Why is my Audio so choppy?

[Jackson_Masterson]

Hello, When ever i record my audio with Audition it always comes out in playback very very choppy!! This is a huge problem as it is very annoying and hard to listen to. Until this is fixed i cant record audio! Please help!!!!!!!!!!

[Bob_Howes]

When you say "choppy" do you mean it's full of drop outs and freezes?

If so, there are some things you should do.

First off, reboot before starting any recording/mixing session.

Make sure there's NOTHING else running on your computer while you're working...this particularly includes internet, wifi and anti virus software.

Make sure system sounds are completely turned off.

If at all possible use a proper audio interface with a dedicated ASIO driver.  If you must use your onboard sound card, (bad idea, their quality sucks) try downloading and using ASIO4ALL as the driver.

Adjust the latency/buffer settings to as high a number as you can get away with without getting unacceptable latency.  If you're using your onboard sound card and MME drivers, this'll be in Audition on the Edit/Preferences/Audio Hardware menu.  If you're using a proper sound card, it'll likely be in the set up menu for the sound card itself.

Finally, go through and set up your computer to optimise it for sound work.  This site is by Alesis but has some good advice that applies to any system:  Tips and tricks for music and computers

[Jackson_Masterson]

Well kinda, its like im spamming the mute/unmute button while talking. and when i look at the recording in Audacity there will be about 1/5th of a second of silence so it sounds like the spamming button thing i mentioned earlier

[Jackson_Masterson]

Also after like 10-20 minutes of it being on and into the recording around 10-20 minutes in, when i play it back it is EXTREMELY QUIET! Why is this happening?

[Paul_Ferguson]

Jackson, define your terms.  What exactly do you mean by 'choppy'?  What exactly do you mean by 'spamming the mute button'?  (C'mon, gimme a break.)

[Jackson_Masterson]

its really hard to explain its like going in the middle if the audio and just silencing like 1/4 of a second and doing that many times. Also remember it gets REALLY quiet after 10-20 minutes and that is really annoying. 

[ryclark]

You haven't really told us anything about your set up as Bob asked earlier. What is the spec of your PC and what operating system are you running on it? And most importantly what audio interface are you using? And which version of Audition?

[Jackson_Masterson]

omg im so sorry i forgot about that (im new to this forums thing) here the are

Proccecor: i5-3230M

CPU: 2.60Ghz

Windows version: 8.1

RAM: 6.00 G

Operating System: 64-bit Operating System x64 based processor

[Jackson_Masterson]

and what i mean by spamming the mute button is like while im talking (lets say in skype) it would sound like to the other person im spam-clicking the button so it sounds really strange.

[Jackson_Masterson]

And when i record without modification from audition it sounds completely fine. it does not have choppiness and does not sound REALLY quiet. Audition is supposed to make my mic BETTER not WORSE!

[Bob_Howes]

Sorry but you're going to have to be much more specific here...as we keep asking you.  Now I add the question "what do you mean "record without modification from Audition"?

FYI, Audition doesn't make your mic sound any better or worse in the recording phase.  It just records what it's being handed by your audio interface without making any changes at all.  If your level is suddenly going down mid recording, that's something happening external to Audition before the signal even gets there--or else it's a playback only problem because you accidentally programmed something in (unlikely).

Have you gone through the steps I outlined above and got rid of background programmes that may be interfering with things?

[Jackson_Masterson]

What i mean by not no modification from audition is that i record without it going through audition and auditions effects. and to give you an better explanation to choppy it practically turns my voice into static for half a second.

[emmrecs]

Unfortunately, I think your last reply is "muddying the waters" even more!

What do you mean by "I record without it going through audition and auditions effects"?  Are you or are you not using Audition to record whatever audio you want?  If so, you should most definitely NOT be attempting to use "Auditions effects", at least until after the recording is complete!

As Ryclark and Bob Howes have both indicated before I think we need a very precise, step-by-step account of exactly how you are making these recordings, starting with the manufacturer/model number and type of mic you are using, how it is connected to your PC, etc., etc..

[Jackson_Masterson]

Ok, the "choppiness" is gone but the extreme quietness is still there. Please help!!!!!!!!

