Fission is useful for many tasks, but its basic functionality can be summarized in a few paragraphs. Read on for more details on the basic features of Fission.
Once you open a file, you'll see Fission's main window. From here, you can access almost all of Fission's features.
Removing Audio
The most basic action in Fission is cutting out pieces of an audio file. To do this, make a selection and then click the Remove button. This will remove the selected audio.
Using Remove & Split will insert a split point where the audio was removed. This creates multiple clips and thus multiple files when the audio is saved.
If you make a selection and then click Crop, all audio outside of the selection will be removed.
Inserting Audio
In addition to removing audio, Fission can insert audio in several ways. You can copy and paste audio around a single file, copy audio from one file to another (even between audio formats), or drag and drop a file from the Finder to append it to an open file.
Copy and Paste
Within a single file, you can re-arrange or duplicate audio. Simply make a selection, then select Copy from the Edit menu to place it on the clipboard. Move the playhead to your desired insertion point in the file, then select Paste from the Edit menu to place the audio.
Combine Audio Segments
You can also copy audio from one file, then paste it into another file. Select and copy audio from your first file, then open the second file. Move the playhead to the desired insertion point, then select Paste from the Edit menu and Fission will place it in. If the pasted audio does not match the format of the open file, Fission will convert it.
Drag & Drop
When you want to join two files, you can also drag a file from the Finder to an open window. Fission will then append the audio from the dragged file to the end of the open file.
Splitting Files
To split one audio file into multiple files, use Split mode to manually insert split points anywhere in the file. This will create multiple clips, which will then result in multiple files when you save the audio.
You can also use the Split At Playhead command in the Clips menu to insert a split point exactly where the playhead is. You can even use the Smart Split tool to have Fission intelligently place split points based on silence found in the file.
Editing ID3 Tags
With Fission's Inspector, you can adjust the ID3 tags associated with the selected audio. These tags allow you to add metadata to the file, such as artist and track information, and will then be read by audio players like iTunes and iPods.
Fading Audio
Fission can be used to fade audio in or out, enabling you to create a more pleasing listening experience. Select audio, then use the Fade In or Fade Out buttons to fade over the entire selection.
Adjusting Volume
The volume of audio may be adjusted in two ways with Fission, with manual gain adjustment or with the Normalize function.
Further Instruction
That's really it for the basic operations of Fission. You can learn more about many of these operations in the Tutorials section, as well as the articles in Advanced Topics. Fission really is quite simple to use, so while rading the manual is always a good idea, you may just want to dive right in.