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

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ToddHW
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Post by ToddHW »

A question: my Audacity (2.2.2, had it a couple years) has just started a new behavior. When I start to mark a selection to edit, the track often jumps a bit - maybe an inch - to left or right. So that, for example, the left hand edge is no longer at zero seconds or whatever, and what I was trying to mark has moved. I have to try again to mark what I wanted.

I just discovered that the camera on my new ipad does a somewhat similar thing - called "follow focus" during zoom - so that I can't lean out of the screen and surreptitiously stuff a bite of cookie into my mouth during a zoom: the camera follows me! I was able to turn off that feature on the ipad, but I can't find any feature in Audacity or my computer suddenly turned on to now turn off.

My edit computer is a desktop system - with no built-in camera - running Microsoft 11 so absolutely no relationship between ipad camera and Audacity behavior....

Thanks, Todd
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Post by TriciaG »

Piotrek81 wrote: February 3rd, 2023, 11:47 pm Hi. Quick question. My Audacity has spontaneously started producing stereo recording, e.g when I press "record" a dual track starts. I've just recorded a section in this way. The question is should I simply delete one of the tracks and proceed as usual or should I select "mix and render a new track"?
Side note: I tend to split the tracks down to mono rather than mix and rendering them. That way if they're out of balance, I can select the one I want, and if they're not, I find it's quicker than "mix and render."

Click the triangle to the left of the track, by the track name, and select "Split stereo track to mono". Then X out the one you don't want.
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TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

ToddHW wrote: February 4th, 2023, 7:02 am A question: my Audacity (2.2.2, had it a couple years) has just started a new behavior. When I start to mark a selection to edit, the track often jumps a bit - maybe an inch - to left or right. So that, for example, the left hand edge is no longer at zero seconds or whatever, and what I was trying to mark has moved. I have to try again to mark what I wanted.

I just discovered that the camera on my new ipad does a somewhat similar thing - called "follow focus" during zoom - so that I can't lean out of the screen and surreptitiously stuff a bite of cookie into my mouth during a zoom: the camera follows me! I was able to turn off that feature on the ipad, but I can't find any feature in Audacity or my computer suddenly turned on to now turn off.

My edit computer is a desktop system - with no built-in camera - running Microsoft 11 so absolutely no relationship between ipad camera and Audacity behavior....

Thanks, Todd
I'm trying to picture what you're describing, but I'm having a hard time doing it.

Look in Edit/Preferences/Tracks/Track Behavior and see if there's anything suspicious in there. (I have "Enable dragging..." and "Editing a clip..." checked.) The other thing to check is to be sure you haven't pinned the play head. On my window, there's a green triangle to the left of the time numbers. Make sure it's a triangle rather than a push pin. If it's a push in, click on it and uncheck "Pinned Play Head".

If neither of those works, could you make a quick video of what you're describing?
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ToddHW
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Post by ToddHW »

Me? Make a video? Ha, you seriously overestimate my abilities. Remember, I worry about crashing the world wide internet every time I catalog a project! Also, the jumping only happens occasionally: 2-3 times in an hour perhaps - but it used to be zero times, like never ever.

My edit preferences are same as yours, and I also have the green triangle, not pushpin.

Thanks, Todd
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Post by Rapunzelina »

ToddHW wrote: February 4th, 2023, 8:28 am the jumping only happens occasionally: 2-3 times in an hour perhaps - but it used to be zero times, like never ever.
Could it be a mouse problem - does it happen while you're using the mouse - maybe the mouse has started giving in, or needs a new battery. :?:
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Post by philchenevert »

Well Audacity bushwacked me and installed the latest update (3.1.3) without me knowing. Or more likely I approved it without realizing what i was doing. Anyway, it eliminated all of my keyboard presets so they all had to be done again. Then it began recording in stereo and I had to set that preference back to mono. Next it has begun inserting empty sections into the track for some reason. It looks like they may be where I stopped the recording and picked up again later. Since I do this 20 times a track, there are a LOT of spaces. If anyone knows how to stop this from happening please post it here. Normally I avoid updates for about a year but this time guess I'm part of the beta testing. On the other hand, everything else is working fine and I'm grateful for a nifty free program. Image
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ToddHW
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Post by ToddHW »

Rapunzelina wrote: February 4th, 2023, 8:37 am
ToddHW wrote: February 4th, 2023, 8:28 am the jumping only happens occasionally: 2-3 times in an hour perhaps - but it used to be zero times, like never ever.
Could it be a mouse problem - does it happen while you're using the mouse - maybe the mouse has started giving in, or needs a new battery. :?:
Yes, mouse is involved: happens when I am trying to mark a section in a track to move or delete. I'll feed batteries to the mouse and see if that makes the problem go away. (It is a fancy ergonomic right handed mouse my son got for my wife, but when I use it I am using it left handed so I may be touching something I should not....)

