The computer I am using runs Windows XP Professional. I installed Audacity from the .exe installer.
I am new to Audacity and new to editing audio. My task is to take recordings of carillon (tuned bells played from a keyboard by mechanical connection) recitals made directly to a CD via microphones and organize the tracks and remove unnecessary time of no music between selections in order to finally make a finished CD of a recital. My first time out, after reading a bit of Help in Audacity, I downloaded CDex v1.51 I created .wav files from a CD recording and then imported them into Audacity. I spent some time learning some of the basic techniques of editing. I have now tried to work on a second CD recording and I find that after I create the .wav files from a CD and load them into Audacity, the result is that the file when viewed (in the Waveform display, though I do not see anything different in other displays) is simply a flat line, with no audio apparent either visually or audibly. I have tried for several hours over the last several days to read help and test various settings, but I cannot find any settings to change in Audacity or in CDex that yield the results I got the first time. The .wav files are sizes ranging from 10 Mb to 97Mb, so I assume they contain data from the CD. If any of this description gives a clue as to why I succeeded at first, but not now, please let me know what you see. Thank you, Ed Lamar
When you import WAV files you have the choice to copy them in or read them directly (unless you turned the warning off). If you read them directly, you must keep the WAV files available where they were (and named as they were) when you imported them.
If that does not help, what is the location of your Audacity temporary directory as shown at Edit > Preferences: Directories?
I remember seeing that warning screen, but I must have turned it off. When checking in Edit > Preferences: Import / Export, I find that under When importing audio files, the radio button for Make a copy of uncompressed audio files before editing (safer) is highlighted. I believe that confirms I am copying them.
The location of my Audacity temporary directory is C:DOCUME~1MSPLOCALS~1Tempaudacity_temp.
That temp file setting looks OK. If Audacity cannot read the WAV files, it will say so in Help > Show Log… . If there are “can’t read/open/find” errors in the log, please attach it (“Upload attachment” underneath where you post).
Have you tried Effect > Amplify? Import/Export Preferences has a setting to normalize files on import which you might have wrongly enabled.
I’ve had my attention turned elsewhere, but will try to look at your suggestions.
I have attached the Log as a .txt file. Seems to have some errors related to failures of loading and finding.
I have tried Effect > Amplify with no result in the visual flat line or the ability to hear sound. I did use this when editing on the first file I tried, and got results as expected.
When I look at Edit > Preferences > Import/Export, the box next to Normalize all tracks in project in unchecked.
I have not tried resetting preferences. It will take me some time to figure out those steps.
Over this past weekend I got help from my son, who understands computers a great deal more than I do. We tried to rip a file from a CD using Windows Media Player, instead of CDex. The outcome was as expected, and produced a .wav file that when imported into Audacity had sound. Does this indicate that my problem previously is not with Audacity, but with my use of CDex? I assume it does.
If you have a look on bitcomet, or a similar download site, there are lots of file conversion programs, which will enable you to easily convert your .wav files to virtually any other format, mp3, mp4,mpeg audio, etc.
These programs are all available for free download.