No Playback on MacBook (loud click instead)

[Bill Dougal]

We have just installed 2.0.5 on an IMac OS 10.8.4. All settings on the computer are at full as is setting in Audacity. Waveforms look perfect, view meter is bouncing but we hear nothing at all - not even static. Any suggestions?

[kozikowski]

You should make sure Audacity is trying to send sound to your speakers.

Audacity > Preferences > Devices > Playback: [X] Built-In Speakers (select)

Yours may say Built-In Output or something like that. It should be pretty obvious.
Koz

[kmarty]

I have the same (or similar) issue - when I try to playback, I hear just few miliseconds of sound, then one loud click and then is all silent. Sometimes it clicks immediately.
When I try the same with Audacity 2.0.3 then everything is ok.

After this loud click, it seems that soundcard is stucked, because for playing again I have to try to play i.e. wav file through QuickTime twice (first time it just clicks as well as in Audacity 2.0.4 and 2.0.5, second time start to play).

[Gale Andrews]

I have the same (or similar) issue - when I try to playback, I hear just few miliseconds of sound, then one loud click and then is all silent. Sometimes it clicks immediately.
When I try the same with Audacity 2.0.3 then everything is ok.

What are you trying to play - an audio file that you imported into Audacity? If you Generate > Tone, can you hear that when you play it?

What is your playback device in Device Toolbar ? Set it to your speakers or built-in output.

Otherwise, try resetting preferences. I suggest you quit Audacity, open Finder, Go > Go to Folder and type:

Code: Select all

~/Library/Application Support/audacity/  

then open the file "audacity.cfg". Select all the text in audacity.cfg and delete it.

Then type the following at the top of the file:

Code: Select all

NewPrefsInitialized=1  

Save audacity.cfg. Reboot the Mac and restart Audacity.

If you are trying to play to an external device, try setting that device up in Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup. Use standard settings - 16-bit, 44100 Hz.


Gale

[kmarty]

What are you trying to play - an audio file that you imported into Audacity?

Doesn't matter, imported audio file or generated tone makes the same result.

If you Generate > Tone, can you hear that when you play it?

No. Actually for a first time a very short tone is heard, but immediately speakers loudly clicks and sound is gone. Next try to play it makes just loud click.

What is your playback device in Device Toolbar ? Set it to your speakers or built-in output.

"Built-In Output"

Otherwise, try resetting preferences...

Code: Select all

echo "NewPrefsInitialized=1" > ~/Library/Application Support/audacity/audacity.cfg

Reboot the Mac and restart Audacity.

Same result. Loud click followed by silence.

If you are trying to play to an external device, try setting that device up in Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup. Use standard settings - 16-bit, 44100 Hz.

No change.

[Gale Andrews]

If you Generate > Tone, can you hear that when you play it?

No. Actually for a first time a very short tone is heard, but immediately speakers loudly clicks and sound is gone. Next try to play it makes just loud click.

Audacity should not be changing any settings of the sound device. No-one else is reporting this as far as I know.

If Quick Time can have the same issue, it sounds as if it could be a hardware problem.

Are you saying that 2.0.3 consistently does not do this, but 2.0.4 and 2.0.5 consistently have this problem?

Exactly what version of OS X is it? Exactly what Mac machine is it?

If it's Mavericks you may need to reinstall it. Mavericks can have quirky behaviour if installed on top of an earlier version of OS X.


Gale

[kmarty]

QuickTime (or any other sound application, including Audacity 2.0.3) doesn't have this issue. It doesn't seem to be HW problem.

Yes, Audacity 2.0.3 works with none of this problem. I use it regulary.

It is MacBookPro5,3
OS X version: 10.9 (installed from zero, it wasn't "upgrade").

I had Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8.4 or 10.8.5) when Audacity 2.0.4 was released. And it was first time I got this issues. Since that, I stayed at 2.0.3. So I think it is not Mavericks related issue.

The most detailed description of this issue is showed in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpUJzs1o1Ho
(I don't know english enough to exactly describe everything with this issue, so video with this issue could be more helpful - please notice the description of that video, the temporary "solution" works just until reboot)

[kmarty]

BTW.

... No-one else is reporting this as far as I know.

I found this: http://forum.audacityteam.org/viewtopic ... 30#p227730
and this: http://forum.audacityteam.org/viewtopic ... 03#p227803
Unfortunatelly that is last macbookandrew's (and your) post I've found about that.
(and no, I don't run it from DMG file)

[Gale Andrews]

QuickTime (or any other sound application, including Audacity 2.0.3) doesn't have this issue.

But you said (and show in your video)

play i.e. wav file through QuickTime twice (first time it just clicks)

The most detailed description of this issue is showed in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpUJzs1o1Ho
(I don't know english enough to exactly describe everything with this issue, so video with this issue could be more helpful - please notice the description of that video, the temporary "solution" works just until reboot)

Thanks. By the way, you can open QuickTime and use File > New Screen Recording to make a video of the screen (with audio if you have a microphone). See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TidEkPsiXzA .

It's interesting that the second QuickTime play fixes Audacity playback while you are logged in. Does Audacity playback still work if you quit and restart it immediately? Also see below about a possible reason for this problem.

BTW.

... No-one else is reporting this as far as I know.

I found this: http://forum.audacityteam.org/viewtopic ... 30#p227730
and this: http://forum.audacityteam.org/viewtopic ... 03#p227803
Unfortunatelly that is last macbookandrew's (and your) post I've found about that.
(and no, I don't run it from DMG file)

OK thanks for pointing that out. I had only seen Lipwak's response that problems had been fixed. It shows well why it's always best to start a new topic and not jump on someone else's.

I have added a link to this topic in that one.

So we have just two reports now, both on MacBook Pro's, since 2.0.4 was released in September. It may or may not be related to the update to portaudio r1885 for 2.0.4 release: http://code.google.com/p/audacity/source/detail?r=12231 .

We updated PortAudio again for 2.0.5 release.

Might Macbooks turn off the audio subsystem after 20 seconds of inactivity be anything to do with this? That is, for some reason, Audacity 2.0.4 and later cannot restart the audio subsystem once it has stopped? If you play a file in QuickTime twice, then wait a couple of minutes before playing in Audacity, does it still play? Or if you download Antipop linked to in that "makeuseof" article, does it help?


Gale

[kmarty]

By the way, you can open QuickTime and use File > New Screen Recording to make a video of the screen (with audio if you have a microphone). See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TidEkPsiXzA .

I know that, but I purposely recorded it by external camera (phone) to avoid any distortion of that example.

EDIT: I tested recording using QuickTime player and it happened what I expected - it is unable to record this issue with screen recording (QuickTime "overrides" soundcard and everything looks like no issue exists ever).