Problem importing audio

[Tubeydude]

Hi all,

I am trying to import a set of stereo-pair tracks into CBB.  They were from a choral concert that I want to give the director, as a favor to a friend.   They were just recorded from a Zoom H5 and successfully imported to my computer.   I can play the files on the computer using the standard windows media player.  (24 bit/ 44.1 kHz) 

When I create a new project and try to import the left track (or right) into track one using File/import audio/source folder... it just gives me a blank dotted line.  There is no waveform preview and no audio data on playback...

I tried going through the method above.  I tried dragging and dropping from the open folder in a separate window to the tack I wanted it on; I even tried adding it from the default media pane preview/browser thing that comes up on the right of the screen in a default project.

I'm still on windows 8.1... (I know...)  Windows is as up to date as it is going to be at this point.  It is a good Studio Cat rig that is barely taxed by large projects.

I was able to import the files into Reaper with no problem at all, by the way...even though I have not used it in a few years.  I just am way more comfortable with CBB/Sonar as I have been using it since version 4.  (I still have the 1.5 inch thick paper manual too!)

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

Thanks

Erik

[scook]

8 minutes ago, Tubeydude said:

it just gives me a blank dotted line.  There is no waveform preview and no audio data on playback...

Usually the "dotted line" ends when the actual clip starts.

This is indicative of a broadcast wave file being positioned far down the timeline based on the timestamp in the file. 

Try deselecting Always Import Broadcast Waves at Their Timestamp in CbB preferences

[Tubeydude]

Scook,

Dude!  that totally worked.  I didn't realize that I had that on.  I must have defaulted to that after one of the updates.

I just got all the files into the project just as I needed!  Thanks so much.  I remember the OG sonar forum being worth the price of admission alone back in the day. 

Thanks for the tip!!!  Have a great day (evening) knowing you made some rando really happy today!

[Tubeydude]

It is also worth noting that even after importing the files that only showed the dotted line, even if I hit shift-F to fit the entire project in the screen, there was still nothing there, even at the far right where it should have been.

Academic now, I suppose.  Thanks again.

 

[Bristol_Jonesey]

On 5/24/2023 at 5:39 AM, Tubeydude said:

It is also worth noting that even after importing the files that only showed the dotted line, even if I hit shift-F to fit the entire project in the screen, there was still nothing there, even at the far right where it should have been.

Academic now, I suppose.  Thanks again.

 

There is a limit regarding just how much of a project that can be displayed on one screen. My album project which runs to about 140 minutes will only show the first 20 of the 21 songs.

So if your import is any further down the timeline this could well be the reason

Edited May 25, 2023 by Bristol_Jonesey

[John Vere]

A workaround would be to import them into Reaper or a Wave editor like Audacity and re save them which would clear the weird data added by the Zoom. 

[Andres Medina]

On 5/23/2023 at 11:11 PM, scook said:

Usually the "dotted line" ends when the actual clip starts.

This is indicative of a broadcast wave file being positioned far down the timeline based on the timestamp in the file. 

Try deselecting Always Import Broadcast Waves at Their Timestamp in CbB preferences

... I think your Zoom recorder stamps the wave file as default. I also encounter this when other studios send me wav files exported from Protools (always time stamped)