Previewing slide creates 8-10 second latg if timeline has audio

Apr 24, 2014

Hi,

Our slides contain audio and on-screen items. We have to sync up the audio with the appearance of on-screen elements.

Every time we attempt to preview the timeline (by pressing space bar) there is an 8-10 second lag This gets very frustrating.

This happens on different types of computers and with every Storyline file we use. We are upgraded to the newest version. (this happened before the upgrade, too)

Can anyone help?

8 Replies
Christine Hendrickson

Hi David,

It sounds like there's an issue loading the audio file when you play the slide. I wonder if it's due to how the audio is being pulled into the project, or where the project files are located. 

First, please make sure that you're working with a local project file when you modify or publish your project. If you're working on a network drive, or any other external storage, that might be causing the trouble. 

  • Work on your local drive (your C: drive). Working on a network drive or a USB drive can cause erratic behavior, including file corruption, loss of audio, and other unexpected behavior. 
  • You should also make sure the directory path to your project files and your published output is less than 260 characters (for example C:\Articulate).
  • Avoid using special characters, accents or symbols in your file names (this includes spaces and underscores).

Additional information regarding "Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces" in Windows operating systems can be found in the following Microsoft article.

If you're already working locally with your Storyline project files and since you've already updated, it may help to run a quick repair on one of the machines, to see if it helps:

Articulate Support - How to Repair Articulate Storyline

Let me know if you see any improvement.

Thanks!

David Lieberman

Hi Christine, 

  • I am working on a local drive.
  • The path is short (C:\Users\dlieberman\Desktop\fileName.story)
  • There were spaces in the file name, but I took them out. No change.
  • I re-installed, and didn't see a change.  

I don't think it's the computer, as it happens on multiple machines, of different brands. 

I've attached a file for you to try. 

BTW, I did not receive a notification about your reply, even thought I am subscribed. Nothing in spam. One of my team tells her the same happens to her. 

Christine Hendrickson

Hi David!

Thank you very much for the information and for the file.

I tested the slide you sent, and previewed it "in-slide" using the spacebar to play the timeline. I did not notice a delay in the start of the audio, or anything that seemed to be a delay. 

I'm attaching a short video here of how the slide plays on my end. I do apologize for the slight background noise, I had to record using my on board speakers (internal, but still a little "poppy"). 

Can you please take a look and let me know if this is how it's behaving on your end, and if I'm simply missing the delay you described earlier?

Thank you!

David Lieberman

Hi Thanks for your reply, and thanks for the file. I'm very impressed with your customer service.

When I play the video it plays straight through, just like yours did. However, when I pause in the middle, to adjust timing or something, and then play again, there is an 8-10 second delay before it starts playing again. Does that not happen on your end?

Christine Hendrickson

Hi David,

Thank you very much for the feedback - I appreciate that :)

I just took another look at the file and I previewed through the timeline. I paused about 5 or 6 times, making some adjustments (moving the order of the objects around in the timeline, changing some of the timing of the appearance of objects) and I didn't experience a delay. 

My concern is that this isn't a very intensive slide - there's a few objects and the audio is good, but it's nothing that I would think would "overwhelm" a system when previewing. 

I'm a little curious, what are your system specs like? If you're able to, can you play and pause the audio file outside of Storyline? If needed, you can right-click the audio in the timeline (after unlocking it) and export the audio. Try testing the file by pausing it and playing it - do you see that delay?

It may also help if you could share a quick screen recording of what's happening. You can do this by opening another instance of Storyline, by using Replay, or even Screenr. This would give me a better idea of what's happening and the steps you're taking when this lag occurs. 

Thank you!

David Lieberman

Hi! Thanks for your patience with my reply. I've been trying all kinds of different ideas.

My system is a:
AMD Athlon II X2 B26 Processor 3.20 GHz

8GB ram

64 bit operating system

Windows 7

I've tried it on some other computers, too. They all seem to do the same thing. 

When I export the audio, I don't see a delay. I only see it in Articulate. It does the same thing if a video is on the slide, as well. 

Here's a video of it happening (attached)

 Does Articulate have any known conflicts with other software, or something? 

BTW, I saw another thread with this issue from 2012: 
http://community.articulate.com/forums/p/17186/258596.aspx#258596

Thanks for all of your help!!!

Christine Hendrickson

Hi David,

Thanks for all of that information and the video!

If it's happening for your entire team, can you tell me if all of the machines are set up the same way? For example, do you have the same programs, maybe even anti-virus software, etc. that all get set up on the machines by an IT department?

I've seen some anti-virus programs cause some issues and I believe Carbonite was another program that caused some delays. It might help to check and see what programs/processes are running on the machine. If you're able to, you could try closing any unneeded programs temporarily and see if there's any improvement. 

Also - and this might sound a little silly- what if you don't click on the "Play" button? If you select the slide and press the "Space" bar, do you experience the same lag? 

Thanks again! :)

This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.