Audio recording truncated - Object length is limited by range markers?

Galaxy wrote on 2/22/2017, 1:25 PM

When I record audio from my mic, my recording is often getting truncated. This depends on the distance between the range markers. Specifically, if the markers are 1 second apart from each other, any newly recorded object will be truncated at 1 second, without any warning, when I accept the recording. (In the audio recording dialog: Keep that take? Click: Yes.) If instead the markers are 5 seconds apart, any newly recorded object will be truncated at 5 seconds. Even if I lock the markers, their position changes automatically anyway, every time I accept a new audio recording. Thus, any time I start recording, the maximum length of my recording will be equal to the distance between the left and right markers.

The only workaround I've found is to manually reset the range markers to the entire length of the project, every time I start to record. But this is extra bother, and if I forget to set the markers, I end up losing part of any new audio recording I make.

Here's how to duplicate this problem: Start a new project, and record 1 second of audio. Click Yes to keep the take. Close the audio recorder screen. Press the End key to move the cursor to the end of the object on the timeline. Then record 2 or more seconds of audio. Click Yes. Observe the length of the second object. Is it just 1 second long?

I can't imagine how this behavior could have any practical use, and it's extremely frustrating.

Can anyone else duplicate this odd behavior? Is there a way to fix it, so I don't keep losing parts of my audio takes?

My version of MEP 2016 is 15.0.0.107. I'm on Windows 8.1, 64-bit. I have an Intel i7 Skylake CPU with 32 GB RAM.

Comments

johnebaker wrote on 2/22/2017, 1:59 PM

. . . . Here's how to duplicate this problem: Start a new project, and record 1 second of audio. Click Yes to keep the take. Close the audio recorder screen. Press the End key to move the cursor to the end of the object on the timeline. Then record 2 or more seconds of audio. Click Yes. Observe the length of the second object. Is it just 1 second long? . . . .

It looks like this is a bug.

I you use the End key to move to the end of the recording this is reproducible, however if you use the mouse to move the timeline cursor to the end of the recording and then record again the length of clip is whatever I recorded it at.

HTH

JohnEB

Galaxy wrote on 2/22/2017, 6:14 PM

If you use the End key to move to the end of the recording this is reproducible, however if you use the mouse to move the timeline cursor to the end of the recording and then record again the length of clip is whatever I recorded it at.

HTH

JohnEB

Thanks for checking that. After reading your comment, I did some experimenting, and I've found that whether or not I used the mouse or the END key doesn't matter. What causes the problem for me is closing the Audio Recording dialog box. If I close it just once, the problem starts, and it doesn't stop until I reboot Movie Edit Pro.

If you have a few spare moments, I wonder if you could try it yourself, and see if you get the same result. Note that after recording, provided I don't close the dialog box, I can click on the timeline and then press END, and my subsequent takes are still okay.

I'd like to know if you get the same result. I mean, if you close the Audio Recording dialog box even once, are your subsequent audio takes truncated, whenever they exceed the length of the marked range?

Also, is there any way to report this bug to the Magix developers?

Thanks for your help with this.

Edit: After further testing, I have found that the following sequence of actions is what triggers the bug: Record some audio, and then close the Audio Recording dialog box. That being done, subsequent audio recordings will be truncated, if they are longer than the distance between the two range markers.

johnebaker wrote on 2/23/2017, 3:04 AM

To confirm - I used the exact sequence you quoted to replicate the issue.

Closing the recording dialog and using the End key and closing the dialog after the first recording gave the same result as you are getting.

However closing the dialog and using the mouse allowed longer recordings.

. . . . After further testing, I have found that the following sequence of actions is what triggers the bug: Record some audio, and then close the Audio Recording dialog box. That being done, subsequent audio recordings will be truncated, if they are longer than the distance between the two range markers. . . .

I cannot reproduce this problem this morning - no matter what sequence I use the recordings are not truncated to the length of the first one.

Looks like it may be an intermittent bug or depends on a particular set of circumstances to trigger it.

John EB

Galaxy wrote on 2/23/2017, 10:06 AM

However closing the dialog and using the mouse allowed longer recordings.

. . . . After further testing, I have found that the following sequence of actions is what triggers the bug: Record some audio, and then close the Audio Recording dialog box. That being done, subsequent audio recordings will be truncated, if they are longer than the distance between the two range markers. . . .

I cannot reproduce this problem this morning - no matter what sequence I use the recordings are not truncated to the length of the first one.

Looks like it may be an intermittent bug or depends on a particular set of circumstances to trigger it.

John EB

Maybe you've stumbled on a workaround. If so, I'd like to know what procedure you're using.

To find out whether we're actually following the same procedure, I've uploaded a 45-second video. Can you let me know if your procedure is any different from mine?

Thanks.

johnebaker wrote on 2/23/2017, 11:02 AM

As I said above the 'bug' is reproducible if you close the recording dialog, however not closing the audio record dialog allows longer recordings as shown below.

John EB

Galaxy wrote on 2/23/2017, 11:43 AM

Yes, I've found the same thing. But if I close the dialog box even once, and then decide to record more audio, I have to either reboot the program, or ensure in advance that the range markers are set far enough apart. Otherwise, the new audio object might be truncated.

The root of the problem is that every time I create a new audio object, MEP resets the position of the range markers. It should be simple matter for Magix to remove that behavior from MEP, if someone could draw their attention to this thread. Do you know how to contact them to make that suggestion -- without having to pay for support?

browj2 wrote on 3/10/2017, 12:03 PM

Hi,

Thanks for bringing this one up. I have run into this problem many times and my solution was to copy everything into a new movie (delete the first one) and continue. Not a good solution.

I tried your tests in VPX(8) and confirm that there are problems. I normally never record on a blank canvas, always for adding voice to images and always with "Play while recording checked." Thanks to your mention of setting a range causing a problem, I noticed that if a range (set a small one) is set somewhere and "Play while recording" is checked, then the audio object recorded will be only the length of the range. However, unchecking "Play while recording" does not cause the same problem.

Thus, make sure that:

"Play while recording" is not checked if there is a range set unless that is the precise length that you want, or
Make sure that no range is set if you want to use "Play while recording."

Finally, I have a solution, I hope.

Galaxy wrote on 3/10/2017, 12:54 PM

Yes, I have tested to confirm this, and it works. If I deselect the "Play While Recording" checkbox in the Audio Recording dialog pop-up, then the new recording object length is no longer limited to the distance between the two range markers.

Unfortunately, that checkbox defaults to the "selected" state every time I open the dialog pop-up, so I have to manually deselect it every time. If I forget, then I lose part of my take. It would be very helpful if the Magix developers could either

1) make this checkbox default to Off, or

2) make it behave like the "Normalize after recording" checkbox, which automatically restores whichever state was set most recently.

Of course, I would prefer option #1.

Thanks for your help.

browj2 wrote on 3/10/2017, 1:31 PM

I have to go with your #2 because I always want it on and that would satisfy both of us.

In your case, just make sure that no range is set. Double-clicking in the range area removes the range. Of course, that requires remembering to do it, which is what I will always have to be careful to do.

Galaxy wrote on 3/10/2017, 2:05 PM

You would prefer #2 -- perhaps because you always work with your video first. In contrast, I always start with the audio track, and then add video to it. That's why I prefer #1.

Therefore, to accommodate the needs of all users, the default state should be something we can set in the preferences. I mean in File / Settings / Program. That way, we could each set it whatever way we like, and then depend on it always returning to our preferred default state. In other words, we could set it and forget it.