Audacity Forum

I have updated my wife's laptop with Audacity 1.3.13 and FFmpeg 0.6.2. We are unable to open mp3 or mp4 files. We don't get any error messages when we open the files but only get flat line in the channel window. I tried the 1.3.14 alpha version but get the same result. Everything worked with the 1.3.10 version, not sure what the FFmpeg version was.

mlhopkins wrote:I have updated my wife's laptop with Audacity 1.3.13 and FFmpeg 0.6.2. We are unable to open mp3 or mp4 files. We don't get any error messages when we open the files but only get flat line in the channel window. I tried the 1.3.14 alpha version but get the same result. Everything worked with the 1.3.10 version, not sure what the FFmpeg version was.

I moved this to the correct 1.3.x Forum.

1.3.13 and later will still work with the 0.5 version of FFmpeg which 1.3.10 used:
http://www.gaclrecords.org.uk/FFmpeg_20 ... indows.exe

however I would be surprised if the FFmpeg version is the problem. Are you sure you these are valid MP3s/MP4s? Have you changed the Extended Import Preferences so that non-standard importers for the format are trying to open the files? If not, just try dragging in an MP3 that you know is really an MP3. Don't use File > Open or File > Import because the way you import the file makes a difference to the importer that opens it; dragging should ensure the built-in MP3 importer will open it if you have no rules in Extended Import Preferences.

If none of the above helps, please upload example files that import as silence to a free file transfer service such as:

http://www.yousendit.com
http://www.megaupload.com
http://www.sendspace.com

and give us the web address where we can download them.


Gale

Thanks for moving this post to the correct forum. I realized my mistake right after I posted my question. I verified that we do not have any Extended Import Preferences set. I tried to drag and drop a MP3 & MP4 file and get the same problem. I can open both music files and listen to them with no problems. I then tried the older FFmpeg and have the same problem. I then tried the older 1.3.10 with the older FFmpeg and still have the same problem. Later today, I will return home and will be able to look at the versions I have installed on another computer. My wife's computer was recently refreshed and it may be they reloaded it with something that is conflicting with FFmpeg. Thanks.

Note that the laptop has 64 bit Windows 7 installed.

If you drag in the MP3 and have no Extended Import Rules set, then the built-in MP3 importer should take the MP3 and FFmpeg would not be involved in that case, only for MP4.

I would make sure you have the latest 1.3.14 ( http://www.gaclrecords.org.uk/audacity- ... -alpha.zip ) because some fixes for MP3 import were made quite recently. It's probably a good idea also first of all to reset Audacity settings by exiting Audacity, editing the audacity.cfg settings file down to:

NewPrefsInitialized=1

then save the .cfg file and restart Audacity. Details at http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/Preferences#stored .

If these files still cause a problem please post some examples as per the links above, and please attach the log from
Help > Show Log as that has some debug information.



Gale

Resetting the audacity.cfg file did the trick. Thanks for all your help!