I recorded a 45-minute conversation and the audio appeared fine when I was recording. I checked the levels before exporting and it sounded great. After I exported the file I didn’t save the project. The exported MP3 from my recording is 35 mb and 45 minutes long but flatlined. I can open it in any MP3 player but its just silence.
I’ve looked through the forums and I can’t seem to find this particular issue. If this is redundant, I apologize, please point me in the right direction
Thanks
Chris
Nothing we can do if you really exported it flatlined and did not save the project. Make sure it is flatlined by dragging it back into Audacity. Tell us what Help > Show Log… in Audacity says when you do that. Does Effect > Amplify… make any difference?
If the file has waveform it could be a different explanation - perhaps you have muted Windows Sound.
You also did not tell us your Audacity version. See the pink panel at the top of the page and make sure you have the current 2.1.3 from http://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows.
Gale
6:48:41 AM: Audacity 2.1.0
6:48:41 AM: Trying to load FFmpeg libraries…
6:48:41 AM: Trying to load FFmpeg libraries from system paths. File name is ‘avformat-55.dll’.
6:48:41 AM: Looking up PATH environment variable…
6:48:41 AM: PATH = 'C:\ProgramData\Oracle\Java\javapath;C:\Windows\system32;C:\Windows;C:\Windows\System32\Wbem;C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0;C:\Program Files (x86)\Plantronics\Spokes3G;C:\Program Files (x86)\Skype\Phone;C:\Program Files (x86)\QuickTime\QTSystem'
6:48:41 AM: Checking that ‘’ is in PATH…
6:48:41 AM: FFmpeg directory is in PATH.
6:48:41 AM: Checking for monolithic avformat from ‘avformat-55.dll’.
6:48:41 AM: Error: Failed to load shared library ‘avformat-55.dll’ (error 126: the specified module could not be found.)
6:48:41 AM: Loading avutil from ‘’.
6:48:41 AM: Error: Failed to load shared library ‘.dll’ (error 126: the specified module could not be found.)
6:48:41 AM: Loading avcodec from ‘’.
6:48:41 AM: Error: Failed to load shared library ‘.dll’ (error 126: the specified module could not be found.)
6:48:41 AM: Loading avformat from ‘avformat-55.dll’.
6:48:41 AM: Error: Failed to load shared library ‘avformat-55.dll’ (error 126: the specified module could not be found.)
6:48:41 AM: Error: Failed to load FFmpeg libraries.
6:48:41 AM: Error: Failed to find compatible FFmpeg libraries.
6:48:49 AM: File name is C:\Users\CMaynard\Desktop\DesolationMe.mp3
6:48:49 AM: Mime type is *
6:48:49 AM: Opening with libsndfile
6:48:49 AM: Opening with libmad
6:48:49 AM: Open(C:\Users\CMaynard\Desktop\DesolationMe.mp3) succeeded
I’m using version 2.1
Amplify only makes the thin blue line a bit thicker.
Windows sound isn’t muted.
Thank you for your help.
Audacity 2.1.0 is old now. I suggest you use the current Audacity 2.1.3 from http://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows.
According to your log, the MP3 file imported correctly with the expected importer (libmad).
As I said, if you export your file at minimal volume, and do not save a project, there is nothing Audacity can do about it. Quiet export can happen if you brush the mouse over the -…+ gain slider on the Track Control Panel and move the slider left without noticing.
Gale
There’s a magic way to get that. There’s a way to mis-wire a broadcast microphone that can cause the show to vanish if you convert from stereo to mono.
Can you reproduce the error? Make a short recording exactly the same way you made this one and see what happens? If you really offended the sound deities, it’s a one-off and will never happen again.
Koz