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Can't get multiple audio layers on a page to play.

  • 3 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 2 views
  • Last reply by FredMcD

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One of my clients has an online course in which each weekly lesson is presented on one web page. A typical lesson includes three MP3 audio files for playback only (no download). The site is built in WordPress, and is using the MediaElement.js HTML5 audio player plug-in, which produces HTML5 code with a fall back to Flash. This system has worked properly for almost two years. A student complained yesterday that she could only get the first audio to play on the Week 1 page; the other two just did nothing when she clicked their Play buttons. I was able to confirm that such was the case in FireFox 34.0 and IE 11, but Chrome and Safari are still working fine. Just focusing on FireFox right now, I have tried several other player plug-ins, with no luck, and even hand crafted HTML5 audio tags in place of the player shortcodes, but got the same result. WordPress and the players are all latest versions. I have also made sure that my FireFox QuickTime and Flash plug-ins are latest versions, but still no change. The console shows a message that the audio file could not be decoded whenever the non-playing players are clicked. Also, in trying different course pages, I find that sometimes the successful player is the first one on the page, but not always; the second or even the third player is sometimes the successful player, while the other two will not play.

I would appreciate any information that could help me get this working again. Now I will go talk to Microsoft about version of this problem. :)

One of my clients has an online course in which each weekly lesson is presented on one web page. A typical lesson includes three MP3 audio files for playback only (no download). The site is built in WordPress, and is using the MediaElement.js HTML5 audio player plug-in, which produces HTML5 code with a fall back to Flash. This system has worked properly for almost two years. A student complained yesterday that she could only get the first audio to play on the Week 1 page; the other two just did nothing when she clicked their Play buttons. I was able to confirm that such was the case in FireFox 34.0 and IE 11, but Chrome and Safari are still working fine. Just focusing on FireFox right now, I have tried several other player plug-ins, with no luck, and even hand crafted HTML5 audio tags in place of the player shortcodes, but got the same result. WordPress and the players are all latest versions. I have also made sure that my FireFox QuickTime and Flash plug-ins are latest versions, but still no change. The console shows a message that the audio file could not be decoded whenever the non-playing players are clicked. Also, in trying different course pages, I find that sometimes the successful player is the first one on the page, but not always; the second or even the third player is sometimes the successful player, while the other two will not play. I would appreciate any information that could help me get this working again. Now I will go talk to Microsoft about version of this problem. :)

All Replies (3)

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I've called the big guys to help you. Good luck.


Some added toolbar and anti-virus add-ons are known to cause Firefox issues. Disable All of them.


Many site issues can be caused by corrupt cookies or cache.

  • Clear the Cache and
  • Remove Cookies
    Warning ! ! This will log you out of sites you're logged in to.

Type about:preferences<Enter> in the address bar.

  • Cookies; Select Privacy. Under History, select Firefox will Use Custom Settings. Press the button on the right side called Show Cookies. Use the search bar to look for the site. Note; There may be more than one entry. Remove All of them.
  • Cache; Select Advanced > Network. Across from Cached Web Content, Press Clear Now.

If there is still a problem, Start Firefox in Safe Mode {web link} While you are in safe mode;

Type about:preferences#advanced<Enter> in the address bar.

Under Advanced, Select General. Look for and turn off Use Hardware Acceleration.

Poke around safe web sites. Are there any problems?

Then restart.

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Fred, thanks for your reply. I don't think the things you suggest are really helpful in this particular situation, and here is why. This is not a case of me trying to get it to work so I can consume a web page somebody else created. My problem is that a page that I created and that has been working for some time now suddenly doesn't work in FF for a client's customer and for me. The same page works fine in Chrome and Safari, but also fails now in IE. The advice you have given is essentially a general troubleshooting guide, and is frankly not what I would want to have to give the client's customer. I need to get my page back in a state which will allow it to work fine on the browser's standard install. I really do appreciate that you attempted to help, but I feel I need help more from a development viewpoint. I don't know exactly who "the big boys" are, but I appreciate you referring my issue to others who may be able to help.

Sincere thanks, Kerry

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That is why I flagged your post, to call the Big Guys.

See if there are updates for your graphics drive drivers https://support.mozilla.org/kb/upgrade-graphics-drivers-use-hardware-acceleration