Multi track nightmare, how to open and play

Audacity Help Forum Windows
1

Deal all,

Please can you help?

Objective:
Open and play a multi track audio file showing the distinct tracks.

Problem
No matter the format I use, Audacity refuse to open these files.
Can play and view these audio files with different tracks in VLC, Olive Video Editor.

Why am I doing this?
a. Recording audio with different mic`s to different tracks
b. Need to measure the delay between these tracks.
c. Thus simply need some software player to show distinct tracks on one page so one can compare these.

Source of Multi track audio file.
OBS Studio

What I tried this far {1.5 days later}
OBS Studio is always recording these distinct tracks.
All files listed below works just fine in VLC, with working sound in audio tracts 1, 2, 3, 4 etc.
Output formats tried. {Error audacity gives for each in brackets}

  • mkv, mka: {Audacity did not recognize the type}
    media info: Matroska v4, A_VORBIS
  • mp4 {*.mp4" is an Advanced Audio Coding file.Without the optional FFmpeg library, Audacity cannot open this type of file. Otherwise, you need to convert it to a supported audio format, such as WAV or AIFF.} => MediaInfo: AAC LC, mp4a-40-2
  • .opus {Audacity did not recognize the type} ,
    .oga {Audacity did not recognize the type} Mediainfo

Detailed media info output for one file as example:
File: “2022-08-23_18-02-20.mka”
General
Unique ID : 200670385068699917478718704694866636318 (0x96F7B5D9DC8B11E192FFE6502F6FCD7E)
Complete name : X:\02-Obs\2022-08-23_18-02-20.mka
Format : Matroska
Format version : Version 4
File size : 95.9 KiB
Duration : 4 s 455 ms
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 176 kb/s
Writing application : Lavf58.76.100
Writing library : Lavf58.76.100
ErrorDetectionType : Per level 1

Audio #1
ID : 1
Format : Vorbis
Format settings, Floor : 1
Codec ID : A_VORBIS
Duration : 4 s 455 ms
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 128 kb/s
Channel(s) : 1 channel
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 69.6 KiB (73%)
Writing application : Lavc58.134.100
Writing library : libVorbis (Reducing Environment) (20200704 (Reducing Environment))
Default : Yes
Forced : No

Audio #2
ID : 2
Format : Vorbis
Format settings, Floor : 1
Codec ID : A_VORBIS
Duration : 4 s 452 ms
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 128 kb/s
Channel(s) : 1 channel
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 69.6 KiB (73%)
Writing application : Lavc58.134.100
Writing library : libVorbis (Reducing Environment) (20200704 (Reducing Environment))
Default : No
Forced : No

Thank you,

2

If you [u]install FFmpeg[/u] I think it can decode Vorbis files.

Audacity won’t play “surround files” (the tracks are downmixed to stereo when played from inside Audacity) but it can import, edit, mix, and export them.

Thus simply need some software player to show distinct tracks on one page so one can compare these.

Once you can (hopefully) open the files…

If these are separate files use File → Import → Audio instead of “Open” and the additional files(s) will open in the same window/project.

3

Sorry, forgot to add
This was tested on two different Windows machines.

versions:
Audacity 3.1.3
FFmpeg_v2.2.2

4

P.S.
VLC can [u]convert[/u] to WAV. Or there are other conversion programs out there. Or it looks like MKVTools can also [u]convert files[/u]. I’ve never used it.)

5

Tried many conversion tools till now.
All conversions till now lose the multi channels I desperatley need to compare the time in nano and mili seconds.

Working at this as I type. Hope ffmpeg will solve this. Feedback will follow.
{Dumbfounded that this is so hard to do. Tested so many different software.}

6

I never work with MKV or Vorbis files…

But I happen to have a decrypted DVD on my hard drive with 5.1 channel Dolby AC3 and DTS files. These open showing 6 tracks/waves (FFmpeg installed).

I exported as Ogg Vorbis and I was able to re-open it (all 6 tracks). So maybe it’s the Matroska container… or something else… :frowning:

7

I am an utter monkey.

You need to click and select the tracks for Audacity to import it!
Spent many hours trying to solve this problem that was never there.

Should others avoid this mistake:
When you import multi audio track files, say MP4, mkv, mkv, mka, etc:
Drag or import these, when prompted, do:
=> You must click and select each so it is blue. {I did not click these}

https://s3.amazonaws.com/link.public.s3.supportnow.eu/paste/2022/NeXMKUFNmk4yc4lJIwTIPjhNiTyUM6hq.png