I am a voice-over narrator. Last night I recorded a chapter for an Author’s audio-book. I left five seconds at the beginning (before I started reading) and five seconds at the end as ACX suggests. HOWEVER, when I go to find the beginning of the track, it takes almost FIFTEEN (15) minutes from the time I hit “play” until the first words I recorded play back! WHY is this and how can I fix it. By the way, it easy to find the end of the track.
Do you get the first words? Are they correct and in good order—just late?
When you start your speech, can you see the Audacity bouncing sound meter and the blue waves on the timeline? It’s good to keep one eye on those to make sure you’re actually recording anything. I can hear you asking how to do that and read your script at the same time. That’s what your recording engineer is doing.
On first pass, I don’t think you’re recording on a plain, ordinary, local machine. Do you have Audacity connected to Google-Drive, iCloud, OneDrive, or some other internet-based drives? Stop that. Audacity doesn’t like that very much. Do all your production work on your local internal drive. You can shuffle files around to web drives later, just don’t use Audacity to do it.
Clean Shutdown your machine. Shift+Shutdown > OK > Wait > Start. Don’t let anything automatically start. Run Audacity.
That should make sure Audacity is the only thing running.
Does it still do it?
Koz
Oh yes, once I GET to the first words, everything sounds correct. The PROBLEM is Getting There. It seems that Audacity has added at lease fifteen minutes of “dead air” (as we used to call it in radio or dead SPACE without any audio to the beginning of my recording, resulting in a real (excuse the expression pls) Time Suck, while I try to find my beginning words while deleting what was added! How to stop this from happening; it isn’t the first time… Thanks
Are you doing anything mentioned in that first post? Are you using Cloud or Internet drives? Do you know how to disconnect your internet?
Did you Clean Shutdown your machine? Skype, Zoom, Chat, Meetings, and other software services can take over your machine and cause a lot of problems. I’ve never heard them doing anything like this, but it’s good to check.
One note, if Audacity loses the connection to the microphone or other sound source, it will stop dead. So whatever is happening, Audacity thinks it’s perfectly normal.
How soon after you stop reading so you try to play back the recording?
When was the last time you did that Thorough Virus Check that takes all night?
Don’t you see a blank timeline on the left and your voice blue waves on the right? You shouldn’t have to wait 15 minutes to hear your voice.
Fair warning this is the first time I’ve ever heard of anything like this. I can’t think of any way to intentionally cause it which means this post is dangerously close to a scam.
Koz
Hi. Sorry, Had to run to store for dinner food…No not doing anything fancy like “clouding” or ? Skype, Zoom, Chat, Meetings,. Nothing except trying to edit this chapter I read for an author client last night (one more to go)’ I’ve been at this for one year now - its a long book, lol)
this laptop is rather new/refurbished and I don’t surf net on it. It is dedicated for my audio work like voice-over, narrations, etc and married to my audio system (when I need it to be). Thanks for your patience and no, I am not a faker scammer. absurd, lol
You have to start answering the questions in my posts.
Koz
I always turn my machine off when not in use. Last night was last time after I read this chapter. Did virus check last week. As I mentioned this laptop is rarely used…but my hP Notebook died the other day (2017 version) and this one got pressed into service till I replace it at month’s end…
So your internal production drive may not be new.
How much room do you have on the drive?
Have you ever run CHKDSK?
Do you remember if the chapter in both the other time and this time were longer than fifteen minutes?
I’m still struggling with reverse diagnostics. If I paid someone to force the computer do this, it would not be easy. Holding 15 minutes of sound up in the air is not trivial. Making a fifteen minute blank appear could mean there is something serious wrong with the operating system.
Koz
Hi! Am back again.
Here is a screen shot showing the long 15 minute gap ahead of where my voice wave-print begins.
Any way to delete it without deleting what I recorded?
Thank you.
Naphtali
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