Bizarre Sound Distortion on Export - Not Newbie Compression issue

Question

I'm trying out the Flash CS3 demo - OSX. (Using OSX 10.4.10.)
I've got a slightly complicated timeline with about 8 layers
and some things alpha fading in and out, and a bunch of sound
samples being used as timeline sound effects (forget the term, but
attached to frames not streaming). No scripting.
The sounds are mostly too long for the amount of time
allotted to them in the timeline, and cut previous sounds off. I'm
speculating this might be a possible issue. That is, I have say a 5
second sound, which has only 3 seconds of time to play, before
another sound interrupts it in the same timeline layer.
There are two separate layers of sound playing at the same
time.
All the original sounds are imported into the movie as
44.1/16bit AIFFs. They are mono files (might be another possible
issue).
I'm trying to export with quality of 128k MP3. I've been
trying different variations:
- setting the compression for the audio files in the
Library/setting movie export settings to use Library settings
- setting audio files in the Library to use "default
compression", and specifying the correct 128k MP3 setting in the
export settings
- or both of these (set individually in library, then
overridden in export settings).
I've tried with and without the "use mono" setting (both in
Library files and export settings). (This is a question for me:
what should be the correct setting for that when the original file
already is mono?)
Sometimes everything's great. I test or export the movie and
the sound is fine.
Other times I test or export the movie -- with exactly the
same audio settings as the last time when it worked -- and now get
unbearably hideous hissing/cracking instead of the correct sound.
Most dangerously -- I think but haven't quite convinced
myself -- the same flash export file may sometimes play fine, and
sometimes play with the distortion. So I'm not sure if this is an
export issue, Flash player issue, or combination of export doing
something semi-weird that the player only sometimes chokes on. A
"bad" export is distorted both in the desktop Flash player that
comes with the Flash demo, and in a browser with Flash plugin 9 r45
(OSX).
GUH!
And this is the $800 product which is little more than a
basic text editor for scripting and an animation timeline that
hasn't gotten updated functionality since 1999.

Answer 1

This is a peer-to-peer public forum - if you demand
individual and undivided attention to your issue
then you can use the official adobe tech support.
As for your issue...let's go step by step:
[*The sounds are mostly too long for the amount of time
allotted to them in the
timeline, and cut previous sounds off. I'm speculating this
might be a possible
issue. That is, I have say a 5 second sound, which has only 3
seconds of time
to play, before another sound interrupts it in the same
timeline layer.*]
Is this intended? You are having an issue with 5 second
sounds being cut off after 3 seconds...why
not place them on different layers to avoid this? I don't
understand the workflow here.
[*There are two separate layers of sound playing at the same
time.*]
Ok - that makes more sense, so you have 2 layers both
containing sounds that cut each other off?
[*All the original sounds are imported into the movie as
44.1/16bit AIFFs. They
are mono files (might be another possible issue).*]
Mono shouldn't matter - but the quality of the original will
matter - specifically the levels, if
the overall level is originally too high (or "hot"), then
clipping will occur once compressed from
Flash (in some cases).
[Sometimes everything's great. I test or export the movie
and the sound is fine.]
Can you provide the FLA?
[Other times I test or export the movie -- with exactly the
same audio settings
as the last time when it worked -- and now get unbearably
hideous
hissing/cracking instead of the correct sound.]
Never heard of this before - need to see the FLA.
[And this is the $800 product which is little more than a
basic text editor for
scripting and an animation timeline that hasn't gotten
updated functionality
since 1999.]
You may take exception to this but it sounds very much like
user error or something beyond Flash
(like an issue with the source audio files). Your opinion is
subjective but AS3, Flash, Flex is
hardly "little more than a text editor". True the timeline
hasn't changed much over the years but
funny that it is still the king when it comes to animation
across so many mediums - why fix what
ain't broken and works so very well for so many worldwide?
Chris Georgenes
Adobe Community Expert
www.mudbubble.com
www.keyframer.com
www.howtocheatinflash.com
Mr Distortion wrote:
> Boing.
>
> These Adobe boards are not very useful with so little
traffic (how many posts
> with 0 responses?). And having such noticeably little
traffic keeps the traffic
> low -- why waste precious time posting as I have done
with such little chance
> of assistance?
>
> Solution: get Adobe support people in masquerading as
users to actually get
> questions answered, so the boards will grow in
popularity, and eventually be
> self-supporting.
>