The all-new "HELP! I have an Audacity problem" thread

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MarcTheReader
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Joined: May 5th, 2021, 8:01 pm
Location: Alberta, Canada

Post by MarcTheReader »

lurcherlover wrote: May 6th, 2021, 10:05 pm There seems to be some noise behind your recording. Are you close miking? Do you have enough gain when recording? The noise is probably a low gain when recording, so make sure you get a heathy waveform with the recordings.

You can push up the recording by say a couple of dB in Audacity by going to effect on top menu and select amplify and put in 2 or 3dB into the box and then OK. You can also get rid of the noise >>Effect >> noise reduction (mark an area of silence or record and add 10 secs of room sound, >> get noise profile from this, leave other settings as they are. You can then make one or two passes over the whole recording. Do this before amplifying and you should have a healthier and less noisy recording.
Thank you for your advice. I'll try to do what you've said tomorrow, as it's quite late here now, and post an updated test.
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Maxvlad
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Joined: April 13th, 2021, 6:32 pm

Post by Maxvlad »

Rapunzelina wrote: May 4th, 2021, 2:22 pm
Maxvlad wrote: May 4th, 2021, 1:55 pm So Audacity... Is anyone familiar with an issue causing your recording to drop in pitch? For some reason, my recordings keep coming back sounding like they're being just slightly slowed down. While it's kind of cool to sound like the All-State guy, it doesn't come across as natural. I've performed a fresh install, and it's still happening. I've tried compensating with the tempo settings, but it doesn't quite do the trick. What little information I've found online suggested that recording in stereo vs mono might fix it, but the problem persists under either setting. Anyone have any experience with this issue?
This doesn't ring a bell for me, but could you provide more information, like Audacity version, operating system, microphone type/model, do you record and then listen to the play-back on the same machine? Could you try with a different microphone to see if it's still happening?
Wow, ya'll responded much faster than I anticipated! Sorry for the delay. So I'm working with Windows10, Audacity 3.0.0, I'm using an Mbox3 and a Shure SM7b (this has caused some gain issues that I'm also working out.) I've played the files on the recording pc, as well as my recreational pc and the problem persists. I've uploaded samples of an Audacity recording, and a simple cellphone recording to my google drive :

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AR5fYjg8Kv_O1UTPBerZ-JUTLLK9D1t1/view?usp=sharing, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DVgaPg6-pYdo7hqRQami--Hy3vgpw-Sj/view?usp=sharing

I've checked the frequency settings, I've checked the slider and verified it's sitting at 1.0 playback speed. I do apologize for the volume of the audacity recording. As stated previously, I'm aware of the issue however for the sake of troubleshooting, I didn't want to modify the base recording at all. I don't have another mic to use at the moment but if we can't find any solutions, that will be my first thing to pick up in the hopes of solving the gain issue at the same time. Thank you again for the prompt responses and willing help!
maxgal
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Joined: June 8th, 2019, 10:24 am

Post by maxgal »

Hello all,

I hope this is just a simple and dumb problem.

I had to take my Mac laptop into the local Apple store for repairs.
The 12YO "genius" at the "Genius Bar" said it seemed to be only a matter of needing a new battery.
The Genius also backed up the machine to the Cloud and updated whatever needed updating, before sending it out to the repair center.
I made sure to have all my pending Librivox stuff already copied onto flashdrives (or "thumbdrives"?) in case the repair place people erased my desktop files.
(I routinely save copies this way, so I always have copies of all my Librivox stuff on flashdrives as well as the laptop.)
I also made sure to have Audacity stay on the desktop/dock screen.

I just got the machine back from the repair center; according to the papers, they put in a new battery and nothing else.
I then had to recreate/reorganize the desktop screen because most stuff was now missing and some random stuff was there instead.

