Audacity 2.1 crashes

[steve]

So you must have added some unofficial repository to your software sources.

If Synaptic Package Manager is installed, you can probably find which repository Audacity has come from by looking in the "Origin" tab.

Where does sound come out from your computer?
Do you make recordings, or just import existing files? If you record, what do you record and how?

[onraad]

repository Audacity comes from

mirror.1000mbps.com. The sound comes from my headphone connection to an amplifier and I am trying to record vinyl records. I just plug in a usb-record player. It worked fine on my Mac using Amadeus but it deceased (my Mac, I mean). Just wanted to try Ubuntu and so I ended up with Audacity (I ocassionally used it on my Mac, preferred Amadeus. Sorry

[Gale Andrews]

repository Audacity comes from

mirror.1000mbps.com.

I assume you are either getting Audacity from a later repository than Trusty (14.04) or you are using an unstable Daily alpha build of Audacity that Ubuntu provide. I still say, doing either of those would give you a build that may be prone to crashes and that you would be much better to use the 2.1.2 Ubuntu Handbook PPA.

The sound comes from my headphone connection to an amplifier and I am trying to record vinyl records. I just plug in a usb-record player.

According to the Audio Device Info, you don't have any built-in audio device except HDMI.

When you double-click that "Vous permettez" song, and so I assume it opens in Rhythmbox, how do you physically listen to the song?

Are you using the USB cable to connect the turntable to the computer? If not, try doing that, then restart Audacity. Select the USB audio CODEC explicitly as the Recording Device in Device Toolbar.


Gale

[onraad]

According to the Audio Device Info, you don't have any built-in audio device except HDMI.

Explain me why Audicty is playing for a while and then crashes.

When you double-click that "Vous permettez" song, and so I assume it opens in Rhythmbox, how do you physically listen to the song?

Through an amplifier

Are you using the USB cable to connect the turntable to the computer? If not, try doing that, then restart Audacity. Select the USB audio CODEC explicitly as the Recording Device in Device Toolbar.

I did all the time.

[Gale Andrews]

According to the Audio Device Info, you don't have any built-in audio device except HDMI.

Explain me why Audicty is playing for a while and then crashes.

Does it freeze so you have to force quit it, or crash (it simply disappears)?

If it freezes, see http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Linux_Issues#pulse.

If it crashes, we still don't know what this Audacity 2.1.2 is and how exactly you chose it. In an English build of Ubuntu 14.04 you would not by default be able to obtain 2.1.2 from Synaptic.

If it is the daily build it is inherently unstable. You should not use daily builds unless you are a developer or software tester.

What does Help > About Audacity... say exactly for Audacity version number? On the "Build Information" tab of About Audacity, what is the program build date (near the bottom)?

When you double-click that "Vous permettez" song, and so I assume it opens in Rhythmbox, how do you physically listen to the song?

Through an amplifier

How exactly does that "amplifier" connect to the computer? Through the HDMI output? Through an output with a headphones symbol?

Are you using the USB cable to connect the turntable to the computer? If not, try doing that, then restart Audacity. Select the USB audio CODEC explicitly as the Recording Device in Device Toolbar.

I did all the time.

The USB audio CODEC does not show in your Audio Device Info so you could not select it. According to that Info, you have chosen the "default" recording and playback devices. Those devices are whatever pulseaudio (the Ubuntu sound mixer) is configured to use.

In a terminal, type:

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install pavucontrol

Then

Code: Select all

pavucontrol

to open pavucontrol. You can then choose the recording (input) and playback (output) devices that pulse will use and which Audacity will use if you select "default" devices in Device Toolbar.

In your Audio Device Info I see some external device called "HD-Audio Generic: ALC269VC Analog (hw:2,0)". Is that actually the USB turntable? To test that, disconnect the USB turntable from the computer, restart Audacity, and see if that "HD-Audio Generic: ALC269VC Analog (hw:2,0)" device is still in Device Toolbar.

If "HD-Audio Generic: ALC269VC Analog (hw:2,0)" is still in Device Toolbar, what is that device? Is it an external sound card?


Gale

[onraad]

I'll get back to you tomorrow (I'm working on my Mac now). What I can say now is that I did not install Audacity through Synaptic Packet Manager but installed it with Terminal from, I think, the depository I mentioned before (which is, I assume, a mirror of the official Dutch Ubuntu-server/depository).

