Sound dropout on MP3 files

[isabel95]

I have recently discovered the fun of recording on-site sound with the Sound Memo feature of my Canon A80 camera. I upload the file to my storage area on the web and then use html to play it along with pictures I upload to my pBase galleries. Maybe some of you have cameras with this feature and haven't used it. I am amazed at the quality.

I recently became aware that when I convert the wav files to mp3 (using Audacity) after a couple of seconds of playback the sound disappears and then comes back. This dropout does not occur with a wav file.

I converted to mp3 because the file is smaller, but not that much smaller.

Here's one of the pictures behind which I put some sound. It was taken at the naturalization of my two children, who were adopted from Korea in 1978. http://www.pbase.com/isabel95/image/48433828 The sound file is a wav file, which was made by holding the camera near a boom box as it played back the cassette tape, which was made with a really cheap recorder!

Isabel

[Ken Cox]

good job Isabel

they will be be coming out of the woodwork to find out how you did it -- better be ready

or better yet write it out before hand

ken

[Guest guru]

Hi Isabel!

It's the first time I hear about this sound dropout with mp3. Can you send me this mp3? You can find my address here: http://www.guru.to.it/en/mail_e.htm

[isabel95]

Hi Isabel!

It's the first time I hear about this sound dropout with mp3. Can you send me this mp3? You can find my address here: http://www.guru.to.it/en/mail_e.htm

You can hear the sound drop out on the two mp3 files accopanying these pictures. There is no dropout in the same sound saved as wav files and coded to show with the pictures.

http://www.pbase.com/image/48811138 (click on previous to hear the same file as wav

and here: http://www.pbase.com/isabel95/image/48415894

and then the same file as a wav file: http://www.pbase.com/isabel95/image/48433828

If you play the mp3s directly in your sound player there will be no dropout. It's something about how it plays through pbase?

http://www.isabelcutler.com/Band.mp3

http://www.isabelcutler.com/Sunny.mp3

Isabel

[isabel95]

good job Isabel

they will be be coming out of the woodwork to find out how you did it -- better be ready

or better yet write it out before hand

ken

It's really quite easy to have sound along with your pictures in your pbase galleries.

First I upload the wav (can also use mp3, but I'm having trouble with dropouts in the files...I posted some links for Guido to demo what I mean) to my space on the web and enter some html in the captions area on the edit image page for the pbase image I want the sound with:

Here's the code: <embed src="http://isabelcutler.com/Sunny.wav" autostart=true loop=false>

There's another html string that only works with IE but won't play in Firefox or Netscape, so I hunted around and found the above code.

I record the sound with the sound memo feature of my Canon A80 camera. Many of the little Canon cameras (non dslrs) have this capability and record the sound when you are in playback mode. It goes on a file separate from the image, so it's easy to save it separately.

Isabel

[alrobin]

Thanks for the explanation, Isabel. I would never have thought of doing that in PBase.

I don't hear any dropout at all when I play back the sound on any of your images. However, I do not see a music player for the image of the tuba player (_MG_7487) , but there is one for the previous image. Maybe you used different code for it??

The background music is a nice touch! My digital camera is one of those staid SLR's so doesn't have a sound capability.

[isabel95]

Thanks for the explanation, Isabel. I would never have thought of doing that in PBase.

I don't hear any dropout at all when I play back the sound on any of your images. However, I do not see a music player for the image of the tuba player (_MG_7487) , but there is one for the previous image. Maybe you used different code for it??

The background music is a nice touch! My digital camera is one of those staid SLR's so doesn't have a sound capability.

Glad you liked the background music idea. One has to take care not to overuse it!

Same code, Al...and I do see a viewer on Firefox I just checked at the tuba player has the mp3 file with the dropout (that is when viewed in Firefox.) When played in IE the music drops out and skips!...and the player is incomplete!

Isabel

[Guest guru]

Hi Isabel !

I downloaded your mp3's and used them as soundtrack in some test shows. All right, no dropout... Computer world is not a logical world!...

[isabel95]

Hi Isabel !

I downloaded your mp3's and used them as soundtrack in some test shows. All right, no dropout... Computer world is not a logical world!...

That is sooooooo weird! I get the dropouts both in IE and Firefox.

Isabel

[ronwil]

I am no connoisseur of sound so I have kept quiet on this one assuming that I was unable to recognise "drop out", but I can say now that I too could not detect any difference between your two examples.

Ron [uK]

[isabel95]

I am no connoisseur of sound so I have kept quiet on this one assuming that I was unable to recognise "drop out", but I can say now that I too could not detect any difference between your two examples.

