I was going through a recording session today using Windows WASAPI and a usb headset with a mixamp to record audio from my computer through the headset. Partway through that session my recording cursor turned red (it had been green before) and stopped recording UNLESS there was audio actually being played. This had not been the case previously. I had not changed any settings to make this happen. I checked to make sure the Sound Activated Recording option was off. Closing and reopening the session did not help. I switched to MME and used my mic instead, which caused the cursor to remain red and for audio to be recorded but as my apartment is not the quietest place I am not certain if this just meant Audacity was picking up sound from the mic or not. Pressing pause and stop repeatedly (I saw this suggestion in other posts) did not help. After a reinstall (during which I reset my preferences and updated to the newest version of Audacity) and a check of my audio drivers (they are all up to date) I am at a bit of a loss as to why this is happening now.
I am fairly new to Audacity so I am very willing to chalk it up to some error I have made, I’m just at a loss as to what settings I could have changed if indeed that is the case. I’ll take whatever suggestions folks think may help, but I’m hoping I have covered the most obvious ones.
I have attached my audio device info and a screenshot of the behavior. Please let me know if there is any further information I can provide. deviceinfo.txt (8.47 KB)
@waxycylinder If that is the case then why did this behavior only begin after several sessions of using the Windows WASAPI to successfully record dead air between instances of audio? This behavior is completely new to me, so if it is a feature of the WASAPI host then it still doesn’t explain the whole issue.
@waxycylinder If that is the case then why did this behavior only begin after several sessions of using the Windows WASAPI to successfully record dead air between instances of audio?
Something may have changed in your setup.
A silent digital audio stream will continue to record but when there is no audio stream it stops.
Audacity will only record when it is receiving a stream of audio samples.
WASAPI only produces a stream of samples when something is “playing”. Usually this is when an application is playing sound, but it can also be if a recording device has “listen to this device” enabled, or if a web page has an active audio stream, or anything else that generates audio samples. The audio samples do not have to be audible, they can be silent.
If you want WASAPI loopback recording to be continuous, then one of the easiest ways is to go into the Windows Sound control panel and enable "listen to this device to any recording device that is not in use, but ensure that the volume is turned down so that it does not create noise.
Thank you everyone for the replies! I guess some setting must have changed and I didn’t realize it. Regardless, I’ll just learn to record this way and all will be well.