[Paul_Ferguson]

Dear Jackson Masterson

You keep asking for help, but I think help won't be forthcoming until you provide the information that people in this thread have been asking you for.  Go on - read the thread carefully, and then respond.  Did you actually read this bit that emmrecs posted: "As Ryclark and Bob Howes have both indicated before I think we need a very precise, step-by-step account of exactly how you are making these recordings, starting with the manufacturer/model number and type of mic you are using, how it is connected to your PC, etc., etc.."

[Bob_Howes]

+1 to what Therealdobro said.

There's nothing inherently wrong with Audition to cause "choppy audio" or low levels--as thousands of users all over the world can attest.  If you turn on your radio chances are that, as some point, you'll hear evidence to prove this since Audition is very common in radio stations and networks.

Therefore there are things that need addressing in you own personal set up.  We can try to help with this but only if we can understand what your set up is.  Your posts up until now have been very unhelpful for us to try and help you--which we're willing to do but only if you help us.

[Jackson_Masterson]

Well im trying the best i can. Anyway the choppiness is gone like i said but i still need help with the extreme quietness.

[Bob_Howes]

Bottom line.  Instead of just repeating you problem in very unclear terms, please give us the details we've asked for above.  Without them we can't possibly help.

...my last post until we get a proper reply to our questions.

[emmrecs]

As Bob said: without much more detail/cooperation from you we can do nothing!

To wholly echo Bob;

...my last post until we get a proper reply to our questions.

[Jackson_Masterson]

what details do you need? specs of mic? settings in audition? remember you guys need to be specific with me too when trying to help. Ill give you as much as i can of what im guessing is what you mean by detail. I start recording my voice (i use audacity) and its fine, very loud and clear. but like 10 minutes after the start of the recording it gets REALLY quiet almost to not being able to hear at all but ill be honest it sounds clear still. I can easily amplify it to normal but having to do that every single time i record gets REALLY annoying. Just ask if you need further info... no need to be disrespectful.

[salmassy66]

Hi,

I'm curious as to why you aren't just recording in Audition.  Please respond to this and the below questions

Are you saying that if you record for more than 10 minutes in Audacity, that the recorded level drops very low?

What ver. of Audition? Audacity?

What audio hardware and drivers?

Are you using any plugins in the record chain (ie mic input -> plugin -> record track input)?

How fast is your CPU, RAM?  Have you looked at the Task Manager's "Resource monitor" to see how you computer behaves while recording and playing back? (you can find the Resource Monitor under the PERFORMANCE tab of the Task Manager)

Have you run a speed disc test to determine that your hard drive can keep up with the recording? ( you can try this link to get some editing support presets and the Speed Disk utility to check your drives Blackmagic Design: Support)

I await your responses.

-Chris

[Jackson_Masterson]

For the first question yes,

i am using the latest version of audition and audacity,

if you mean what mic, it is the Audio Technica AT2020 USB Microphone,

If you mean effects, yes. if anything else, no

i have put all my pc info in a earlier response

[C.Salmassy]

Hey, Jackson.

I'm sorry, but you didn't actually answer my questions at all. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I cannot help you without the you doing the leg work.

The Task Manager tests will help determine if you hardware and software are performing properly. 

The disk speed test is to do make sure that your hard drive buffering is able to keep up while recording to disc. BTW, it's not a good idea to record audio to the same harddrive as your OS...you should be using a 2nd drive to avoid Read/Write I/O errors during REC.

Increasing the the audio hardware buffering is also a way to ensure that the signal is digitized and recorded to disc without stuttering.  In your case, increasing the buffer would improve the performance of playback; the mic you have does the A to D conversion and sends the digitized audio data to the disc buffer.

Can you tell me your ASIO/MME hardware settings and what hardware you're using for audio (internal on Motherboard/ external via usb - from your response about the mic, I'm guessing that you're using an internal sound device on your motherboard - I don't know...)

Can you tell me if your audio hardware drivers are up to date?

Have you tried asio4all drivers with your hardware to see if there is an improvement?

The question about recording in Audition vs Audacity wasn't actually answered. It would be interesting to see if both apps have the same problem when recording beyond 10 minutes, right?

I understand you're frustrated, but being patient with the people trying to help you may actually get you the answer you're seeking in a much faster manner.

[Jackson_Masterson]

Im sorry but i have no idea what you just said. I'm only 12 so can you explain a little more clearly?

[Jackson_Masterson]

Hello?!?!?