Option to Record a Dead WASAPI Stream as Silence

I would like to propose a feature that was already suggested in 2014/2015 (https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/windows-wasapi-stops-record-when-silenced/36338/1).

Currently, if one starts a recording with Windows WASAPI Speaker loopback as the recording device, the recording head will remain at 0:00 until an audio source connects (eg. a browser playing a youtube video), and it will abruptly stop again, if the audio source disconnects. The big problem is that this makes it impossible to have consistent time codes over the length of the recording when synced with other recordings.

Therefore an option to record missing WASAPI stream data as silence would be really useful. The current behavior is just confusing, if you don’t know what’s going on.
Some users might even check the transport option “Sound Activated Recording”, and they will be even more frustrated, because they will find out that it has no effect on this problem.

Please add this feature. Can’t be that hard

Currently, Audacity will record the WASAPI stream exactly as it is, without modification. This is one of the main reasons for using WASAPI.

To do what you are suggesting, Audacity would have to generate samples if the WASAPI stream does not provide them - Audacity would no longer be recording the WASAPI stream exactly as it is, without modification, thus undermining one of the main reasons for using WASAPI.

I’m not at all keen on changing something that works as it should, to working in some other way.

Why is that a problem?
What are you trying to synchronise?

Much harder than working around the issue.

In the Windows Sound control panel, just enable “Listen to this device” for any recording device that you are not using. Ensure that the device is muted (recording level set to zero). You now have a permanent, silent playback stream.