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

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philchenevert
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Post by philchenevert »

Mayah92 wrote: October 19th, 2018, 9:10 pm Hi everybody,

I have a problem, I accidentally closed audacity without register my files and cannot find them when I open audacity again. I had at least 5 sections recorded there. If anyone can help me with that I would appreciate.
Thanks a lot!
Mayah
Did you save them? Not sure what you mean by registering them. They are saved as .aup files and must have the data files associated to open again.
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Post by Darvinia »

Nedge wrote: October 19th, 2018, 1:09 pm https://librivox.org/uploads/tests/pretty_angry.mp3

Bev, have at it. :) When I look at the waves and can't distinguish the sound from the words, I pretty much give up. I was just wondering what others do.

Nan
I played around with your file (I use the same technique as Phil) and I agree with Tricia. In that instance I would re-record the phrase. The noise is too long and cutting it out takes out too much of the word. However, I also agree with Phil and don't think it is so distracting that it needs fixing at all, if you can let it go.
Nedge wrote: It's just a random noise. a THUNK. An example of the kind of thing which happens to drive me insane once in a while.
Me too!

P.S. I see you've already re-recorded it. :)
Bev

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tovarisch
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Post by tovarisch »

Sorry to learn about that.

How did you do the five sections? All in one sitting? Were they all in one track? And, when you were closing Audacity, did it not prompt you to save the project?
tovarisch
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Kitty
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Post by Kitty »

Mayah, when you go to "File" in the Upper Menu Bar, there should be the option "Recent Files" (right beneath the "Open" button). If you have saved them recently, they should pop up, because it shows you at least a dozen of the latest files you had in Audacity.

It could be that you saved them in the wrong folder, that's why you can't find them anymore. But with "recent files" you should see them, regardless what folder they are in.

Sonia
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Nedge
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Post by Nedge »

I've got a small but audacious problem. Not only clicking, but rhythmic clicking having NOTHING to do with anything in the room -- it's not an air conditioner, a fan, a nervous tic, or an animal. It's also sporadic. Yet when it clicks, it clicks.

Here is a sample:

https://librivox.org/uploads/philchenevert/movealong.mp3

I can remove most of the clicks, but it is terribly time-consuming, and some of them occur within a word, which is annoying.

Can anyone help?

Thank you,

Nan
"Ready, willing, and vaguely competent." -- Sandra Boynton, 2021
tovarisch
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Post by tovarisch »

Nan,

If it is electrical interference (and sometimes our microphones, which are electric/electronic devices, are prone to it), you need to identify the source of it and turn its power off if possible.

I suggest, if you have a few minutes, do some experimenting. First off, prepare for a recording session (except you don't need a copy, you're not going to read anything). Turn Audacity on, your mic plugged and ready to go. Start recording and then just sit there and watch the track do its thing. Make sure you can see (by stretching the track window vertically) or perhaps hear (if you plug your headphones in and listen as Audacity records) when those clicks start to get into the track. What other things you notice around you? Has some appliance started (like the fridge or the heater)? If you unplug your headphones, can you hear those clicks in your room? Can they be environmental?

I hope you find the culprit. I used to have a "noisy" network router on my desk and the microphone that managed to register the router's clicks but only when used with a certain pattern (omni, I think it was). Since it didn't appear in cardioid pattern, I let it exist until I started hearing it there as well, then I had to hunt it down. I was surprised how clear my recording was when I turned that router off. :shock:

Good luck!
tovarisch
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    to PLers: do correct my pronunciation please
philchenevert
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Post by philchenevert »

Nedge wrote: October 31st, 2018, 6:03 pm I've got a small but audacious problem. Not only clicking, but rhythmic clicking having NOTHING to do with anything in the room -- it's not an air conditioner, a fan, a nervous tic, or an animal. It's also sporadic. Yet when it clicks, it clicks.

Here is a sample:

https://librivox.org/uploads/philchenevert/movealong.mp3

I can remove most of the clicks, but it is terribly time-consuming, and some of them occur within a word, which is annoying.
Can anyone help?
Thank you,
Nan
I did not hear any click inside of the words but at the end there were indeed those clicks at 530 hz . very strange. I used a notch filter set at 530 hz and they were inaudible to me. I have no idea what is causing them.
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PattyT
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Post by PattyT »

Hello, I am having a problem, but I'm not sure what is causing it. I was happily recording chapters (Samson CO1U mic) without a problem (good volume, no problems with background noise, rarely any clipping or major plosive issues) and suddenly began having problems with low volume. Something definitely changed significantly. :(

I naturally turned the mic volume to the max on Audacity. It was pretty high already, so that had little effect. I experimented with different recording positions. I turned up the mic on the control panel. Now the background noise is too high, and the breathing is too loud and the volume is still not great. Do you have any idea what might have changed? The mic is only a few months old.

I would appreciate any light you can shed.
tovarisch
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Post by tovarisch »

A wild guess here... Make sure that your C01U is actually selected as input in Audacity before you start recording. You know where the drop-down is? It's on "Device Toolbar"... Of course you can always check the preferences, Devices, Recording groupbox.

Edited to add: Another wild guess... Check that the port into which C01U is plugged is still functioning. Make sure the connection is good. Try another port as well... Keep in mind that if you start Audacity before plugging in your mic, Audacity has no idea that mic exists. Do "Transport / Rescan Audio Devices" so Audacity finds it.
tovarisch
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    to PLers: do correct my pronunciation please
PattyT
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Post by PattyT »

Thank you for your troubleshooting advice, Tovarisch. I have been checking to be sure that the Samson mic is selected as input in Audacity (I had a problem with that once) and tried a different USB port. I could try plugging something else into the USB ports to be sure they are both working. That's a good idea.

I do always plug in the mic before opening Audacity. These are all good suggestions. If you have any other thoughts, please let me know.
Thanks for taking time to respond! :)
Patty
tovarisch
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Post by tovarisch »

Well, to prove to yourself that your mic is still functioning fine, and you actually do have an Audacity problem, please try some other software. You didn't say what platform/OS you're on. If PC/Windows 10, try Voice Recorder. If on MacOS, try whatever comes with that, like FaceTime or GarageBand.

In other words, try to eliminate/substitute each piece of your recording chain and see which one of them is actually malfunctioning. Do you have another microphone you could temporarily plug in? Perhaps if you describe your setup, I (and others) could give you a bit more specific recommendation...
tovarisch
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Post by JayKitty76 »

Make sure your mic is not muted...I know this sounds like a wild guess but I've experienced the same issue and resolved it by unmuting my mic.
Hope this gets figured out quickly!
Best,
JayKitty
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PattyT
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Post by PattyT »

Thank you, Tovarisch! Separating each component is a great idea. I am on PC/Windows 10.

Jay Kitty, I don't think the mic could be muted because I can record, I just lost quite a bit of volume. Thanks for helping me trouble shoot!
tovarisch
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Post by tovarisch »

So, have you tried anything? Can another software work with your mic as/where it is? Is volume OK? If not, have you tried another USB port? It may be a bit drastic, but you could try to remove that device (C01u) altogether (having unplugged it first) and then let the system re-install it when you plug it back in... Anyway, don't keep us hanging, let us know how it goes.
tovarisch
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    to PLers: do correct my pronunciation please
Nedge
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Post by Nedge »

PhiltheLibrivoxvideoguy, I tried putting my mic on a folded up blanket. I also shut down the wifi when I record, and I rarely get clicks. I don't know why I get any, but it's FAR better now. I can listen to a chapter for minutes now without having to stop to declick. :)

Thanks for the help.
"Ready, willing, and vaguely competent." -- Sandra Boynton, 2021
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