Audacity Forum

aean wrote:Of course this raises a whole slew of questions, mainly: Why in 1.3.6 and not 1.2.6?

Audacity 1.3.x, as you know, is the beta (development) version of Audacity and is subject to many changes and revisions on the path to releasing the new (1.4) stable version. These changes may sometimes introduce new bugs along the way, which then need to be fixed in later beta releases. The way that Audacity accesses the sound card has undergone quite a few changes in 1.3 and support for new modern hardware has gradually improved, though not without temporarily loosing support for some existing hardware along the way.

I think that many of the initial problems were due to your computer (as you told us) being a bit of a mess. Now that you have cleared loads of stuff off you are in a much better position to sort out any Audacity problems (a clean install of your operating system would be even better).

You want Audacity 1.3, but you are having problems with 1.3.6, so perhaps it would help to take a little step back and use Audacity 1.3.4. Personally I found 1.3.4 to be one of the most stable Audacity releases available for XP.
You can get Audacity 1.3.4 from here: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfile ... e_id=50145

aean wrote:plus they're industry standard or something.

That's marketing hype. They were at one time the industry standard for graphic design, but have lost much of that niche to PC's due to the considerable additional costs involved with Macs. They have never been the industry standard for music, though they have enjoyed a good amount of popularity with some users over the years.

perhaps it would help to take a little step back and use Audacity 1.3.4.

Never occurred to me to take a step back. Thanks! I just installed 1.3.4; same deal. I'm taking another look at my drivers. My sound card is a SoundBlaster Live Value! and I was able to download drivers and such after I bought it. I recall installing a universal pack of SB Live Value WDM (or something) to accommodate ASIO use in Reason.

I'm backtracking now.

(a clean install of your operating system would be even better)

It's looking like I'll be doing that this weekend. This issue has kept me from my normal routines and I'm catching a slight decline in how my system runs. I never caught it before because I'm usually multitasking.

aean wrote:My sound card is a SoundBlaster Live Value!

Well I can assure you that your sound card should work well with Audacity - that's what I use.
I'm on Linux now, but used it successfully on XP for a long time (still do occasionally).

If you're technically inclined, here are some third party drivers available for this card called the Kx project ( http://kxproject.lugosoft.com/ ). They are a lot more complicated than the standard drivers, but are awesome. They provide better performance, and the kind of flexibility that you normally only find on top end music cards, but I'll say again - they are a lot more complicated than the standard Creative Labs drivers.

If you re-install and decide to use the Kx drivers - DO NOT INSTALL the Creative Labs drivers as getting rid of them completely (which you have to do) is a real pain.

If you re-install and decide to go with the standard drivers, avoid installing all the rubbish that is included on the disk. Rather than running the installation disk, allow Windows to recognise your sound card, then direct Windows to your installation disk to install the drivers only. If Windows installs drivers automatically from its own database, you can go into the Windows Control Panel, and from the "System" icon (Classic View), update the sound card drivers from your disk (or your downloaded drivers if more recent).

If you use sound fonts or the hardware effects on the SB Live Value, then you may want to install some of the additional software, but it's best to only install the bits that you need, not the whole bloated bundle.

Thanks! I'll have a look at that option.

btw, the recording issue with 1.3.6 seems to be solved. I believe it all boils down to a patch I forgot to install. the patch allows for playback while recording. I installed it from creative today. rebooted. and everything's running as if nothing's happened.

an off-topic cause for concern: I seem to be forgetting things. I thought I'd removed 1.3.6 in favour of 1.3.4 but I hadn't. so my testing was actually done in the former. this patch, I thought I'd already installed so I never suspected it. scary

Had a bit of a scare with my sound, as I kept hearing popping noises.
I ran Audacity 1.3.4 and 1.3.6, and I tell the programmes just weren't behaving properly at all!

So, I decided to do a fresh install of XP, only to have my pc crash during setup. I try this several times, but keep getting stop code 0x8e. 'Fine! Whatever!' I think to myself. 'As long as I still have my files.' I booted up normally and did a few searches on the subject. I came across WinASO, a registry cleaner (trial). What the heck, I figure. I've never, EVER cleaned a registry on any of my pcs because I just don't think about.

Ran WinASO, found like (literally) over a 1,000 errors in the registry. Unfortunately, the trial only let's you correct 10 at a time, so I just bought that programme. With it, I was able to clean my registry, clean up invalid shortcuts, and a number of other diagnostics. I perform an analysis using System Mechanic, which stated that I had 0% memory available. I fixed it, then remembering what everyone here had been telling me all along, I decided to MANUALLY defrag my drives instead of trusting the System Mechanic's analysis test.

That done, I used Free Internet Washer to clear off internet debris (probably an unnecessary action, but I wanted to be sure).

A re-boot and suddenly Audacity is doing cartwheels like a kid whose just gotten over the measles. I was able to work within the problem with VERY, I mean, VERY little resistance. I worked on four projects back to back and Audacity pulled through.

All over the forum, I hear the same thing about how Audacity just doesn't like a dirt system. Funny how a little 4mb programme can demand so much attention. I haven't figured out the stop code during setup. At this point, I'm inclined to just leave it alone.To just keep cleaning the registry and defragging.

So, what I've learnt so far:

1.) When Audacity starts coughing, it's usually because it's getting ill. Check, HD space, and defrag the HD regularly. Do a virus scan, just to be sure.
2.) Do not neglect cleaning the registry! Earlier I stated that I was noticing a decline in my pc's performance. Most likely because of over 1,000 errors all vying for attention. The last thing I would have thought about is registry issue. I mean, who thinks about their pc's registry?
3.) Keep sound drivers (all drivers really) up-to-date.
4.) Let Audacity have center stage when it is running. Shut off A|V scanners and such. Because I mostly use my phone for internet connections, I go ahead and shut down my firewall.
5.) This is something I'm going to start implementing, along the lines of what was said earlier about those who do a fresh install after a big project. Basically, after I'm finished working with Audacity, I'm going to do tests for disk space, registry, and defrag (if needed).

I feel like a disruptive child who must write 'I'm sorry' a hundred times on the blackboard.

Live and learn, huh?

here are some third party drivers available for this card called the Kx project

I just dl'ed the drivers. I haven't installed them yet. But, I'm happy to have them for when I'm ready to do such. I want to make sure I fully understand how to install them.

I'm a Mac shop now

Macs are more expensive than PCs. Is this because they are more "specialised" in terms of parts and such? I can easily build a pc using Frankenstein parts. Is this not so with a Mac? Mind, I'm still toying with the idea of taking that jump into Appleworld.

aean wrote: ....Funny how a little 4mb programme can demand so much attention.

Yes but it does an awful lot of work when it is recording, or applying effects, or just re-sizing the window ....

Glad you got it working again aean - and thanks for the insights you provided,

WC

So I woke up this morning and found Audacity all snuggled up next to me under the covers.

'I'm so glad you're showing that you love me,' it says.

In fact, my entire pc is running a hundred times better!

No blue screens or slow performance. I was even able to edit a files that had something like 18 tracks whereas before Audacity would just freeze up.

I can honestly say this issue has been resolved.

Thanks all as I have gleamed a great deal of knowledge.