Ron [uK]

I guess it's something with my computer system!

I'll have to check out the pictures on someone else's computer.

Isabel

[Hawk]

Hello Isabel

I am not sure if this is the problem or not?.

I guess it's something with my computer system!

I do not know if you have Quicktime installed as a browser Plug-In, but here is my findings.

I have Quicktime, and I get the drop out on all your links both .wav & .mp3 - each page/photo displays the mini Quicktime Player.

When I go into Quicktime Preferences - Mime Settings - Audio - Audio only file format & uncheck .wav

Also - Mime Settings - and uncheck Mpeg - Mpeg System, video and audio files. ( Apply )

Windows Media Player - now plays the .mp3 & .wav on each photo/page - with the mini WMP player showing - WITH NO DROP OUT !

If you do have Quicktime installed, you may be hearing the .wav OK and not the .mp3 depending on your Quicktime Preference settings.

Just thought I would pass along, of course I cannot verify as I do not know what the other posters to this thread are using for a plug-in.

Note - Windows Media Player is my system's default player outside of Browser and plays the .mp3's fine when downloaded

[ronwil]

Isabel

Following on from what Ralph has said, I used Windows Media Player for my tests.

Ron [uK}

[isabel95]

Hello Isabel

I am not sure if this is the problem or not?.

I guess it's something with my computer system!

I do not know if you have Quicktime installed as a browser Plug-In, but here is my findings.

I have Quicktime, and I get the drop out on all your links both .wav & .mp3 - each page/photo displays the mini Quicktime Player.

When I go into Quicktime Preferences - Mime Settings - Audio - Audio only file format & uncheck .wav

Also - Mime Settings - and uncheck Mpeg - Mpeg System, video and audio files. ( Apply )

Windows Media Player - now plays the .mp3 & .wav on each photo/page - with the mini WMP player showing - WITH NO DROP OUT !

If you do have Quicktime installed, you may be hearing the .wav OK and not the .mp3 depending on your Quicktime Preference settings.

Just thought I would pass along, of course I cannot verify as I do not know what the other posters to this thread are using for a plug-in.

Note - Windows Media Player is my system's default player outside of Browser and plays the .mp3's fine when downloaded

I made Windows Media Player the default for wav and mp3 files and both the wav and mp3 recordings of my file sound fine when played in WMP, however, even with changing all the files as you suggested (and you didn't have me take out mp3 from Quicktime---I did) I still get the skipping on pbase with the mp3 files. Very weird.

Thanks for the input, however! This is very mysterious.

Isabel

[isabel95]

Hello Isabel

I am not sure if this is the problem or not?.

I guess it's something with my computer system!

I do not know if you have Quicktime installed as a browser Plug-In, but here is my findings.

I have Quicktime, and I get the drop out on all your links both .wav & .mp3 - each page/photo displays the mini Quicktime Player.

When I go into Quicktime Preferences - Mime Settings - Audio - Audio only file format & uncheck .wav

Also - Mime Settings - and uncheck Mpeg - Mpeg System, video and audio files. ( Apply )

Windows Media Player - now plays the .mp3 & .wav on each photo/page - with the mini WMP player showing - WITH NO DROP OUT !

If you do have Quicktime installed, you may be hearing the .wav OK and not the .mp3 depending on your Quicktime Preference settings.

Just thought I would pass along, of course I cannot verify as I do not know what the other posters to this thread are using for a plug-in.

Note - Windows Media Player is my system's default player outside of Browser and plays the .mp3's fine when downloaded

Forgot to mention I'm still getting the Quicktime mini player on the pbase page, despite unchecking mp3, wave and the other file you suggested!

Isabel

[Hawk]

Isabel

Forgot to mention I'm still getting the Quicktime mini player on the pbase page

Ok so you do have Quicktime installed, and it is still being used as Browser Plug-In to play mp3's.

I have e-mailed you some screen shots of were I changed settings in Quicktime.

Take a look at them Isabel and let us know if they are the same as you changed.

[isabel95]

Isabel

Forgot to mention I'm still getting the Quicktime mini player on the pbase page

Ok so you do have Quicktime installed, and it is still being used as Browser Plug-In to play mp3's.

I have e-mailed you some screen shots of were I changed settings in Quicktime.

Take a look at them Isabel and let us know if they are the same as you changed.

Why I'm didn't get WMP as the default player ...apparently I have to do some fancy registry entries for Firefox:

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Windows_Media_Player

(Don't know about IE which I rarely use...only use it when Firefox doesn't work right!

Isabel

[isabel95]

Interesting web page on compression of wav files:

http://malektips.com/98auw0002.html

Isabel