Audacity mp3s won't play in Media Player or iTunes

[BOF]

I have Audacity set up on one PC and once I have created the mp3s, I transfer them to another PC. The first two batches worked fine. Then on the third batch, half of them wouldn't play in either Media Player or iTunes. Now none of the mp3s I transfer will play. The error message I get is that "the file format does not match the extension (mp3)".

Any ideas as to what has happened? I am using the LAME mp3 dll as advised, and as I say, originally there was no problem.

[alatham]

Are you still exporting to the same sample rate and bit rate that worked before? What sample rate and bit rate are you using?

Do the files you export now play on the first computer but not on the second?

More importantly, do the files play if you re-import them into Audacity immediately after exporting?

[BOF]

I thought I'd cracked it because I'd changed the bitrate from 32-floating to 16-bit. I changed it back, recorded some more mp3s and still no luck. The sample rate remained unchanged at 44100.

They seem to play on the PC that I recorded them on.

[BOF]

BTW the bitrate for mp3s is 128.

I've looked through all the Preferences now and can't see anything else I've changed. Unless the LAME mp3 dll is corrupt and needs to be reinstalled I'm out of ideas.

[alatham]

What does "They seem to play" mean? Do you not have speakers on your recording computer?

I'm not sure you meant to answer this, but it wasn't explicit; Can you re-import the files into Audacity after exporting them?

I guess the next thing to try is to export wav files and see if they work. They're much larger, so just make some shorter test files.

If you can upload one of these non-working MP3s that would be great for us to look at.

[BOF]

The reason I say 'seem to play' is that they open in Media Player but I had the USB codec for playback so there was no sound. In the other PC, it just says that the file is not in a recognisable mp3 format.

I notice that the bitrate for all the mp3s that don't play is zero, while the good ones are 128.

Here is an example of an mp3 that won't play.

http://www.swingtime.co.uk/spurs/undertones.mp3

Thanks again for all your help.

[kozikowski]

I couldn't play it on anything. All the players I tried complained about corruption of one sort or another. An older Windows Media Player probably hit it.

"The file you are attempting to play has an extension that does not match the file format. Playing the file may result in unexpected behavior."

Cool Edit tried desperately to play it as a Windows uncompressed PCM file and started asking permission to reinterpret the data bits, but eventually gave up and dragged itself over to a dark corner sobbing.

It's got DC on it. When I let Audition try to open it up and then increased the gain, the battery voltage in the show went up to the moon. That's not supposed to be there.

Koz

[kozikowski]

Did you do, or let Windows do a Windows Media Player upgrade somewhere in there? One of the reasons I stopped using Windows for music was Media Player started telling me what I could and could not do with my MP3s. It damaged some of them and that's when I told Windows it could just go eat dirt.

Uncompressed WAV exports all work, right? It's only the MP3s that are having troubles?

Koz

[alatham]

Wow, no wonder it doesn't work anywhere.

I just opened the file in a Hex Editor and all it is is the HEX byte "13" over and over and over. That's the data equivalent of painting over the Sistine Chapel with one big sheet of pale blue.

Something has gone horribly wrong with your file. At this point, I have no idea where that could have occurred.

Does anyone know if RichardAsh is a developer or not? I'm under the impression he is, he should probably take a look at this one. I'll PM him.

[kozikowski]

<<<a Hex Editor>>>

Such as...?

<<<That's the data equivalent of painting over the Sistine Chapel with one big sheet of pale blue.>>>

If they're all "13"s, then there's no music structure either. Wouldn't that be like giving the church a clear coat with Gym Finish®?

Koz