Cannot record silence

[DalePickles]

Using Audacity V 2.3.1 on Windows 10.

Prior to about a week ago, silence at the beginning or in the middle of a recording worked perfectly for me. I could start recording, record silence as long as I wanted, and then start recording sound from for instance a web site. And I could pause the source, and the silence would record for as long as I remained paused.

Starting a week ago or so, the recording will not start until sound is provided from the source. And if I pause the source, the recording will pause after about 1/2 of a second.

I need to have things as they were! I need my silence back!

I have tried all the Audacity settings stuff I can find, including "File / Preferences / Recording" where everything is unchecked, including Sound Activated Recording. And using editing tricks like cutting out sound, or pasting silence into a track will not meet my needs.

It used to be so simple and so perfect. What went wrong? Same hardware, Same operating system, same Audacity version (I even tried 2.3.3 today), same device drivers, same source, same everything; but things are not behaving the same!

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Dale Pickles

[DVDdoug]

If you are recording streaming audio with WASAPI (loopback) that's a known issue where it Windows won't record when there is no "audio stream". (It will record if there is a silent stream.)

Otherwise, mske aure Sound Activated Recording is not enabled.

[DalePickles]

Thanks, DVDdoug.

But things sure were different, and happier, for me up until about a week ago. How do you explain that?

Dale Pickles

[DVDdoug]

But things sure were different, and happier, for me up until about a week ago. How do you explain that?

Sure... Code rot!

If it's a loopback issue that's not new but maybe there was a silent stream or something else "playing" silent (or nearly silent) audio at the same time.

I think the Audacity developers could make a work-around with an option to "play silence", hopefully without too much additional demand on the system. You could probably accomplish the the same thing by playing a silent file in Windows Media Player but if that ends-up hogging too much CPU time you could get recording glitches.

P.S.
If your soundcard/drivers have give you a "Stereo Mix" or "What-U-Hear" option, that's similar to WASAPI loopback and it won't stop on silence.

[Robert2]

Hi,
I am not sure this will be of any help, but you could record the sound from One minute of silence. It does work with WASAPI in Windows 10 and latest Audacity.
Robert

[DalePickles]

I'm just trying to understand why things were one way for me for several years, and then suddenly got different. The change is a negative one for me.

I just want to somehow get things back to the way they were a few days ago... when I clicked the red Record button, the track started recording regardless of all other things; and now that is not the case.

Thanks.

[steve]

Go into the Windows Sound settings and select the recording device that you are using. For that device, enable the option "Listen to this device".

[kozikowski]

why things were one way for me for several years, and then suddenly got different.

Windows 10 update? Windows has made it so you can't opt out of their updates. There have been some nasty surprises as Microsoft closed parts of the system off from evil software, viruses and break-ins.

I could start recording, record silence as long as I wanted, and then start recording sound from for instance a web site.

You were fine until you said "from a web site." Now you're playing by Microsoft's rules. Audacity doesn't get sound from a source or thing. It gets it from Windows. Recording from a web site involves running Record and Playback services at the same time and connecting them. That's a special order.

enable the option "Listen to this device".

Did that work?

Koz

[Robert2]

Windows 10 with all currently available updates.
Audacity 2.3.3, using Windows WASAPI as Audio Host, and “Speakers” as both Recording Device (loopback) and Playback Device.
If, for example, I go to [url]CALM RADIO - Haydn[/url], recording in Audacity won’t start until I have clicked the Play button on the Web site.
If I pause play on the Web site, recording carries on in Audacity, and it records… silence (flat line) for as long as I wish.
Now if I stop recording in Audacity and undo the first recording that was made, I can press the Record New Track button, and Audacity will record silence for as long as I wish. If I relaunch Play on the Web site, Audacity records whatever is being played there. If I pause Play on the Web site, Audacity carries on recording silence for as long as I wish. Etc.
So it seems that a first recording needs to be made, then undone, before silence can be recorded at will.
HTH

[steve]

WASAPI works differently from MME or directsound.
When recording with WASAPI, there has to be an active audio stream for Audacity to record. If there is no active audio stream, then Audacity will just sit there waiting for an audio stream to start. You can't count sheep if there are no sheep, and WASAPI can't record an audio stream if there is no audio stream.