News :: 15MR: Direct WAV MP3 Splitter v2.4

Welcome to another installation of 15-Minute Review. Today’s application is Direct WAV MP3 Splitter version 2.4 by Piston Software—An audio file splitter that does not require recompression.

As Giveaway of the Day states:

“Direct WAV MP3 Splitter is an easy-to-use and very fast tool to split or cut MP3 and WAV files. It allows you to quickly split large files without recompression and quality loss and save the results into new files.

The program also works as an automatic MP3 splitter. A build-in audio player lets you listen to audio files (with adjustable speed) and then split them with automatic track numbering.

You can automatically split MP3 and WAV files into equal-sized parts (using time, size or number of parts criteria). There is also an automatic silence or pause detection feature.

With the help of Direct WAV MP3 Splitter audiobooks, podcasts, ripped CD audio tracks, audio tapes etc. can be split within seconds! You can view the MP3 file using wave graphics and set the MP3 cut points easily.”

Quick Pros

• Manual splits, timed splits and pause-detection splitring
• Audio quality as good as original; no re-encoding to cause loss of quality
• Easy to use

Quick Cons

• Could use more tools
• Some of the icons a little weak look-wise
• Skip buttons too small of movement
• ‘Start Joiner’ – Nice, but not free

Expansion

This application is deceptively powerful. Not only does it have manual splitting capabilities, it also has the ability to split into equal parts, certain filesizes, play lengths, as well as the ability to split based on pause detection as well, which does work quite well with its available settings. With the interface laid out in an easy-to-use layout, it makes the job rather easy to do.

The audio quality is as good as the original file. The simple reason is because this application does not re-encode at all to split the file. This is a good thing, because re-encoding a file that has already been encoded will always diminish the audio quality. It may not be audible, but its there, and if you re-encode enough times, the sound will be nothing like the original encoding.

I did feel that the manual split could use a few more tools. I found myself wanting to listen to the file straight through and wanting to be able to mark sections as I went without having to go back and start again. Now, while it is possible to do this, it would be three mouse-clicks that require about 600 pixels total movement apart; very hard to click all three (Mark End – Add to Splitlist – Mark Start) and if the pauses are really short (Comedy skits for example,) you’re going to miss the window. You can also use the keyboard as well, (F4 – Insert – F3) but that is also a lot to remember, the movement is far, and I found my mind wanting to hit it in the reverse order for some reason. Could there be a button that does this all for you in one go, and possibly even factor in the Pause Detection aspect so even if you missed it, it’d find the most recent pause, and also remove the pause if you wanted? It’d be a great feature I feel that would simplify this as well and make this application rock-solid.

I also found that if I were listening through the selection and wanted to rewind a bit, that even the ‘Skip back large definable step’ of one second, and having to click it a few times was difficult. It might be good to allow you to hold down on the skip buttons to continue moving, or change the buttons functionality as well.

My other comment is the finish on the buttons in manual mode. There are 6 stylized (blue) buttons, and 10 ASCII buttons (Not including the Marking and Add buttons)—The lack of consistent finish does take away from the finish of the application, making it look like a work in progress, like someone never finished the icons or similar. While this is a minor issue, it is a point where someone might think this is an unfinished product.

This application does have an in-application link to Direct MP3 Joiner (Reviewed previously) which really, a spitter and a joiner do not work together, it is an either-or situation. I feel that this is an attempt to drum up more sales for their other product. Granted, it is not intrusive like other applications which advertise other products, it is still there like it is a tool that is supposed to be used in conjunction with this one.

Final Verdict

While granted the need for WAV MP3 splitters are slowly dwindling away, there is still use for them. Live broadcasts, radio recordings, comedians, concerts and live events are just a few events that could stand to use splitting technology. If you do find yourself working with these kinds of files often, you might as well pick up this application. Splitter seems bug-free and work how intended without any show-stopping issues. It is not a bad application for $19.95 either and if you had a use for it on a regular basis; If I had a regular use for it, I would likely purchase this application. I don’t see many people who would normally buy this title, but again, it is targeted towards a specific marketplace. I feel you could get a few more people in on purchasing this application if the front had a bit more finished look to it, and added the feature I mentioned above for play-through-splitting functionality. You are looking at a specialized application/function which targets a specialized market, and need all the edge you can get.

Posted by BladedThoth on Tuesday, March 13, 2007