I have lined up the Audacity "data" files and "aup" files of several draft recordings, that I now want to edit and post to my projects.
The "data" files on the desktop seem identical to the same "data" files on the flashdrive.
But the "aup" files on the desktop are empty! -- or, they say they have been replaced with "silence" -- and they tell me I can "try to find" the file content to replace the silence, but do not tell me where or how to do that.

I checked the "data" and "aup" files for these draft recordings on the flashdrive, and they are there, as always.
So I copied those "data" and "aup" files from the flashdrive to the desktop ...
... and when I opened the "aup" files on the desktop copies, they were empty! (or "silent")

Why is this happening?
And what can I do??
Can someone please enlighten me??? -- and in plain English, not tech talk?

Thanks for any and all help...LJB

UPDATE 1: NOTHING that is on the desktop shows me anything in any "aup" file. And it all says it's in the cloud, and on the desktop.

UPDATE 2: Some of the file folders (and some of the files in file folders) show a cloud icon with a down-arrow next to them; the "aup" files with this icon are the ones in which I can actually find something. I tried recording a test file; it worked when I did this in an existing "aup" file that had the icon, but then I copied the file onto the desktop and opened it, and it was empty. ...And even the files that don't have the cloud/arrow icon next to the name are supposedly in the cloud (or in the desktop, within the cloud). And it seems to be totally random that some files/folders have the cloud/arrow icon, and others don't. ...So is this just a matter of the cloud taking some undisclosed amount of time to try to re-install (or restore, or re-save) all my files that used to be on the desktop, in a cloud-formation so that I can actually use them??
Louise
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Kitty
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Post by Kitty »

maxgal wrote: May 17th, 2021, 4:54 pmI checked the "data" and "aup" files for these draft recordings on the flashdrive, and they are there, as always.
So I copied those "data" and "aup" files from the flashdrive to the desktop ...
... and when I opened the "aup" files on the desktop copies, they were empty! (or "silent")
Why do you need to copy the files to the desktop ? Could you try plugging in your flashdrive, opening Audacity and then open the aup file from the flashdrive ?

Usually if the Audacity data file and the aup file are in the exact same folder and are called exactly the same, then they should open correctly. So make sure you never rename just the one file and not the other.

I hope you can recover the files. One thing I hate with computer "genuises" is that they update or rearrange stuff on my computer that I never wanted updated or rearranged. :evil:

Sonia
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Sue Anderson
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Joined: July 24th, 2008, 11:48 am
Location: Midwest, USA

Post by Sue Anderson »

Problem: A hand icon has started appearing, and it is preventing me from selecting sections of audio to be cut using the select tool and left click and drag on a Windows computer. This problem may have been discussed before, but I have never encountered the problem until today. Today, when I tried my usual editing methods on my recording, I got this hand/pointer icon, which is very annoying. It overrides the select tool, and is preventing me from making precise cuts. I would appreciate knowing how to get rid of this icon and it's eccentricities. Thanks! :)
JayKitty76
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Post by JayKitty76 »

I think I know what you’re talking about. There’s a menu on the top with an I symbol among a few other options. I think the I is the one you want to click on (pretty sure that’s the select tool) but hover over the symbols with your cursor to see which one is right. Choosing the select tool should fix it.

Other volunteers please feel free to chime in as I’m not being very specific (can’t remember the details right now.)
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Sue Anderson
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Joined: July 24th, 2008, 11:48 am
Location: Midwest, USA

Post by Sue Anderson »

JayKitty76 wrote: May 19th, 2021, 1:23 pm I think I know what you’re talking about. There’s a menu on the top with an I symbol among a few other options. I think the I is the one you want to click on (pretty sure that’s the select tool) but hover over the symbols with your cursor to see which one is right. Choosing the select tool should fix it.

