Audacity Forum

Audacity 2.4.2, Windows 10.

So, I have a stereo recording of an audio show where the channels are mis-aligned - it sounds like, I'll hear something on one side and then on the other side immediately after. Both sides play the audio, but there's a left/right imbalance.

This was an audio file I had sent to me (I did not record this myself), and it's a little over 4 hours long. Both channels line up perfectly up until around the 44-minute mark, and that's where I start to hear the imbalance. At the end of the file, the upper (left side) channel goes 0.261 seconds longer than the lower (right side). (FWIW, the file is MP3 format, 128kbps.)

Is this something I can fix? If so, how?

Are you able to find the exact point in the file where it goes wrong?

If so, select about 3 seconds before and after that point (about 6 seconds total), then "File menu > Export > Export Selected Audio" and export those 6 seconds as a WAV file.
Attach the exported WAV file to your reply (See: viewtopic.php?f=49&t=72887)

MikeK102 wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 15, 2020 9:08 am

Is this something I can fix? If so, how?

steve wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 15, 2020 10:47 am

Are you able to find the exact point in the file where it goes wrong?

If not, you may be able to fix the problem yourself. Click on the black down-arrow in the Track Control Panel. Select Split Stereo Track. You can now manipulate these tracks as two separate tracks. You can experiment with the Change Speed or time-shift tool (F5) to get them back in alignment.

To reassemble, click the black down-arrow in the Track Control Panel in the UPPER track. Select Make Stereo Track. (Or just Export).

I hope this helps.