I’m new to Audacity. I have a podcast that until recently have been produced and hosted by a media firm. I have now taken over the entire process. I have edited the different files (advertisement, conversation, intro and outro music) into one mp3-file in Audacity (as done in the user manuals). On computer it sounds great without any problems, but when I send it to listen to my iPhone it has this repeating problem in the start of the file. It’s almost as a hiccup at some parts in the first minutes of the file. Does anyone know the problem here? Does it have something to do with the file transfer to the phone? I have tried sending the file directly by mail and by Dropbox/Filemail. Both have the same problem. I have not tried to upload the file directly from computer to the podcast-platform in case the error appears then as well.
The file consist of 4 different files joined together. Three Mp3 files and one Wav-file. One of the files was an M4A-file that I had to convert into MP3 to make it work in Audacity (done in a convert-program online). The hiccup comes in both this file and the part having the Wav-file.
This could be more fun than any one person should be allowed to have.
We can’t analyze the problem without being able to either hear it or reproduce it locally.
Select about ten seconds or less of the damaged sound and File > Export > Export Selected as WAV.
Post it here. Scroll down from a forum text window > Attachments > Add Files.
You may have a sub-sonic rumble or other sound problem. The phone won’t reproduce that; it may overload the tiny compression driver in there. The production company might routinely filter that out as likely to cause damage for the client. We’ll see when we inspect the clip.
Ok, thank you so much for taking the time.
It’s weird. On computer the sound is ok, but on several phones I have here I almost always get this “hiccup” in the sound…or maybe more like a repeat of some of the words. Seeing that the podcast listeners usually listen by phone, I’m was a bit concerned that this is something that will appear to the listeners.
The MP3 is 1 hour and 11 minutes. 118 kbps. Seeing I’m new to this, please tell me how to provide you with the rest of the info you are asking for?
Between talking & music there are two clicks, like someone pressing keys, or mouse buttons.
Talking has a noticeable hiss, (computer fan ?), which can be attenuated with Noise Reduction followed by Noise Gate.
The Music has some clicks,
by the appearance of the music waveform, possibly a limiter with a (too) short an attack (~1ms) has been used.
[10ms would avoid that].
Just for grins, try applying Effect > Filter Curve > Factory Presets > Low Rolloff for Speech.
Even if the damage doesn’t go away, see if it changes.
We also note that the music section is significantly louder than the voice. Phones are not full range music systems. They’re designed for hands-free voice calls.
Another experiment might be to apply Chris’s Compressor after Filter Curve. That will tame the segment-by-segment volume changes. Also try changing the first setting, compress ratio, from the default 0.5 to the stiffer broadcast setting of 0.77.
Chris’s Compressor is called Compress dynamics in the second segment of the Audacity Effects menu. Chris does have one bug. It doesn’t like sailing off the end of a sound file. I put unimportant trash out there and then cut it off when Chris gets done.
Development on the compressor has stopped because Chris reached end-of-life.
Technical Support is voluntary and spread out over nine time zones. It’s good, but it’s not instant.
I didn’t see an answer to the question about going back to your production company if you had to.
Is there a drop-dead time for this? You need to get this running in the next month or so? The current support record is Ian living in Hollywood, California. We got him reading audiobooks and producing paid announcing. It took about a year.
Another item that might be useful is being able to experience your older, working shows. Where are they?
