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Gear / Technical Help => Post-Processing, Computer / Streaming / Internet Devices & Related Activity => Topic started by: strangetapes on February 04, 2008, 04:53:34 PM

Title: Audacity help
Post by: strangetapes on February 04, 2008, 04:53:34 PM
Just started using Audacity, read through the excellent workflow post and the header post, but I still need some help.

How to I see the header info?

When I dither/resample from 24/96>16/44.1 the 16bit file always has an extra 4 or 5 seconds of info and sounds just a tiny bit slow to me (could just be a placebo affect from knowing that the extra time is there.  Is this a header issue?

When I look at the files property details it gives the bitrate as 1411kbps. I'm not sure how to read this as I'm pretty sure that number can be converted into one the makes sense to me as bits.

Any help would be greatly appreciated
Title: Re: Audacity help
Post by: morst on February 10, 2008, 09:29:48 PM
Just started using Audacity, read through the excellent workflow post and the header post, but I still need some help.

How to I see the header info?

When I dither/resample from 24/96>16/44.1 the 16bit file always has an extra 4 or 5 seconds of info and sounds just a tiny bit slow to me (could just be a placebo affect from knowing that the extra time is there.  Is this a header issue?

When I look at the files property details it gives the bitrate as 1411kbps. I'm not sure how to read this as I'm pretty sure that number can be converted into one the makes sense to me as bits.
1411 kbps is CD sample rate for a stereo program. I have a mac, and if I need to determine sample rate or bit depth, I use the SHNTOOL "INFO" feature on xACT 1.59.

Sample rate conversion is a little weird in audacity. I find the best way to convert is to open a new project at the sample rate you want, then make a very short recording (which will be thrown out, so the contents do not matter) by clicking record then stopping. Having done this, Project> Import Audio to add the file you wish to convert, delete the little scratch file you made, then File > Export to (filetype) to create the new file with the sample rate and bit depth you specified in the preferences.
Title: Re: Audacity help
Post by: strangetapes on February 11, 2008, 01:40:15 PM
Just started using Audacity, read through the excellent workflow post and the header post, but I still need some help.

How to I see the header info?

When I dither/resample from 24/96>16/44.1 the 16bit file always has an extra 4 or 5 seconds of info and sounds just a tiny bit slow to me (could just be a placebo affect from knowing that the extra time is there.  Is this a header issue?

When I look at the files property details it gives the bitrate as 1411kbps. I'm not sure how to read this as I'm pretty sure that number can be converted into one the makes sense to me as bits.
1411 kbps is CD sample rate for a stereo program. I have a mac, and if I need to determine sample rate or bit depth, I use the SHNTOOL "INFO" feature on xACT 1.59.

Sample rate conversion is a little weird in audacity. I find the best way to convert is to open a new project at the sample rate you want, then make a very short recording (which will be thrown out, so the contents do not matter) by clicking record then stopping. Having done this, Project> Import Audio to add the file you wish to convert, delete the little scratch file you made, then File > Export to (filetype) to create the new file with the sample rate and bit depth you specified in the preferences.

Thanks, the 1411kbps confused me a little, I've always known it as 44.1/48/96 and such.  I knew it could be converted to read otherwise just didn't know for sure.  I did guess that the 1411 was the same as 44.1 but never hurts to ask.

My other problem still remains however.  When I Dither/resample from 24/96>16/44.1 in audacity I'm usally doing and entire untracked set.  When I look at the 16/44.1 file it is 4 to 5 seconds longer than the original.  I just can't figure out why.
Title: Re: Audacity help
Post by: Brian Skalinder on February 11, 2008, 01:54:14 PM
Thanks, the 1411kbps confused me a little, I've always known it as 44.1/48/96 and such.  I knew it could be converted to read otherwise just didn't know for sure.  I did guess that the 1411 was the same as 44.1 but never hurts to ask.

A bitrate of 1411 isn't really the same as 44.1 kHz.

Bitrate = Bit Depth (e.g. 16-bit, 24-bit) * Sample Rate (e.g. 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 96 kHz) * # of channels

...so...

16-bit * 44.1 kHz * 2 channels = 1411 Bitrate
Title: Re: Audacity help
Post by: strangetapes on February 11, 2008, 04:39:05 PM
Thanks, the 1411kbps confused me a little, I've always known it as 44.1/48/96 and such.  I knew it could be converted to read otherwise just didn't know for sure.  I did guess that the 1411 was the same as 44.1 but never hurts to ask.

A bitrate of 1411 isn't really the same as 44.1 kHz.

Bitrate = Bit Depth (e.g. 16-bit, 24-bit) * Sample Rate (e.g. 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 96 kHz) * # of channels

...so...

16-bit * 44.1 kHz * 2 channels = 1411 Bitrate

Thanks for the clarification Brian, I thought it was referring to sample rate my bad.

Any insight on the other problem?
Title: Re: Audacity help
Post by: morst on February 12, 2008, 02:39:58 AM
A bitrate of 1411 isn't really the same as 44.1 kHz.

Bitrate = Bit Depth (e.g. 16-bit, 24-bit) * Sample Rate (e.g. 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 96 kHz) * # of channels

...so...

16-bit * 44.1 kHz * 2 channels = 1411 Bitrate
Thanks for the clarification Brian
AHA! Yes, thanks!
16 (bits per sample) * 44100 (samples per second) * 2 channels = 1,411,200 bits per second!
Title: Re: Audacity help
Post by: datbrad on February 19, 2008, 11:33:05 AM
When I sample rate convert 16/48 to 16/44.1 in Audacity, I just open the file at 48, select the project rate as 44.1, and then export as wav, and have never had an issue with the resampling. I have never noticed any speed issues or file length changes in terms of total file time. This method seems fairly easy. I wonder if the simultanious word length reduction to 16 bit from 24 bit has anything to do with the problem noted in the orginal post?
Title: Re: Audacity help
Post by: dean on February 19, 2008, 12:08:19 PM
When I sample rate convert 16/48 to 16/44.1 in Audacity, I just open the file at 48, select the project rate as 44.1, and then export as wav, and have never had an issue with the resampling. I have never noticed any speed issues or file length changes in terms of total file time. This method seems fairly easy. I wonder if the simultanious word length reduction to 16 bit from 24 bit has anything to do with the problem noted in the orginal post?

Ditto.  :)