Audacity does not recognize my USB connection

I have Windows 8.1 Pro and successfully installed Audacity software that came with the “audio ezcap” I ordered to convert music cassette tapes to digital files.
The instructions require me to edit my preferences in Audacity, but the exact options are not listed.
So, this is what I selected:

Host: Windows DirectSound (rather than MME)

Playback: Primary Sound Driver (rather than Speakers / Headphones (IDT High Definition Audio CODEC)

Recording:
Device: Microphone Array (2- USB PnP Audio Device) - this was the only option with the term “USB” included
Channels: 2 (Stereo) (rather than 1 (Mono))

The cassette device works fine since sound comes out when I connect it to a speaker, but my computer does not recognize the connected device containing the cassette.
The “green” play button and “red” record button are not greyed out and can be selected, but nothing happens.

Does anyone have any tips to resolve this issue?

Thanks in advance.

Dahlia

I’m not the Windows elf, but I would disconnect my USB device and restart Audacity to see if the USB setting vanished. The actual words in the connection ID mean close to nothing. One of my USB audio devices appears as “USB Audio CODEC.” Another one actually has the name of the company and the product. So you can do that, but it’s optional.

Audacity looks for new equipment or changes when it starts.

Koz

Audacity cannot see the device if Windows doesn’t.

  1. Exit Audacity
  2. Unplug all other USB devices, then switch off and disconnect the EZCAP (use the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon in the System Tray)
  3. Plug the EZCAP into a spare USB port (not a USB hub), and switch it on
  4. Wait a few minutes then completely shut down the computer and restart it
  5. When the computer has finished rebooting, launch Audacity.

If you can use a different USB cable with EZCAP, try changing the cable.

Gale