Audacity freezes at startup and its logo remains frozen in the screen

[the_tourist]

Before installing 2.3.3 from the recommended PPA, I had the same difficulties with version 2.2.1 which in Linux Mint Mate 19.2 comes from the Ubuntu repository. No differences....

I indicate another discussion I found on the forum that seems to have described the same problem. It also ends without any indicated solutions:
viewtopic.php?t=106751

[steve]

I had the same difficulties with version 2.2.1

From day 1? Has Audacity ever run on this machine?

[the_tourist]

No, I have never managed to get Audacity to open correctly (without freezing at its logo level) on this machine since I reinstalled it with Linux Mint Mate 19.2 64bit. This is true for both Audacity version 2.2.1 (repository) and 2.3.3 (PPA).

Audacity is the only software that freezes on this machine, a laptop that also works very well with all the other software I am used to installing.

Previously this computer was running under version 18.3 of Linux Mint Mate 64bit. Audacity was installed and working very well. I did a complete re-installation, first with Linux Mint Mate 19.1 64bit, then I updated it to 19.2. It was at this step that I then tried to install Audacity.

I also have 2 other computers that work well with Audacity 2.3.3; one under Linux Mint Mate 18.3 64bit and the other under Linux Mint Mate 19.2 64bit.

I have been using Audacity for a very long time and have successfully installed it on many different computers and Linux versions.

This is the first time I have been confronted with an impossibility to make Audacity work.

[steve]

Does "Gnome Sound Recorder" work on that machine?

[Radek]

I'm also on Linux Mint 19.2 and I had the same problem after a kernel update.
I'm using Audacity 2.2.1.

I'm guessing that you upgraded to 19.2 around the time the bad kernels emerged.
(By 'bad', I mean there's some incompatibility with Audacity.)

For me, the newest kernel that still works with Audacity and doesn't cause the freeze at launch is 4.15.0-55.

I tried a few in 4.15.0-6x and the latest 4.15.0-72 and they all cause this same crash.

I suggest installing 4.15.0-55 or earlier (-48 also worked fine), and choosing the older kernel on bootup in grub to see if that solves the problem.

(I'm still using -55 just to have a way of using Audacity. For me, everything else works with the newer kernels.)

Good luck!

[steve]

For me, the newest kernel that still works with Audacity and doesn't cause the freeze at launch is 4.15.0-55.

I tried a few in 4.15.0-6x and the latest 4.15.0-72 and they all cause this same crash.

I suggest installing 4.15.0-55 or earlier (-48 also worked fine), and choosing the older kernel on bootup in grub to see if that solves the problem.

I'm using "5.0.0-36-generic" in Ubuntu, and it works fine for me.

[the_tourist]

@Steeve
"Gnome Sound Recorder" is not installed by default on Linux Mint 19.2
I installed "Audio-Recorder" instead, and it works very well.

@Radek
I followed your advice, I reinstalled 4.15.0-55 and then booted on it, unfortunately Audacity doesn't work any better with this kernel...

I'm afraid something was corrupted during my first unsuccessful installation of Audacity (2.2.1) and that this flaw now blocks the operation of any version of Audacity I install, fortunately, without affecting the rest of the system and other applications.

Maybe a reinstallation of my entire system would be the best solution to fix this, but it would be too much work to reinstall, optimize and reconfigure all the software I add. So.... I'm afraid I'll have to do without Audacity on this machine, until I have no choice but to reinstall a new version of Linux Mint in a few years.

[oliverjames]

Has anyone found a solution for this? I've had this issue since doing a fresh install of Mint xfce 19.3 in December 2019. The problem exists with the latest Mint repository version and with the latest Audacity version 2.3.3

I note that Audacity runs perfectly on MX-Linux vers 19.1, on the same machine.

It looks like a dependency issue. Any suggestions would be very welcome.

[steve]

As this problem appears to be specific to Linux Mint 19.x, has it been reported to Mint?

[oliverjames]

As this problem appears to be specific to Linux Mint 19.x, has it been reported to Mint?

Yes, in December 2019, and reactivated today.