Sound Card Recomendations

[TheHound]

I have has a very frustrating intermittent problem with sound cutting out. At first I thought it was a computer problem but then I noticed that when I closed MC my other programs that have sound work. Diagnostics were saying everything was fine. Diagnostics misreported because the problem was intermittent.

I tested and tested for days by running programs that use sound and Youtube. Finally tonight with Mixcraft closed sound cut out while I was playing solitaire.

My next step will be to uninstall and reinstall the sound card driver but I am not sure how to do that. I'll try to figure that out. If it is not the driver it's probably the soundcard.

I tried to find an actual external sound card so that I don't have to crack the case on my computer but the Internet being th worlds greatest source of misinformation I am unable to figure out the difference between an external sound card and a sound card adapter. Seems that PC makers are not putting mic inputs in computers.

I probably will get a new sound card and hire a geek to do it but I would be nice to have an external one that does what the internal one does, no more and no less but All I can find are ones like this https://www.bestproducts.com/tech/gadge ... pc-or-mac/ that offer clear description but seem to be something for PC to home theater or needless headphone amp.

I guess what I'm asking is, what do you think is the best internal sound card for a PC running Mixcraft?

[mick]

I would be tempted to give Asio4ALL a shot to run your onboard soundcard.
I never had any issues with it, in fact for me it sorted one with Sampletank 3 crashing. I now use an M-Audio Mtrack 2x2 and it sounds superb with next to zero latency and I'm happy with it but I will not recommend it because if you are using win 7 there is a permissions issue. (worked fine when I trialled win 10) I have it fixed now but it took many,many, updates to sort it out over a 6-8 month period. I wouldn't want you to have the same PIA after the one you already have.
If you do give Asio4All a shot use the official site and not a 3rd party one where too often downloads carry some problematic baggage.
BTW I have never had any sound problems with Mixcraft 7 with onboard or external soundcard with or without asio4all.

[JonInc]

I would be tempted to give Asio4ALL a shot to run your onboard soundcard.

This is good advice.

BTW, I responded to your other thread as I didn't see this one. Install ASIO4all, and set Mixcraft to use that driver and see what happens.

[TheHound]

It just got crazier! Mixcraft is not cutting out now and with will play through my computer speakers but not my headphones!! WTF? This is maddening! Other programs are playing sounds through my headphones but not Mixcraft. Also when I plug into or unplug form the headphone jack Mixcraft now says, "Mixcraft has detected a change in the number of audio devices available." It has never ever done that before. What's up with that?

This is becoming a nightmare. I'm so frustrated and there is no help. I doubt that the geeks who fix computers will figure out this BS.

First I think it is Mixcraft and then I think it's the sound card and now a new problem that only is happening with mixcraft. I'm so sick of chasing my tail on this. Story of my life.

UPDATE: When I switch to wave from WAVE RT I get sound through my headphones. Could Wave RT be corrupted?

[TheHound]

I am guessing that Wave RT is corrupted but I cannot find it on my Win 7 machine. I look for downloads an I find a bunch of companies that use the name Wave RT for their products.

I can't find Wave RT so that I can uninstall it and I can't find a download from any site and Microsoft just sucks.

MORE BS! Now when I arm a track and press record nothing happens and I am using the WAVE setting.

So much BS! Now I am back to thinking Mixcraft is the culprit. It is doing crap that it never did before.

There are experts on this forum but none of them have chimed in. Maybe I should try Gearsluts?

Mixcraft needs a built in diagnostic tool. I think Mixcraft is doing bad stuff to my computer.

[mick]

Download this free program and let it update all drivers including video, could take a while depending on computer, make sure power saving is not active if a laptop. I think your computer is doing bad things to Mixcraft tbh.
https://www.iobit.com/en/driver-booster.php

[outteh]

Update and edit your post in the subject to indicate you have a problem or start a new post. I don't think the Acoustica staff is seeing this as a problem issue.

[TheHound]

Download this free program and let it update all drivers including video, could take a while depending on computer, make sure power saving is not active if a laptop. I think your computer is doing bad things to Mixcraft tbh.
https://www.iobit.com/en/driver-booster.php

It's not doing bad things to any of my other programs. I have the correct drivers and BTW, IOBIT is a Chinese company that steals software from Malware Bytes and it tries to get you to uninstall malware bytes.

I had IOBIT and I got rid of it.

Window and Toshiba diagnostics say that my devices are working until I start mixcraft. I'm going to uninstall it. I've tried everything else. This it's your computer excuse isn't flying. That's the stock answer you see from the fanboys at Reaper which everyone knows is the buggiest DAW ever.

At this point Mixcraft will probably uninstalled. Maybe it isn't the mixcraft but when mixcraft is closed and windows is restarted there are no sound problems. Mixcraft has done well for close to 4 years but lately it has been acting schizophrenic and doing things that it has never done before. It never said that it has "detected a change in the number of devices" when plugging in or unplugging head phones. That just started. I have recorded 80 projects since late 2014. Aside from it glitching, Mixcraft Not Responding and classic reverb crashing once in a while it's been pretty good and has been a pleasure to use. But is needs diagnostics so that when it screws up.

