Left/Right channels de-synchronised after editing

[tjansen]

This is actually another question, since I can't usually figure out how to make a new post.

I have audacity working now. I am editing an hour long file. I have done several cut / paste operations in the first ten minutes of the file. Everything is in stereo, but there was only one input on the original WMA file, so both sides of the headphones play the same sound.

Also, the blue 'graphs' of the sound are identical all the way through. The middle 40 minutes or so consist of silence (it is a meditation recording, with instructions in the beginning 12 minutes and the ending 12 minutes.

When I first recorded it. It sounded identical to the original (to my ear). After some cutting and pasting, it still sounded OK. After additional cutting and pasting, it now sounds normal in the first sound segment, but after the 40 minutes of silence, the right and left sounds are offset by maybe a half second, and they are both considerably offset from the blue 'graphs'.

If someone can answer this, I would appreciate it if you also copy my email, xxx.com[email removed], since I don't seem to be able to get to the right place on these forums very readily. I have the same problem on other forums, so I am sure it is not a problem with the forum.

I have Windows XP Version 5.1 Service Pack 3
I have Audacity 2.0.3
I have an audio file that I have been using Windows Media Player to play. I also tried it on Real Player. The file plays OK on either player.

I have already read a lot of instructions on doing this, to no avail.

I want to edit the audio file, rearranging the order of the pieces, then make another audio file that I can play every day.

Please tell me exactly what to do to get the audio file into Audacity in a form that I can listen to it and edit it. I can probably figure out the editing and exporting part, as I have done that previously.

At one point I seemed to have gotten the 1 hour file into audacity, but when I played it, it lasted a couple of screechy seconds. Now I can't even get it back into Audacity.

Also, if possible, notify me by email how to access the answer to this question. I am pretty illiterate when it comes to these forums.

Thanks a lot.

Tom Jansen

[steve]

This is actually another question, since I can't usually figure out how to make a new post.

Select the appropriate forum baord from the index page.
(For example, if you use the current version of Audacity on Windows, select this page: http://forum.audacityteam.org/viewforum.php?f=46)
Then click on the "NEW TOPIC" button.

I would appreciate it if you also copy my email

We do not provide personal e-mail support, but you can "subscribe" to a topic by clicking on the "Subscribe to Topic" link at the bottom of the page. You should then receive an e-mail notification when there is a reply.

Also, if you click on the "Permalink" button in the top left corner of a post, that will copy the web address of that specific post to the address bar in your web browser - you can then bookmark (add to favourites) that page so that you can return to it easily.

but after the 40 minutes of silence, the right and left sounds are offset by maybe a half second, and they are both considerably offset from the blue 'graphs'.

I'm not sure how you have managed to do that but as this is a mono recording, the easiest way to fix it will be to split the track into two mono tracks, and then delete one of the tracks.

See here for how to split a track: http://manual.audacityteam.org/o/man/sp ... racks.html
To delete a track, click on the [X] in the top left corner of the track.

[kozikowski]

You say the show is in stereo, but does Audacity think the show is in stereo? The only way to get left and right to split up like that is trying to edit two mono shows at the same time, one above the other.

You can convert everything to actual mono by following steve's directions, or you can repair the damage by adding silence to the short track or deleting silence from the longer one until everything matches again. Then you can convert the whole thing to actual stereo by using the drop-down underneath the little black arrow on the left of the top track and select Make Stereo Track.

Once the show is real stereo, the two sides will track each other.

The top illustration is of a real stereo track and the bottom illustration is of two mono tracks. That's how you can tell.

Koz

[tjansen]

I don't know how I managed to do it either. I know that you don't have to be very savvy to do it, because I am not.

Thanks for the solutions. I will know what to do if it happens again. This morning it played as before, with no offset.

Tom

[steve]

I don't know how I managed to do it either. I know that you don't have to be very savvy to do it, because I am not.

Could you check the version number of Audacity - Go to the "Help" menu and open "About Audacity". There is a three part number - it should be 2.0.3, but it could be an earlier version. I remember that there was a 1.3.something version in which this problem would occasionally happen, but that was fixed a while ago. If your Audacity version is not 2.0.3 then you can get the current version from here: http://audacityteam.org/download/

Also, Audacity 2.0.4 is due to be released very soon. We are currently doing the final testing of the "release candidate". There's not much "new" in it, but quite a few bits and pieces have been improved and some bugs have been fixed, so it will be worth updating when it comes out. The release will be announced here on this forum, and on the Audacity home page: http://audacityteam.org/