Other volunteers please feel free to chime in as I’m not being very specific (can’t remember the details right now.)
Hi JayKitty, Thanks for responding! :) My problem is that the select tool presently is being overridden by an icon in the shape of a pointing hand, which does not respond to the usual keyboard prompts that governed the selection tool.
knotyouraveragejo
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Post by knotyouraveragejo »

Note sure if this fits your issue or not, but here's what I found in the Audacity Manual-(my emphasis added) https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/audacity_selection.html
Extending or contracting an existing selection
Once you have a selected range you can move either edge of the selection so as to expand or contract the selected length, or you may want to expand the selection at one edge and contract it at the other so as to select a similar length in a slightly different place; Audacity offers multiple methods to facilitate this:

Hover the mouse pointer near the edge of a selection, when you hover close enough to the edge the mouse pointer changes to a hand with pointing finger (indicating you can now click and drag the selection). Then click and drag with the mouse to move that edge of the selection.

If you want to turn off that feature, open Preferences, choose Tracks then uncheck "Enable dragging of left and right selection edges".
The latter is under Track Behavior. To click and drag with the hand, you have to click on the hand first and then drag
Jo
Sue Anderson
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Joined: July 24th, 2008, 11:48 am
Location: Midwest, USA

Post by Sue Anderson »

knotyouraveragejo wrote: May 19th, 2021, 3:13 pm Note sure if this fits your issue or not, but here's what I found in the Audacity Manual-(my emphasis added) https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/audacity_selection.html
Extending or contracting an existing selection
Once you have a selected range you can move either edge of the selection so as to expand or contract the selected length, or you may want to expand the selection at one edge and contract it at the other so as to select a similar length in a slightly different place; Audacity offers multiple methods to facilitate this:

Hover the mouse pointer near the edge of a selection, when you hover close enough to the edge the mouse pointer changes to a hand with pointing finger (indicating you can now click and drag the selection). Then click and drag with the mouse to move that edge of the selection.

If you want to turn off that feature, open Preferences, choose Tracks then uncheck "Enable dragging of left and right selection edges".
The latter is under Track Behavior. To click and drag with the hand, you have to click on the hand first and then drag
Jo, Thank you very much for trying to help me resolve my problems with Audacity! :D This seems to be one of those days which tries my already nebulous faith in computers. I am running Windows 10, so ok there. I was running an older version of Audacity (2.3.2), so when 2.3.2. started acting up, I took the plunge and downloaded the current version of Audacity (3.0.2). Audacity 3.0.2 actually takes over and locks up my entire screen! The only way to get rid of it is to restart the computer ( I went through this scenario twice); so I dumped 3.0.2 and re-installed 2.3.2, which still has the problem I described in my previous post. I get an error message when I uninstalled both 2.3.2 and 3.0.2 which reads "Some elements [of Audacity] could not be removed. These can be removed manually." (Oh sure...) So, for this evening, at least, I am giving up on Audacity and am talking to my cat.
Rapunzelina
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Joined: November 15th, 2011, 3:47 am

Post by Rapunzelina »

maxgal wrote: May 17th, 2021, 4:54 pm Hello all,

I hope this is just a simple and dumb problem.

I had to take my Mac laptop into the local Apple store for repairs.
The 12YO "genius" at the "Genius Bar" said it seemed to be only a matter of needing a new battery.
The Genius also backed up the machine to the Cloud and updated whatever needed updating, before sending it out to the repair center.
I made sure to have all my pending Librivox stuff already copied onto flashdrives (or "thumbdrives"?) in case the repair place people erased my desktop files.
(I routinely save copies this way, so I always have copies of all my Librivox stuff on flashdrives as well as the laptop.)
I also made sure to have Audacity stay on the desktop/dock screen.

I just got the machine back from the repair center; according to the papers, they put in a new battery and nothing else.
I then had to recreate/reorganize the desktop screen because most stuff was now missing and some random stuff was there instead.

I have lined up the Audacity "data" files and "aup" files of several draft recordings, that I now want to edit and post to my projects.
The "data" files on the desktop seem identical to the same "data" files on the flashdrive.
But the "aup" files on the desktop are empty! -- or, they say they have been replaced with "silence" -- and they tell me I can "try to find" the file content to replace the silence, but do not tell me where or how to do that.

