Audacity and ASIO driver

[CrankCase]

Why is there not an ASIO version of Audacity released? This would save people having to indulge in all this compiling nonsense, which is way beyond ordinary computer users.

I don't use Audacity (I prefer Mixcraft 5), but my brother, who does use it (with Behringer Xenyx 502 and UCA200 USB interface) is now getting noise problems on his new Windows 7 (64-bit) PC. The Behringer technical support has advised him to install the ASIO driver from their website, but I now find that the existing versions can't work with ASIO anyway! A serious flaw.

[kozikowski]

Then it's been seriously flawed from the first day.

Here's a bit on Steinberg (ASIO) licensing.

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=9701&p=39582&hilit=steinberg#p39580

Koz

[CrankCase]

There's an easier way around that. Make it so that the desired driver can be selected from a drop-down menu. This is how most other programs do it. Then all this recompiling nonsense would be a thing of the past.

[waxcylinder]

What Koz is trying to say by pointing you at that link is that is not a technology issue that ASIO is not bundled with Audacity - but rather an IPR licensing issue. Steinberg holds the licensing rights for ASIO and if ASIO were included, then the open-source GPL licensing of Audacity would be vioated, or Steinberg's licensing would be violated - or both!

So as you put it "this recompiling nonsense" is the only way you can legally get a copy of ASIO with Audacity - this is because Steinberg will allow you to use it, but for personal use only. So for example should you ever decide to go ahead and compile Audacity for yourself with ASIO inclued than you cannot legally give a copy of that build to any other user.

See this article in the Audacity Wiki on ASIO with Audacity: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/ASIO_Audio_Interface

But do note that building Audacity like this is a "non-trivial" task

WC

[CrankCase]

I did understand what Koz was saying. That is why I suggested modifying Audacity so that it is possible to select a driver of choice from within a drop-down box. This is how many other programs do it.

[waxcylinder]

Yes but you did not understand what I was saying - II'm sure the Audacity decelopers would love to do this but cannot because it would violate the terms of its GLP licensing and stop it being an open source project.

WC

[CrankCase]

How can it violate the terms of its license if it is not distributed with the ASIO driver? All that needs be done is for Audacity to detect the soundcard driver by default (or have no driver detected by default) within a drop-down selection box, together with the means of selecting any other driver of the end-user's choice, which is not necessarily the ASIO driver. Even if it were not to be used with an ASIO driver, such a feature would at least enable the use of a second soundcard dedicated to Audacity.

[CrankCase]

So I guess this should go into 'Suggestions' or 'Wish List', but the trouble is, there is not a section that I can see for this.

It makes no odds to me, because I don't use Audacity, as Mixcraft 5 leaves it standing.

[steve]

All that needs be done is for Audacity to detect the soundcard driver by default (or have no driver detected by default) within a drop-down selection box, together with the means of selecting any other driver of the end-user's choice....

but in order to be able to select the ASIO driver, support for ASIO must be enabled within Audacity and that comes under the terms of the Steinberg non-distributable licence. Without support for ASIO being built into Audacity, ASIO drivers will simply not work with Audacity.

because I don't use Audacity,