trouble playing externally loaded mp3 files

[oldkingcole]

Hi,

I'm having trouble with externally loaded mp3 files (loaded using loadSound()). They load just fine, and my "play", "pause", and "stop" buttons are all working in both Internet Explorer and Netscape. The problem is that if the mp3 file is encoded at any sample rate other than 44.1 KHz, Flash seems to interpret it as if it were encoded at 44.1 KHz even though it's not. For example, if I save my sound file out of Audacity as a 48 kbps mono mp3 file, my flash program plays it back way too fast and everyone sounds like Alvin the Chipmunk. Yet when I save the same source-file out as a 48 kpbs mono mp3 file from Adobe Audition (where I can specify either 44.1 KHz or 32 KHz sample rates), it sounds fine as long as I use a 44.1 KHz sample rate. But for really low bit rate mp3s, I want to be able to use lower sample rates (like 11 KHz).

Is there a something I need to do to get Flash to correctly identify the sample rate at which the mp3 file was encoded? Or is there something I need to do when I encode the mp3 files?

The following two URLs hopefully make my problem clear. (NOTE ALSO: The audio isn't streamed, so you have to wait a few seconds after the page comes up for the mp3 file to finish downloading before you hit the "play" button)

1. How it should sound: mp3 encoded at 48 kbps and 44.1 Khz:

48 kbps, 44.1 KHz (http://www.oldkingcole.com/itec899/vo-48kbps-44.1khz.html)

2. The same voice-over, still at 48 kbps, but this time using a sample rate lower than 44.1 (probably 22.05, but I used Audacity to encode this one, and it doesn't seem to indicate the sample rate):

48 kbps, but less than 44.1 KHz (http://www.oldkingcole.com/itec899/vo-48kbps.html)

The embedded flash program is identical in both cases.

Any hints would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[oldkingcole]

Ok,

After a bit more googling around, I think I've found the answer. Evidently, Flash's mp3 engine only supports mp3s that have been encoded at sample rates that are multiples of 11.025 KHz.

Since the free Audacity audio editor doesn't give you independent control over the sample rate, this means that the lowest bit-rate mp3 that you can export from Audacity that will still play back ok in Flash is 32 kbps, which uses a 22.05 KHz sample rate.

That bit-rate is a little higher than I'd like -- I wanted to squash the voice-over down to 16 kbps to reduce load-time -- but for my immediate needs, it'll do.

I hope this info helps someone else.

Cheers!

[Jozzle]

It does! Thanx!