I’m trying to find out what the default Quality settings were for the old 1.2.6 and 2.0 versions of Audacity.
I’ve tried downloading each from the following link where you can download old versions of Audacity, http://www.oldapps.com/audacity.php, however I noticed unless you clear the 1.2.6 Audacity file in HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareAudacity any newer version installs with the previous versions settings? (the file remains which you have to manually delete even when you uninstall from programmes folder).
It seems the folder for 2.0 is located in a different place to the folder for 1.2.6?, because 2.0 is re-installing with High Quality Conversion set to “fast sync”, surely that isn’t correct?, could somebody please tell me the location for the 2.0 folder?, so I can delete it and re-install to see the default settings…
From what I have seen so far in Edit-Preferences the High Quality Conversion default for 1.2.6 is High Quality and dither set to Triangle, is that correct?
I’m still hoping to find the default for 2.0, I just can’t find the folder location to delete the old installation!
Thanks
Audacity 1.2.x on Windows stored preferences in the Windows registry.
By default Audacity will inherit preferences from previous versions of Audacity (so that users do not need to remake their preferences on every update).
Audacity 2.x stores settings in the audacity.cfg file (as was the case for Audacity 1.3.x for several years).
As far as I recall, the default dither was “Triangle”.
The default for Audacity 2.x is “shaped” but a bug has recently been identified affecting shaped dither when exporting stereo files, so until this is fixed (hopefully in 2.0.5) I’d recommend that you use the old default of “Triangle”.
The “conversion quality” options are different in 2.x from 1.2.x because the resampling library has been updated (2.x has significantly better resampling). The defaults (recommended) are shown in the manual: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/quality_preferences.html (though note the point above about “shaped” vs “triangle”)
Hi.
OK thanks, so I am correct in saying sample rate Quality default for 1.2.6 is “High Quality” (the best possible at the time)?
I checked the manual at the link below you said is for 2X, the picture says “best slowest quality”, however in the version 2.0 I’m asking about the highest quality is called “High Quality” (there is no “best slowest option” as that picture shows). I did see that installer you linked to, but it says 2.0.4, the version I’m asking about is 2.0, so does that apply?
So I’m still trying to find the quality default for 2.0, I’ll try some of your suggestions to restore default
Thanks
You may have covered this in another topic, but I’ve been on vacation which reformatted my mental hard drive Is there any particular reason why you are using 2.0 rather than 2.0.4? (the latter version includes enhancements that are not available for the first 2.x release.
I feel like I’m having a flashback short circuit as well!!!, sort of…
I’m currently using the latest Audacity, but I’m just thinking back to when previously I was using 1.2.6 and 2.0 to do a lot of (pitch/tempo) “speed” correcting of 80’s analog cassette tapes…, and I didn’t realise back then you could change quality settings (I’m going back years ! - 2009/2010).
Yes I know about the dither bug in 2.0.3 where the default dither to wav exports with more hiss than FLAC (I pointed it out when you couldn’t hear it!)…
I’m trying to figure out if all the recordings I pitch/tempo “speed” corrected since 2009 using 1.2.6, and 2.0 were done with the highest quality settings…
Basically all I need to know are the Quality settings for 1.2.6 and 2.0!
Bye the way, I did some ABX and mixdown tests for the last version 2.0.3 speed changing with quality over all selections (Best, High, Medium and Low), the difference between Best, High, and Medium was virtually inaudible (I didn’t really see the point in the first 3 levels of quality as it was so small), however the difference between the last 2 settings (Medium and Low) was enormous!!!, kind of confused what the point of the first 3 levels of quality was as the difference was so small, and between last and 2nd last was such a big difference!!!
Would I be correct to presume that in Edit-Preferences the High Quality Conversion - Sample Rate Conversion default is the highest quality possible? (for all versions of Audacity released since 1.2.6).
I can’t think of a reason why default would be anything below the best quality possible. So am I correct that the default for all is set to the highest quality?, or are there versions where the Sample Rate Conversion default is NOT set to the highest quality possible?
If somebody knows this it will save me a lot of time researching through all the versions of Audacity I’ve used since 1.2.6!
Thanks
Last year (2012 - If I recall correctly the changes occurred in Audacity 2.0.3) libsoxr was introduced as the resampling library (the code that handles resampling). The available settings in libsoxr were different to the old resampling libraries and the names of the “quality settings” were different, but there was still the same pattern that the highest quality was the slowest and the lowest quality was the fastest. During development there were a few changes to the settings so as to provide a useful range of settings for all users.
The lowest quality / fastest setting in libsoxr was slightly better quality than the lowest quality setting in the old library, but a lot faster. Even the “Medium” quality settings in libsoxr are faster than the old “fastest” setting (and much better quality than the old “fastest” setting), so this was selected as the default for “real time conversion”. The lowest quality (fastest) settings will not be needed unless either their computer is seriously underpowered or when playing very large and complex multi-track projects.
The best quality / slowest setting in libsoxr was both better quality and faster than the best quality settings in the old code.
In libsoxr, “High Quality” is extremely good quality and "Best Quality (slowest) is extremely extremely good, but a bit slower.
For each version of Audacity, the default for “high quality conversion” has been the highest quality available for the library used.
Thanks for confirming each versions default uses the best quality possible for conversion…, saves me from checking the defaults through all the versions I have used.
I know it only seems logical for the default to be the best quality possible, however I was really thrown off track when I downloaded an older version to find it was set to “fast sync”, but I realise now it was like that because I did a test using fast sync before I deleted the programe - I did not expect when I re-downloaded the programme it would keep the setting of my previous installation, so yeah that’s why I wondered if the default was really set to “fast sync”.
Thanks for your help.
That’s because your Audacity preferences are stored in a .cfg file held somewhat separately from the program. Uninstalling (such as it is with Audacity) does not remove the .cfg file and so re-installing then accesses the .cfg file as you left it.
Most usually this is what most users want - we spend some time setting our prefs to exactly how we like them. There are ways to reset your settings to OOTB factory settings - and I recall that installing will get you a dialog with a check-box asking if you want a preferences reset.
Is there any particular reason why you are using 2.0 rather than 2.0.4? (the latter version includes enhancements that are not available for the first 2.x release.