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Forum Discussion
When previewing audio files on Dropbox, the playback skips or drops out. Any ideas?
Hello, just wondered if any other music tech-y people have had any trouble with glitchy audio files when using Dropbox to share them?
A track that I have mixed and bounced down on my studio pc, which plays fine with no problems, once shared On DB if you listen to the track on a different device it is full of digital glitches and audio dropouts.
Any ideas?
- This problem seems to be happening to me as well. I was doing some QC for a podcast mix and noticed while listening on the iOS app that the audio started dropping out after about an hour in. Figured it may be some of the plug ins used or a DAW issue at first but every mp3 bounce shared with me after that was having the same issue in about the same exact spots. Finally realized it was a DB issue after using a different file sharing service and having zero issues then going back to the first bounce using the new file sharing service and again have zero issues. My iOS app is fully up to date as well as my browser on my computer.
- Nancy
Dropbox Staff
Hey SR SLS. To clarify, are all the files you’re having this issue with shared with you by another Dropbox user? Or did you upload them to Dropbox yourself?
Do you mean that the audio stops completely after previewing the file for an hour or that the sound gets distorted after that?
Finally, I’d like to know the Dropbox app version you’re using on your mobile device, to make sure it’s not on beta by any chance.
Hi Nancy, these files were shared with me from a different DB user and were all mp3 files. By dropping out I mean that the audio would be playing then just cut out for a second sometimes more an then continue as if it were skipping. Finally the app version I’m currently using is 384.2.4. The same issue was happening on the senders end as well.
A while ago we had a problem whereby audio played back with dropouts - see the thread
It was fixed but now it's back in a different form. Crackly noises that aren't in the original file. Yes, I know we can ask people to download the file but this really shouldn't be happening, and it is new behaviour. Anyone else have this? If I upload high bitrate mp4 audio the crackles are really noticeable as discrete glitches; if I upload uncompressed audio it manifests as a general fuzzy sound. Why does this keep breaking?
Hi Lusil ! Yes, it happens in at least Firefox and Safari, and also in the Dropbox iOS app. So far as I can tell the glitches are in the same place regardless of device or browser.
It happens with both mp4 and uncompressed audio (AIFF - I haven't tried WAV yet). But with mp4 it's specific glitches and clicks, whereas with AIFF it appears as a more general and continuous crackling.
It would be great to get this fixed! It has only recently started happening.
This seems to be new. It's not the poor quality transcoding that has been discussed before, but short dropouts. I've been using Dropbox to share audio files with clients for some time, and this has just started happening.
Well I'm glad it's not just me having problems with this (but obviously sorry that you are too!). I have tried re-exporting the same track several times, but when I copy it to Dropbox the glitches keep occurring, and not in the same place each time.
Yes, that's my experience too. It's a very new behaviour so far as I can tell. I'll try raising a support ticket.
- Rich
Super User II
When playing a file on the Dropbox website, you're not playing the original. You're getting a transcoded preview of the original file. To hear the file in its original file as intended, it needs to be downloaded to your computer and opened in a supported application.
- Thanks for the reply. I guess that makes sense. Could the glitches on the audio file be caused by a flaky internet signal?
