Audacity Forum

Please forgive me if this has been addressed elsewhere. I have searched and not found anything. My customer asked me to start sending the audio in stereo. So I went into preferences to change it, and got an error message "playback and recording device must use the same type" et cetera. Now it refuses to record anything, no matter what combination I choose, mono or stereo. I just get a flat line. Playback and editing of older files is fine. I'm running Windows Vista. I use a small mixing board in to the sound card on the CPU.

At the time that this happened, I had Skype. I use it only if the customer demands it, then I un-install it. But this time I had forgotten, and it had brought in Google Chrome on top of the bargain. Could either of those cause Audacity to stop working when I tried to make changes?

I deleted/re-installed Audacity and Lame. Didn't hurt anything but still can't record.

Editing to add: Can't record with Windows recorder, but Freecorder works fine. What the heck did I do???

I'm not one of the Windows Elves, but I can tell you one of the first questions we ask is whether or not you have a relationship with Skype. Skype viciously reassigns sound pathways to do what it needs to get the job done and what you want after the fact isn't relevant.

Sometimes the pathways go back to normal and sometimes they don't.

You should be able to force them to go back, particularly if the service you want is the computer's built in audio.

Windows Control Panel
http://audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php? ... trol_Panel

Koz

<<<I use a small mixing board in to the sound card on the CPU. >>>

Just a clue to the frustration you're going to have later (I predict). Do you have the sound board plugged into the Mic-In of your laptop? It's mono. Most Windows laptops do not have a stereo Line-In connection like large deskside PCs and Macs.

So all this time you've been sending the laptop stereo (left and right show) and only recording Left.

That's not to say you can't fake out the client. After you get the show back together, "convert" it to stereo and ship that.

This is the place where I'm horrified you're still using Audacity 1.2. Upgrade to 1.3.12.
http://audacityteam.org/download/

You can safely have both Audacity versions, but only use one at a time. Audacity 1.3.12 Projects will not open in 1.2.


In Audacity 1.3.12:
Edit > Duplicate
From the drop-down box on the left of the top track > Make Stereo Track.
Export.

Koz

Thank you for your responses. I will try what you suggest. To answer the second guy:

Do you have the sound board plugged into the Mic-In of your laptop? No laptop. It's a big PC, and I have been using this for several years, on this same PC.

This is the place where I'm horrified you're still using Audacity 1.2. Sorry, didn't notice I was in that particular forum. I got 1.3.12 when it became available.

After you get the show back together, "convert" it to stereo and ship that. Nice, but I gotta get it to record first.

You can safely have both Audacity versions, but only use one at a time. Audacity 1.3.12 Projects will not open in 1.2. I wouldn't know because I deleted 1.2 when I downloaded the newer one. Old projects run fine in the newer version.

And no more Skype! If they can't get Gizmo, they'll have to do it over the phone.

OK, I went through those steps and in fact a device was disabled, so it's enabled now. It was Stereo Mix, Realtek High definition audio. But the Line in is the default device and that was enabled. Still won't record, even if I change the default. Input matches output for sample rate where it did not, but still, flat line. What am I missing?

You generally don't want Stereo Mix selected. That's the module that lets you record internet audio. It runs the record and playback sides of the computer at the same time and can cause some interesting problems for plain recordings.

Reset Audacity preferences to 44100, 16-bit, Stereo. Restart Audacity. Make sure the settings stuck.

Make sure the Windows Control Panels still have Line-In as their default. Unplug and replug the audio cable from at the sound card firmly at least twice and power down the computer. I mean all the way. Shut down, pull the wall power plug and count to ten. Plug it back in and boot.

Does it break in the same place?

Koz

I made sure all those things were done before I posted. All settings are back to original, turned off & waited 60 seconds to reboot. I have a query in to Skype now, since they are the ones who caused it.

<<<I made sure all those things were done before I posted. All settings are back to original, turned off & waited 60 seconds to reboot. I have a query in to Skype now, since they are the ones who caused it.>>>

You missed the English words where you tell me whether it worked or not and whether it gets stuck in the same place.

Koz

Audacity has an input preference, too.

Edit > Preferences > Devices.

Is that set to the right thing?

Koz

Getting stuck implies that it works and then stops. It doesn't get stuck - it simply will not record. The program operates, but no waveform. Records and plays back a flat line. Old projects load and play ok.
Preferences are set to where it was before the problem started, and I have also tried all 16 possible combinations. Rate is 44100 as usual.

One question though: What's the difference between hosts MME and Windows DirectSound?

Skype's solution was to direct me to a 3rd party un-installer. I'll push them a little harder.