Suggestions for editing music files

Audacity.  It's free and available for PC and Mac.

When editing, choose export as 'other uncompressed' if exporting to WAV, otherwise it will downgrade it to CD quality.  If exporting as FLAC, it will still be 24 bit.

Thanks Dungassin. Is there a safe site to get it from?

Audacity recommended here too.  It has a dedicated website which should come in the top three on a Google search. I have played that Hemispheres album once and I thought it was a streaming glitch. Must check this.

I've checked mine and the gap at 4.28 sounds about right. Is this the 2015 release? I got mine from Pro Studio Masters.

Thinking back, I think there was a genuine streaming glitch and it happened during 2112 (2015 version). I couldn't reproduce it so I must have got that all mixed up. Funny things brains.

Interesting, which 24 bit version of Hemispheres is it?

Thanks folks, it turns out my eldest son already has it and will do the editing tomorrow (back from uni so plenty of time on his hands!).

Harry, there's plenty of discussion about the gap on the Hoffman forum. It turns out that the length of the gap varies across the many different CD releases. However, on the original vinyl the music comes in at the end of the guitar fade. On the latest version the guitar fades and cuts out abruptly, followed by two seconds of total silence. I tweeted Sean McGee, who remastered it and he confirmed he used the original master tape. I assume there mastering notes must have been lost.

Keith

It's the 2015 version. There entire Mercury catalogue is being released on vinyl over the course of the year and the hi res files are also being made available. They are superb, apart from the Hemispheres blunder. I got mine from Highresaudio.com. I also bought it on vinyl, which is slightly more difficult to edit than the FLAC file :-/

Keith

Thanks for that Keith. I have never owned Hemispheres on vinyl so I suppose I've been indoctrinated with a gap. I'm finding the 2015 output at worst as enjoyable but usually more appealing than the 24bit stuff which went before. And we'll avoid those bloody silly remixes, which is all to the good.

I've picked up the first three 2015 versions which sound great. Still need to collect the rest but I'm not on any rush as I already have them at 24 bit.  Be interested in your opinion on which  if any/all sound better than the original high res releases?

Subjectively I’d put the 2015 remasters (24/96) Hemispheres and Permanent Waves ahead of the previously available Warner 24bit releases which spun out of the Sector box sets.  I don’t think Fly By Night sounds any different but I’ve seen plenty of feedback favouring the 2015 release. I’d also call 2112 and Kings dead heat. Pick of the bunch so far for me is Waves because it sounds less gritty. Moving Pictures coming out a week tomorrow and that’s going to have to go some to beat the currently available 24bit version. 

It's all very subjective. But I feel confident in saying that this year's releases are all good efforts, some the best yet.

Thanks Harry, interesting.  I may pick up Permanent Waves as I'm currently back in love with that and Caress of Steel for a while.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the 2015 releases so far. Waves is a particularly good 'un.

Sorry. Moving Pictures tomorrow, not next week. 

Gap removed - Audacity worked a treat. Thanks folks