Interesting, David, I have no sotto voce indication and on bar 8 I have mf followed by a crescendo sign leading to f. I shall need to check.

Why do I convert? Because I cannot edit the mp3 file directly and I seem to lose more sound quality if I open he mp3 and then save it directly. Remember that once converted into WAV there should be no more loss until converted back. y editing is minimal, but necessary, to cut out strange noises and the pedal that squeaks at times, usually during a pause!

Any decent modern MP3 recorder can also record in WAV format. Unless you do not need to do any post processing (which is unlikely) this is the way to go.

If you absolutely have to record in MP3 format, you should still be able to edit the resulting file with Audacity, which is free.

Yes, but that requires uncompressing mp3 to wav first. This is the step we are trying to cut out.

I'm confused. Does Audacity do that behind the scenes? I can put an mp3 into Audacity and perform cut and paste and waveform alterations without seemingly involving wav files at any time.

Yes that is what editors do when you load a mp3. By design, compressed data can never be edited. It must be uncompressed first.

Ok, thanks for clarifying.

It is partly my fault: when I went to buy a recorder I was not really aware of what I was buying. Add to that that the shop had only hand-held devices and the muddle was made. It is an mp3 recorder and no else, unless, of course, recording in WAV is stashed away under ST, STSP, STLP, SP and UP.

This is it: http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... 0#features