# Audio files not working intermittently in Pavlovia

**URL:** <https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/audio-files-not-working-intermittently-in-pavlovia/47913>\
**Category:** Online experiments\
**Created:** [September 19, 2026, 7:02am UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/audio-files-not-working-intermittently-in-pavlovia/47913 "2026-09-19T07:02:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ben\_Trayford](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.psychopy.org/ben_trayford/32/39431_2.png) [@Ben\_Trayford](https://discourse.psychopy.org/u/Ben_Trayford)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 7:02am UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/audio-files-not-working-intermittently-in-pavlovia/47913/1 "2026-09-19T07:02:18Z")

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My experiment is running on Pavlovia, except for the audio stimuli, but only for some participants. When each word stimulus is presented, there is supposed to be an audio stimulus (the word spoken) that plays with it. The stimulus is chosen using a code component that randomizes rows and columns.

I also have an audio check at the beginning of my experiment which runs the same way which seems to always work, otherwise no participant would be able to continue to the actual experiment.

This problem only seems to have started in the past 6 weeks or so. 3 participants have reported not hearing these audio clips. They were all using different OS (Windows, Mac, Linux). I don’t know which browser they were using though. Every time I test it on my computer (Windows 11) it works just fine.

I haven’t changed any of the code or the audio files since I set the experiment live so I’m really confused why it’s not working now. Any guidance would be really appreciated.

**OS** : Windows 11  
**PsychoPy version** : 2026.2.3  
**Standard Standalone Installation? (y)**

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**Author:** ![wakecarter](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.psychopy.org/wakecarter/32/5753_2.png) [@wakecarter](https://discourse.psychopy.org/u/wakecarter)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 10:03pm UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/audio-files-not-working-intermittently-in-pavlovia/47913/2 "2026-09-19T22:03:45Z")

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My best guess is that participants with a slower Internet connection sometimes don’t manage to load the sound file in time. Please could you show the audio component? Do the files download before the experiment starts or are you using code or a resource manager to download them on the fly?

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**Author:** ![Ben\_Trayford](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.psychopy.org/ben_trayford/32/39431_2.png) [@Ben\_Trayford](https://discourse.psychopy.org/u/Ben_Trayford)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 7:14am UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/audio-files-not-working-intermittently-in-pavlovia/47913/3 "2026-10-05T07:14:37Z")

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> [@wakecarter](#):
>
> Do the files download before the experiment starts or are you using code or a resource manager to download them on the fly?

They download before the experiment starts, but the playback code doesn’t use those downloads. I’ve tried to use code to call each file but it messes up my randomisation and counterbalancing restrictions. Is there a simpler fix for this?

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**Author:** ![wakecarter](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.psychopy.org/wakecarter/32/5753_2.png) [@wakecarter](https://discourse.psychopy.org/u/wakecarter)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 8:05am UTC](https://discourse.psychopy.org/t/audio-files-not-working-intermittently-in-pavlovia/47913/4 "2026-10-05T08:05:12Z")

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> [@Ben\_Trayford](#):
>
> but the playback code doesn’t use those downloads.

Please could you explain?

Please clarify exactly how the files are downloaded and played.