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

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TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

I've never heard of that problem before. :hmm:

After exporting the MP3, open the MP3 in Audacity. Has it lost its seconds then?

If it's consistent (it chops off the same amount every time), I'd day add the amount it chops off to the required amount. But that's a band-aid fix, really.
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Kitty
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Post by Kitty »

brianna wrote: February 8th, 2018, 6:44 amCan anybody help me,please? I am becoming the PL's nightmare!
I am the PLer whose nightmare she is :mrgreen: no, just joking. Brianna, it's not that bad, I am more sorry for you, to make you add the seconds each time. :( So I hope we can find a solution here.

The strange thing is, each time she adds the required 5 seconds for the second time, the uploaded file is correct and I can PL ok it. I wonder why Audacity would cut off the seconds in the first round, but not after adding them a second time. :hmm: It really makes no sense.

Sonia
I will be on vacation from Wednesday 27 March till Sunday 14 April
and unable to PL during that time. Thank you for your patience.
tovarisch
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Post by tovarisch »

Brianna,

When you export your file to MP3, do you have anything selected? It might be exporting the selected audio instead of the entire track. Check the length of the exported MP3 file right after you have finished exporting it and check that it corresponds to what the last tick on the Audacity's time ruler tells you.

I don't know the possible cause of this, but it seems to me that I've seen it happen before (to me or somebody else), and it also could be the problem with your upload process (and not Audacity). It helps to play the freshly exported MP3 file to yourself right away. You don't have to listen to the entire file, just skip to the last 10 seconds and make sure you can hear the outro and the 5 seconds of silence. You can also repeat this by downloading the freshly uploaded file (to a separate location on your computer) and playing it as well.
tovarisch
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brianna
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Post by brianna »

Tovarisch,

thank you!
I record the file, export it to an audacity file in my computer and then I upload it. Now that you mentioned, the lenghts are not the same!
After the PL asks, I open it and the 5 seconds have disappeared! I paste 5 more, repeat the process and this time it keeps the 5 seconds!

It helps to play the freshly exported MP3 file to yourself right away.
before I "select my file"?

You can also repeat this by downloading the freshly uploaded file (to a separate location on your computer) and playing it as well.

guess I missed this class! do not know how to do it! :(

Brianna
Men work together,whether they work together or apart. (R.Frost)
Kitty
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Post by Kitty »

brianna wrote: February 8th, 2018, 9:28 am You can also repeat this by downloading the freshly uploaded file (to a separate location on your computer) and playing it as well.
guess I missed this class! do not know how to do it! :(
it's very easy, when you are in Audacity, go to File - Open - then select the mp3 file (not the Audacity file !): Audacity will convert the mp3 back into an Audacity file and then you can scroll to the end and see whether the 5 seconds are there or not. If they are there, then you can upload the file to our server. If they have vanished again, you need to insert 5 more and re-export once again to mp3.

It is totally strange that the second time it works. :hmm:

Sonia
I will be on vacation from Wednesday 27 March till Sunday 14 April
and unable to PL during that time. Thank you for your patience.
annise
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Post by annise »

I always go for the simple answer first and also believe that most times computers do exactly what you tell them to do, not what you think you are telling them. So I would get in the habit of highlighting the complete recording before exporting or checking that nothing is highlighted and if the problem persists look for some more exotic answer then.

Anne
brianna
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Joined: September 26th, 2017, 9:26 am

Post by brianna »

Thank you everybody!

I printed your answers to remember and try them. Let's cross our fingers!

Thank you again,

Brianna
Men work together,whether they work together or apart. (R.Frost)
ScottC
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Joined: February 4th, 2018, 1:36 pm

Post by ScottC »

TriciaG wrote: February 5th, 2018, 7:20 am Possibly. The mic levels display that is moving - what is the highest level it gets to, or about where does it peak?

Try moving the mic slider all the way up and see if that makes a difference.
Thanks for that.

Have moved the Mic Slider as far to the right as it will go - still only getting to -24DB, will look at a few Audacity Videos on YouTube and try and work out how to boost it further.

Thanks for the Assistance!
ScottC
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Joined: February 4th, 2018, 1:36 pm

Post by ScottC »

tovarisch wrote: February 5th, 2018, 7:25 am Hi Scott,

a. Make sure that the correct microphone is selected for Audacity. It should show up in the "device toolbar."

b. The levels in Audacity may indeed need to be adjusted. When you click on the level indicator, and start talking into your mic, move the mic slider to get the levels to reach -9 to -6 dB. That's the level that will get decent volume of your recording.

c. Click on the record button.

There are instructional videos in our Wiki: https://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/User:Philchenevert . There is probably something basic that you've missed...
Thanks for that Tovarisch,

I have moved the Mic Slider as far to the right as it will go - still only getting to -24DB, will look at a few Audacity Videos on YouTube and try and work out how to boost it further.

Thanks for the Assistance!
kathrinee
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Post by kathrinee »

I'm trying to correct a recording by adjusting the sampling rate to 44,100 in Audacity. I tried by clicking the the little drop down menu to the left of the recording itself, then set rate and then selecting 44,100. The result was the correct rate -- but not the correct speed of the recording! Is there another way to do it, or does it have to be recorded at the correct rate in the first place? Thank you for any help
Kathrine
Kitty
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Post by Kitty »

I have an older version, but I change the rate in

> Edit
> Preferences
> Quality
> default Sample Rate

Sonia
I will be on vacation from Wednesday 27 March till Sunday 14 April
and unable to PL during that time. Thank you for your patience.
GrayHouse
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Joined: October 6th, 2012, 3:27 pm

Post by GrayHouse »

I think you may have to use Tracks > Resample...
-Ian
kathrinee
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Post by kathrinee »

thanks!
Kathrine
bookworm18
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Post by bookworm18 »

Hello,
Help! I've been at my macbook pro laptop all day trying to export my mp3. I used Audacity, which is easy to use and downloaded great. Recored my 1 minute test using an external mic. Played it back, sounds good. I followed all of the steps. My problem is the Lame Library encoder. I have tried several times to export and keep getting the same pop up from Audacity "This library cannot be found" and my computer won't recognize it. I'm at my wits end because I obviously do not have hours to spend on my computer trying to figure all of this out.

Will Garage Band allow me to export a mp3 without adding an encoder? I have wasted so much time today watching unhelpful youtube videos I don't want to download GB if will be as frustrating as this.

Any help very much appreciated!

Thanks,
Jennifer
tovarisch
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Joined: February 24th, 2013, 7:14 am
Location: New Hampshire, USA

Post by tovarisch »

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

Yes, GB will export MP3, but I've heard of some problems like inability to export MONO (and we can't use stereo :( ) from GB. Do give it a try. If you look in this forum, you'll find other folks talking of using GB.

It can be utterly frustrating when the computer is not doing what you think it ought to be doing...
tovarisch
  • reality prompts me to scale down my reading, sorry to say
    to PLers: do correct my pronunciation please
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