10 Hex/Vs/Text by Sean Antonucci

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Audacity Datamashups

Testing out a new trick: mixing images in Audacity.

Recipe:

• Convert files to TIFF
• Import images as tracks into Audacity using: Raw Data, A-Law, Default Endianness, 1-Channel (mono), no offset, 100%, 44100Hz sample rate
• Zoom in on the top of each file and find the waveforms that correspond to the file header.  Keep one header, delete the other(s) by selecting and using Generate, Silence.
• Scroll to the ends of each file.  Identify the header (tailer?) for whichever file is longer (or whichever file size you want in the end).  For all other tracks delete data to a point before the beginning of the header you wish to use.  Basically, each header will look approximately the same and fairly different from the image data (which will be unique for each “layer”).  Giving the header a bit more breathing room is a good practice until you get the feel of how close you can cut things.
• Export using “Other uncompressed files”.  Select A-Law in the options.  Be sure to add TIFF as the file extension.

Hints: Mashup the data of two files of different aspect ratios for some cool effects.  You can apply different audio effects to the tracks/layers you removed the headers from without fear of killing the file.  Try mixing files with or without (or a combination thereof) alpha layers.

FYI - The source images were scans of 35mm film I shot over the past few months.  And, yes you may have seen one of them on the tumblr radar recently.