Talk:FAQ - Error while opening sound device

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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


Gale's canned e-mail response

Your issue is almost certainly a configuration problem, not a bug. But if you do write here to report what you think might be a bug, please always state:

  • what operating system you are using (for example, Windows XP or Mac OS X 10.5.1)
  • exactly what three-digit version number of Audacity you are using (Help > About Audacity, or Audacity > About Audacity on a Mac computer)

The usual causes and solutions of this input error are below. Please read the parts relevant to yourself.

Check at Edit > Preferences: Audio I/O tab (or Devices tab in Audacity Beta) that the playback and recording devices are correctly and explicitly selected. Don't select "Microsoft Sound Mapper" or "Primary Sound Driver" if you are on Windows. Note: on a Mac computer, Preferences are in the "Audacity" menu.

If you are recording something playing on the computer, try turning off both the "Play other tracks while recording" and "Software Playthrough (play new track while recording it)" options in the Audio I/O tab of Preferences (Recording Preferences in Audacity Beta). Software Playthrough should never be enabled when recording sounds playing on the computer.

Try changing the Project Rate at bottom left of the Audacity window: 44100 Hz or 48000 Hz should work in almost any playback or recording situation.

If you are using Audacity 1.3.9 and have Device Toolbar enabled, make sure that the Host (for example, Windows MME) is the same for both playback and recording devices. This is fixed in 1.3.10 and later; please consider upgrading to the current Beta: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/

If problems persist, exit Audacity and go to the system mixer to list and/or enable the correct recording device. For Windows, look at the appropriate instructions here: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/index.php?title=Mixer_Toolbar_Issues#cp

If you are trying to record streaming audio, look carefully at the green panel in that link that says "HELP WITH RECORDING COMPUTER PLAYBACK OR STREAMING AUDIO".

Then scroll down on that page to see the Windows 7/Vista and XP system mixers.

If you are on Windows Vista or 7, please use Audacity Beta: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/beta_windows

Then make sure you use the right-click menu and put a checkmark in "Show Disabled Devices" and "Show Disconnected Devices". Then right-click over each device you may want to record with and choose "Enable" if this is visible. For the device you want to record with now, you can optionally right-click again over it and "Set as Default Device". For a physical microphone, it's recommended to also set it as "Default Communication Device". Then right-click again over the required device and hit Properties. On the "Advanced" tab, make sure the "Default format" matches both with the Project Rate you chose in Audacity, and with the number of "recording channels" in the Devices tab of Audacity Preferences. Or again on the "Advanced" tab, check both "Exclusive Mode" boxes, ensure you choose an Audacity project rate that your device supports, then in the Audacity "Devices" Preferences, choose "Windows DirectSound" as "Host". See more information at: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Windows_7_OS#sample_rates

If you are on Mac OS X, click Mac hard disk > Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup. On the "Audio Devices" tab, make sure the "Default Input" is set to the device you want to record with. In the "Format" boxes, match the sample rate in Hz with the Project Rate you chose in Audacity. Match the number of channels you are recording with that shown in the Audacity Preferences.

For all operating systems, if you are recording with an external USB/Firewire interface or a high-end PCI card, you must similarly match the recording sample rate and number of channels in all places (the Audacity Project Rate, the system mixer and any software or hardware control panel the sound device may have).

Always make sure your sound device has the latest drivers specific to your particular computer model and operating system, as supplied by the device or motherboard manufacturer. See: http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Updating_Sound_Device_Drivers

If you need any help with the above, please register and ask on the Forum, posting your question to the correct board for your operating system and version of Audacity: http://forum.audacityteam.org/


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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