topic Re: I cannot import audio from the time slider. in Maya Forum

I cannot import audio from the time slider.

amaterasu-qbb — Sat, 28 Jan 2023 15:51:11 GMT

I can import audio from File > Import, but it does not appear in the time slider and there is no sound. In other words, it is recognized but cannot be imported.

// Result: H:/maya/animation/Ball_Rolling/sound/Tennis Ball_Bounces_edit01.wav

Audio Details

Less than 2 seconds
WAV Format
Exported from Davinci Resolve 16

When importing audio from the Time Slider I get the following error

file -import -type "audio" -ignoreVersion -ra true -mergeNamespacesOnClash false -namespace "Tennis_Ball_Bounces_edit01" -options "o=0" -pr - importFrameRate true -importTimeRange "override" "H:/maya/animation/Ball_Rolling/sound/Tennis Ball_Bounces_edit01.wav"; doSoundImportArgList ("1", {"H:/maya/animation/Ball_Rolling/sound/Tennis Ball_Bounces_edit01.wav", "0"}); // Result: 0 // File read in 0.0072 seconds. // Result: H:/maya/animation/Ball_Rolling/sound/Tennis Ball_Bounces_edit01.wav # Error: cannot find file # Error: file: C:/Program Files/Autodesk/Maya2023/scripts/others/doSoundImportArgList.mel line 53: Cannot open soundfile

I have tried changing the location of the audio from drive H to drive D and also tried importing an empty scene, but it does not work.

Re: I cannot import audio from the time slider.

amaterasu-qbb — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 09:15:22 GMT

Hi! everyone. I found a solution and would like to share it with you.

I also found a different error, so I'll post it here.

Error: file: C:/Program Files/Autodesk/Maya2023/scripts/others/doSoundImportArgList.mel line 53: Cannot open soundfile

the cause is

sound source is 48000Hz (48kHz)
Even 44100Hz (44.1kHz) won't play if it's 32bit

You can see it from the audio of the actual property details,

but it's hard to understand because it's kbps instead of Hz. But I tried to put something together.

Unplayable

1536kbps, 48kHz, 16bit
2822kbps, 44.1kHz, 32bit Import only
2304kbps, 48kHz, 24bit
3072kbps, 48kHz, 32bit

Playable

1411kbps, 44.1kHz, 16bit recommended
2116kbps, 44.1kHz, 24bit

The solution is to use an audio editing software and export at 44.1kHz 16bit.
I used Audacity, but it seems to be unstable due to repeated Windows IME updates, so I think Adobe Audition is the best.

And with Davinci Resolve, you can change it from 48kHz to 44.1kHz in the project settings, but when you export it, it will be 48kHz, so it didn't work.

thank you. also I added a idea about adding mp3 support to maya.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/maya-ideas/please-support-flac-mp3-and-other-audio-formats/idi-p/11690709

feel free to vote.

Re: I cannot import audio from the time slider.

animoumou — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 10:11:01 GMT

Is there really no way to only use DaVinci Resolve? I'm using it for exporting image sequences into my Maya files and I want it to handle my audio files as well. Is this something that could be fixed in an update or do I need to use Audacity for sure? Thanks for documenting your findings.

Re: I cannot import audio from the time slider.

amaterasu-qbb — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 14:53:15 GMT

Hi. @animoumou .

I'm back baby woohoo! ...sorry about that. Another possibility is to use FFmpeg.
I could write a GUI tool in FFmpeg or Python that would allow you to drag audio files from the explorer and convert the bitrates of all audio files at once.
Of course I'll give it away for free here on this site. I will do so if you support me. I've been having a hard time with depression lately.

best.

Re: I cannot import audio from the time slider.

animoumou — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 15:17:18 GMT

Welcome back! The idea of a GUI tool for batch converting bitrates sounds awesome. I’m sure people would really appreciate it. Sorry to hear about your depression, I hope it gets better soon.

Re: I cannot import audio from the time slider.

amaterasu-qbb — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 15:46:50 GMT

Hi. @animoumou .

Thanks a lot for your kindness. Blessings on you my friend.
I'll start working on it now, so please give me about a month. I'm not a programmer, but I'll do my best to start the project.

Re: I cannot import audio from the time slider.

animoumou — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 16:05:47 GMT

Of course! Take your time, if it's too much then don't worry about it. I thought it was something you could easily do. Take care 🙂

Re: I cannot import audio from the time slider.

dbreaux — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 21:24:14 GMT

That would be AMAZING..!!!

Re: I cannot import audio from the time slider.

amaterasu-qbb — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 08:50:00 GMT

HI! everyone.

The UI will be finished soon. Please bear with us a little longer.
It will be released on GitHub. It is called MAT (Maya Audio Tool).
It is currently being developed in Python and PyQt, and a PySide6 version is planned for the future. The versions will have no functional differences; only the programming language will vary.
MAT (Maya Audio Tool)