Using Audacity (version 3.1.3) for years and always worked super until I installed the most recent version. Tried everything but can’t get WASAPI to work to record the (digital) sound that is playing on my desktop (Windows 10).
Initially the soundbar didn’t even start running after I hit the recordbutton. Now finally it does after I checked the box ‘Hearable input-monitoring’ in the recording preferences… but there’s nothing recorded. I even installed the 3.1.3 version again, but the problem stays! What to do??
After selecting WASAPI, as your Recording Device whatever is playing the audio and select the one that says (loopback).
Don’t do that! Loopback records whatever is coming out of your soundcard so the sound needs to be coming out first.
If you enable Audible input recording at the same time you’ll create an internal feedback loop, recording what you’re playing while playing what you’re recording… You’ll get an echo and possibly “runaway” feedback & distortion.
P.S.
If you’re talking about a TV soundbar, loopback MIGHT not work with surround sound… I don’t know. You might have to use your regular soundcard and TV speakers when you want to record (in 2-channel stereo).
Finally after hours and hours I found (partial!) solution … (btw: I disabled Audible input recording, thanks for that):
I was able to solve the problem that the wavebar in Audacity (not the soundbar as in hardware, sorry) wouldn’t start moving after I pushed the red recordbutton and the problem that it recorded nothing:
Now these are my settings:
Host: Windows WASAPI
Playback device: Realtek Digital Output (Realtek(R) Audio)
Recording device: Realtek Digital Output (Realtek(R) Audio) (loopback)
Channels: 2 (stereo)
Now this is what did the trick:
Once you change the ‘standard playback device’ in Windows (10 in my case) from ‘Speakers’ to ‘Realtek digital output’, the waveform in Audacity will start running when you hit the recordbutton and Audacity is actually recording the sound. The only problem now is that you don’t hear the sound that you are recording realtime through the speakers. So now that’s the next problem to be solved … probably a setting in Windows. Finally I think this is a bug in Audacity, since the problem wasn’t there previously?
The digital output (probably) isn’t your speakers. Do you have a desktop/tower computer with an S/PDIF output (RCA or optical)? RCA digital might be color-coded orange.
I know that the (Realtek) digital output isn’t my speakers (but probably the soundcard), but the problem is - in order to have a functioning WASAPI/Audacity) I have to choose for digital output as standard in Windows (and that’s of course why I don’t hear anything from the speakers).
Not sure what you mean by S/PDIF output? If you mean how my speakers are connected to my desktop: by mini-jack …
There’s normally a loopback option for your speakers/headphones too… I don’t know why you’re not seeing it.
S/PDIF is a digital audio connection standard. I thought it might be labeled on your computer. It was standard on DVD players before HDMI “took over”. The optical standard (also S/PDIF protocol) is called TOSLINK.
It might be an issue with Windows, or maybe the drivers. If loopback doesn’t show-up as an option (for the speakers), I’m pretty sure it’s not a Audacity issue.
The bottom of this page has some alternative methods of recording what’s coming out of your soundcard.
Since you have “full soundcard” with line-in, you can plug the speaker-out into line-in and record line-in. In addition to the cable you’ll need a Y-splitter so you can plug your speakers in at the same time.
I’m having the same problem, but I’m having it on an HP OMEN-17/Windows-11 LAPTOP. Everything was working fine with Audacity 3.3.3. I went to 3.6.4 and all of a sudden I’ve got this WASAPI in the mix and now it doesn’t record at all. (I posted this as a separate trouble ticket, and in 3 weeks I’ve gotten 0 responses.) I tried reinstalling 3.3.3 and it still doesn’t work. In 3.6.4 when I click on record it seems to change mode, but the vertical line that indicates the sound-cursor is frozen, doesn’t move and no sound gets recorded. I see no signal on the upper recording meter.
The settings shown on the "Audio Settings screen are:
In the meanwhile I got it to work… with the same settings you have. Turned out I made a stupid mistake to use the settings “Realtek Digital Output (Realtek(R) Audio) (loopback)” instead of “Speakers etc…” .
What might work for you is to check your preferences in Audacity via ‘Edit > preferences > record’ … from the 4 first boxes I only checked the first and last one (see picture). Maybe it helps?
Just to clarify… Are you trying to record streaming audio, or whatever is already coming out of your soundcard?
That’s what loopback does, and the playback has to be started before you can record anything. It will record a silent stream, but it won’t start if there is no audio strea.
Yes. I am trying to record the streaming audio out of my soundcard. It seems to me that the behavior before the 3.6.4 upgrade was that it WAS possible to start the recording before starting the audio stream. If you are recording a track from YouTube, sometimes there is no blank space at the beginning and if you have to start the playback BEFORE you start Audacity/Record you will miss the first few notes of the playback. Is this a change in the behavior?
From what I understand, that’s a characteristic of WASAPI so I don’t think it’s new.
A work-around MIGHT be to play a short-silent file with Windows Media Player (or whatever) so the silent playback overlaps the beginning of the YouTube playback.
Good idea. I tried starting a track and then hitting the Audacity/Record button and it worked! So, now I just have to work on a way to tweak the start of things. Thank you so much for your help. At least it’s working now!!
