Unable to play wav file after Paste - Insert

[robg]

i recorded 2 files using DC 8 (version 8.5) from the same source. they were stereo files recorded at 96 kbps sampling rate and 24 bit resolution. they are both around 40 minutes long and they sound fine when played in DC8. both of the recorded files have audio only in the left channel. the right channel has no audio. I highlighted a section about 50 seconds long from one of the files (call it file 1) and copied it to a new source file. it plays fine in DC8. i split the second recorded file (file 2) and the new 50 second file into mono files. i opened the left mono channel file of file 2 and the left mono channel of the new 50 second file in DC8. i highlighted a small range at around 30 minutes in file 2 and did a "paste - insert" of the 50 second file at that point. after the paste insert, the waveforms of file 2 looked ok and i could play (in DC8) a few seconds at random points before the insert point, within the 50 second inserted section (after the insert point) and after the inserted section. i saved file 2 with the inserted section to a new source file. i then closed and reopened DC8 and opened the newly saved source file. the waveforms still look ok in dc8. However, when i try to play the file - at any location: before, within, or after the inserted section - i get a pop up with the following message: "DIRECT SOUND ERROR: The specified wave format is not supported by the sound card hardware" My PC is a Dell XPS 8700 (windows 7 - 64 bits) and i have not changed the sound card (besides - i can play file 2 before or after doing the paste insert BEFORE saving it.) I tried varying the highlighted range before doing the paste - insert from a fraction of a second, to a few seconds to a few 10s of seconds without it fixing the problem. Is there something i did wrong or can try before uninstalling and reinstalling DC 8 ?

[Craig Maier]

I do not know. But, I have a question. Does it do the same thing with 16 bit files?

Craig

[robg]

i will have to record some material set for 16 bits and try it. it will take a few days for me to get to it. are there any audio properties of the saved file that i could check for you that would identify the problem with the wav file ?

[Craig Maier]

Not that I can think of.

Craig

[robg]

Here's the latest result -
if I take the 24 bit source file saved after doing the paste - insert (which gives the Direct Sound error) and then save that to another source file whose sample size/resolution is 16 bits - instead of the original 24 bits - I can play the 16 bit source file in DC8. this seems like some sort of bug.

the 16 bit file also has a lower bit rate - 1536 kbps compared to the 2304 kbps for the 24 bit file.

BTW: I get the Direct Sound error if I do a paste - append to end as well as a paste - insert

[Craig Maier]

Ok - so you have a work-around for now. We will look at it in the future. Just be aware that you loose nothing by using 16 bit audio files. 16 bit files have 96 dB of dynamic range. 24 bits has 144 dB of dynamic range. Music has (at best) 70 dB. If you could reproduce a dynamic range of 144 dB, the energy pulse in the peak would kill you (literally). So, fret not - - - 24 bits is a marketing thing, not an audio science thing.

Craig

[robg]

Thanks for the clarification about the bit depth. i thought if i needed to do audio restoration (remove clicks, noise, etc) or various filterings, that 24 bits of resolution would provide better results than 16 bits. most of the time, i'm converting to 16 bits for distribution anyway.

[Craig Maier]

Using 48 or 96 kHz sampling rate(s) will give some benefit for removing clicks. Using higher bit depth will not. 16 bits is plenty. btw - LPs have a dynamic range of roughly 50 dB.

Craig