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Edit Sound Files on Samsung Galaxy S3

Edited by Batkingnz, Eng, Lynn, Sri and 6 others

7 Parts:

Installing the Editing Software

Learning The interface

Part 1: Editing a sound file

Part 2: Adding effects to your sound file

Tips, Tricks and Warnings

Questions and Answers

Comments

Just a few years ago, you probably wouldn't have believed that you could take an audio file, shrink it, add to it, cut out the middle and run effects like reverb and echo, all on your cellphone. Well, believe it now, because with the advent of smartphones and the advanced hardware and software inside them you can edit audio files right now on your Samsung Galaxy S3, or in fact on any compatible Android device. Just read on below for the How To.

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Contents

1 Installing the Editing Software
2 Learning The interface
3 Part 1: Editing a sound file
4 Part 2: Adding effects to your sound file
5 Tips, Tricks and Warnings
6 Questions and Answers
7 Comments

Installing the Editing Software

"After going through our HowTo, you should have a good idea on the basics of cutting, fading, and running effects over an audio file. For the purpose of the tutorial we are using Wavepad Free Audio Editor, a free application from the Android marketplace. There are, however, a number of excellent audio editing apps available. Feel free to experiment, as you may find that you prefer another app."

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1
Turn on your device and head to the Google Play store. You can do this by tapping the Play Store icon on your home screen. If you have removed Play Store from your home screen, just press "Apps" and locate Play Store on your apps screen.

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2
From the Play Store, in the search field, search for "WavePad Free". When the results load, choose "WavePad Free Audio Editor", and then press "Install".

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3
Once the app has installed, head back to your apps screen, locate "Pocket WavePad" (note the title of the icon differs from the actual app title), and open it up to begin editing sound files.
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Learning The interface

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Click the image for a full view. You can use this image as a reference point for the buttons mentioned in the HowTo below.

1. Save button 2. Edit button 3. Effects button 4. Zoom button 5. Share button 6. Settings button 7. Transport marker 8. Full view of waveform 9. Zoom view of waveform

Part 1: Editing a sound file

The number one use for editing sound files on your phone is to create ringtones or alert tones from longer sound files. In this tutorial, we will be creating a short alert tone from a longer sound file. The skills you learn here could also be applied to other types of editing, like creating a ringtone or even creating a single file for a song from a full concert recording. Remember to experiment, and most of all, have fun. You can download the same file that I worked with - here. The track is free to download and redistribute as long as the source is credited.

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1
Click the green "+" icon at the top of the screen. This will pull a menu down that allows you to record from the built-in microphone or you can add your own file to work with. Click "Add Audio". You can now choose a sound file from your default File Manager or any other compatible application. Once you have chosen the file, you will have a pop up message that says "Loading Audio File Source". Depending on the size of the file, this could take a minute or so.

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When the file has finished loading, you will see a waveform generated on your screen. This is a visual representation of the sound file. The screen is divided horizontally. The top part is the "Full View" and the bottom is the "Zoom View". On the Full View, you will see two "Transport Markers" (refer to the previous section). Use these to select the part of the file you want to edit. We are going to take the introduction of the song we are working on and use it as an alert tone.

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Select the area by moving the Transport Markers. As you can see, the "Zoom View" now shows only the selected part of the file. We are going to take the first seven seconds of the track here. Do this by dragging your finger from the far left of the Zoom View. As you select the area a blue highlight will appear. Once you have finished the selection you can press the "Play" button to hear your selection.

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If you are happy with your selection, we can now remove this smaller segment. Press the "Edit" button and then "Cut". This will remove this segment of the track, while leaving the rest. After cutting, go back to the "Edit" button and choose "Select All," and then go back again and press "Delete". This will clear the screen. You can now go again to the "Edit" button and choose "Paste" to paste your selection.

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Now you will see only your short segment on the screen. That's the alert tone. At this point you have already edited the file down to a usable alert tone. You can save the file now by pressing the "Save" button and choosing "Save As". This will allow you to rename the file and change the quality.

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You can change the quality to get the desired file size. Choosing MP3/44.1kHz/128kbps will give you a file size of only 117KB while still retaining quality. You can now exit the app and set the tone as an alert tone, or you can load one of your own sound files to start making your own tones.

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If you want to see more about editing additional effects on your tone read on to the second part of our HowTo.

Part 2: Adding effects to your sound file

1
Normalizing the file. The first thing we will do is "Normalize" the file. Normalizing removes the big fluctuations in volume and tries to give the file a more constant peak level of volume. In practice, this works to increase the overall volume and impact of the file. Press the "Edit" button and choose "Normalize". Set the level to 100 percent and press "Apply". You will see your waveform now appears bigger and is therefore louder overall.
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2
Fade out. Because it can be hard to cut the file exactly at the point you wanted to, it can be useful to Fade Out to hide any small sound blips on the end of your file. A Fade Out will gradually bring the volume down to zero. Because you wouldn't usually want to fade right from the beginning, use your finger to drag the last part of your sound file. Once you're happy with the highlighted area you can press the "Edit" button and then choose "Fade Out". This will begin a Fade Out on the selected area, and if you look at the waveform now, you can see the fade represented as the waveform getting smaller.
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3
One last cut. You have probably noticed by now that the blips on the waveform correspond to sound in your file. You can probably see one last blip that looks a little out of place. A Fade Out will not completely remove this so you can now select that area by dragging your finger over it to highlight and then pressing the "Edit" button and selecting "Cut".
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4
Adding further effects. There are other effects here for you to consider. You can experiment with these to alter the sound. "Amplify" will increase the volume, "Echo" will add echo to your track, while "Reverb" will add a very subtle echo that recreates the sound of playing audio in a medium sized room. You can even Fade In instead of using Fade Out, or Reverse the audio of your file. Remember to save your work first and then have fun experimenting.

Our completed edit with Normalization and Fade Out

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Tips, Tricks and Warnings

Always save your work. It is a good idea to always save after cutting the initial piece of audio that you will be working with. This way you can always go back to the original edit with no effects added.
Full View vs. Zoom View. Drag the markers on the "Full View" to select what you see in the "Zoom View" below. This is especially useful when trying to cut very small parts from the audio or select a smaller segment.
Highlight. Swipe your finger to highlight the area in blue. When performing an editing function or adding an effect, only the highlighted area will be affected.

Questions and Answers

I would like to cut over 3 hours out of a 4 hour audio file from Samsung 3's voice recorder?

Trimming Audio File (Voice Recorder)

Trimming such a large fill will likely not be supported in any free editors. You will need to either purchase an editor, or download a trial editor. Alternatively, if you have access to a PC or Mac, there are built in players that will let you perform basic cuts in simply reducing the total length of the file. Quicktime and Windows Media Player are two examples of files that will let you edit sound files from your Samsung Galaxy S3.

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