Compiling a family music quiz....

[gordon s]

I've volunteered to run a private music quiz via Zoom for our family. No problem with the music as I will use Spotify. I want to record say 1-10 seconds of music that is taken from the front/middle/end of pop songs from the late 50's to current date.

 

Clearly, I haven't really thought this through, as I need a way to record the clips, hold them on a file and then playback with the ability to stop/start/replay each clip before going onto the next one.

 

In terms of computer understanding, I have a basic knowledge and have a modern Mac and an iPad,

 

Anyone got some fairly simple ideas that I would understand that would allow me to assemble the clips and play them back via Zoom?

 

As it's scheduled for next Sunday, I need to move fairly quickly to record all the clips. 

 

Any ideas how this can be done quickly and easily preferably with existing or free software that I can learn quickly and easily.

[pirouets]

Gordon

 

Do you have access to all the tracks as files or is the plan to use Spotify or some other streaming service?

If you do have the files, then I suggest using Audacity. Its free and a good tool to much around with tracks including cutting clips out and pasting to a single file, though its been so long since I did this I can't quite remember how.

 

https://www.audacityteam.org/

 

https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/tutorial_editing_an_existing_file.html

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1kCC4ITHhs

 

The I think then all you need to do is the share screen trick in Zoom and when you play the file, everyone will hear it. Obviously put gaps in so you know the start/stop points for each.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd9KY4tpzYY

 

Hope this helps

[gordon s]

That's great. I've just been reading about Audacity, so your input has been invaluable. I don't want to record the whole track, just part of it. Whilst I have 100's of records, the easiest way would be via Spotify as subscribers.

 

The bit that was unclear is that I want to be able to hear the track, press record as it were and then press stop. I got the impression from the web that you download part or all of the track to Audacity and then go back to edit it down to the bit you want.

 

I assume you create a large MP3/MP4 file with all 100 clips, which will then plug into Zoom and I can then control stop and start on there? As the clips will be short, I'm certain I will get asked for replays, so need to do that as well.

 

Not the end of the world and once you get going it becomes easier. I'm hopeful it will be a bit of fun as I have the youngsters v the oldies, with music from 1957-1985 for the old 'uns and 1986 - current for the youngsters....

 

Makes a welcome change from digging in the garden...

[pirouets]

Might be easier then just to create a spotify playlist and just share the audio off the device you Zoom from.

 

You just need a piece of paper then with how long the intro's are. Pretty sure when I used to be able to go the pub quiz at Great Expectations in Reading that is exactly how he did the intro's given they often slipped in to the main part of the song.

 

In fact , thanks as this is one round of my quiz questions for later this week sorted.

[gordon s]

Thanks Steve. That makes sense, but I didn't want to be limited to the intro. For instance, the end of a Day in the Life from the Beatles is great. Centre instrumental sections are always fun as everyone knows it but can't connect it to the beginning or end,

 

I'll download Audacity tonight and see what comes up. Watch this space tomorrow.....

 

Of course once done, I'm happy to release it to RWwebbers for a bit of fun.

[Stubby47]

14 minutes ago, gordon s said:

Thanks Steve. That makes sense, but I didn't want to be limited to the intro. For instance, the end of a Day in the Life from the Beatles is great. Centre instrumental sections are always fun as everyone knows it but can't connect it to the beginning or end,

 

I'll download Audacity tonight and see what comes up. Watch this space tomorrow.....

 

Of course once done, I'm happy to release it to RWwebbers for a bit of fun.

 

As long as it's better than @Phil Parker's SWAG Member's Day Quiz Round 5

 

 

Edited May 18, 2020 by Stubby47

[AY Mod]

13 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

As long as it's better than @Phil Parker's SWAG Member's Day Quiz Round 5

 

What was wrong with that then apart from most people scoring not much at all? 

[gordon s]

I've forgotten stuff young guys have never heard of so you will have to have been born before 1950 with the music I have up my sleeve.......and nothing will give me more pleasure than getting one up on the youngsters who think they know it all.......:-)

 

I love 'em all, really....

 

I can hear then now, 'what's a 45, Dad'.....

Edited May 18, 2020 by gordon s

[pirouets]

Tell Phil he missed the most obvious - Big Big Train & East Coast Racer. Just which bit of all 15 mins and 47 seconds would be the challenge

 

Gordon, that's a fabulously evil idea - Song Endings. By the way, have you been able to stretch your legs by the way with a bag of sticks yet even if it was 9 holes on your own?

[BoD]

Why don’t you just sit with your cassette player’s microphone pointing at the radio and press record at the appropriate time?

[Stubby47]

26 minutes ago, BoD said:

Why don’t you just sit with your cassette player’s microphone pointing at the radio and press record at the appropriate time?

.. like we used to do on a Sunday evening, all those years ago...

[BoD]

6 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

.. like we used to do on a Sunday evening, all those years ago...

I knew that that would resonate with people of a certain age (just after Sing Something Simple, wasn’t it?) but I suspect Gordon is more familiar with the Edison Phonogram and wax cylinders.

[monkeysarefun]

Spotify don't give you the option to download a file as an mp3 or whatever -  that would completely go against their business model.

 

One way to save the file would be with Audacity - use Spotify to play the part of the song you want to record  and at the same time record the sound via Audacity, using its WASAPI loopback feature, pretty much like in the 'olden days' - play a record or whatever on the 3 in one and hit 'record' on the tape deck when you get to the bit you want to save!

 

https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/tutorial_recording_computer_playback_on_windows.html

[gordon s]

Thanks for all your help guys. I knew you'd come up with an answer...

 

In no particular order, yes, I will be playing golf tomorrow.....

 

Our course has opened for two balls, 9 holes only (back or front nine). Tee times every 10 minutes. We're only allowed 9 holes as we have the best part of 600 members and with just 12 players per hour, there would be carnage if people couldn't get out after all these weeks.

 

There are many ways of playing back music (cassette's included....), but I want all the editing done first and as I said, it may be the front, middle or end of a song, so all the work needs to be done first.

 

I have downloaded both Audacity and Soundflower onto my Mac and after half an hour or so, I have made my first 10 second recording from Spotify via Audacity and saved it as an mp3 file. It works.....Still to work out how to save them, but it may be easier just to save 100 mp3 files as separate files which will allow me to control the speed and replay ones if necessary.

 

Now I need to check that playing it back through Zoom that everyone can hear and the sound quality is good. I did read there was a problem with saving MP3 files via Spotify/Audacity but that was after I'd saved one, so maybe the problem isn't there......or I just got lucky.

Edited May 19, 2020 by gordon s

[Phil Parker]

14 hours ago, pirouets said:

Tell Phil he missed the most obvious - Big Big Train & East Coast Racer. Just which bit of all 15 mins and 47 seconds would be the challenge

 

I had to go and look that up. Sadly, they haven't recorded a track called "Giraffe car" though.

[gordon s]

Cracked it....

 

A combination of Audacity/Soundflower/Spotify and a fair bit of patience means I now have 160 music clips from 1957-2020. I only need 100, but I was enjoying it so much, I just kept going. If it goes well, I may run another one.

 

We've done a test via Zoom and found you can play files direct from your computer to everyone else. The sound quality is great and they can't see the file names or any detail. We're all set for Sunday bar a few tweaks, so thanks for your input.

 

If anyone want to do something similar, drop me a PM and hopefully I can give you some pointers. If there's some interest, I may even post a few for the music nerds on here. As always some are easy and others quite a lot harder, but there'll be a few laughs and it gives us a chance to have the family together, albeit on screen.