hi guys. i recently picked up the recycle program from reason. my hopes where to be able to remix old 80's songs (and other classic favorites that i felt i wanted to put a new updated touch to.)

The first thing i noticed (before even installing the program [reading the menu.] was that recycle can only make a "WAV" file into a REX.file. ??? this right here is the begining of what i had doubts about and ultimate worries about.

What i was hoping for was, that i could take small "mp3" samples and turn them into rex files to chop and cut sound the audio files like there is no tomorrow (which is the big seller for recycle{ how you can do the stutter effect flawlessy, by building your own samples and "chops" my word for perfectly cut samples....

unfortunatly.before i even set up and instuled the program (on vista to, which will be a nightmare on it's own to just get the drivers and such put on to each computer that i am goin' to use for recyclce.)
Anway, like I said "recycle can only turn WAV.files into REX files." which really throughs me a curve ball. on the fact that i thought recycle was a program similar to a sampler, in which i can record and edit audio samples wav or mp3s !!!! (although i really don't have much expireance with a sampler. :P
Now the part that is gonna drive me nuts, which i again already knew at this piont when buying this program)... was...
i can't covert mp3 into rex files!!!! ;O (should have been my red flag, but i don't know enough about ..well anything audio/software, except for the small positive things i heard about recycle....)

Anyway so that great idea i had about remixing a old fav 80's tune can't seem to happen. at least not yet with my expirience. So this was pretty much the only reason i picked up the program (to remix mp3 into popular house and trance songs.

now another thing this delema leads me to is the questions...how do people/remixers take an audio sample (at verious bit rates(pretty much all i have seen for remix parts is wav files(which for me , luckly and perfferable can fit into reason,) but i doubt alot of the classic songs getting remixed even have the option of 320kbps, let alone WAV. So with this, i really doubt that most artist even get the clearance to work / and or arrange a song for there own production
So my curiuosty grows becuase i still hear old 80's classics getting the remix touch and sounding pretty nice!!!!.

so far all i have learned is that by cutting enough freqs out of a sample (ex. guitar drums bass, melody), and surrounding it with others (main parts of a song) is really the only way to do a half decent soundin mix??).
Although that doesn't seem solid enough for me to really on.

So what i'm hoping to find out and understand is tips to do a proper bootleg/remix(without parts). this will be at least an interesting experement and practice for me which i would love to learn. so of course all input and experiences are welcome.
thanks again everyone, although this topic has been kind of touched on i hope i'm at least being more specific.... also any questions or explanations on what i meen... please ask....


and of course, alway much appreciation thank you !!!

Last edited by lowski on Jun-13-2008 at 15:37

Whats wrong with converting the mp3 to wav before working with it in Recycle? I dont see why this is a big deal, there are tons of freeware programs out there that do this. This is not a limitation of the program, as you shouldn't be working with mp3 anyway since it is a compressed file format.

Any program that allows you to edit audio from mp3's is probably just converting it to wav in the background anyway. Mp3 is so not sufficient for within in a professional audio environment. You should always be working with and uncompressed file format such as WAV or AIF files.

Also trying to do a remix without having the individual parts is probably not going to yield much success. While you can attempt to remove parts with creative EQing, you'll never be able to get a clean enough copy to have anything useful.

You can try it, and see what you come up with. Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by Eric J Whats wrong with converting the mp3 to wav before working with it in Recycle? I dont see why this is a big deal, there are tons of freeware programs out there that do this. This is not a limitation of the program, as you shouldn't be working with mp3 anyway since it is a compressed file format. Any program that allows you to edit audio from mp3's is probably just converting it to wav in the background anyway. Mp3 is so not sufficient for within in a professional audio environment. You should always be working with and uncompressed file format such as WAV or AIF files. Also trying to do a remix without having the individual parts is probably not going to yield much success. While you can attempt to remove parts with creative EQing, you'll never be able to get a clean enough copy to have anything useful. You can try it, and see what you come up with. Good luck.

ok first thing; converting a mp3 to wav i heard results terable outcomes. that is something i have heard on this board??? so... i take it all into serious consideration. so if i can take a 320kbps sample and turn it into a wav file with a free downloadable program, i'm not going to lose too much quialty?. pretty much for samples i don't even think i need to be overly concered with the sample quality since most parts are going to be drowned out just to fit in the song. andalso from what i remember from most songs is that the main sample always seems a bit budget... if that's even the right word. but bassicaly less quialty and as longs as the main parts of the sample can shine through (which aren;t even gonna be that much) it's good enough.?

as for mp3 being a limition of the program, i believe it is with the regards that it can not open/play a mp3 file but only a wav.

which really brings me to the ultimate qeustion of how bootleg songs are done?. i hear in some remixes that they just take a sample straight out of the original track (drums guitar and all)and work it to there favour. so basicly what i assume is that there are producers using files other the wav (for the simple fact that every bootleg can't be properly licenced and containing the proper wav samples)

so i'm really wondering is what kind of files are people using, and getting away with "mp3?" good results.

but also as you said trying to do a remix without the proper parts, i agree, it probably isn't gonna yeild the best results. having remix parts is idle. although in my case, for some of the songs i want or have heard remixed, i doubt there even was a 320 release of the original track to take from. let alone even having the luxury of sample parts in wav. so it's on that level that im wondering what you can get away with. or is it just another story of having to use your ear

Seriously mate, in terms of the whole wav/mp3 thing, just convert the file to wav and now you can use it in Recycle as planned. There will be no loss in quality so don't worry about that.

