problem with my first attempt recording audio

hi all
i have had good results with audacity.
i recorded 6 [drum beats + bass ] tracks from my yamaha drum m/c into a behringer audio interface and then out to audacity via the mic input on my laptop.
i tweaked each track [ noise reduction-normalise-compressor] before exporting as mp3 files to my music folder…[better sounds than expected].

i then transfered the 6 tracks to a usb flash drive for use with a
portable pa buskers unit [ it has a built in mp3 player].

when i plugged in to play the tracks only one actually played.
itried in my laptop win media player …same result.
i tried in another laptop with vlc player…same result
i noticed, on checking in my music folder, that on the track that played ok there was a lot more info. than the 5 others.

for example on ok track.

  1. duration
    2.type
    3.bitrate
    4.protected
    5.size

other tracks.
1.type
2.size

could someone please help with this problem
thanks
rj

If you import the files back into Audacity you can see which ones have any audio. If you have six tracks stacked on top of each other in Audacity that are supposed to play one after the other, you have to use File > Export Multiple… and export based on tracks.

Or if the tracks are supposed to be mixed together, don’t mute any of the Audacity tracks because this will prevent them being exported in the mix when you choose the selection to export for each file.


Gale

thank you gale.

i have imported the 6 tracks seperately[ one each time] and the result is the same.

on the good track there is audio.
on the other 5 tracks there is no audio.

If you saved an Audacity project of these recordings, open the AUP file from File > Recent Files then you should have the recordings as you made them. Then export them as I described in my previous post according to the purpose of the files. Are they supposed to play one after the other?

If you no longer have the original recordings with the audio present then you can’t fix it, assuming tracks 2 to 6 are a flat line. Do tracks 2 to 6 look like that? If so you must have made a mistake when you exported. Or perhaps you have an old version of Audacity that doesn’t protect you against clean-up applications that delete your Audacity temporary files without telling you. You might not be aware that this deletion had happened when you exported, but it would result in you exporting silent files.

You can see your Audacity version at Help > About Audacity… (we ask you to give your version in each new topic that you start).

The current Audacity 2.1.2 version will ensure your Audacity temporary folder is in a safe place that should not get interfered with. If you don’t have 2.1.2, get it here: Audacity ® | Download for Windows.


Gale

i have audacity 2.1.2

i did not save the tracks as an audacity project i just exported them one at a time.
i am now aware that this was a mistake.
it seems i did 5 things wrong and one thing right when exporting the tracks.

i do not know what i did right last time but i will try again until i can’t get it wrong.

If you are still stuck, please tell us the end purpose of the six exported files (tell us what you are trying to do). We still don’t know that after all these posts, and we still don’t know exactly how the tracks in Audacity are arranged.

You can always attach an image of your Audacity project window for us to see. Please see How to attach files to forum posts.


Gale

on my drum m/c i have programmed over 40 backing tracks [drums + basslines] each about 3 to 4 mins. long; all for use for live performance.
my intended purpose is to transfer the tracks via audacity to a usb flash drive which would then plug into a built in mp3 player in my powered pa system .
i tried the 6 tracks as a first time trial run.

Then you don’t want these backing tracks to play all combined together - correct? You want to export a separate file for each recorded backing track? If so, press Stop after recording each track. When you record each new track, it will be on a separate Audacity track. Use File > Export Multiple… choose the option to split files based on tracks, and ensure none of the Audacity tracks are muted.

Or if you want to record the backing tracks continuously, add labels every three to four minutes to mark the breaks between each track and Export Multiple based on labels. See Splitting a recording for export as separate tracks.


Gale

thanks gale
i will carry out your info
rj