Wav file is static

[johnnyc2016]

I am trying to import a wav file. But whenever I try to import just with the open file it comes back with "Audacity did no recognize the type of the file. If it is uncompressed, try importing it using "Import Raw." So I try and import using the "Import Raw" and when it comes up and I do the playback it is just static and it has cut a 7 min recordeing down to 2.5 seconds. Any ideas?

[steve]

Are you sure that it is a "WAV" file? From your description it sounds as if the file is in a compressed format that is not recognised by Audacity.

[johnnyc2016]

When I go to the properties it shows it as a "Wave Sound (.wav)"

It does also play in windows media player.

[DVDdoug]

it has cut a 7 min recordeing down to 2.5 seconds.

That's a good indication it's compressed, but that's a LOT more compression than you usually get. (The playing time you get will vary with the sample rate, but depth, and number of channels that you choose when you open the "raw" data.)

Did you install the optional FFMPEG import/export library? It works with most compressed formats.

If you open a compressed file as raw audio data, you're going to get noise. If you choose the wrong bit depth or the wrong offset, or the wrong endin, you can also get noise.

What can you tell us about this file? Where did this file come from?

Do you know the bit-depth, sample-rate, or number of channels? (With uncompressed files, we can use this information to calculate file size.... If the file is smaller than the calculation, we know it's compressed.)

Can you play the file with Windows Media Player? How do you know it's 7 minutes?

Try checking the file with MediaInfo to find out the format. (I think MediaInfio installs crapware, so be careful and don't answer "yes" to every question when you install it.)

[johnnyc2016]

I downloaded media info and this is the information it came back with:
Format : Wave
File size : 936 KiB
Duration : 7mn 59s
Overall bit rate : 16.0 Kbps

Audio
Format : A119
Codec ID : A119
Duration : 7mn 59s
Bit rate : 16.0 Kbps
Channel(s) : 1 channel
Sampling rate : 8 000 Hz
Bit depth : 2 bits
Stream size : 936 KiB (100%)

It does play in window media player.

[Gunnar]

And don't forget that WAVE is a container format that can contain a whole lot of different (compressed and uncompressed) audio formats!

This includes various flavors of uncompressed PCM, which is the most common use of WAVE, but it also includes various compressed formats like ADPCM, AC3, DTS, MP3, AAC and WMA (full list of WAVE format codes here or here).

I second the suggestion to use MediaInfo, which should give you the detailed info about the WAVE file - or tell you that it actually not a WAVE file.

[kozikowski]

Overall bit rate : 16.0 Kbps

PCM files don't have an "overall" or approximate bit rate. They have a fixed one and it's far higher than that.

Koz

[kozikowski]

I made up a simple stereo WAV file and it's bitrate is 1,412 Kbps. So you have an odd duck. If you have FFMpeg installed and it still won't open, then you may have a damaged file.

Koz

[steve]

The "Codec ID" that MediaInfo gives for a normal WAV file is "1".
Google search comes up with nothing useful for Codec ID : A119, but it is not a normal WAV file.
Where did the file come from?

[Gale Andrews]

I downloaded media info and this is the information it came back with:
Format : Wave
File size : 936 KiB
Duration : 7mn 59s
Overall bit rate : 16.0 Kbps

Audio
Format : A119
Codec ID : A119
Duration : 7mn 59s
Bit rate : 16.0 Kbps
Channel(s) : 1 channel
Sampling rate : 8 000 Hz
Bit depth : 2 bits
Stream size : 936 KiB (100%)

It does play in window media player.

Even the Help in MediaInfo does not list A119:

A100;G723.1;2CC;A;;
A101;AVQSBC;2CC;A;;
A102;ODSBC;2CC;A;;
A103;G729A;2CC;A;;
A104;AMR-WB;2CC;A;;
A105;ADPCM;2CC;A;ADPCM;;G726
A106;AAC;2CC;A;;
A107;ADPCM;2CC;A;ADPCM;;G726
A109;Speex;2CC;A;;;;http://www.speex.org/

If this is the only file you have like this, I suggest you either install FFmpeg and see if the file is understood, or play the file in Windows Media Player and record it into Audacity. See Tutorial - Recording Computer Playback on Windows - Audacity Manual .

Gale