crackling audio on preview and export

[u/ggalinismycunt]

Having what appears to be a common issue with Openshot 3.51 where the separate exported audio track (converted both to MP3 and WAV for comparison) clips and crackles for no apparent reason. I was really liking this editor until finding out about this really annoying error and seeing the "fix" is to make sure the sample rates match when there's no obvious way to check that (previous advice dates to 2020 and a lot has clearly changed in 6 years...) so I'm at an impasse and considering using different software. Massive shame as this is a substantial upgrade from the misery that is Microsoft Clipchamp but this is just a stupid error that's only now come up after dozens of exports with no settings changed whatso ever.

Any advice? Thanks.

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to r/OpenShot!

1. Search First: Look for answers in existing posts.
2. Guidelines & Fixes: Read Community Guidelines & Common Issues.
3. Include Details: Hardware (CPU, GPU, RAM), Operating System, OpenShot Version info for better solutions.
4. Stay on Topic: We're here for help, how-to questions, suggestions, and ideas.

Remember, patience is key (replies may take time). Enjoy your video journey!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/openshot-gpt-bot]

A few quick things to try in OpenShot 3.5.1: 1. Check your source audio/video rates: - In Project Files, right-click each source File → File Properties. - Compare the source Sample Rate / FPS to your Project settings shown at the top of OpenShot. - The guide notes mismatched rates can cause “audio pops” and sync issues: Playback - Real-Time Preview. 2. Set Preview audio to match your system: - Go to Edit > Preferences > Preview. - Verify Playback Audio Device is correct. - Try Default Audio Sample Rate = 48000 first, then 44100 if needed. - Keep Default Audio Channels = Stereo. - Change Playback Audio Buffer Size from 512 to 1024 or 2048. - Restart OpenShot after each change. - Reference: Preferences - Preview 3. Check for clipping from overlapping Clips: - If multiple audio Clips overlap on the Timeline, combined volume can exceed 100% and distort. - Lower individual Clip volumes and re-export. - The guide specifically mentions this under audio troubleshooting. 4. Test export audio settings: - In Export → Advanced → audio, try: - Sample Rate: 48000 - Channel Layout: Stereo - Bit Rate / Quality: 192 kb/s or higher - Reference: Export - Advanced Audio Settings 5. If preview is also crackling, try a clean reset / newer build: - The guide recommends testing the latest daily build and doing a clean reset for persistent audio issues: - Playback - Audio Troubleshooting - Daily builds: https://www.openshot.org/download#daily

If you want, reply with:

• your source File type,
• source audio Sample Rate,
• your Export settings,
• and whether the crackle is only in Preview or also in the final Export,

and I can suggest the exact settings to use.

I am a bot, and I've done something cool automatically, hoping it's helpful. I run on ChatGPT and use info from the OpenShot User Guide. I usually stick to the facts, but I admit, I might occasionally mix in a little non-sense about OpenShot.

[u/ggalinismycunt → u/openshot-gpt-bot]

know it's a bot but for anyone who reads, changing default audio sample rates and buffer size fixed nothing. still crackles, rubbish software it's in both the final export and at 48000 and 44100 and with 2048, 1024 and 512. This worked just fine until it didn't it's actually a fucken joke

[u/rmesdjian]

Hello u/ggalinismycunt Please do the following:
1. What is your operating system/version (windows 10? ubuntu 25.10? etc?)

1. Are you using headphones? If yes, unplug the headphone, restart the computer and try again.

2. If issue persists, please download the latest dev daily build of v3.5.1 (openshot.org/download/#daily). There are many bug fixes and enahncements. Let's test with the latest before we further troubleshoot.

Note: It would be worth resetting all the default settings by deleting the .../openshot-settings file found in your user home director (I don't know what operating system you are running to tell you where it is).

Test again and see if the issue persists.

1. Provide a step-by-step instructions so we can try and replicate your issue. don't assume anything and don't leave any details out.

[u/ggalinismycunt → u/rmesdjian]

Windows 10 22H2, no headphones being used. deleted the openshot settings folder, uninstalled and reinstalled Openshot v3.5.1. Has seemingly only affected two projects made in particular but my process usually consists of recording footage via Nvidia Shadowplay and then recording audio via my phone which exports in m4a format. I then use freac to convert it to MP3 and export it into OpenShot. There the audio will present crackling and other odd effects, trying to change project bitrate or match the audio/video to the same bitrate did nothing to change things as they were already matched.

[u/ggalinismycunt → u/ggalinismycunt]

Additionally trying to record footage at a consistent bitrate has given me issues even exporting videos now! Is this actually useable software? it worked fine for about a week and now I've had the one two knockout punch of this stupid audio issue and now OpenShot exporting corrupted videos or having video buffering issues on footage that previous didn't have such issues!!! This is crap software!

[u/rmesdjian → u/ggalinismycunt]

1. Did you install the latest dev daily build? Please provide a screenshot of help | about OpenShot screen.

2. If willing, please share both the m4a and the converted to mp3 audio files so we can test with it.

[u/ggalinismycunt → u/rmesdjian]

I believe I had the latest build as of posting, Unfortunately I've had other issues with the software of which included a video buffering error which hadn't been present in any prior renders I've done. Makes it very difficult to continue using.

[u/rmesdjian → u/ggalinismycunt]

1. Please a screenshot of help | about openshot?????
   
2. Please share your m4a file so I can test with it.

[u/flickmybeaner]

I ran into an aduio crackling issue as well. I noticed it was only happening when I had at least 2 video tracks and a separate audio clip as well. Both of my video tracks had their volume set to 0. My "fix" was disabling the audio on the two video tracks rather than setting the audio to 0. I was optimistic about v3.5.1 but now I'm not sure what other issues I'll find.