MP3 sounding different

[Scythe]

So I'm recording my voice in Audacity. It sounds fine when I play it in Audacity. Then I export it as an MP3. When I listen to the MP3, it sounds different from how it sounded in Audacity.

It sounds like two people are talking simultaneously instead of one. I assume that has something to do with the stereo tracks or something. It's like my Audacity sound has been exported twice and copied over itself.

Can anyone help?

[kozikowski]

Does it sound OK if you Export a WAV file? MP3 is a destructive compressor and it has settings that affect file size and sound damage.

If you like to record sound from the internet, you may have Mix-Out selected in your Windows Sound Panels. That can cause echos because you're listening to two different sound pathways with a delay between them.

Does your MP3 sound fine if you don't listen to it on your computer?

Koz

[Scythe]

Yes, it sounds okay when I export it as a WAV. Also I just burned my MP3 files onto a CD and listened to them on a CD player, and they sound just as bad.

I don't know how to access my Windows Sound Panels, or where Mix-Out is located.

I think I was wrong about it sounding like the recording is doubled over itself. It's more like a weird vibrating ambience. Since it's probably caused by the MP3 compression, how do I avoid that? I've exported MP3's before that sounded fine. What can I do to make my MP3's sound better?

[steve]

What can I do to make my MP3's sound better?

Use a higher quality (bigger file) setting. When you get to the Export screen where you select the file type (WAV, MP3. ...) click on the "Options" button. Try using the "Preset" settings. "Standard" will usually give good results on stereo music - "Insane" is the highest quality possible with MP3 format.

[Scythe]

Thank you so much. That's working out quite nicely. I didn't realize I could do that sort of thing with the options. I'm used to how Photoshop brings up the compression options automatically when you export as a jpg.