I recently purchased a TASCAM US-4X4 USB audio interface. When this device is (externally) powered up and connected to the PC via a USB cable, Windows 10 recognizes it (in the Control Panel) but Audacity cannot find a host or even a single recording or playback device.
If I exit Audacity, remove the USB connection to the device and rerun Audacity, several options appear:
Host: MME, Windows DirectSound, Windows WASAPI
Playback Device: Microsoft Sound Mapper-Output, Speakers, Digital Output
Recording Device: No devices found
Can anyone offer some insights into what may causing this problem and how to resolve it?
I can’t tell from the text, but it’s important for Audacity to be last to the dance. Connect everything and let it settle and then start Audacity. Audacity checks for devices when it starts. You can also Transport > Rescan later.
There is an additional storm cloud out there. It’s possible to talk Audacity into recording multi-track (more than two), but Audacity is a two-track (stereo) Player.
I think I would try setting up Audacity for recording at 44100, 16-bit, Stereo and playback to your machine’s default speakers or headphones. Check the speakers to make sure they work.
There are two variations in the Windows installer. Plain, where it retains all your settings and preferences, and a click option which resets everything. Normally, we recommend resetting everything, but I’m conflicted because I don’t think your Audacity is broken. Just old.
Windows 10 is not a normal Windows upgrade. It’s a new operating system. Drivers and hardware have to be built to purpose. It has to say “Windows 10 Compatible” somewhere in the product info.
RE: "Windows 10 is not a normal Windows upgrade. It’s a new operating system. Drivers and hardware have to be built to purpose. It has to say “Windows 10 Compatible” somewhere in the product info. "
The manufacturer provides a Windows 10 driver that I had already downloaded prior to testing the TASCAM device with Audacity: http://tascam.com/product/us-4x4/downloads/
It was last updated on 2017-08-03. That same site includes some other software --e.g., a “settings panel” application that seems to work OK.
Also, as noted originally, the Windows 10 Control Panel recognizes the TASCAM device, suggesting at least no blatant Windows 10 incompatibility.
I’ll be testing the TASCAM device again later today, now that I have upgraded to Audacity 2.1.3, which BTW works fine with MME host and computer speakers for playback.
Thanks for all your suggestions. I’ll report back later after my next attempt.
To avoid compatibility issues, many multi-track interfaces look at the world through multiple stereo channels, not multi-track. For example, the four-track device may appear as Stereo One and Stereo Two instead of one four-channel connection.
Sometimes the way they did it means it’s very difficult to reach Stereo Two, and you have a simple stereo interface no matter what it says on the tin. So that’s the forum complaint: “I can’t record from channels 3 and 4.”
Yes. That’s correct. Sometimes the custom driver can resolve that.
Burn it off, hose it down and start over. That phrase is from the director of engineering of a radio station I worked for.
In My Opinion, there always needs to be that option somewhere. It’s too easy to get into a cycle of thinking you’re starting over when you’re really doing no such thing. Audacity, for example, will not reset itself no matter how many times you re-install it.
In Windows, there is now an option tick which makes Settings and Preferences start over, too. Handy tick that.