Audacity Forum

I have seen an earlier thread which discussed similar problems but without solving my problem so my apologies (as a first time user) if this topic has now been settled.
I have been recording streaming radio programmes for some time and had no problems using earlier versions of Audacity. Since starting to use v. 1.3.x (now on to 1.3.11), I find that the length of each recording is only a fraction of the real time length. Consequently, on playback, I get the "chipmunks" effect that others referred to. I can alter the playback speed (typically by about 67%) but this is a hassle and takes a fair time for a long recording. I am using Windows XP and the sound card is Creative Sound Blaster PCI 128 (WDM) with (I think) the most up to date driver available.
Has anyone any suggestions on what I could do to overcome this problem?

Go into "Edit menu > Preferences > Quality" and try a different "Sample Rate". Try 44100Hz and 48000Hz and see if either of those work.

Thanks for the suggestion but, regrettably, as anticipated, it had no effect. Hz is a unit of frequency and 44100Hz means that the incoming signal is sampled 44100 times per second but this is unrelated to the relative speeds of the recording and the playback.

Just to confirm my observations, I have downloaded v.1.2.6 and made a recording without any difficulty where the playback was at exactly the same speed as the input (project rate 44100Hz).

<<<44100Hz means that the incoming signal is sampled 44100 times per second but this is unrelated to the relative speeds of the recording and the playback.>>>

But they can be. If you have a show at one sample rate and it's played at another by accident, the quality and speed will be seriously compromised. Audacity has a tool that can do that intentionally.

Typically, Audacity does what you describe if it's trying to play a compressed music file it doesn't understand. "My three minute music file plays in fifteen seconds and sounds like chipmunks."

I don't know why a capture performed in Audacity would do that...

What are your Audacity preferences set to -- the ones for sample rate, bit depth, number of channels. At the end of a capture, is the number on the lower left of the Audacity work window the same as it was earlier and the same as preferences?

<<<I have been recording streaming radio programmes for some time>>>

Such as? I do this, too, but I use 1.3.7.

Koz

<<<Creative Sound Blaster PCI 128 (WDM)>>>
Is that the really old Soundblaster PCI 128, or some new incarnation?

Yes it is. I have my son's cast-off PC from a number of years ago and have never had the need to update it.

I opened up v.1.3.7 with a recording (WAV format) that I made yesterday using v.1.2.6 and it plays perfectly well at the correct speed without having to make any adjustment.

"Typically, Audacity does what you describe if it's trying to play a compressed music file it doesn't understand. "My three minute music file plays in fifteen seconds and sounds like chipmunks."

I don't know why a capture performed in Audacity would do that..."

As far as I can see, the settings in both versions are the same and there is no change either before or during playback. I simply cannot understand why the newer version does something that the older version didn't do.


"Such as? I do this, too, but I use 1.3.7."

BBC Radio 3 broadcasts from the BBC player.

<<<BBC Radio 3 broadcasts from the BBC player.>>>

I've done that, too. .........[pause].

<<<I simply cannot understand why the newer version does something that the older version didn't do.
>>>

I can hear the developers chuckling in the background. There are thousands of internal Audacity changes between versions and each change interacts with all the others. That's why it takes so long to get between versions that the developers are willing to show people. "I fixed the AIFF export problem, but now the menu items are the wrong [email protected]#$%"

The number of different file types and formats goes up at each new version and I'm not shocked that there might be interactions between them. But I am surprised at this one. This one is most unusual.

Can you produce a very brief sample of the work and make it available for up to chew on? Do you have an upload service you like? I think we can host a very short sound segment here on the forum. We didn't used to be able to do that. Send a private message and I may be able to host it briefly for you.

Koz