I’d been using Audacity 2.1.0 for ages, and loved using that version of the program, as it worked so well.
Yesterday, I clicked on the program on my laptop, went to make a cup of tea, and came back to find that my laptop had automatically updated Audacity to the latest version 3.7.0. I would never have chosen to update, if given the option to refuse.
I didn’t actually realise it was the same program, as the layout is so unintuitive and very confusing.
Anyway, using the links to previous versions, I removed 3.7.0 and reinstalled 2.1.0.
However, I now find that I’m unable to export MP3 files. When I try to export in MP3 format, I just get a pop-up up dialog box that says:
I tried clicking the button links in the pop-up up dialog box, but that didn’t help.
I also trued downloading the Lame encoder which has the file lame_enc_dll, but it still did not work.
Previously, there were no problems in creating MP3 files and everything worked perfectly.
Windows 10 is the OS that I’m using.
Hope somebody can help get me back on an even keel with Audacity!
This is very curious because none of the Audacity 2.x series have any ability to access on-line resources, so it is literally impossible for Audacity 2.x to update itself. This raises the question: “Who or what updated Audacity?”
I think it would be a good idea to figure that out before doing anything else.
If you are happy with the Audacity 2.x series, I would suggest using Audacity 2.4.2, which is the last (and best) version of the Audacity 2.x series. You can get it from: Old Audacity versions download
I’ll try version 2.4.2 and will see what happens. But my gloomy guess is that the same problam will likely arise when trying to export and create a MP3 file, as i guess all my Audacity settings have been changed…
Everything else on my laptop is fine and remains exactly as it was - the only problem is Audacity.
This is the only time that an automatic software update has happened to me, so I can’t explain it at all.
Came back to my laptop with a cup of tea to see the new version of Audacity. I didn’t touch a thing.
My initial guess was that there might have been some sort of auto update code built into the Audacity version I had been using.
Apologies for having to criticise the new version of Audacity, but it looked like a totally different program to me.
You may remove your possibly “changed” Audacity settings. Enter %appdata% in your file explorer, (this opens a folder called “Roaming”), go one folder “up” and then open “Local”. There should be a folder named “Audacity” - this is where all settings are stored.
I think, also in 2.4.2 you have to manually install the LAME library for exporting as .mp3. Or you can export in any other format (preferrably .aiff or .wav) and convert to .mp3 using another program.
And, as Steve already wrote, Audacity does not do automatic updates. Are other people using your machine? Do they have the access rights for installing software?
I don’t think so. I don’t recall exactly when LAME was added to Audacity, but I think it was before version 2.4.2.
UPDATE:
LAME was added in version 2.3.2, so it is not necessary to manually install LAME in this or later versions as it is included in Audacity (Windows and macOS).
(The situation is a little different on Linux as executables for Audacity 2.x were packaged by distributions rather than by the Audacity team. Most distributions included LAME as a dependency so that it would be installed automatically, but distros are free to make their own decisions about whether to include it or not).
Thank you, Mac!
No, nobody else uses my laptop.
The only thing I can think of is MS Updates, as one is pending, and have noticed that MS Updates can be like cuckoos with taking over laptops.
I was hoping that I could just download the required file, then add it in the right place in C: Programs > Audacity.
I’ll try to fix it this weekend, and will let you know if I have any success.
Grant
Just a thought regarding the “auto update” mystery: Do you know whether you originally obtained and installed Audacity from the Audacity website, or from Microsoft Store (or somewhere else)?
Alternatively, do you use any kind of “update manager” to keep your software up to date?
Yes, I downloaded the program from the Audacity website, and I don’t use any type of Update Manager.
My guess is that while I was away making a cup of tea, a pop-up box likely appeared that asked if I wanted to update to the latest version of Audacity. When there was no response, it probably decided to do the update.
But Audacity 2.x cannot do that. The code that allows Audacity to connect to the Internet was not added until MuseGroup acquired Audacity, which was shortly after Audacity 3.0 was released. I was a core team member until it was acquired by MuseGroup and I am 100% certain that Audacity did not have the ability to connect to the Internet at that time, and if it can’t connect to the Internet it cannot pull in updates. That is why the updating is such a mystery.
Yes, I know what you mean. But, nonetheless, it happened.
Maybe a Windows Update thing took over from Audacity, and did the update.
No other programs were open at the time.
There is a Windows Update pending, which I’ve been delaying.
I remember seeing automatic update pop-up boxes, but haven’t seen one for years. Maybe if there’s no user reaction within a set time, it just goes ahead with the update.
Have just downloaded 2.4.2, so will try it over the weekend to see if it can create MP3 files.
