trouble recording computer output

[donutguy640]

Windows 8.1 Pro
Audacity 2.1.3
I'm not sure exactly what sound card I have, but I've had it well over a year, and don't remember problems with it in the past.
I've recently reverted back to a system image, and I think this is my first time trying to use Audacity since.

I'm just trying to record my computer's sound output, no microphone, just straight from the sound card. I found that I CAN record if I choose Windows WASAPI in the Audio Host pulldown menu, but that it pauses recording when there's no signal. I'm undecided on whether I like this, it's certainly not what I'm used to.

Strangely though, I think, it stops pausing if I already have an audio track before telling it to record. It only pauses if it's a blank project.

How do I get the old behavior back?

[kozikowski]

I've recently reverted back to a system image,

Like someone asking if you know where the fire extinguishers are...and won't tell you why.
Why would you revert to a System Image?

just straight from the sound card.

Where is the soundcard getting it from? Podcast? Surveillence track? Skype?

it pauses recording when there's no signal.

I think that's normal. Data management halts when the stream stops.

if I already have an audio track

So if you record a short silent track and then Shift-R (Append Record), it works just fine? That sends me back to the original question. Why were you doing heavy system maintenance.

Koz

[donutguy640]

Like someone asking if you know where the fire extinguishers are...and won't tell you why.
Why would you revert to a System Image?

Yeah, "wont"...right...what questions have you asked that I refused to answer?
I reverted from Win10, because *sucks in air* Creator's Update, I think it was, decided to suck 5GB on C: (an SSD, with about 5GB remaining, that I had JUST finished cleared up), install things for which I had no use or interest, without asking, and other things I no longer remember. In trying to roll back the update, the start button and associated functionality disappeared completely, even after reboot and several attempts at fixing (including a thread on answers.microsoft.com)
I don't know what all bits of information are important, but will happily answer questions. Please don't imply that I'm being secretive.

Where is the soundcard getting it from? Podcast? Surveillence track? Skype?

I'm trying to record multiple separate sounds from an application, for comparison purposes. I've never had to distinguish between sources like that, if it comes out the speakers, I can record it directly.

I think that's normal. Data management halts when the stream stops.

Interestingly, as soon as I posted this, it started sporadically doing one way or the other. I opened it just now, expecting pauses, and it happily records silence. I've tried messing with the Recording Device pulldown, and the Sync-Lock Tracks button, but if either of those caused the change, they aren't appearing to change it back.

So if you record a short silent track and then Shift-R (Append Record), it works just fine? That sends me back to the original question. Why were you doing heavy system maintenance.

Yeah, it just continues recording as if I never stopped it.

[kozikowski]

Yeah, it just continues recording as if I never stopped it.

OK. That's ...odd.

Why would you revert to a System Image?

A very serious note like that is usually associated with 'why' straight away.

We'll see what the heavy Windows elves are doing.

Koz

[donutguy640]

OK. That's ...odd.

Erm...I thought not? I was kind of wondering about my wording there, though...I don't mean I can't stop it recording, just that when I press Shift + R, it picks up where it left off as if nothing happened...idk if that's what you thought I meant

A very serious note like that is usually associated with 'why' straight away.

*shrugs* I didn't think it pertinent.

[steve]

I CAN record if I choose Windows WASAPI in the Audio Host pulldown menu, but that it pauses recording when there's no signal.

That is normal.
Audacity can only record when there is an audio stream, but WASAPI is a bit different to other sound systems in that it starts and stops on demand. If nothing is playing, then WASAPI stops, so the audio stream stops, so Audacity has no data to write and can only wait for the next data to arrive.

As you note, there are workarounds if you really need to keep recording "nothing". Workarounds arel based on keeping the playback stream active. Creating an empty track in Audacity is good workaround as it avoids adding noise to the recording (an empty track is totally silent). Another workaround is to set a recording device as "listen to this device", but that has the downside that any audio going into that input, including noise created by the input itself, is mixed in with the recording.

There's no way to stop WASAPI working the way that it does - that's the way that Microsoft designed it. All you can do is work around it if you need it to do something different.

[donutguy640]

Hmm, interesting. I have no recollection of what I used before, but aside from WASAPI, there's MME and Windows DirectSound. Are either of those common for recording computer output like I'm doing? They both currently and consistently refuse to record at all, saying "error opening sound device, blah blah blah"

I WOULD just say heck with it, and keep the workaround, but I can't tell from day to day which way it's going to behave when I open it, and I find that frustrating. Yesterday I opened it, and it didn't pause for silence, even without the workaround. Today, I open it, and it pauses. I guess day to day is better than second to second though, like right before I first posted this O_o

Maybe I'll just have to settle for the workaround anyway, I know not all problems are worth fixing. I thank you both, in either case

[donutguy640]

Kozikowski, Steve, anybody...if you have any idea what might be causing this, it would be VERY appreciated! I open Audacity again today, and AGAIN it has switched behaviors!

[steve]

If you are recording with WASAPI loopback. then recording will pause when there is no audio stream.
If you are recording with WASAPI loopback and recording is not paused, then there is an active audio stream.
What more can I tell you?

I thought that you were successfully recording using WASAPI loopback. Is that not the case? What exactly is the problem? All I've got so far is "I'm undecided on whether I like this", which does not really explain what the problem is, if indeed there is a problem.

[donutguy640]

If you are recording with WASAPI loopback. then recording will pause when there is no audio stream.
If you are recording with WASAPI loopback and recording is not paused, then there is an active audio stream.
What more can I tell you?

I thought that you were successfully recording using WASAPI loopback. Is that not the case? What exactly is the problem? All I've got so far is "I'm undecided on whether I like this", which does not really explain what the problem is, if indeed there is a problem.

That does not seem to always be the case though. Maybe I just don't know what all qualifies as providing an audio stream.There's no audio stream I'm aware of, I have no music playing, not even paused, nothing I can audibly hear coming from the speakers.

Well, I typed a bunch about how that's not always the case, I have no audio streams I'm aware of, even killed my paused music player, and it occurred to me maybe there are some silent video ads or something playing on another page, so I killed my browser. Now it pauses. I reloaded the pages one by one, and this one seems to affect the behavior. I don't see any video ads or anything, but it does have buttons I can press to listen to something. I...guess that counts? Before today, I would have guessed even muted video provides no audio stream.

Side note probably interesting only to me: paused MIDIs only count if you pause them after starting to record...interesting

So, I guess I understand enough to feel I have control again, at least. Thank you, have a good week!