MP3 Import broken in 2021.10?

[Tweakhead]

much of the ongoing info regarding this got turned into a sticky by jeffro after I posted a warning.

https://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=417579

[Tweakhead]

Thanks for all that work and investigation Darryl.
I've got a feeling it's that "16bit" metadata, wherever that resides or how it's detected.
Like I said, the 2021.6 release handles that same file just fine - so something got changed.
Your suggestion of passing the question on to the devs is the only way I can see this getting answered for now.
The only time I really ever import an MP3 is when a client wants a quick and dirty tempo map as fast as I can calculate it from their provided file. I was just shocked at that full-scale digital noise garbage, and wanted to warn others who might import MP3's on a regular basis. I hope they see my QuickTime workaround.

[Darryl Ramm]

My head hurts even thinking about what the 16 bits even means in an MP3 file. It's not any bit depth in the file itself.

Can you ask the person who created this file to make another one the same way with say just a sine wave?

[Cacov]

Mine are 16 bit too, but they appear incorrectly as Quicktime/32 bit instead of MP3/16 bit on the Pro Tools 2021.10 import window.
OTOH sample rate is detected and displayed correctly on both 2021.7 and 2021.10 (verified with some 48kHz mp3s too)

This is 2021.7


This is 2021.10




But no corruption on import.

Originally Posted by Tweakhead

what about the 16bit flag ?
I have no idea what my old client used to create this 16bit MP3. I have tried some new conversions but they appear as 32bit.

see attached example jpg

[Tweakhead]

Your posted images are not appearing Cacov.

Darryl is bringing up the point that there is technically no such thing as a 16bit MP3. The data is simply a stream that gets decoded depending upon the end-user's software/settings. That's why I don't get why this even appears in the Pro Tools audio import window.
I wonder if that "16bit" thing is popping up due to it being a non-dithered MP3. Remember that option ?

It's so weird that my first test replicated that initial bug posting by PMF Media. I wonder if they could share their file . . .

[Cacov]

16 bit is just a tag on MP3 files, inherited from the original wav file or inserted by the encoder at file creation time. The thing is... on my machine with Mojave 10.14.6, PT 2021.10 does not read those tags correctly and PT 2021.7 does.

It's always a good thing to know the exact specs from the source of the mp3, to be able to trace the originating bit depth, that's what the tags are for. I think this should be fixed of course.

No, I don't think it has anything to do with dither.

File corruption I can't repro.

Cheers.

PS: Images fixed on previous post

PS2: I stand corrected, I can't find 16-bit tag on any of my MP3 files. I bounced a 24-bit session on PT 2021.7 and it seems impossible to make the built-in MP3 encoder to inherit the session's bit depth tag. So I guess on MP3 import PT just displays 16-bit on absence of a bit depth tag. Anyway, 2021.10 import window displays Quicktime/32-bit instead of MP3/16-bit on my Mojave system.

Originally Posted by Tweakhead

Your posted images are not appearing Cacov.

Darryl is bringing up the point that there is technically no such thing as a 16bit MP3. The data is simply a stream that gets decoded depending upon the end-user's software/settings. That's why I don't get why this even appears in the Pro Tools audio import window.
I wonder if that "16bit" thing is popping up due to it being a non-dithered MP3. Remember that option ?

It's so weird that my first test replicated that initial bug posting by PMF Media.

[Audiomatrix]

Hi guys!

Having some STRANGE weirdness in Pt2021.12 on Mojave 10.14.6 Mac Pro 2013 Trashcan.

In Workspace - either random digital garbage noise or no playback on initial click. Plays on second click. Clicking anywhere in the waveform starts playback from zero. Sometimes weird pitch-shifting at random, random loops, corrupt waveforms. I have uninstalled, trashed all preferences and databases, reinstalled.

In imported AAF's - some MP3s are corrupt with clicks, bits of audio randomly swapped around, pitch shifting.

What I am failing to understand is how can something that has worked fine since version "everything before 2021" be broken? Is it a ploy to force us into staying current with update and support plans? Devious practice.

I guess I shall roll back to 2021.7 until the next "update" where things get "unbroken" (intentionally?)

It's 2022 and MP3 has been around since the late 90's. I am happy to convert my libraries to WAV but the corruption on AAF import is a fatal issue! NOT impressed!!! Please escalate this!

[sw rec]

Audiomatrix:
Please start your own thread instead of camping on to this one. Thank you.

[albee1952]

FWIW, mp3 import works fine on 2021.12 and windows

[DontLetMeDrown]

Originally Posted by albee1952

FWIW, mp3 import works fine on 2021.12 and windows

Not here on Windows 10. I posted in the other thread about it. Pro Tools is seeing mp3s as quicktime 32 bit files, then when I import the mp3, it has random pops in the audio and waveform. Apparently it is not an issue in 2021.7, so I'm going back to that.