Improrted tracks skip/jitter/slowdown please help

[andymc499]

When I import a file and hit the play button, the track will skip and sometimes slow down in various spots. I have a brand new computer with 2G of ram, 2G dual core, and a 512 v card. I am stumped. I try to sing with the tracks, and a little ways through the song, it will hesitate or skip and throw the beat totally off. I then have to record a new track where the skip happened so I can stay on beat. I usually have to make 5-10 seperate tracks at different points in the song. It is very frustrating. If anyone could help, I would greatly appreciate it. I am a choir director, and we sing with tracks, I really need to record demos for them to hear their harmony parts. Thanks, Andy

[alatham]

Hey, another Andy. Cool.

It sounds like a soundcard hardware or driver problem. I'm not sure what a 512 v card is, is that your soundcard?

You didn't mention what OS you're using, but I assume it's Vista. The biggest problem plaguing Vista audio is lack of well-written drivers. You will almost certainly have to update your soundcard drivers.

Here's the wiki page:
http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php? ... s_Vista_OS

[andymc499]

Hey, Andy, thanks for the reply. Sorry for the lack of info. I have XP. the 512 is the video card. I had a fairly new Soundblaster Audigy card and it skipped. I uninstalled the driver for that and installed the one for the onboard 7.1 sound card that came with the Dell Inspiron. It still skipped. I don't think it's the hardware, but I can try to get a new driver. I don't know, it's just weird and annoying.

[alatham]

Just as a test, try zooming way out before you start recording so that Audacity doesn't have to redraw the whole screen while it's recording. Sometimes that helps people.

[andymc499]

I actually tried that with no luck. Now, my songs are skipping and hesitating even in media player and everything else. I'm gonna try reinstalling my other audigy soundblaster card. Maybe I had the wrong driver, I don't know. All I know is when you spend what I did for a computer, and your sound doesn't work right, it sucks. But thanks for the help you guys, I'm not sure what to do at this point, and about to give up.

[alatham]

Trust us, we know all about the poor state of the $50 - $100 class of sound cards, especially for recording purposes.