exported wav files corrupt

[sandy431]

Nero burning software says; file could not be added to a compilation. The file may be corrupt
c:temp_musicrenaissance1track5.wav (or any tracks)

C:temp_music = main folder on drive
renaaissance1 = folder where all audicity files preside and of course the track name.

Each time I start a new cassette I use C:temp_music but then manually create a folder name like renaissance1 through windows explorer. When I save the project I point it to c:temp_musicrenaissance1 I change filename like renaissance1 to whatever the name of the cassette is. Therefore each cassette has it's own folder under C:temp_music.

Then I see the data folder and the .aup file. (don't think my saving methods should have anything to do with problems..?)

Windows Media Player says can't burn song because it doesn't know how long it is and I have to play the song. Don't know the player well and would rather not use it.

Audacity ver. 1.2.6 Windows XP SP3

Audacity settings are:
Quality = 44100 hz; sample format = 16 bit ; real-time = fast sinc interpolution; high-quality = high-quality sinc interpolution;
real-time dither = none; high quality dither = triangle

*** File Formats are:
Read directly from original file; export format = WAV (Microsoft 32 bit float). The only other option I see = Wav (Microsoft 16 bit PCM) Don't know what PCM is? ***

I record a side of a cassette. Immediately (without editing) I save it as: filename_copy.aup I use that file to edit. I use the .aup file.
I make tracks and add labels. I also delete long silences in between songs. I save the edited version to the filename_copy.aup (thinking it's overwriting, updating etc..) My brother said to save often while editing in case somethings happens which I think I did.

I do export multipe;
Format = wav; location is folder where Audacity files for that project is.
Checked = split files based on labels; name files = using labels/track name. overwrite existing.

Strange I was able to make 1 cd but now Nero doesn't like any wav files I create. Even from different cassettes. Nero is able to burn other music files such as ones found on the internet. Don't think Nero is the problem.

Tried newest version but seemed to crash computer. Program froze while using it. Had to do hard re-start. CPU= core 2 quad 2.8ghz; ram= 4gb dual channel ddr2 800mhz.

[steve]

Thank you for such a detailed post. It makes a refreshing change

For modern computers you should really be using the latest version of Audacity (currently 1.3.13), but let's see if we can sort this problem out first, then we can look at upgrading later.

Could you make a test recording, just a few seconds (more than 2 seconds but no more than 6 seconds) and Export it as a WAV file.
Open Nero and try adding that file to a CD compilation. Does Nero accept it?

If it doesn't, please attach the wav file to your reply. ("Upload Attachment" below the compose message box).

[sandy431]

Appreciate help. trying to upload wav file. Guess not. Post reply keeps saying loading. I waited a long time.

Strange how Windows Media Player can play songs Nero says are corrupt. Really don't want to use the Player to record cds.

Still wonder why I was able to make a cd before but now files are corrupt. What setting could I have changed to make this happen? Don't think I changed anything.

Only thing I think I did was change saving location. Before it was: C:temp_musicaudacity_temp
In there is where I manually thru Explorer created folder names for cassettes so all files would go there.

Now using C:temp_music then the folder name for cassette. Why would that matter?

[steve]

Strange how Windows Media Player can play songs Nero says are corrupt.

It's probably not corrupt, but just in a format that Nero doesn't understand. That's why I'd like to have a look at a sample file so I can see exactly what format it is.
Could you try uploading that sample file somewhere else (for example a free file sharing site) then post a link so I can download it.

[sandy431]

upload file:

Saved track from Audacity to desktop. hope this works. there is a data folder also but can't seem to upload it.

[steve]

Great, that explains the problem.
That file is not an audio (WAV) file, it's part of an "Audacity Project".
There's 2 parts to an Audacity Project, there's the audio data (often in the _data folder) and there's a small .AUP file that tells Audacity what to do with all of the bits of data. The file that you have posted is the AUP file.

To make an audio file that can be opened by other programs you need to "Export" the file. (File menu > Export as WAV).

Try that and I think it'll fix your immediate problem, then we can look at getting Audacity 1.3.13 running on your computer.

[sandy431]

Really appreciate your time on this. Can't do anything right now with Nero saying corrupt.

Sorry. Thought you wanted the project file. To see if settings or something looks funny. If you just want the wav file I did this:

Went to C: found sound file. sent it to desktop. (made short cut) Now uploading wav file. guess not again. Forum post doesn't like me uploading a wav file. Just keeps loading. Don't have account with a File-sharing site. Don't know how to get wav file to you.

---
While in audacity orgianlly I did Export as wav when I made the file. Actually I made 5 tracks. Exported as Multiple. My origianl post said what I did. All 5 tracks say corrupt in Nero.

By any chance could this be a problem:

1) Saving too often while editing. Brother got me paranoid and said to save every 10 minutes. How often should we save while editing.

2) Having too many tracks? Some cassettes may have 9 songs on 1 side. Is there a limit to number of tracks I should have?

Guess I will try newest version again 1.3.13? What if it freezes like it did before?

[steve]

Forum post doesn't like me uploading a wav file.

Small WAV files (less than 6 seconds play time) should upload to the forum without problem.
Alternatively you could use "sendspace.com" (free to use (up to 300 MB) and you don't need to register to use it).

Saving regularly is a good idea. When working on complex projects I usually save about once every 30 minutes or so and use "Save As" so that I can save it with a new file name. I then end up with a series of projects (project001, project002, project003...) so that I can go back to a previous version if I find I've made any mistakes. When recording things I usually Export the recording as a WAV file immediately after recording so I have a back-up of the original recorded audio. On completion of the project, after Exporting the final mix and checking that it plays correctly I will delete all versions of the Project as they are no longer needed.

9 songs is not excessive in a project. I like to keep projects to less than an hour total play time because bigger projects get a bit slow and cumbersome to work on.