Rip ? keeps original quality/version
Videos (Youtube) - Use Firefox and install the add-on "Download Helper" , this will capture FLVs and MP4s
Videos/Audio (General) - Use a program called "Stream Transport" , this will capture FLVs and MP3s , apparently the BBC as well ;)
Videos/Audios (Sometimes used) - Use a program called Orbit Downloader (ensure you decline adding Toolbars and homepage changes when you install it)

FLV --> MP4
Why change from FLV to MP4 ? so you play them on your TV on a stick (well mine can anyway) or for Bluray use
By `change` , I mean change the headers in the file (not the file itself) , FLVs are just a container (think of it as a cover for a book) , converting from FLV to MP4 just changes the cover and not the pages inside .
XMedia Recode - set outputs as MP4 and select COPY instead of convert in the options for audio/video

Sartori · Post edited by Sartori at 2013-06-20 15:17:27

Demulitplex

What is DeMulitplex ? it is separating the audio from (or vice versa) the video in a file

What is Multiplexing ? the joining or rejoining of audio to the video in a file

Why Demulitplex ? it`ll give you the original audio from the video file (which is what most people will want)

This will separate the video into its streams - audio and video , they will be the orginal streams and not a conversion (which will degrade the audio or video) .

FLV Extract v1.63 - to strip apart and get the audio in AAC/MP3 form (from an FLV file)
MP4Muxer v0.93 (DVBPortal MP4 Multiplexer/Demultiplexer Version 0.9.3) - to strip apart and get audio in AAC/MP3 form (from an MP4 file)

Edit / Cut Audio
Why Edit ? to losslessly edit an MP3 or AAC to cut off any unwanted bits or join together parts
MP3 DirectCut - it`ll edit out any unwanted parts (eg DJs talking) and allow cut and pasting to join files together , it`ll then save them without converting them (MP3s and AACs)

MP4 Joining
Why Join ? you don`t want a shed full of little files , you want just one
Video to Video - does what it says on the tin , it can also edit MP4s (after a fashion)

Sartori · Post edited by Sartori at 2013-06-20 15:12:21

There are other tools available , these are just the ones I use - their purpose is to process files without losing any quality . The actual use of these programs will possibly require Google to find any guides etc . If you cannot avoid audio conversion from one to another , I`d highly recommend adding 100 to the bitrate - it won`t make it better quality than the original bitrate , it just stops the audio quality dropping so much . Think of the file as a painting , if you`re going to make a copy of it , do you get the an ordinary painter to copy it or do you get a painter who is better to copy it ? ie you make a good copy instead of an ordinary copy .

If you must record audio off the computer , ensure you record at 41khz and not 48khz and then convert it (preferably at a highish bitrate : 256 -320kps) , the conversion of audio (from 48 to 41) affects the frequencies of the file itself .

I`d recommend the site http://www.videohelp.com/ to find most of these files .

Sartori

Copied from an old file I came across - use as you want / ignore .

tweety

wicked, I hadn't some across some of those before.

Audacity has always been a favourite of mine for audio editing

Border_Mind · Post edited by Border_Mind at 2013-06-20 17:15:07

Sound Forge is good in my opinion ;)

Very user friendly... NOT free though

Sartori

I agree and I do use Sound forge , far superior to Audacity - user friendly , got an older studio version off eBay for 20 quid , used it this afternoon to help with my drum and bass remix of "Annabel".

Sartori

But Forge can't cut MP3s and aac's without having to re-encode them . I use mp3cut to top and tail my MP3s and cut tracks from DJ sets . MP3s and aac's are the audio components of flv files .

Border_Mind · Post edited by Border_Mind at 2013-06-20 18:02:21

Got it as part of a package with Vegas, very handy ;)

Sartori

I've also got Vegas bought an older version of that , 8 I think , now and again I'll make remix videos with it . Years ago I remade the official video with Benny Benassis Strict Machine remix and a couple of others , I'd clean forgotten. about them . An excellent program .

Sartori · Post edited by Sartori at 2013-11-19 08:01:21

A (free) tool for Extracting (ie NOT converting) the original audio file from video files (eg most of Youtubes videos have .aac files for the audio) . Its main attraction is that it allows you to batch a whole folder (for me) . It works on whatever video files you have (as far as I can see) and can also convert the audio to another format if you wished instead (eg aac to mp3 etc).

http://www.videohelp.com/tools/Pazera-Free-Audio-Extractor

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