IOBIT Driver Booster is very dangerous program from a very unscrupulous company in China. https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads ... er.378970/https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads ... er.378970/

The next step seems to be to uninstall Mixcraft and wait and wait and wait to see if other programs start have problems with sound. If they do then it is not Mixcraft. If they don't have audio issues then the problem is Mixcraft. Then again, if mixcraft had diagnostics I'd be able to clearly identify the problem. For now my best guess is that it is a Mixcraft problem.

All my other programs play sound when Mixcraft is closed and the computer is rebooted. If Mixcraft is up and the sound crashes sometimes other programs work after I close Mixcraft. After a reboot they work without problems. It is starting to look as though Mixcraft is the fly in the ointment.

I'm going to sleep on it but I think it is time to uninstall Mixcraft and audition another DAW. Maybe Ableton?

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

WaveRT is the core audio function of Windows, so it's not something you'd install separately. What you can download and update is the Windows audio drivers. Check the support/download page of the manufacturer for any updated audio drivers.

Where the sound comes out is determined by the Playback Device setting in Mixcraft's sound device preferences. If the sound is going someplace you don't want it to go, check there.

If problems continue, quit Mixcraft and send us your mixcraft-log.txt file.

To find the mixcraft-log file, highlight the following line and press Ctrl+C to copy it:

Code: Select all

%appdata%\Acoustica\Mixcraft\

Press the Windows Key+R to pop up the Run box in Windows. Click in the Run box and press Ctrl+V to paste in the line from above. Finally, click OK to go to the location of the mixcraft-log.txt file. Submit an Acoustica Support Request and attach the log file along with a brief description of the problem.

Greg

[mick]

Thanks for the info on iobit I'm deleting right now.

[TheHound]

Hi,

WaveRT is the core audio function of Windows, so it's not something you'd install separately. What you can download and update is the Windows audio drivers. Check the support/download page of the manufacturer for any updated audio drivers.

Where the sound comes out is determined by the Playback Device setting in Mixcraft's sound device preferences. If the sound is going someplace you don't want it to go, check there.

If problems continue, quit Mixcraft and send us your mixcraft-log.txt file.

To find the mixcraft-log file, highlight the following line and press Ctrl+C to copy it:

Code: Select all

%appdata%\Acoustica\Mixcraft\

Press the Windows Key+R to pop up the Run box in Windows. Click in the Run box and press Ctrl+V to paste in the line from above. Finally, click OK to go to the location of the mixcraft-log.txt file. Submit an Acoustica Support Request and attach the log file along with a brief description of the problem.

Greg

I did that and I get "Location Not Available" when I put it in the Run box and click OK. At this point, should I uninstall and re-install?

When I search for %appdata%\Acoustica\Mixcraft\ windows says the file doesn't exist.

As to Wave RT, I know it comes with Windows from Vista on up. I was thinking maybe it had corrupted.

I'm very anxious to resolve this. I want to do an upgrade and I need to know whether it is my computer or Mixcraft or both. I am comfortable with 6.1 Build 217. It's been good up until 3 months ago an it has been steadily doing strange stuff.

[Thomas]

Greg's method works for me. Try searching manually for the file. On my system (Win 10 64-Bit) the path to the log file is: C:\Users\UserName\appdata\roaming\Acoustica\Mixcraft\Mixcraft-Log.txt.

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

Maybe you didn't copy and paste it correctly? Don't search for that path, just go there, or as Thomas suggests, the folder can also be found here:

C:\Users\UserName\appdata\roaming\Acoustica\Mixcraft\

Where "UserName" is the name you use to log into Windows.

Greg

[TheHound]

Hi,

Maybe you didn't copy and paste it correctly? Don't search for that path, just go there, or as Thomas suggests, the folder can also be found here:

C:\Users\UserName\appdata\roaming\Acoustica\Mixcraft\

Where "UserName" is the name you use to log into Windows.

Greg

I'm confused, I'm already logged in. I paste it in and I get the same error message. How do I just go there if there is no way to get there?

How can I just go there? User Name is on the log in screen when I turn on my computer. The complete message is. "C:\Users\UserName\appdata\roaming\Acoustica\Mixcraft\ refers to a location that it unavialable. It could be on a hard drive on this computer. Check to make sure the disk the disk is properly inserted or you are connected to the internet or your network and then try again. If it still cannot be located the information might have been move to a different location.

C:\Users\UserName\appdata\roaming\Acoustica\Mixcraft\ is file right? Am I supposed to put my user name. C:\Users\HERE\appdata\roaming\Acoustica\Mixcraft\? I guess not because that didn't work.

[TheHound]

Greg's method works for me. Try searching manually for the file. On my system (Win 10 64-Bit) the path to the log file is: C:\Users\UserName\appdata\roaming\Acoustica\Mixcraft\Mixcraft-Log.txt.

What's the name of the file? I have been searching for hours. What is supposed to happen if I find it?

When I put it in search programs and files Windows says its not there.

C:\Users\UserName\appdata\roaming\Acoustica\Mixcraft\ What is this file supposed to do?

At this point I will be taking my computer to a geek to totally rule out a hardware or Windows problem. Right now mixcraft is closed and I am getting sound in my headphones but not in my computer speakers. So I'm thinking maybe it isn't Mixcraft but now Mixcraft isn't playing back to even a second but that could change for no known reason. The way my luck runs it will be an undiagnosable problem. Do you know any exorcists?

I have a sound card laying around. How much of a job is it installing one in a lap top? I hear it's a pain in the butt.