| From Martyn Shaw <martynshaw99@...>
| Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:17:58 +0000
| Subject: [Audacity-devel] USB recording seems broken
> Gale Andrews wrote:
> >>> I also just noticed that with the latest CVS, although I can record from
> >>> a non-USB source, the Mixer Toolbar dropdown selector is missing
> >>> when so doing (same on both my XP SP2 machines with different
> >>> inbuilt devices). 1.3.4 release shows the dropdown selector fine.
> > >>When you go View > Toolbars and check Mixer Toolbar, you'd
> > >>expect to see an input selector for choosing the source, to right of
> > >>the volume slider as per here:
> > >>http://audacity.sourceforge.net/onlinehelp-1.2/toolbar_mixer.htm
>
> I've had a look at that and I don't understand your report here (but
> I'm not saying you are wrong). I don't see the input selector on the
> HEAD version or on 1.3.4. Tracking through the code, the input
> selector should not be there (I think) since (at least) "Mon Oct 2
> 00:27:52 2006" when '"multi-host" portmixer' was committed, since the
> number of input sources is always reported as zero. Just after that
> Leland added the 'Device' toolbar. What are you seeing in that?
Device Toolbar (using either 1.3.4 or CVS Unicode Release) on my
system with the Realtek HD Device (inputs are not separate devices),
and with the USB external sound card connected, gives:
Output:
MME Microsoft SoundMapper - Output
MME USB Audio
MME Realtek HD Audio Output
Input:
MME Microsoft SoundMapper - Input
MME USB Audio
MME Realtek HD Audio Input
What device are you selecting when you can't get the dropdown?
What consistently seems to be happening for both my machines is that
if you switch from 1.3.4 (with dropdown available) to CVS, the dropdown
disappears. Having tested this now ad nauseam, it can be made to
reappear (most times) in CVS by switching to SoundMapper (away from
and back to it if it's already selected). If that does not work, changing
device back and forth in the Control Panel then restarting Audacity
makes the dropdown appear. If I then switch back to 1.3.4, most times
the dropdown reappears, but I have noticed a couple of times that it did
not, whereupon the above routine got it back.
I can say that I have always up to now had the dropdown in 1.3.4 release as
far as I am aware. It would have hit me in the eye if it had been missing.
Yes I can hear "dodgy drivers", but they aren't, nor to the best of my
judgement are the drivers of the other Windows users I have been asking
about this.
I am not sure what all this means except that 1.3.4 and later seems to
be increasingly finnicky about displaying the dropdown - I can switch back
from CVS to 1.3.3 and always get the dropdown back (on about 15 tries). Do
you get the dropdown with 1.3.3? Your date and your reading of the code
suggests from 1.3.2 onwards that there would be no dropdown, but I know
for me and others 1.3.2 always had one unless a single source USB device
was selected.
Another thing I don't understand is that in 1.3.3 Release, Device Toolbar
has DirectSound equivalents to the MME devices. Are we now going
backwards so that you can no longer get DirectSound support without
compiling Audacity with the DirectSound SDK present?
Some good news (sort of). I have found that USB recording *can* be
got to work consistently in CVS on both my machines, but only if .
SoundMapper is chosen (of course with the USB device as Windows
default). This restriction does not apply to 1.3.4 release, where recording
works if you choose the USB device explicitly in Device Toolbar, which I
habitually do. BTW this does mean I have to start Audacity after
connecting the device, because Audacity still cannot pick up a change in
available devices without restarting. Should this be some kind of aim-to?
I suppose my essential fix "Recording from a USB device such as
turntable or external sound card gives "error opening sound device" on
Windows XP machines" could be demoted (and certainly wants annotating).
However, even though it works with SoundMapper, our general advice to
users is to choose the USB device explicitly, partly because of the
occasional unreliability of SoundMapper, and partly because the normal
advice from manufacturers of USB devices (e.g. turntables) is to do that.
Therefore I'd still call a fix some sort of priority at the least (think
of the USB turntable brigade). Any other opinions? Can Dominic or
Leland try this on Mac with a USB device, where there is no SoundMapper
and you have to explicitly choose the device?
Gale
|
