Working with a new laptop, on Windows 8, with a Focusrite Scarlett Solo, and getting a distorted sound in playback. (using Audacity 2.1.0, downloaded via the .exe installer) The files are normal when played through mediaplayer. I have previously uploaded an Mp3 on here and was told it was behaving normally.
The distortion itself is inconsistent ie. sometimes it’s not there at all, and I can listen & edit as normal. When it is there, I can hear the audio (I’m recording voiceover), at normal speed, a bit faint, with a constant flickering on top. I notice that my screen also flickers slightly, the recording device/audio host toolbar shakes!
Wondered is it a question of the audio host, and have tried changing between MME, Windows Direct Sound & Wasapi. I don’t really understand these, what ought to be the best option (for Windows 8), and is this likely to be contributing to the problem?
Below is the ‘audio device info’.
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide to this rather frazzled newbie
==============================
Default recording device number: 1
Default playback device number: 4
==============================
Device ID: 0
Device name: Microsoft Sound Mapper - Input
Host name: MME
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.090000
Low Playback Latency: 0.090000
High Recording Latency: 0.180000
High Playback Latency: 0.180000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Device ID: 1
Device name: Line In (2- Scarlett Solo)
Host name: MME
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.090000
Low Playback Latency: 0.090000
High Recording Latency: 0.180000
High Playback Latency: 0.180000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Device ID: 2
Device name: Microphone (Conexant SmartAudio
Host name: MME
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.090000
Low Playback Latency: 0.090000
High Recording Latency: 0.180000
High Playback Latency: 0.180000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Device ID: 3
Device name: Microsoft Sound Mapper - Output
Host name: MME
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: 0.090000
Low Playback Latency: 0.090000
High Recording Latency: 0.180000
High Playback Latency: 0.180000
Supported Rates:
8000
9600
11025
12000
15000
16000
22050
24000
32000
44100
48000
88200
96000
176400
192000
352800
384000
==============================
Device ID: 4
Device name: Line Out (2- Scarlett Solo)
Host name: MME
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: 0.090000
Low Playback Latency: 0.090000
High Recording Latency: 0.180000
High Playback Latency: 0.180000
Supported Rates:
8000
9600
11025
12000
15000
16000
22050
24000
32000
44100
48000
88200
96000
176400
192000
352800
384000
==============================
Device ID: 5
Device name: Speakers (Conexant SmartAudio H
Host name: MME
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: 0.090000
Low Playback Latency: 0.090000
High Recording Latency: 0.180000
High Playback Latency: 0.180000
Supported Rates:
8000
9600
11025
12000
15000
16000
22050
24000
32000
44100
48000
88200
96000
176400
192000
352800
384000
==============================
Device ID: 6
Device name: Primary Sound Capture Driver
Host name: Windows DirectSound
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.120000
Low Playback Latency: 0.000000
High Recording Latency: 0.240000
High Playback Latency: 0.000000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Device ID: 7
Device name: Line In (2- Scarlett Solo)
Host name: Windows DirectSound
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.120000
Low Playback Latency: 0.000000
High Recording Latency: 0.240000
High Playback Latency: 0.000000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Device ID: 8
Device name: Microphone (Conexant SmartAudio HD)
Host name: Windows DirectSound
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.120000
Low Playback Latency: 0.000000
High Recording Latency: 0.240000
High Playback Latency: 0.000000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Device ID: 9
Device name: Primary Sound Driver
Host name: Windows DirectSound
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: 0.000000
Low Playback Latency: 0.120000
High Recording Latency: 0.000000
High Playback Latency: 0.240000
Supported Rates:
8000
9600
11025
12000
15000
16000
22050
24000
32000
44100
48000
88200
96000
176400
192000
==============================
Device ID: 10
Device name: Line Out (2- Scarlett Solo)
Host name: Windows DirectSound
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: 0.000000
Low Playback Latency: 0.120000
High Recording Latency: 0.000000
High Playback Latency: 0.240000
Supported Rates:
8000
9600
11025
12000
15000
16000
22050
24000
32000
44100
48000
88200
96000
176400
192000
==============================
Device ID: 11
Device name: Speakers (Conexant SmartAudio HD)
Host name: Windows DirectSound
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: 0.000000
Low Playback Latency: 0.120000
High Recording Latency: 0.000000
High Playback Latency: 0.240000
Supported Rates:
8000
9600
11025
12000
15000
16000
22050
24000
32000
44100
48000
88200
96000
176400
192000
==============================
Device ID: 12
Device name: Speakers (Conexant SmartAudio HD)
Host name: Windows WASAPI
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: 0.000000
Low Playback Latency: 0.003000
High Recording Latency: 0.000000
High Playback Latency: 0.010159
Supported Rates:
44100
==============================
Device ID: 13
Device name: Speakers (Conexant SmartAudio HD) (loopback)
Host name: Windows WASAPI
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.003000
Low Playback Latency: 0.000000
High Recording Latency: 0.010159
High Playback Latency: 0.000000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Device ID: 14
Device name: Line Out (2- Scarlett Solo)
Host name: Windows WASAPI
Recording channels: 0
Playback channels: 2
Low Recording Latency: 0.000000
Low Playback Latency: 0.003000
High Recording Latency: 0.000000
High Playback Latency: 0.010000
Supported Rates:
44100
==============================
Device ID: 15
Device name: Line Out (2- Scarlett Solo) (loopback)
Host name: Windows WASAPI
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.003000
Low Playback Latency: 0.000000
High Recording Latency: 0.010000
High Playback Latency: 0.000000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Device ID: 16
Device name: Microphone (Conexant SmartAudio HD)
Host name: Windows WASAPI
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.003000
Low Playback Latency: 0.000000
High Recording Latency: 0.010159
High Playback Latency: 0.000000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Device ID: 17
Device name: Line In (2- Scarlett Solo)
Host name: Windows WASAPI
Recording channels: 2
Playback channels: 0
Low Recording Latency: 0.003000
Low Playback Latency: 0.000000
High Recording Latency: 0.010000
High Playback Latency: 0.000000
Supported Rates:
==============================
Selected recording device: 17 - Line In (2- Scarlett Solo)
Selected playback device: 14 - Line Out (2- Scarlett Solo)
Supported Rates:
44100
==============================
Available mixers:
==============================
Available recording sources:
0 - Master
==============================
Available playback volumes:
0 - PCM
==============================
Recording volume is native
Playback volume is native