HELP - dropouts?

[sagethesoundburglar]

iMac 2 GHz Intel Core 2Duo processor
2Gb 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
OSX 10.4.10

Safari 2.0.4

Audacity 1.2.5 created 13/07/06
downloaded Mac intel version 30? Nov 08



Project:
32-bit floating, 44100 Hz

editing stereo tracks imported as .wav (vocal) and from cd (music) to make a national radio programme on artist

Problem:
No problem with most of editing functions but dropouts developed in audio. It seems to be decaying. Holes developed in playback of all clips, some have almost totally disappeared. Visually the Waveform view shows audio intact, in Spectrum view holes are obvious gaps.
There were no dropouts when I started editing, they even developed on tracks I did nothing but copy sections of.

Unfortunately I did not choose the Preference to make a copy of edit - I have now tho.

I have read "Skips". I can see some things that may affect recording, but I wasn't recording as such.

[kozikowski]

<<<some have almost totally disappeared. >>>
<<<they even developed on tracks I did nothing but copy sections of.>>>

I'm going to predict the past. You've been moving your original sound clips around and/or you've been moving clips around inside the _DATA folder--all those AU files? Worse, you've been "cleaning up" all those unused clips?

When Audacity creates a "Project," it uses the AUP file as a laundry list to keep track of where all the pieces are that make up the show. If, for example, you introduce a vocal segment to your show, Audacity makes a note in the AUP file of where on the computer the segment is. If you move, change, or delete that original segment, that segment's contribution to the finished show will vanish. Audacity doesn't save sound files. It saves Production Editing Environments--Edit Decision Lists plus File Names and Locations.

You can't change your mind after you start to construct your show. The only time you get an actual, intact, stand-alone sound file of your production is when you perform one of the Exports; Export As WAV for example. Before you do that, all your original sound clips in their original locations are still part of the show no matter how many time you Save.

Koz

[kozikowski]

People notice this right away when they incorporate CD music into their Audacity Project. The music clips in the show vanish instantly when they eject the CD. The blue waveforms on the timeline may or may not follow you because they're individual picture files and they pay attention to the AUP file. It's not unusual to have a five minute show with waveforms but no sound. Did you clean up all those original voice clips? That was the show.

It's also not unusual for people to want to reconstruct the show from the blue waveforms. Can't be done as far as I know.

Koz