Burning a CD Christmas Party Mix

'Tis the season for spreading holiday cheer, and what better way than with a custom-crafted Christmas party mix? This year, I dove back into the world of CD burning, armed with a bash script I created that transforms raw MP3s into a festive audio experience!

The script does the following:

• Checks and installs necessary audio tools

• Normalizes track volumes

• Removes awkward silences

The Full Script

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#!/bin/bash

set -evu
set -o pipefail

# Dependency check and installation
command -v brew >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "Homebrew required but not installed. Exiting."; exit 1; }

# Install or upgrade dependencies
brew install sox mp3gain || { echo "Failed to install audio processing tools"; exit 1; }

# Optional: Warn if burn fails, but don't stop script
brew install --cask burn || { echo "Failed to install burn"; exit 1; }

mp3gain -r -T ./*.mp3

# Prepare output directory
export DIR='./final'
mkdir -p "$DIR"

ls *.mp3 | perl -MTerm::ANSIColor=':constants' -snlE'
  
  $cmd = $sox =~ s~(INPUT)|OUTPUT~$1 ? $_ : qq|${dir}/$_|~ger;
  say q|> |, GREEN $cmd, RESET;
  system $cmd;  
  
' -- -dir="$DIR" -sox='sox -V "INPUT" "OUTPUT" silence 1 0.1 2% reverse silence 1 0.1 2% reverse || echo "Sox processing failed"'

Script Breakdown: Line by Line

Let's unwrap this script like a Christmas present and examine each line:

Bash Safety Flags

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set -evu
set -o pipefail

• -e: Exit immediately if a command exits with a non-zero status

• -v: Verbose mode (prints shell input lines)

• -u: Treat unset variables as an error

• -o pipefail: Ensures that a pipeline returns a non-zero status if any command fails

Homebrew Dependency Check

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command -v brew >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "Homebrew required but not installed. Exiting."; exit 1; }

• Checks if Homebrew is installed

• If not found, prints an error message and exits

• >/dev/null 2>&1 silences any output

Install Audio Processing Tools

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brew install sox mp3gain || { echo "Failed to install audio processing tools"; exit 1; }

• Installs SoX (Sound eXchange) and MP3Gain

• Provides an error message if installation fails

Optional Burning Tool

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brew install --cask burn || { echo "Failed to install burn"; exit 1; }

• Attempts to install the Burn CD/DVD burning application and fails gracefully if installation doesn't work.

• Burn is a free, open-source Mac utility that makes disc burning as easy as wrapping a present. Create audio CDs, data discs, and video DVDs with just a few clicks. Lightweight, user-friendly, and perfect for holiday mixtapes and quick backups. No fancy features, just straightforward disc creation! 🎄🔥

Audio Volume Normalization

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mp3gain -r -T ./*.mp3

• -r: Applies track gain adjustments

• -T: Prevents audio clipping

• Processes all MP3 files in the current directory

Prepare Output Directory

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export DIR='./final'
mkdir -p "$DIR"

• Creates a 'final' directory for processed files

• -p flag ensures no error if directory exists

Perl Audio Processing Magic

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ls *.mp3 | perl -MTerm::ANSIColor=':constants' -snlE'
    $cmd = $sox =~ s~(INPUT)|OUTPUT~$1 ? $_ : qq|${dir}/$_|~ger;
    say q|> |, GREEN $cmd, RESET;
    system $cmd;  
' -- -dir="$DIR" -sox='sox -V "INPUT" "OUTPUT" silence 1 0.1 2% reverse silence 1 0.1 2% reverse || echo "Sox processing failed"'

• Lists all MP3 files

• Uses Perl to:

  • Process each file through SoX

  • Remove silence from start and end

  • Display processing commands in green

  • Handle potential processing errors

Final Thoughts

Creating a holiday mix is more than just burning a CD - it's about crafting memories, spreading joy, and sharing the spirit of the season. With this script, you're not just a music lover; you're a holiday audio engineer!

Happy Holidays and Happy Burning! 🎄🎶

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Note: Always ensure you have the rights to the music you're burning, and keep the holiday spirit legal and respectful!