Wrong dependency for Audacity

[omano]

I just noticed that the ffmpeg dependency of Audacity is wrong since ffmpeg has been updated.

Convert Encrypted Music

Audacity? //EDIT: you will need ffmpeg4.4 with Audacity, as I just noticed current ffmpeg provided in Manjaro is at version 5 and the libavcodec.so.59 it provides is not compatible with current Audacity version. The package ffmpeg4.4 provides libavcodec.so.58 which is automatically recognized by Audacity. Just run pamac install audacity ffmpeg4.4 from terminal and when it is installed, open your WMA file, and go to File → Export → and then you can convert to whatever format.

Audacity will not detect this version of ffmpeg. The dependency should be changed for ffmpeg4.4 or it should be added as an optional dependency I don’t know. For sure without installing ffmpeg4.4 you can not open many file formats.

I tried to report it to Arch bug tracker, but I can not register (it say credentials already used), and I can not retrieve my password (it says my credentials do not exist). So if a good soul with an account can report the issue that would be cool for the others (on my side it is fixed).

If possible maybe Manjaro can change this dependency line without waiting for a report/fix from Arch?

//EDIT after thread has been closed because I marked next post as Solution: so far no bug report have been created, letting the situation stay the same. So far nothing changed in the package. As we say when you want something to be done (properly), you must do it yourself (but I can’t, see my previous posts to know why)…

[winnie]

Without the package ffmpeg4.4 installed (which is likely already installed if one has vlc), does this correct the issue with Audacity?

Edit → Preferences → Libraries → FFmpeg Library → Locate

[omano]

Can you read my post, and re-evaluate your reply that makes no sense regarding what I wrote?

[winnie]

I did.

I’m implying to ask whether the latest Audacity will “find” the FFmpeg library files if you manually invoke the Locate button, even if only ffmpeg is installed (but ffmpeg4.4 is not installed).

In other words, manually have it re-scan your filesystem, since the ffmpeg package used to be version 4.x in the past.

[omano]

You did but apparently not good enough in my opinion then.

ffmpeg provides libavcodec.so.59 which doesn’t work with Audacity.
ffmpeg4.4 provides libavcodec.so.58 which works with Audacity.

You’re asking me to try without ffmpeg4.4, which is what is required to work with Audacity. If you remove ffmpeg4.4 then you have no compatible library. Removing ffmpeg4.4 would get me back to starting point.

There is only this button to auto/manually locate the file by the way so I wouldn’t do differently anyway.

[winnie]

Even upstream Arch doesn’t list audacity as an optional “required by” for ffmpeg4.4, whereas they do list it as an optional “required by” for ffmpeg.

If that’s the case, it needs to be corrected by their package maintainers.

To be clear, as an “optional” dependency, since it’s not considered as a hard requirement to use Audacity.

[omano]

Did you get wet and eat after midnight Winnie?

You definitely didn’t read and understand anything about that thread, did you?

ffmpeg is an optional dependency for Audacity
Thread title is “Wrong dependency for Audacity”
ffmpeg4.4 is the proper optional dependency since ffmpeg got updated to this version, which doesn’t work with Audacity

@winnie

If that’s the case, it needs to be corrected by their package maintainers.

Yes, this turns in circle don’t you think? You’re discovering things that I wrote already, in my first post.

No hard feeling, but I’m done with this thread.

[winnie]

I was agreeing with you, and about to contact the Arch packagers (two of them), but okay.

I summon Murphy the Cute L’il Purple Caterpillar to attack your Swamp Troll.

Go, Murphy, go!

[omano]

@winnie

and about to contact the Arch packagers

Thanks that’s all I was asking for, as I can’t register or login or retrieve my credentials on the Arch bug tracker to open an issue for the Audacity package. I was reporting the issue, asking for someone to do it as I couldn’t.

On a side note people can try and verify too, the FFMPEG packages are small and take literally a few seconds to install/uninstall to test.

Cheers.

//EDIT after thread has been closed because I marked next post as Solution: so far no bug report have been created, letting the situation stay the same. So far nothing changed in the package. As we say when you want something to be done (properly), you must do it yourself (but I can’t, see my previous posts to know why)…

[winnie]

Sent to “Dave” and “Eric”.

Weird how this has been the case without anyone else noticing.

But my hunch is that a good number of people (including the packagers themselves) who use Audacity, also use other applications, like VLC and Elisa, which will pull in the package ffmpeg4.4 as an optional dep.

And since they’re nice and cozy, they don’t get any issues/errors with Audacity, and so making ffmpeg an optional dependency “seems” to work.