So I’ve wanted to download Audacity to start editing the audio I record for YouTube videos. But I’ve come across a major problem… there’s absolutely no audio on the computer after opening Audacity. By this I mean, even if I open a YouTube video or Soundcloud there’s no audio, and the effect persists after closing Audacity. The only way to put the audio back to how it should be is to restart the computer.
I’m playing audio through my headset, which is the Plantronics RIG Gaming Headset, which is connected via USB.
I’m not sure what other info I should give, if there’s other info I need to add please tell me.
No playback audio in the headset, or no playback audio in the soundcard?
See if the Audacity Device Toolbar Playback is set for your USB headset. If it’s not, the computer may be trying to play music to your soundcard rather than the headset.
I’ve tried every single playback setting I have, here’s a picture of them. “Speakers (RIG Dolby Game Audio)” is my headset: http://i.imgur.com/UzGdiVK.png
Also, the problem persists after Audacity is no longer running, so I doubt it’s anything to do with the settings.
Yep, 100% certain that it’s working properly before Audacity opens, and 100% certain the audio shuts off the second Audacity opens. Already tested this by playing a YouTube video in the background as I opened Audacity.
Do your headset and built-in audio device have drivers meant for Windows 10?
Have you looked in Windows Sound at what are the default playback devices before and after launching Audacity? Most browsers can’t choose their playback device and just use the Windows default.
Have you tried shutting down the “Ws” audio device? Is that “Wondershare”? That device could be interfering and in any case Wondershare is generally regarded as malware.
If you ever need to record the sound of a YouTube video, download the video (use your favourite search engine to find out how), install FFmpeg, then drag the videos into Audacity.
“Have you tried shutting down the “Ws” audio device? Is that “Wondershare”? That device could be interfering and in any case Wondershare is generally regarded as malware.”
I tried doing a few experiments with this, it’s interesting…
At first I tried disabling the Ws playback device in Windows Sound, and it worked. But, after disabling the Ws recording device, it just gave me the same problem.
After restarting I went back to just having the Ws playback device disabled, and only the left side of my headset worked after opening Audacity. Unplugged the headset and plugged it back in, no sound at all.
So this device is definitely interfering, but I have no clue what Wondershare is and I don’t think I’ve ever chosen to download such a thing… What can I do?
When you install any application you should look at the options carefully. It is common that a default installation may install other unwanted applications that the application’s author has been paid to offer.
Always look at the custom installation options which should give you a way to install only the actual application itself.
From where you are now, I would suggest the obvious. Right-click over the Windows logo bottom left and choose “Programs and Features” to uninstall unwanted applications. If you do have Wondershare, uninstallation may not remove all registry entries and background services, so you may have to go further. There should be information online about this.
Update, I’ve deleted any source of Wondershare and TunesGo off my computer, restarted my computer, and made sure the program is completely gone, but the problem I’m having is still occurring.
Have you been through background processes in Task Manager and checked the Windows Registry? You can find information online about what to check for, depending on what applications you actually had.
Also, install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and run the fullest anti-virus scan. Malwarebytes is good at getting rid of traces of unwanted applications.
Assuming it is a branded computer like Dell or Lenovo, go to their site to look up Windows 10 drivers for your specific computer model.
Go to the Plantronics site or ask them about your headset. There are surround sound drivers for RIG here http://www.plantronics.com/us/support/software/archive/ but they are probably not relevant. Is there a RIG control panel in the Windows Control Panel? If so, you should definitely look at all the settings there.
Again, make sure the headset is default playback device in Windows Sound. Most web browsers will only use the default device. When you launch Audacity and the web browser loses sound, does the headset still work in Audacity?
I’m not sure who’s website I should go to. Here’s my system information:
The system model says “MS-7850”, and whenever I Google this, all websites point to MSI, so I’m assuming I need to download drivers from the MSI website? I’m just making sure, I’m absolutely clueless when it comes to computers and I don’t want to mess anything up.
Alternatively look at your computer manual or at the device plate on your computer. If MSI does make your computer and the computer model number is other than “MS-7850”, search for that number here MSI UK.
You can get exact information from your computer. Right-click the Windows logo and choose “Command prompt”. Type or paste:
wmic computersystem get model,name,manufacturer,systemtype
and hit ENTER on your computer keyboard for your computer details.
For motherboard details, type or paste:
wmic baseboard get product,Manufacturer,version,serialnumber
From what you already found out, make sure you get the 64-bit drivers for Windows 10.
If that does not help then you could reset Windows 10.
As I asked, are the symptoms that when you launch Audacity, only Audacity has sound? Have you tried setting the correct default playback device in Windows Sound then restarting your browser?
Sorry, I should have clarified that my recording devices don’t work at all… even before this whole playback problem popped up I was never able to make my mic work. So I have no clue how to make audio play in Audacity. I’m getting a new mic soon so if the new mic doesn’t work, that’s when I’ll ask for help on that.
So you installed the correct drivers for your MSI computer or motherboard, then restarted the computer?
Web browsers (if that is the problem) need the Windows default playback device to be set to the playback device that you intend to use.
Is the problem mic one that connects to the mic port on the computer? Or do you mean the mic in the gaming headset?
Have you tried this? In the Windows Control Panel you can go to System and Security then look under “Security and Maintenance” for a link “Troubleshoot common computer problems”. Click that link then under “Hardware and Sound” there should links for troubleshooting audio playback and audio recording.
I don’t have a clear description of your issues and I am not sure how many of the suggestions you have tried, but if you cannot solve the problems I would start over and reset Windows 10.
I will try these after I get home, but what do you mean by resetting Windows 10? Do you mean to factory settings? Wouldn’t that delete everything I have?