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

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tovarisch
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Post by tovarisch »

T. P.,

It sounds like electrical interference to me, and the sheer fact that it seems to get louder when you speak and quieter when you don't, suggests that it's at the microphone, not the interface or the computer.

I think monitoring your recording as dg73 suggested might help you find the source of the interference. Try to note the moment when the clicks start happening and perhaps you can tell what electrical device in the vicinity has just come alive...

Hope you find it an eliminate it. I had to protect my microphone with a sheet of foil until I discovered that it was my WiFi router that caused the interference, after which I got a different router...

Good luck!
tovarisch
  • reality prompts me to scale down my reading, sorry to say
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aaronwhite1977
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Post by aaronwhite1977 »

Hello - I am about to export my audio and have run into a snag. This particular Dramatic reading calls for me to upload FLAC - which is fine, however, I do not see the option to export as 128 kbps. When I export - I have two options for Bit Depth - 16 and 24 bit. Each returns a kbps rate of much more than the required 128. Can anyone help?
realisticspeakers
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Post by realisticspeakers »

I believe, and this is how I understand it, that flac, when encoded, automatically calculates the bit rate based on the density of the sample. So it constantly varies. Because it is lossless, a 16bit depth can be around 1024kbs on average.
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aaronwhite1977
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Post by aaronwhite1977 »

realisticspeakers wrote: April 24th, 2019, 6:51 pm I believe, and this is how I understand it, that flac, when encoded, automatically calculates the bit rate based on the density of the sample. So it constantly varies. Because it is lossless, a 16bit depth can be around 1024kbs on average.
So, for a total sound ignoramus, what does this mean? I should just export at 16 bit and submit as that?
tovarisch
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Post by tovarisch »

Yes, most likely 16 bits is going to be just fine. It's supposed to be specified in the first post, so just ask the BC in the project thread.
tovarisch
  • reality prompts me to scale down my reading, sorry to say
    to PLers: do correct my pronunciation please
aaronwhite1977
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Post by aaronwhite1977 »

tovarisch wrote: April 25th, 2019, 4:13 am Yes, most likely 16 bits is going to be just fine. It's supposed to be specified in the first post, so just ask the BC in the project thread.
Thanks - I haven't gotten a response from them and this project tends to have long reaction times to things, so I think I'll upload as you suggest and let them know, and then change things up if something is wrong. You were a big help!

Aaron
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

The FLAC quality doesn't matter. 16 or 32 bit works fine. :)
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aaronwhite1977
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Post by aaronwhite1977 »

TriciaG wrote: April 25th, 2019, 6:15 am The FLAC quality doesn't matter. 16 or 32 bit works fine. :)
Thanks!
pmessina
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Post by pmessina »

My Audacity file is permanently collapsed. I cannot expand it, nor can I get a screen shot to show you the problem.

If I click on the button, which is now below the audio track button, nothing happens. The file stays collapsed.

I can open another track while in that file, but the original file stays collapsed.

Any suggestions? Thank you.

Paula Messina
KevinS
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Post by KevinS »

Paula, what do you mean by collapsed? Can you play the file? Can it be saved to be opened after you close and then re-open Audacity?
pmessina
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Post by pmessina »

Thanks, Kevin, for replying.

This is from the Audacity manual:

You may find it useful to collapse this track to save screen space by clicking the Track Collapse button Track Collapse button.png. (https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/tutorial_punch_in_repair_of_recordings.html)

I saved the file. It was still collapsed when I reopened it. The collapse button does not work.

Paula
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

pmessina wrote: May 1st, 2019, 4:31 pm Thanks, Kevin, for replying.

This is from the Audacity manual:

You may find it useful to collapse this track to save screen space by clicking the Track Collapse button Track Collapse button.png. (https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/tutorial_punch_in_repair_of_recordings.html)

I saved the file. It was still collapsed when I reopened it. The collapse button does not work.

Paula
So when you click on the (now) down-arrow on the the left side of the track, it doesn't expand the track?
Image

If so, you may need to join the Audacity forum and ask there, because that's about the only advice we'd know how to give. :hmm:
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KevinS
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Post by KevinS »

TriciaG wrote: May 1st, 2019, 4:47 pm
pmessina wrote: May 1st, 2019, 4:31 pm Thanks, Kevin, for replying.

This is from the Audacity manual:

You may find it useful to collapse this track to save screen space by clicking the Track Collapse button Track Collapse button.png. (https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/tutorial_punch_in_repair_of_recordings.html)

I saved the file. It was still collapsed when I reopened it. The collapse button does not work.

Paula
So when you click on the (now) down-arrow on the the left side of the track, it doesn't expand the track?
Image

If so, you may need to join the Audacity forum and ask there, because that's about the only advice we'd know how to give. :hmm:
Paula, if you pull down the track 'window' like a window shade, off to the right of TriciaG's arrow, you may be able to expand your track window in this way.
KevinS
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Post by KevinS »

You go off to the right, as I suggested, left-click on the bottom of the window 'frame,' and pull downward gently.
pmessina
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Post by pmessina »

Hooray!!!! That worked. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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