I checked the "data" and "aup" files for these draft recordings on the flashdrive, and they are there, as always.
So I copied those "data" and "aup" files from the flashdrive to the desktop ...
... and when I opened the "aup" files on the desktop copies, they were empty! (or "silent")

Why is this happening?
And what can I do??
Can someone please enlighten me??? -- and in plain English, not tech talk?

Thanks for any and all help...LJB

UPDATE 1: NOTHING that is on the desktop shows me anything in any "aup" file. And it all says it's in the cloud, and on the desktop.

UPDATE 2: Some of the file folders (and some of the files in file folders) show a cloud icon with a down-arrow next to them; the "aup" files with this icon are the ones in which I can actually find something. I tried recording a test file; it worked when I did this in an existing "aup" file that had the icon, but then I copied the file onto the desktop and opened it, and it was empty. ...And even the files that don't have the cloud/arrow icon next to the name are supposedly in the cloud (or in the desktop, within the cloud). And it seems to be totally random that some files/folders have the cloud/arrow icon, and others don't. ...So is this just a matter of the cloud taking some undisclosed amount of time to try to re-install (or restore, or re-save) all my files that used to be on the desktop, in a cloud-formation so that I can actually use them??
Has this issue been resolved? If still not, I would suggest opening the files in the flash drive that you want to work on, and then "Save As" on your desktop.
If it happens that Audacity is one of the software that got updated, it might be the newer version 3.0 that does not save in aup and data, but rather in one single aup3 file.
annise
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Location: Melbourne,Australia

Post by annise »

That sounds a good idea and worth a try but may not work. Audacity's working files are notoriously difficult if not impossible to move unless things have changed - and although it is too late to tell you now, you really need to save them as .flac or .mp3 files always.

Anne
toadoftoadhall
Posts: 46
Joined: July 28th, 2015, 4:53 pm

Post by toadoftoadhall »

I have a quick question:

Here is my Audacity problem. I have an Samson Q1U USB microphone recorder. When I plug this mic in, I go to Audacity to try to record. I switch the recording option on Audacity to Samson Q1U. The problem is, when I hit the "record" button, the recording turns out incredibly quiet. I've tried all the different "Output Device" options, and my audio host in "Core Audio." If anyone could be of assistance, I would very much appreciate it!

Br. Jonas
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

toadoftoadhall wrote: May 25th, 2021, 11:29 am I have a quick question:

Here is my Audacity problem. I have an Samson Q1U USB microphone recorder. When I plug this mic in, I go to Audacity to try to record. I switch the recording option on Audacity to Samson Q1U. The problem is, when I hit the "record" button, the recording turns out incredibly quiet. I've tried all the different "Output Device" options, and my audio host in "Core Audio." If anyone could be of assistance, I would very much appreciate it!

Br. Jonas
Hmm. I don't believe the Q1U has its own volume control.

- Make sure the microphone slider in Audacity is up high.

- What operating system are you using? You may need to go into the Windows control panel (or OS) and increase the input level for the mic.
Instructions for Win7 (apparently we don't have any for Win10, and I don't have that, so I can't update it):
on a PC (Windows 7):

Start > Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices (or right-click on the volume icon in the taskbar)
click the Recording tab.
right-click on the mic you're using and select Properties
click the Levels tab.
slide the volume higher to about 3/4 or 5/8 mark.
https://wiki.librivox.org/index.php?title=Audacity_1-2-3#Volume
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toadoftoadhall
Posts: 46
Joined: July 28th, 2015, 4:53 pm

Post by toadoftoadhall »

Thanks!

I slid the Audacity microphone slider up to high, and now it appears to be recording. The waves are nice and high only . . . I can't hear it? Do you know why this would be?
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

Check what your output device is. :) And you may need to move the output/speaker slider, too.
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart
Humor: My Lady Nicotine
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