Import to project-- I am missing something obvious?

[callmark1]

I used Audacity several years ago with great success and enjoyment. Now I need it again and I have downloaded a fresh copy of the latest version 1.2. Windows XP SP3. Windows Media Player. However, I can't seem to get started because of something obvious I keep "tripping over" when trying to create a project and import a track.

I created a project called "ABC" and saved it. Then I went to Project > Import Audio. I chose the track that I wanted and then imported it. The graphic wav form comes up nicely. But the entire track that I imported seems to fill a space of only a second (according to the time bar across the top) when the track should be 7 minutes or so. And when I attempt to playback the track, I get a one-second cacaophony of sound. What am I missing?

thanks

[moriarty66]

Hi,
I am no expert by any means but from all my research into PC recording and Audacity it looks as though you are importing the file in the wrong format.
I import in MP3 format and have not had any problems. Hope this helps.

Regards.

[waxcylinder]

Maybe no expert yet Moriarty but I think you've called this one dead right, you're a good learner - take the ceegar ...

@ callmark: what formmat are the audio files that you are trying to import?

WC

[callmark1]

Maybe no expert yet Moriarty but I think you've called this one dead right, you're a good learner - take the ceegar ...

@ callmark: what formmat are the audio files that you are trying to import?

WC

Here's what I CAN tell you... I played an audio CD with the track on it and while it was playing, I copied to the media library of Windows Media Player. I always thought WMP played .WAV files. I expected to just drag the thing into Audacity and "poof", I'd be just a-cuttin' an a-pastin'. I am so far behind the times (my first computer had 640K memory and 640K storage), I don't even know how to discover the format. Right-clicking and choosing properties only comes up with a file association which is of course WMP. Do I need to download LAME and then try to import as mp3?

Thank you for your time by the way.

[kozikowski]

You can force Windows to show you file extensions. That can go a very long way to telling you what's going on.

-- Hidden File Extensions
-- Start > My Computer > Tools > Folder Options > View > [ ] Hide Extensions for Known File Types (deselect)
-- Apply (to this folder) or Apply to All Folders
-- OK

Suddenly, the music file you thought was coolmusic.mp3, can turn out to be coolmusic.m4a -- a modern highly compressed file format -- and Audacity will not open those without adding the FFMpeg software add-on from the download web site.

http://audacityteam.org/download/

I think you can force Windows to tell you what kind of file it is, too.

Right-Click the file > Properties > Advanced or maybe Summary. (I'm guessing at some of this).

I always thought WMP played .WAV files.

It totally does, but what you have may not be a WAV file. CDs come in two flavors. You can have a Data CD which is a flat, shiny hard drive and can contain anything, and a genuine Music CD which has a version of WAV to hold the music. Those have to be ripped to get the music off in a "real" WAV format.

If the file is a "real" MP3, you don't need special software to play it, but you do need "lame" to make a new one -- to Export a new MP3.

Koz

[callmark1]

yes well, problem solved thanks to you all. I uninstalled the 1.2 and installed 1.3 (beta). Also added LAME and FFmpeg.

Now everything drops in easy as pie. Thanks again.