I’m using Mac OS 10.12 (Sierra), Audacity 2.1.2, obtained via .dmg.
I’m brand new to learning to use this program and not very tech savvy. My intended use of the Audacity software is to enhance and clean up poor audio for transcription purposes. When I plug in my USB headset, I don’t get any sound through the headset, even though it has been selected. It just continues to play through the computer speaker as if the headset didn’t exist. I can’t get a sense for how successful my efforts have been to clean up the file I’m working on without being able to listen through my headset. I don’t want to have to export it to my transcription software to check it out, and then move it back to make more adjustments. Too cumbersome. Is there a simple solution to this problem? Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I don’t want to have to export it to my transcription software to check it out,
You may have identified one of the problems right there. Audacity doesn’t “play well with others.” If you have additional audio programs running on your computer, the system may have no idea where to send what sound. This is a particular problem if you have Skype or other chat or conferencing software.
Close everything. Do not allow your other programs to “nap” in the Dock. You could also restart the Mac. Plug the headset in and let the Mac chew on it for a bit. Does it have any lights or indicators that it’s working? Launch or re-launch Audacity. See if there is a sound device listed opposite the microphone symbol or the speaker symbol (recording or playback). I mostly expect you to be able to find both.
Does the headset work perfectly with other software or computer?
Let us know.
Koz
Thanks for your help. We figured it out. Seems like we did not have one of the audio output options selected properly.