RecordingFixedDuration

Audacity Help Forum GNU/Linux
1

I am new to Audacity, running version 2.0.6 on Linux(Debian Jessie). I am trying to record a short audio test of 2 seconds. Following the instructions in the audacity manual Record Page:

  1. I choose the time range in the Selection Toolbar.
  2. Press Shift+R

The track is recorded from the selected start point, but does not stop at the end of the 2 second period. I certainly have overdub switched off. I noticed reports of problems with timer record and I am now wondering if this is the same issue?

Any help to get this working will be much appreciated.

2

I presume that you mean tis section on this page:
https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/recording.html#duration

Where it indeed says:

Drag-select a region in an existing audio track - or > choose the time range to be recorded in Selection Toolbar> .

I confirm that using the simple steps you outline do not work.

  1. Open new project
  2. turn overdub off
  3. use the Selection Toolbar to select from 0-2 seconds
  4. Press R or Shift+R
  5. Recording does not stop at two seconds.

It does work if you do already have an existing audio track and then use the Selection Toolbar to create a two second section (which can even be beyond the end of the existing audio)

I am not sure if this is a bug (or whether it is intended behavior and we have got the Manual wrong).

@Steve, Bill, Koz - what are your thoughts on this please


@whalesong: The Timer Record problems, with timed recordings not finishing on time, have now been resolved and the latest versions of Audacity work properly with Timer Record stopping at the set time.

Peter

3

Workaround is to add new empty audio track (or even an empty label track) before making the selection in the Selection Toolbar at step 3 - then the time set in the Selection Tollbar will be honoured for the recording.

Peter.

4

That’s NOT working for me in Audacity 2.3.2 alpha.

It’s a bug.
We’ve had this conversation before on QA and decided that recording should stop at the end of the selection. This works in Audacity 2.1.2, so it’s a regression.

However, Gale Andrews disagreed in 2014 and marked it as “not a bug” https://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=723
I’ve reopened this bug report as this really does need to be resolved one way or the other.

5

Thanks for that clarification - and for reopening the bug Steve.

I added my simple test from earlier in this thread to the Bug thread.
https://bugzilla.audacityteam.org/show_bug.cgi?id=723#c4

Peter.

6

I have done a lot more testing on both W10 and Mac Mojave - and now finfd that If I properly follw the instructions in the Manual then this works properly:

  1. Open new project
  2. turn overdub off
  3. use the Selection Toolbar to select from 0-2 seconds
  4. Press Shift+R (NOT jus tR)
  5. Recording does properly stop at two seconds.

I have added an alert-note-div to the foot of that section in the alpha Manual for the upcoming 2.3.2 release to clarify that you should not use the unmodified Record for this purpose (otherwise the recording will run on):
https://alphamanual.audacityteam.org/man/Recording#Recording_for_a_specific_length_of_time

Peter.