Subsequent tracks get recorded at a different pitch

PLAPOLO · Post by **PLAPOLO** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 2:57 am

I'm new to this forum so please forgive me if this question has been answered before.

Here is my scenario:

1. I record a track.
2. I record an overlaying track and during this process of recording and listening to the initial track, I hear some mild clipping sounds.
3. When I play back the two tracks at once, I find that the second track is in a different pitch (it seems slightly higher).

Does this make sense to anyone? I really like the program and I've never had this problem before. If anyone could offer some advice, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you.

Post by **steve** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:01 am

Basically, your computer is struggling to keep up with the audio. There are many things that can cause this, but the most common are;
Anti-virus programs interfering with the recording process.
Disk fragmentation.
Other programs running at the same time.

There are many other suggestions here: http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php? ... Recordings

nenaz · Post by **nenaz** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 12:07 pm

I have the same problem in recording, but none of your suggestions works: it's a brand new pc, so it's not fragmented, not other programs running....but the recorded track kept on running faster and in a higher pitch.
I solved it booting with linux, and now it works! Can it be a Vista problem? I'd like to use Audacity under Win too!

Post by **steve** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 12:37 pm

nenaz wrote:it's a brand new pc, so it's not fragmented

Have you checked? Just because it is new does not mean that data on the drive is not fragmented. A fresh Windows installation leaves data fragments all over the place.

nenaz wrote:but the recorded track kept on running faster and in a higher pitch.

That may be a different problem - did you also get the "mild clipping sounds"?

nenaz wrote:I'd like to use Audacity under Win too

Try changing the default sample rate (Edit > Preferences > Quality). If it is set at 48000, change it to 44100. If it is at 44100, try changing it to 48000.

PLAPOLO · Post by **PLAPOLO** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 3:14 pm

nenaz wrote:I have the same problem in recording, but none of your suggestions works: it's a brand new pc, so it's not fragmented, not other programs running....but the recorded track kept on running faster and in a higher pitch.
I solved it booting with linux, and now it works! Can it be a Vista problem? I'd like to use Audacity under Win too!

im running xp

PLAPOLO · Post by **PLAPOLO** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 3:16 pm

nenaz wrote:I'd like to use Audacity under Win too

Try changing the default sample rate (Edit > Preferences > Quality). If it is set at 48000, change it to 44100. If it is at 44100, try changing it to 48000.[/quote]

this fixed my issue! thank you. just out of curiosity, what does adjusting the sample rate do?

Post by **steve** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 4:05 pm

The sample rate is the number of samples per second that the digital audio format uses (see Wikipedia for a better explanation).
CD audio uses 44100 samples per second (for each audio channel).

If you want to burn a CD, you should Export as "16bit 44100Hz Microsoft (PCM) WAV" to ensure compatibility.
The Export sample rate is always the same as the Project Sample Rate - you can change it at any time using the Project Rate box in the lower left corner of the main Audacity window.

Some sound cards have a minor failing in that they do not work well (or at all) at certain sample rates, while they work perfectly well at other sample rates. This is a sound card / sound card driver issue rather than Audacity, so you just need to set Audacity to use the sample rate that works best for your system.

PLAPOLO · Post by **PLAPOLO** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 4:30 pm

stevethefiddle,
you are the man!
much obliged.

nenaz · Post by **nenaz** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 9:26 am

Hi again,
I think I get that "mild clipping sounds" too (even if I'm not that sure of what it means): when I play my track there are moments of silence (like when the record plater skips..) and distorted audio;
I tried to change the rate but it goes the same. I think that the distorted pitch is just due to the faster speed...
I'll try to verify if the disk if fragmented, is it the last I can do?
many many thanks for your help

Post by **steve** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 8:24 pm

As before, as well as setting the sample rate, the most common bottlenecks are due to:
Anti-virus programs interfering with the recording process.
Disk fragmentation.
Other programs running at the same time.

then work your way through all the suggestions here: http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php? ... Recordings

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Subsequent tracks get recorded at a different pitch

Subsequent tracks get recorded at a different pitch

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Re: Subsequent tracks get recorded at a different pitch

Re: Subsequent tracks get recorded at a different pitch

Re: Subsequent tracks get recorded at a different pitch

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Re: Subsequent tracks get recorded at a different pitch