[onraad]

What does Help > About Audacity... say exactly for Audacity version number? On the "Build Information" tab of About Audacity, what is the program build date (near the bottom)?

Ingeschakeld
Programma-informatie
Bouwdatum van het programma:
Jan 22 2016
Commit-id:
No revision identifier was provided
Bouwtype:
release-build

How exactly does that "amplifier" connect to the computer? Through the HDMI output? Through an output with a headphones symbol?

That doesnt matter if I'm recording, aint it? But yes the output connection to the amplifier is the headphone connection.

The USB audio CODEC does not show in your Audio Device Info so you could not select it. According to that Info, you have chosen the "default" recording and playback devices. Those devices are whatever pulseaudio (the Ubuntu sound mixer) is configured to use.

I get a codec if the turn table is connected.

In a terminal, type:

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install pavucontrol

Then

Code: Select all

pavucontrol

to open pavucontrol. You can then choose the recording (input) and playback (output) devices that pulse will use and which Audacity will use if you select "default" devices in Device Toolbar.

I just did that.

In your Audio Device Info I see some external device called "HD-Audio Generic: ALC269VC Analog (hw:2,0)". Is that actually the USB turntable? To test that, disconnect the USB turntable from the computer, restart Audacity, and see if that "HD-Audio Generic: ALC269VC Analog (hw:2,0)" device is still in Device Toolbar.

If "HD-Audio Generic: ALC269VC Analog (hw:2,0)" is still in Device Toolbar, what is that device? Is it an external sound card?

I have none so it must be the turntable. I will test that. Thanks so far.

[Gale Andrews]

What does Help > About Audacity... say exactly for Audacity version number? On the "Build Information" tab of About Audacity, what is the program build date (near the bottom)?

Ingeschakeld
Programma-informatie
Bouwdatum van het programma:
Jan 22 2016
Commit-id:
No revision identifier was provided
Bouwtype:
release-build

So it was built after just after 2.1.2 was released.

In your position I would be very reluctant to use it unless I knew that it was intended for and packaged for Ubuntu 14.04.

Otherwise, using a packaged application that is intended for another version of Ubuntu is a recipe for problems.

I can't say any more, other than the behaviour is different from English Ubuntu 14.04. If I added extra sources to the list of repositories, I would get the unstable Daily build of Audacity as packaged for Ubuntu 14.04.

And were you getting freezing on playback, or was Audacity disappearing?

How exactly does that "amplifier" connect to the computer? Through the HDMI output? Through an output with a headphones symbol?

That doesnt matter if I'm recording, aint it? But yes the output connection to the amplifier is the headphone connection.

It matters because that headphone connection does not appear to be in the Audio Device Info you posted.

The USB audio CODEC does not show in your Audio Device Info so you could not select it. According to that Info, you have chosen the "default" recording and playback devices. Those devices are whatever pulseaudio (the Ubuntu sound mixer) is configured to use.

I get a codec if the turn table is connected.

If you connected the turntable while Audacity was open, restart Audacity or do Transport > Rescan Audio Devices in the Audacity menu bar so that Audacity "sees" the new device.


Gale

[onraad]

Don't call it a day before it's midnight, but I just recorded a few minutes Stones (with the Audio USB Codec) and even played it back without that annoying greying. Maybe Audacity is working now (untill midnight?). Thanks so far for your tremendous support.

[Gale Andrews]

Don't call it a day before it's midnight, but I just recorded a few minutes Stones (with the Audio USB Codec) and even played it back without that annoying greying.

If the playback problem was freezing (greying) then it is almost certainly due to that pulseaudio latency setting: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Linux_Issues#pulse.

If you choose the "default" playback device in Audacity, this will be the "fallback" (default) playback device you set in pavucontrol and you may still get playback freezing sometimes unless you change the latency value.

If rather than choosing the "default" playback device in Audacity you choose the (hw) playback device for whatever is your default playback device in pavucontrol, this bypasses pulse and plays directly to the audio device. You should not then receive any freezing when playing, but you will not be able to use any other playback applications wile Audacity is playing, and Audacity will "error opening sound device" if you try to play while another application is playing audio. This might also occur if the other application is merely running rather than playing.


Gale