I’ve been recording with Audacity 2.1.2 and a Behringer 1202 mixer on Windows 7 for some time, but for some reason it’s no longer detecting the microphone I have hooked up to it.
Nothing has changed as far as I’m aware, no updates and all connections appear as normal. I’ve also reinstalled Audacity, but same problem.
I’ve looked at the FAQs concerning this, but it doesn’t quite explain my problem other than suggesting the drivers might need replacing.
The device should be connected to the computer, and working, before you launch Audacity,otherwise you will need to tell Audacity to rescan for available audio devices.
You left us some fuzzy words there. If you scratch or speak into the microphone, do the sound meter lights on the mixer flash? Can you hear the sound if you plug headphones into the Behringer? Forget Audacity for a minute. Let’s get basics down.
The 1202 is an analog mixer. How are you getting the sound into the computer and what is the computer?
Reinstalling Audacity doesn’t reset Audacity. The Windows installer should have had a setting asking you to reset Preferences and Settings. Did you say yes?
The microphone is a Shure 58 and both it and the mixer seem to be working fine - mixer lights do flash, headphones okay.
However, I’m not sure I did reset preferences and settings now that I come to think of it.
To complicate matters, the PC I’m using at home isn’t hooked up to the internet so I needed to download Audacity on my work PC then reinstalled it as a shortcut on the home PC so maybe that’s the issue.
All that and Audacity gets its sound from Windows, not the sound connection, so look in the Win7 control panels and make sure you can see the connection (you didn’t say what it was) and the little sound meters bounce.
If you’re using a USB interface (I have one machine which works like that), Audacity checks for connections when it starts. Connect everything and then start Audacity, or Transport > Rescan.
Without question the most common problem is a USB device, Windows and Audacity losing track of each other. When you come back up, please mention the connection process. That can make a big difference.
Looking at this further I can see that both the microphone and line in options under the recording tab on the Windows sound control panel show up as being ‘Not plugged in’.
The mic is plugged into the mixer which in turn is connected to the PC (a Dell Precision T3400) via its line in port at the back.
This is how I’ve always had it set up. It was fine last week, now, without changing anything, it’s no longer functioning.
both the microphone and line in options under the recording tab on the Windows sound control panel show up as being ‘Not plugged in’
That’s pretty serious. That could mean Windows can’t find your soundcard. It’s pretty rare that Windows can tell whether or not you have an actual cable plugged in. It just assumes they’re always active…except in your case. Unplug and replug behind the machine twice and see if that helps.
When was the last time you restarted your machine? This is where we ask you if you did a Windows 10 update. That can create all sorts of problems.
Yup, that’s the cable. I’ve unplugged and replugged it numerous times, but still no dice.
With that PC I tend to shut it down completely after use so it’s restarted regularly, and no, there hasn’t been any Windows 10 update, it’s still running on 7.
Others have suggested it might be a sound card issue, but I thought I’d see what you guys said first.
Can I ask a question please as I have the same issue running windows 10 . Why do I do if I don’t see audacity in the windows sound control panel , there are also no sound monitors jumping around ? I think this could be the root of my problem