Video problems with 2,4,1

I am running Linux Mint 19.3 and upgraded Audacity from 2.3.3 to 2.4.1 today.

I am running into the following video problems I did not have with 2.3.3:

  1. If I open Audacity with no file, I used to get solid gray between the top menus and toolbars, and the toolbars at the bottom. With the new version, this area shows what is on the desktop under Audactiy – as if the area in Audacity is totally transparent. If I then load a file I see the waveform(s) as before.

In addition, when I close a project with Ctrl-W or the menu, the waveforms remain on the screen – but are not there in function. In other words the section with the waveforms does not go back to solid grayIf I open Audacity with no file, I used to get solid gray between the top menus and toolbars, and the toolbars at the bottom. With the new version, this area shows what is on the desktop under Audactiy – as if the area in Audacity is totally transparent. If I then load a file I see the waveform(s) as before.

Anyone having these issues or have ideas?

I would like to go back to 2.3.3 but cannot find a link to download the .deb file.

Thanks

Hi,

Have you tried renaming the .audacity-data folder and allowing Audacity to create a new one?

The only visual issue I’ve seen with 2.4.1 (so far) is that the Device Toolbar drop-down boxes are all messed-up and text doesn’t align in them well - particularly after restarting Audacity. Dragging them to expand helps but it’s still far from correct.

ATB,
Neil

I am having exactly the same problem and I am also using Linux Mint 19.3 (64-bit). Not only is there a small strip of my desktop showing when no project is open but the small Audacity splash screen that used to appear is being replaced with a chuck of my desktop too.

Hi,

This could be a graphics driver issue. I’m using the nvidia-440 driver and the Mint-Y theme with Papirus icons. I don’t see the startup splash at all but otherwise no desktop show-through.

ATB,
Neil

I don’t have this problem with any other program. I am running a pretty vanilla system with no special drivers.

I was able to restore a Timeshift backup with 2.3.3 for the moment pending some kind of solution.

If you are logged into a Wayland session, you will see problems with Audacity because Audacity does not yet support Wayland.
If that’s the problem that you are experiencing, then the solution is to reboot and log into an xorg session.

Thanks but not logged into a Wayland session.

Just upgraded to 2.4.1 on my laptop and don’t have the same problem. So it seems that there’s something about my desktop setup creating it.

Still have the problem with 2.4.1 on my desktop but I found that if I double-click on the top of the Audacity window twice I get the correct display. This “solves” the problem when Audacity opens without a file as well as when a project is closed.

Sorry Bert, I’ve just seen your PM but I am not able to reply; the system won’t let me. I didn’t solve the issue with 2.4.1 and I had to revert to 2.2.1 because it was all I could find. I am hoping that a sound version of 2.4.2 will appear in the PPA before too long.

Just installed 2.4.2 from the Update Manager and the problem persists. Anyone else run into this and have a solution?

Thanks to another Board I found the problem.

It was in a file called ~/.xinputrc which contained one line which casued all the video issues with Audacity.

I checked .xinputrc on my laptop (where Audacity works) and my desktop (where I had the problem).

On the laptop, there was a line ‘run-im none’. On the desktop it was ‘run-im ibus’. I changed the desktop to match the laptop and now Audacity 2.4.2 works like a charm.

Evidently .xinputrc was automatically created by im-config at some point in the past. I looked at man for im-config and it’s purpose is to “set up input method configuration for X Window System”. The man pages have a lot more details.

Which Linux distribution does this refer to? Linux Mint 19.3?

Yes, Linux Mint 19.3.

  Host: desktop-linux Kernel: 5.4.0-45-generic x86_64 bits: 64 
  Desktop: Cinnamon 4.4.8 Distro: Linux Mint 19.3 Tricia