Thanks, Todd
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Post by Piotrek81 »

GrayHouse wrote: February 4th, 2023, 2:50 am
Piotrek81 wrote: February 3rd, 2023, 11:47 pm Hi. Quick question. My Audacity has spontaneously started producing stereo recording, e.g when I press "record" a dual track starts. I've just recorded a section in this way. The question is should I simply delete one of the tracks and proceed as usual or should I select "mix and render a new track"?
If both tracks are the same then you can just delete one of them.

Check Preferences > Devices > Recording Channels - it may have changed. Possibly it couldn't find your usual microphone and it defaulted to another (built-in?) mic which is a stereo device. In that case always check your selected mic in the Device toolbar to make sure it's using your preferred mic.
This helped. The setting had indeed changed and needed adjusting.
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Post by Rapunzelina »

ToddHW wrote: February 4th, 2023, 1:46 pm
Rapunzelina wrote: February 4th, 2023, 8:37 am
ToddHW wrote: February 4th, 2023, 8:28 am the jumping only happens occasionally: 2-3 times in an hour perhaps - but it used to be zero times, like never ever.
Could it be a mouse problem - does it happen while you're using the mouse - maybe the mouse has started giving in, or needs a new battery. :?:
Yes, mouse is involved: happens when I am trying to mark a section in a track to move or delete. I'll feed batteries to the mouse and see if that makes the problem go away. (It is a fancy ergonomic right handed mouse my son got for my wife, but when I use it I am using it left handed so I may be touching something I should not....)

Thanks, Todd
Hi Todd! I'm curious whether the issue was fixed :?: or maybe you haven't had the chance to test it yet.
ToddHW
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Post by ToddHW »

It is occasional, so no clear finding. Changing batteries did not help.

However, I discovered that the ergonomic mouse has a couple buttons and scroll wheel low on the left side - perfect for the thumb when used as a rightie, I guess - though I never use them. (After carpel tunnel 25 years ago, I use the mouse swapping back and forth often between leftie and rightie so as to reduce the stress on either wrist in one session.) These buttons and scroll wheel are messily under some fingers in a non-useful place when used as a leftie. So maybe I have touched them. I never remember to note which hand was on the mouse when the track jumps.

(Before you say "change mouse!": Wife needs the ergo mouse, but never uses it leftie.)

Thanks, Todd
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Post by anneflebari »

philchenevert wrote: February 4th, 2023, 1:16 pm Well Audacity bushwacked me and installed the latest update (3.1.3) without me knowing. Or more likely I approved it without realizing what i was doing. Anyway, it eliminated all of my keyboard presets so they all had to be done again. Then it began recording in stereo and I had to set that preference back to mono. Next it has begun inserting empty sections into the track for some reason. It looks like they may be where I stopped the recording and picked up again later. Since I do this 20 times a track, there are a LOT of spaces. If anyone knows how to stop this from happening please post it here. Normally I avoid updates for about a year but this time guess I'm part of the beta testing. On the other hand, everything else is working fine and I'm grateful for a nifty free program.
Im also having these problems...I wnt back to an earlier version, but it's still inserting silences when I stop and then restart...Help anyone!
anneflebari
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Post by anneflebari »

Sorry I added to Phil's post instead of quoting it! I dont know why Audacity is inserting silences when I stop/restart recording...I can use Time shift tool to grab the sections together and then join clip boundaries, but why the new behaviour is happening I dont know!! I hate updates :evil: Anne
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

Check all the preferences and see if there's anything in there that may be causing the issue. That's about all the suggestion I have. :hmm:
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philchenevert
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Post by philchenevert »

TriciaG wrote: February 9th, 2023, 6:21 am Check all the preferences and see if there's anything in there that may be causing the issue. That's about all the suggestion I have. :hmm:
An excellent idea Tricia. And the time spent combing through those preferences and things is now without it's down side because while I'm re setting up all of my key shortcuts to do what they are supposed to do, I'm relearning a lot of the infrastructure in Audacity. And adding new Macros that are making things even better.

So it 's not all bad. And that Real Time Effect they are so proud of in this latest incarnation (and that I don't know what it does) is interfering with my AutoHotKey scripts so that it pops up now at inappropriate times. But that has led to even simpler key strokes to do the same things. Learning is tough. :D
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ChristineAG
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Post by ChristineAG »

Hi:
Can someone please send me instructions on setting the volume to 86 and 92 DB - ideally around 89?
I keep getting told to do that, but no one will explain how. I don't know why. I have Audacity 3:2:3.
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