Is it possible with php to have someone upload an .mp3 audio file,
then using php let the user edit the .mp3 file to save just a part of
the file. So for example someone uploads a 3 minute song, but wants to
cut out the section from 1 minute 15 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds
and save it off as a separate .mp3 file. I know this can be done with
many desktop applications, but am looking to see if this can be done
with .php or possibly another programming language for the web.

Thanks

trpost@gmail.com wrote:
> Is it possible with php to have someone upload an .mp3 audio file,
> then using php let the user edit the .mp3 file to save just a part of
> the file. So for example someone uploads a 3 minute song, but wants to
> cut out the section from 1 minute 15 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds
> and save it off as a separate .mp3 file. I know this can be done with
> many desktop applications, but am looking to see if this can be done
> with .php or possibly another programming language for the web.

You won't be able to do this with PHP alone, you will need tools like lame,
the most difficult part will be the selection part, as you would need somehow
display/play the audio, as people will not know exactly where they want to cut
the audio (if they know, they most likely have already used an audio editor to
check the exact timestamps).
I think you will manage to do a lot better solution if you make a java applet.

--

//Aho

On Sep 1, 6:36 pm, trp...@gmail.com wrote:
> Is it possible with php to have someone upload an .mp3 audio file,
> then using php let the user edit the .mp3 file to save just a part of
> the file. So for example someone uploads a 3 minute song, but wants to
> cut out the section from 1 minute 15 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds
> and save it off as a separate .mp3 file. I know this can be done with
> many desktop applications, but am looking to see if this can be done
> with .php or possibly another programming language for the web.
>
> Thanks

You can build a custom Flash player which allows for a user to make a
selection on a timeline (Flash handles mp3's really well). From
there , you would need to pass the begining and ending selection
points to a PHP script which communicates with a command-line utility
(such as LAME) to manipulate the mp3.

Be aware:

1. mp3 files are compressed so re-compressing a compressed file will
sound like garbage. I suggest having LAME encode from a high-quality
source in order to minimize the distortion.

2. Using PHP to execute command-line utilities could be a serious
vulnerability. Think your application out thoroughly and seek out
adviced PHP developers to examine your code before it goes live.

Cheers,
Mike G.