FFMPEG libraries keep getting 'lost'

[wildernessflyer]

Have beta 1.3.12 on Win7 64-bit system. Using with Sony Vegas Movie Maker Platinum HD ver 10. Set Audacity as the preferred sound editor. With a track selected, I choose 'Tools' and 'Audio' and open the file in Audacity. Have ffmpeg installed per Audacity site instructions, but get an error message about the ffmpeg libraries not being found. Hit the provided locate button, and the files are not found. I can even navigate to the correct .dll and select it, and still the library is not found. So I then close Audacity, reopen it, go to prefs, libraries and 'locate' the libraries again....and, lo and behold, they are automatically located. Editing proceeds as it should. Next import/edit attmpt, and I get the same result. Have to back out, reload, re-locate to proceed. Is this a bug? Can't find any reference in forums.

When I open Audacity directly, BTW, the library files are there when I check prefs, but when I try to load a file outside of Sony Vegas MM HD Pro, they load instantly. Go back to Vegas and open Audacity from within, and things things proceed as above. Whaaaaaat? Once Audacity finds the libs, shouldn't that link be permanent? Thanks!

[steve]

It sounds like Sony Vegas MM HD Pro is provoking the problem. Perhaps Sony Vegas MM HD Pro is also using FFMpeg, but a different and non-compatible version to what Audacity uses? That's just a guess
I'll see if I can get a second opinion on this.

[wildernessflyer]

It sounds like Sony Vegas MM HD Pro is provoking the problem. Perhaps Sony Vegas MM HD Pro is also using FFMpeg, but a different and non-compatible version to what Audacity uses? That's just a guess
I'll see if I can get a second opinion on this.

Thanks for the quick reply....don't think that's the issue, however. In video tutorials on YouTube, Audacity is used very easily and effectively with Sony Vegas MM v 9/10 without issues. That's why I thought it could be an issue with the newest beta. I'll await further info.

[Gale Andrews]

Thanks for the report.

I downloaded a free trial of "Sony Vegas Movie Maker Platinum HD ver 10" on Windows 7 x64. I don't know how crippled the trial is but the only way I could use its "Open in Audio Editor" feature was to import a file, select it then right-click > Open in Trimmer, then right-click in the Trimmer gave me "Open in Audio Editor".

I can reproduce the problem if "Open in Audio Editor" has to launch Audacity - Audacity always has to load FFmpeg on launch. Audacity displays the error "FFmpeg was configured in Preferences and successfully loaded before, but this time Audacity failed to load it at startup". I'm not then able to get Audacity to detect its installed copy of avformat-52.dll by browsing to it in Preferences, but if I exit Audacity and restart it, browse and select again, it is detected. I can then import any audio file from Vegas into Audacity without error, including formats like WMA that require FFmpeg.

Help > Show log when I launch Audacity from Vegas shows:

Code: Select all

21:42:14: Trying to load FFmpeg libraries...
21:42:14: Looking up PATH environment variable...
21:42:14: PATH = 'C:Program Files (x86)Common FilesAppleApple Application Support;C:Program Files (x86)Common FilesAppleApple Application Support;C:Program Files (x86)SonyVegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10.0;C:Windowssystem32;C:Windows;C:WindowsSystem32Wbem;C:WindowsSystem32WindowsPowerShellv1.0;C:Program FilesTortoiseSVNbin;C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft SQL Server100ToolsBinn;C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft SQL Server100DTSBinn;C:msgfmt;C:Program Files (x86)QuickTimeQTSystem;C:Python27;C:Program Files (x86)QuickTimeQTSystem;C:Program Files (x86)Nmap'
21:42:14: Checking that 'C:Program Files (x86)FFmpeg for Audacity' is in PATH...
21:42:14: Warning: FFmpeg directory is not in PATH.
21:42:14: Temporarily appending ';C:Program Files (x86)FFmpeg for Audacity' to PATH...
21:42:14: Error: Failed to load shared library 'C:Program Files (x86)FFmpeg for Audacityavformat-52.dll' (error 126: the specified module could not be found.)
21:42:14: Error: Failed to load shared library 'C:Program Files (x86)FFmpeg for Audacityavcodec-52.dll' (error 126: the specified module could not be found.)
21:42:14: Error: Failed to load shared library 'C:Program Files (x86)FFmpeg for Audacityavformat-52.dll' (error 126: the specified module could not be found.)
21:42:14: Returning PATH to previous setting...
21:42:14: Error: Failed to load FFmpeg libraries.

My actual PATH is:

Code: Select all

%SystemRoot%system32;%SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%System32Wbem;%SYSTEMROOT%System32WindowsPowerShellv1.0;C:Program FilesTortoiseSVNbin;C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft SQL Server100ToolsBinn;C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft SQL Server100DTSBinn;C:msgfmt;C:Program Files (x86)QuickTimeQTSystem;C:Python27;C:Program Files (x86)QuickTimeQTSystem

so as you can see Apple and Vegas paths are being appended to PATH and causing the conflict. These conflicts happen with the current FFmpeg implementation. It may not be possible to do anything about it in the short term because the developer who implemented Audacity's FFmpeg support is not currently involved with our project.

As far as I can see there aren't any explicit FFmpeg libraries (avcodec*, avdevice*, avformat* or avutil*) that have been installed in C: by Vegas, but there are many format-related dll's in C:Program Files (x86)SonyVegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10.0 so it would be reasonable to assume that one or more or those are causing the problem.

Audacity 1.3.9 (for example) behaves in the same way. I assume the YouTube Videos demonstrate opening non-FFmpeg formats in Audacity which will always work even in current Beta (with the FFmpeg error on launch if you have installed FFmpeg for Audacity).

The only immediate workround would seem to be to launch Audacity before Vegas.



Gale