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[fdgsdfg]

I have a number of albums with multiple tracks, but no specifically delineated track numbers -- all the tacks are in the same (long) file.  How can I insert track breaks in these long files?  I can't figure it out with the Media Editor.

Is there a simple way to split a file into multiple tracks?

Thanks.

[Alex B]

There are a few more or less complex ways to do what you ask. I need more information before I can try to answer.

What is the file format? Do the files contain audio from standard audio CDs or are they something else? Would it be enough to have the tracks indexed only inside MC or would you like to have physically separate disk files? How many files you would like to change? Do you by any chance have separate .cue files for these "albums"?

[fdgsdfg]

There are a few more or less complex ways to do what you ask. I need more information before I can try to answer.

What is the file format? Do the files contain audio from standard audio CDs or are they something else? Would it be enough to have the tracks indexed only inside MC or would you like to have physically separate disk files? How many files you would like to change? Do you by any chance have separate .cue files for these "albums"?

Format: MPEG-1 Layer 3

I don't know where the audio came from

I would like to transfer these files to a mobile device not using MC

I have at least 10 (mostly trance) albums that are all 1 file

I don't think I have .cue files; I've never seen that extension anywhere . . .

Thanks.

[Alex B]

Format: MPEG-1 Layer 3

I don't know where the audio came from

I would like to transfer these files to a mobile device not using MC

I have at least 10 (mostly trance) albums that are all 1 file

I don't think I have .cue files; I've never seen that extension anywhere . . .

I'm tempted to say that you can't expect more if the files came from an unknown source and you didn't pay anything. The usual way is to buy the CDs and rip them with MC. This produces fine MP3 track files which contain header info for gapless playback. MC can play the files without gaps and some portables too (namely iPods and portables with the Rockbox firmware).

But I'm not saying that. Maybe the files came from a legal source like www.archive.org or the artist's web site (for example, Roger Sanchez provides legal 40- to 60-minute podcasts as a single audio file every other week).

A cue sheet is a small text file that contain info about the seek points. You can import a cue sheet to MC and the songs will show up as separate tracks even though the actual audio content comes from the big album file. Usually the cue sheets are created with a ripper program like MC or EAC, but it is possible to create a cue sheet with a simple text editor like Notepad. You may want to "google" for more information about cue sheets. For starters, here's a wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cue_sheet_(computing)
However, cue sheets are not supported by portables, so that may not be a solution for you.

You can use MC's Media Editor for cutting the tracks. You just need to save each track separately: open the big file > cut the last track to the clipboard > create a new empty file > paste the track contents > save. Then cut the second last track and repeat the procedure. Keep in mind that if the source file is already in a lossy format (like MP3) each resave to a lossy format decreases the audio quality a bit more. This additional quality loss may or may not be audible depending on the used compression settings and your playback gear.

Alternatively, you may want to try mp3DirectCut. It can cut tracks losslessly, but the resulting files will not play exactly gaplessly.

Personally, I have sometimes done the opposite for playing mixed albums on portable MP3 players. I have combined the tracks to a single album file so that I can play them seamlessly.