Selecting correct inputs from my interface in Audacity

Hi,

First, I’ve done some googling and I’ve seen people have the same initial problem, but nowhere is it spelled out how to solve it. Also, Windows 7 64-bit.

I want to do a cassette digitization using my TASCAM US-800 USB audio interface, which is a bit of a temperamental beast from most accounts. The interface has six inputs, two really hot mic/inst inputs and 4 mic/line inputs. But Audacity only seems to be able to record the first two, and I have to reduce all of my input volumes down extremely low (as far down as they go on the interface, .05 in Audacity) to keep the sound from clipping. Those inputs are not what I’m supposed to be using, as I’m going from the RCA line out on my tape deck. I want to use inputs 3/4 or 5/6, which will give me the consumer line level I need for this project. I can’t find anywhere in Audacity or any other place on my PC to select which inputs I actually want to use.

I’m aware of the ASIO issue and have done a bit of reading on it, but I don’t have enough knowledge to say if this is why, though it might be. The thing is, I only want to record two channels (stereo L and R), not more than that. Everything I read about ASIO seems to relate it to much larger projects than this, with more inputs than just a stereo L and R. Audacity just seems to default to the first two inputs and I can’t find anywhere to change this. If it turns out this is part of the lack of ASIO built into Audacity, then that’s fine - I can use Reaper for this process. I’m just used to using Audacity, but don’t feel comfortable compiling it. Thanks!

Does Reaper work? I wonder if it will, if Windows doesn’t see more than two inputs either. What about the included Cubase software? What input device are you choosing in Audacity and how many recording channels are you choosing?

Do you have the latest drivers from http://tascam.com/product/us-800/downloads/?
Have you looked at “Direct I/O” in the Tascam control panel? According to the manual http://tascam.com/content/downloads/products/207/us800_om.pdf you should be able to set WDM (non-ASIO) output for the Tascam inputs there. Have you tried soloing the channels you want to send to the computer using that control panel?

You don’t say what version of Audacity (see the pink panel at the top of this page). The latest version is 2.0.5 - get it from http://audacityteam.org/download/windows .

But if you try Audacity 2.0.4 from https://audacity.googlecode.com/files/audacity-win-2.0.4.zip it has an extra “host” in Device Toolbar called “Windows WDM-KS” that “might” show you more than two channels in Audacity if Windows sees them. Even if that works, you will probably have to select six recording channels in Audacity to record the first two.

Just to add the caution there is the small chance that WDM-KS could freeze or crash your computer because some motherboard sound devices have problems with it.

For now I would suggest you go to Help > Audio Device Info… in Audacity 2.0.5 and post the contents of that here. Do the same for 2.0.4 if you try that version.


Gale

Reaper works fine, but it also has ASIO support. If I change “audio system” to ASIO, I then have options of selecting “US-800 1/2”, “US-800 3/4,” and “US-800 5/6” for my inputs. If I leave “audio system” as DirectSound (which is an option in Audacity), then I have the option of only selecting “US-800 (microphone)” as my input device.

In Audacity, using MME or DirectSound, my input device reads “Microphone (3-US-800 Audio)”, and I can select 1 (mono) or 2 (stereo) channels.

I’m not sure about Cubase - I found it very difficult to use out of the box (which was two years ago), and I’ve since gotten a new PC and the licensing process for it was so tedious that I haven’t bothered reinstalling it (if I even can).

Do you have the latest drivers from > http://tascam.com/product/us-800/downloads/> ?

Yes.

Have you looked at “Direct I/O” in the Tascam control panel? According to the manual > http://tascam.com/content/downloads/products/207/us800_om.pdf > you should be able to set WDM (non-ASIO) output for the Tascam inputs there. Have you tried soloing the channels you want to send to the computer using that control panel?

I’ve tried soloing the channels, to no avail. I’ve tried changing the H/W input to WDM, but there’s no difference. You can set WDM, but if you look at the flowchart, it would still go H/W In → WDM → ASIO → DAW → ASIO, so I don’t see how you escape Audacity needing that compatibility.

You don’t say what version of Audacity (see the pink panel at the top of this page). The latest version is 2.0.5 - get it from > Audacity ® | Download for Windows > .

My fault. I read it, but it just slipped my mind. I’m up to date with 2.0.5.

But if you try Audacity 2.0.4 from > https://audacity.googlecode.com/files/audacity-win-2.0.4.zip > it has an extra “host” in Device Toolbar called “Windows WDM-KS” that “might” show you more than two channels in Audacity if Windows sees them. Even if that works, you will probably have to select six recording channels in Audacity to record the first two.

Just to add the caution there is the small chance that WDM-KS could freeze or crash your computer because some motherboard sound devices have problems with it.

It shows me 8 channels in Audacity, but won’t let me record. It gives me the “Error while opening sound device, please check device input settings and project sample rate.” In all three places - the US-800 control panel, Windows recording devices (which only shows 2 channels, by the way - is this the issue?), and Audacity are all at 24-bit, 44.1k.

For now I would suggest you go to Help > Audio Device Info… in Audacity 2.0.5 and post the contents of that here. Do the same for 2.0.4 if you try that version.

My interface is on there several times as an input, the first three in both .5 and .4:

Device ID: 1
Device name: Microphone (3- US-800 Audio)
Host name: MME
Input channels: 2
Output channels: 0
Low Input Latency: 0.090000
Low Output Latency: 0.090000
High Input Latency: 0.180000
High Output Latency: 0.180000
Supported Rates:

Device ID: 8
Device name: Microphone (3- US-800 Audio)
Host name: Windows DirectSound
Input channels: 2
Output channels: 0
Low Input Latency: 0.120000
Low Output Latency: 0.000000
High Input Latency: 0.240000
High Output Latency: 0.000000
Supported Rates:

Device ID: 18
Device name: Microphone (3- US-800 Audio)
Host name: Windows WASAPI
Input channels: 2
Output channels: 0
Low Input Latency: 0.003000
Low Output Latency: 0.000000
High Input Latency: 0.010000
High Output Latency: 0.000000
Supported Rates:

Then 2.0.4 has this additional one:

Device ID: 25
Device name: Microphone (US-800)
Host name: Windows WDM-KS
Input channels: 8
Output channels: 0
Low Input Latency: 0.010000
Low Output Latency: 0.010000
High Input Latency: 0.085333
High Output Latency: 0.085333
Supported Rates:

The manual clearly says you can send the US-800 input signal to a WDM device. Try what it says in the manual about clicking in the “Direct Route” box then using the pull-downs.

I am not sure about how Windows “Sound” copes with a multi-channel device that uses ASIO but I suspect it only shows devices as Windows WASAPI sees them (MME and Windows DirectSound are emulated on top of WASAPI, so ancient devices that only work with MME will still appear in Windows Sound).

WDM-KS requires applications to have exclusive access to the sound card, so if you have some other application open that can use WDM-KS that could deny Audacity access.

You could try shutting down the computer then try again with WDM-KS in Audacity without running any other DAW’s or audio applications.


Gale