Just use Audacity (free - google it)

I know from other posts that you aren't very knowledgeable when it comes to computer related things but to read a long post complaining about Recycle only handling wavs and not mp3s is quite silly really. I don't mean this in an offensive way, its just how I read the post.

So please, convert your mp3's to wav and away you go

___________________
Listen to and download all my tracks at www.gregnicot.bandcamp.com

quote:

Originally posted by G-Con Seriously mate, in terms of the whole wav/mp3 thing, just convert the file to wav and now you can use it in Recycle as planned. There will be no loss in quality so don't worry about that. Just use Audacity (free - google it) I know from other posts that you aren't very knowledgeable when it comes to computer related things but to read a long post complaining about Recycle only handling wavs and not mp3s is quite silly really. I don't mean this in an offensive way, its just how I read the post. So please, convert your mp3's to wav and away you go

oh it's not offensive at all. thanks for the input. so what i have learned is that makes 320 samples into wav isnt as harful as i had read before. an i would especialy think so when the sample being used are already getting drowed out by other parts.

so bottom line thanks i understand, i was just kinda discourger at first when i didn't think i was gonn be able to do , in recycle , what i had bought the program for.

thanks always, that's why i love this site!!!

converting the mp3 to wav file! also its not reason recyle its PROPELLERHEAD's RECYCLE!

___________________
Trance Addict 4 LIFE!

quote:

Dr.DRE "It's not the equipment....it's the muthaf@#%r running it"

quote:

Originally posted by Pagan-za Fighting online is like winning the special Olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded.

it wont get worse nor better by "extracting" it to wav. do not complain about proppelerhead software. most of it is perfect.

hahaha jesus chrits , we have some hard core fans of propellerhead here. hahahahah

first off i'm not trying to discredit or talk down on reason in anway. i have used only reason for the past few years and found it to be quite good, even with my, in same cases novice experiance.

the bottom line was i just picked up recycle and din't quite know how to work my way in the program... and evn though that something could nat be done... but i know belive other wise. like i said don't get me wrong. eason is an amazing program

hi guys, just had time to reply. well i of course like the input but i'm at the point where i don't even know where or even how to convert a mp3 to wav. i downloaded some free sites but still with no luck of loading anything itno recycle.

any help would be the best !!!

Reaper can trun mp3 to a wav file and its easy!
http://www.cockos.com/reaper/
just drag and drop your mp3 on to Reaper and then render as wav file!

___________________
Trance Addict 4 LIFE!

quote:

Dr.DRE "It's not the equipment....it's the muthaf@#%r running it"

quote:

Originally posted by Pagan-za Fighting online is like winning the special Olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded.

Last edited by atxbigballer1 on Jun-18-2008 at 18:51

Just go get LAME (http://lame.sourceforge.net/index.php) and use RazorLame as the front end (http://www.dors.de/razorlame/)

This is what I have used for years. You can go from mp3 to wave or the other way.

Do you have any sort of wave editing software, such as Wavelab or Soundforge? (there are plenty of free ones out there as well). There are many, many, many options for converting mp3s to WAV files. I just typed in "mp3 to WAV" in google and it gave me 1,590,000 results.

You will not lose quality going from a 320Kb mp3 to a WAV. The WAV format has capacity for about four times the information of a 320K mp3. It won't make it sound better (since mp3 is a lossy format, even at 320, it'll be missing some things from the original WAV file it was converted from - going from WAV to 320Kb mp3 you'll definitely lose quality, going the other way you won't lose quality, but you definitely won't gain back the quality that was lost earlier).

A lot of remixes of old tracks are done by getting access to the original multitrack recordings. As Eric J said, you could try some creative EQing, but the results will likely sound horrible. Better to find tracks which have certain elements exposed - a verse containing a vocal and only a soft guitar, or an intro to a song which has just the main guitar riff with no drums or bass or anything else. (on a side note, I don't quite understand your point about old songs not being available as 320Kb mp3s - why is this an issue? I'm sure they're available as vinyls, which can sound subjectively better to some people - in any case, recording the vinyl into your sequencer of choice at full WAV quality will easily give you the quality you're after - plus will have a wider frequency/dynamic range than a 320Kb mp3)

As for Recycle, it helps to read up on products you're paying good money for, whether they'll do what you want them to or not, before you buy them.