Audacity Forum

@rrm:
We're pretty sure the problem is with the ID3 tags in that file. You can import it if you set the "File Type" dropdown menu in the File Import dialog to "MP3 files" or "FFmpeg-compatible files".

Starting at byte 0 we find: Then starting at byte 4320: -- Bill

billw58 wrote:@rrm:
We're pretty sure the problem is with the ID3 tags in that file. You can import it if you set the "File Type" dropdown menu in the File Import dialog to "MP3 files" or "FFmpeg-compatible files".
-- Bill

The option of MP3 Files works great, FFmpgeg gives exact the same problem.
Also tried to rename the file, unfortunately without any success.

Renaming the file won't help: it's the embedded ID3 tags that appear to be causing the problem. I've never seen that "Exact Audio Copy (Secure Mode)" notation before.

-- Bill

billw58 wrote:Then starting at byte 4320:

Well, byte 4318 (the "I" of "ID3"). I deleted that entire block of partially duplicated tags (bytes 4318 - 4477) then the file imported fine even when libsndfile (the PCM importer) tried it first, as it does when "All files" is selected. Deleting the duplicates still leaves the metadata visible in Audacity Metadata Editor as it was before.

Sndfile-convert in libsndfile 1.0.24 (the version Audacity is using) and also the current 1.0.25 crash out when encountering the file with the duplicated tags present. They skip the file as they should when the duplicates are removed. So I think we can assume a libsndfile rather than Audacity problem. Best thing is to report it to Erik, I would think.

That still leaves something unresolved with what Ed encountered. Can you reproduce that again with another file, Ed?



Gale

Gale Andrews wrote: That still leaves something unresolved with what Ed encountered. Can you reproduce that again with another file, Ed?

I have only been able to repro the crash by importing the specific file in question. I suspect that the file was created "improperly" (somehow??) but, I also do not believe that trying to read a corrupt file should result in a crash (or, in Bill's case what seems to have manifested in an endless loop). My best guess is the libsndfile code is ignoring a read return error or referencing a variable which is improperly (most likely "not at all") uninitialized.

Given a copy of this file, anyone familiar with the libsndfile code (which is very strangely formatted and, for me, extremely hard to read) should be able to diagnose and fix this problem. Any repeatable crash can be rewound to the offending code fairly easily but given the coding style someone else will need to do it.

@Ed, what I was referring to in my question to you was your earlier post in this topic where you said:

I just tried something like what you are doing and also had a problem with 1.3.15-alpha. I waited at least 5 minutes and Audacity still seemed "hung". My steps were to Generate 5 hours, 30 minutes & 1 second of default noise in Mono then try to import a 15 minute stereo WAV. I got fed up waiting and clicked the Close button which worked but the WAV audio showed an empty track still.

That would concern me a bit on the formula 1 machine you have.


Gale

Gale Andrews wrote:@Ed, what I was referring to in my question to you was your earlier post in this topic where you said:

I just tried something like what you are doing and also had a problem with 1.3.15-alpha. I waited at least 5 minutes and Audacity still seemed "hung". My steps were to Generate 5 hours, 30 minutes & 1 second of default noise in Mono then try to import a 15 minute stereo WAV. I got fed up waiting and clicked the Close button which worked but the WAV audio showed an empty track still.

That would concern me a bit on the formula 1 machine you have.


Gale

Mea culpa! Operator error. I just tried it again with no problem. The file I was using was 15 seconds not minutes and as a result its waveform was invisible in the context of 5+ hours. (I say wiping egg off face!)