Audio issues in Presenter and Storyline - audio file has an echo, very low and unable to edit

Good morning,

I've used Articulate for years without many issues, a few weeks ago I noticed having audio trouble for a video - I did an update the other day, hoping it would fix the issue, but I'm still having the same trouble!

Issue : the sound has an echo, is choppy, very low when recorded directly in Articulate, and is essentially un-editable! I do not see the blue line moving to see where I'm at in the audio file either. (see mp4 video attached to see example)

What's interesting is that if I export the video from Articulate onto my computer, I can hear it properly.

This same problem occurs in both Studio and Storyline.

I've tried different programs, a different laptop, and the audio files are always fine....I also imported an audio file that sounded great and had the same result.

So it's clearly not a microphone/computer issue, but an Articulate audio editing issue.

I figured I would write here before opening a support case to see if this is a known issue with an easy fix.

The version I see is v8.28.26325.0

Edited to add :  in case this matters, this also means I cannot sync the narration with the animation, so even just playing it has the same issue, not just editing.
I did a preview of one slide and the audio sounds fine!

Thank you in advance for your help! :)
Stephanie