Afterwards, the m4a file plays! Note: this is completely free. This guide worked 100% for me - it takes you through each step. Many thanks in advance for any thoughts/suggestions you might have, Can anyone suggest a way that I might be able to get access to this file without paying lots of money? It seems like it should not be difficult but I just don't seem to be able to find the key to the puzzle. The only problem is that they want about $90 for what looks like a pretty simple fix. There is also a preview that sounds right. It came up straight away as a 1 hour 25 minute sound file with a 95% 'repair score'. I am using a Mac with Mavericks installed.

The relevant file shows up as having 21MB (about the right size) and appeared to be recording normally, but when I tried to play it (using Notability or any other player - tried Quicktime, Real Player, Audacity, VLC and WondersharePlayer) it shows up as having zero duration.

This app has always worked well before but for some reason there was a problem this time. I recorded an 85-minute AAC/m4a file using Notability on my iPad.

Download m4a audacity