Audacity Forum

I was exporting some recordings I had made onto my computer with Audacity when I got to the last one. I was exporting as mpegs and when I clicked on the file, there was no sound, yet the time counter was moving. I clicked on the actual Audacity file to listen to it in Audacity. There's a waveform in the audio track display but no sound is heard and the VU meter shows nothing. I exported seven other recordings and this is the only one that's been a problem. I know there had to be audio at one time because I created labels to mark certain places in the recording. I've read through the FAQs but I can't seem to find a solution, I hope someone can help or I'll have to record it again. Thanks

<<<when I clicked on the file,>>>

You clicked on the Audacity AUP project manager file. That's the file that manages all the other files in your show. It's not a sound file, it's a manager. If you move things around or clean up or change file names anywhere, you can destroy a Project accidentally.

I don't generally bother with Projects. I don't do stunningly complicated shows that go for hours with fifteen tracks. That's where projects shine. If all you're doing is pulling sound from a Vinyl record, skip the Project step and Export As WAV directly. Far fewer headaches.

Koz

I did correct the spelling in the file name of the project file, but I did the same thing with another file and nothing bad happened to it. It's not exactly a project, just an audio tape I wanted to record so it could be shared if someone wanted a copy.

<<<I did correct the spelling in the file name of the project file>>>

Ding, Ding, Ding!

Can't do that. The parts of a Project, their spelling and locations are written inside the AUP file. Literally written. If you change anything, the Project turns to trash because the writing inside the file doesn't match the new reality.

This is a picture of a real, simple AUP file.

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/aup1.jpg

Note down around line 7, there is a listing for an "aliasfile" and it points to my piano solo; piano2.wav. If my piano performance isn't right there and spelled perfectly, that's the end of the show.

Do you remember what the typo was? If you can put it all back the way it was, chances are the show will come back to life.

Koz

I tried that and it didn't fix it, but I may have changed more than just the spelling, I have added a space in the name.

You can open up your AUP file in Notepad or Wordpad and read it just like the one I posted. It's written in XML which is a semi-English programming language. It's not a sound file.

It will not look neat and orderly like the one I posted, I added spaces and carriage returns for graphic clarity, but the format is exactly the same and the first line of code might give you a memory jogger of what the original name was.

Koz

OK, I may try that, but I also tried to record it again onto my computer and now I must be doing something wrong. nothing is being recorded. The bars in the VU meter show sowmthing but there's noting but a thin blue line in the audio track. As far as I can tell, I'm connecting everything the way it's supposed to be and I did read the tutorial again, but something's not right.

I opened up the file and found the name and I did make two changes. I put it back but it appears to be gone, or least most of it. I did find a few seconds around one of the labels I had added where the audio was intact, but it wasn't much.

If you used sound clips or music from several different sources in your show, then the original music files can't be changed, either. You can't compose a show and then go around and delete, change, or rename all the original music.

You tried to record your audio tape again and it failed? Describe how you have the machines connected -- and forward model numbers if you can find them. Particularly the type of computer.

Koz

There is no show, it's simply a cassett tape being played in a regular tape recorder connected to my HP d325 computer (DB371AV). The cable went from the headphone jack to the line in (blue) jack on the computer. Just to be safe I tried other jacks, but that didn't work either. There's probably one thing not set right in Audacity and I'm not realizing it. It's just been awhile since I last used the program.