Exporting MP3 fles in mono

[ptravis]

Hi all
I do hope someone can help me as this problem is driving me nuts

I'm using Audacity 1.2.6 on Windows XP. I have a wav file which I open. It's in stereo format and I change it to mono by splitting stereo track, converting 1 track to mono then deleting the other track. I then export it as MP3 file. When I open the MP3 file it's back to stereo again! Should this be happening?

The reason I'm doing all this is that I'm getting the chipmunk effect and I'm following instructions to get rid of it.

Many thanks for your help!

Pete

[kozikowski]

There's a festival of problems. Let's cure the original one first. If you make an MP3 with too low a bit rate -- too low a quality, it will sound bubbly, gargly and muffled. That's how MP3 works. You can change that quality in Audacity Preferences. 32 is the minimum for mono, 64 is the minimum for stereo, and beyond 300 most people can't tell any damage. Restart Audacity to make sure the settings "stick." The music files get bigger every time you increase that number. That's how destructive compression works.

None of these numbers work at all if you started out with music already compressed. Those are a problem. Double or triple compression is not pretty, and the damage is permanent.

The way to make mono is with the Stereo Track to Mono tool in Audacity 1.3. You can force a mono mix in Audacity 1.2, but it's involved and complicated. And no, you don't just throw away all the instruments on one side of the orchestra. You have to make two mono tracks, reduce each one 6dB, combine them and hope to goodness everything worked out OK. In Audacity 1.3, it's a single click.

Koz

[steve]

"Exporting MP3 fles in mono" is much easier in Audacity 1.3.11 (as are many other things) and I'd suggest you upgrade to the latest 1.3.11 version.
All you need to do in 1.3.11 is click on "Tracks menu > Stereo Track to Mono", then Export.

The reason I'm doing all this is that I'm getting the chipmunk effect and I'm following instructions to get rid of it.

Care to explain? What's the root problem and what instructions to fix it?