Talk:FAQ - Error while opening sound device

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Revision as of 17:58, 17 October 2011 by PeterSampson (talk | contribs) (minor typo and fixed link to iki)
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The following are a set of notes gleaned from searches of the existing documentation - I plan to use these as the basis of the original draft.


From the "Linux Issues" page in the Wiki

even when no other device is using the sound card, and your permissions are correct, it simply means there's a problem with your Audacity settings. You may have a sample rate selected that your sound card does not support. You can alter this by changing the Project Rate at the bottom left of the Audacity window. If you receive the "check the input device settings" message, try setting the "recording channels" in the Audio I/O tab of Preferences to mono or stereo, and if you are recording something playing on the computer, turn off "software playthrough".


From the Release Notes 1.3.13

From the Release Notes 1.3.13 (and at least as far back as 1.3.7) in the Wiki: (Mac OS X) Very occasionally, users may find that recording causes "error opening sound device", or that after running Audacity, other media players don't produce any sound, or crash: to resolve this, set up your sound device in Apple Audio MIDI Setup to work in stereo, 16-bit, with a sample rate of 44100 Hz or 48000 Hz, and set the sample format and rate identically in Audacity. More help at: http://audacityteam.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=5064



From the Wiki Page Troubleshooting Recordings

See this section of the article in the Wiki, part of it applies to this FAQ: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Troubleshooting_Recordings#Overdubbed_recording_drifts_out-of-sync.2C_or_produces_error_or_poor_quality

Overdubbed recording drifts out-of-sync, or produces error or poor quality

If you are overdubbing a recording while playing previous tracks, conflicts between the sample rate of the tracks being played and recorded are possible. There may be "error opening sound device" when starting the overdubbed recording, or the newly recorded track may gradually become more and more out-of-synchronisation with the beat of the existing tracks, or may be of poor quality. To fix this, try the following:

  • Use the same device for playback and recording (not a USB device for recording and the computer sound device for playback or vice-versa)
  • Set the project rate bottom left of the Audacity screen to 44100 Hz (or if your sound card only uses a particular rate such as 48000 Hz, set the project rate to that). Look at Help > Audio Device Info in Audacity Beta to see the rates the device claims to support.
  • If you are on Windows Vista or Windows 7, set the Audacity project rate to the same rate as the Default Format for your sound device. To view the "Default Format", go to the system mixer, select the Playback" and "Recording" tabs in turn, right-click over a device entry > Properties, and look in the "Advanced" tab. If the playback and recording format rates are different, make them the same. Also make sure the number of recording channels set in the Audacity Preferences matches with that specified in Default Format.

    If problems persist, try playing the audio in an application other than Audacity. Try using Audacity Beta if you are not already doing so, choosing Windows DirectSound as the "host" at Edit > Preferences: Devices, and on the "Advanced" tab of "Sound" as above, ensuring both boxes for Exclusive Mode are checked.

  • Make sure the rate of the pre-existing tracks (as stated above the mute/solo buttons) is the same as the project rate. Select each track and click Project > Quick Mix (Tracks > Resample in Audacity Beta) to resample the track to the project rate.
  • Ensure your computer sound device has up-to-date drivers specifically intended for your particular computer model and operating system, as provided by the motherboard or sound device manufacturer. Driver problems can cause speed and other recording issues.
  • If you are recording with a USB or Firewire interface, sample rates and number of recording channels must be the same everywhere. Match the Audacity project rate and the number of recording channels set in the Audacity preferences with those specified:
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