I'm trying to retire my old WinXP computer. I've been using it to record things in either Audacity or PTPro Audio through an Edirol UA-1A audio to USB interface.
I've got 3 of these and I know they are good. They work on my XP computer. I also have a UA-20 and it does the same thing.
So I need to record on 8.1 before I can retire the old workhorse. But I'm having trouble
I put UA-1A's in both of my Win8.1 computers, the generic Windows drivers are installed, and I can select the Edirol in the Devices dialog in Audacity and also in the audio drivers of PTPro (preferences->Audio->Drivers).
I get nothing on the VU meters in either program. It all works on my old XP, but not on 8.1.
I've swapped cables and interfaces but nothing gets into the computer. I checked the device manager and made the UA-1A the default, and it's definitely enabled.
Any guesses as to what I may be missing?
I've googled, but can't come up with relevant results.
I'm totally shooting from hip here but: Is it possible some other app or onboard device is somehow trapping the audio input driver? Could it be some USB devices conflict? Is it possible that some sequence of powering everything up should be considered? Is there a 32bit vs 64bit conflict? Is there a control panel that comes with the UA's and a setting/fader got muted?
I'm likely damn little help but I got into a problem solving mood....I wonder if this glass of Merlot is responsible.
Notes, there is no win 8.1 driver download from Roland - that would lead me to believe that it is not supported. The last OS that seems is supported is XP.
For minimum financial outlay, shop your local craigslist for any focusrite USB interface with MIDI. There's one in Ft. Meyers right now, an 8i6 for $100. That would be lightyears ahead of the UA-1A. You can probably find any manner of more modern USB interfaces for under $100 used in the area.
You can even probably get a keyboard with a built in USB MIDI/Audio interface for not much more than that - that will be supported by 8.1.
Used, that is.
Lately I've been buying gear through the Used Gear section for Guitar Center. Nationwide search, normally free shipping to a local store and it looks like there is one in Pt. St. Lucie. I found a bunch of Focusrite Scarlett USB interfaces for under $100 in that search, some really nice ones with mic pre-amps midi i/o, etc. This Saffire 6 USB is at the Hallendale store for $99 http://us.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces/saffire-6-usb
Scott, I had to look at that twice to see it was USB, not Firewire. Sounds good.
Note, this doesn't apply in this case, but to anyone considering an interface on a PC that requires firewire, this is going to be a problem going forward. Windows 8 dropped support for firewire, and you must use the legacy firewire driver from Windows 7. Windows 10 so far acts like 8 in this respect.
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Thanks all. The UA-1A is supposed to be able to use the standard Windows USB/Audio drivers, the machine recognizes it and installs the standard driver.
I know the advanced options won't work, but I think I should be able to use the standard Windows drivers.
I guess I could try something newer though. The UA-1A's are so easy to use, sound good, and without all the bells and whistles it's like using an analog input with one less thing to be concerned about.
My UA-20 has guitar inputs, line inputs, volume knob, etc., and I learned I have to keep the volume knob up all the way and adjust the level coming out of my mixer. Just to get sound from the mixer to the computer shouldn't need anything complicated.
And the fact that it happens on two computers baffles me.
Yes Matt, for awhile focusrite made saffire interfaces with both FireWire and USB. The last few years is when they divided saffire to FireWire only and Scarlett to USB only. There are scores of 2i2 interfaces used for sale because best buy sold them ( maybe they still do?)
I don't use firewire, as it has been my experience that all the Apple inventions go obsolete sooner or later (I've had SCSI, Firewire, and even the input connector on my iPod is obsolete and my iPad has some lightning port that will eventually be orphaned).
Here might be a clearer explanation of my problem (sometimes it helps to say things in more than one way)
I'm trying to retire my old WinXP computer. I've been using it to record things in either Audacity or PTPro Audio through an Edirol UA-1A audio to USB interface.
I have 3 Edirol UA-1A and one Ediirol UA-20 USB to Audio interfaces. They all work fine on my XP computers using the standard Windows Audio drivers.
I need to figure out how to record on the Windows 8.1 computers before retiring the XP, and that's where the problem arises.
I plugged the UA-1A into the Win8.1 computer, it recognizes it and loads the standard Windows audio driver.
I connect the output of the mixer to the UA-1A audio input, and select the UA1A in Audacity. I select the Edirol as the input in the Devices dialog, and start recording. No signal, nothing, nada, zip, zilch appears in Audacity.
I make sure the UA-1A is not disabled and checked in the Windows Device Manager.
I try the same thing using Power Tracks Pro Audio DAW and I still can't see anything on the VU meters.
OK so I think something must be defective, so I try all 3 (known good) UA-1As, different audio cables and even a second Windows 8.1 computer.
I even tried shouting great obscenities, and that didn't work
Now if the great obscenities didn't work, will anything?
I could get a newer interface if that would work, but I hate to have another piece of gear hanging around if it doesn't.
In all honesty it'll only tell you whether there is a compatibility issue with the new device. The issue with the old one just goes away. We'll never know if we could have got 'er running. We might've had a chance to save her! Oh the humanity. <grin>
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
OK I got a new M-Audio USB-Audio interface, and it comes with Win8 drivers.
I downloaded the drivers and followed the instructions for installing them and getting them to be active in the Windows device manager.
The results:
I opened Audacity ... went to the preferences and selected the M-Audio as the recording device ... started playing what I wanted to record ... the LED VU meters on the M-Audio interface showed that I have signal from the mixer to the M-Audio interface ... but Audacity records nothing but silence. The LED VU meters on Audacity don't light up either.
I closed Audacity and opened Power Tracks Pro and when I try to select the M-Audio, it tells me it's a Mac driver and not compatible with PTPro ... so I check the download, the file definitely says for 64 bit Windows and so nothing happened there
So I repeated the process on the other computer with the same disappointing results.
So it looks like I spent $100 on a new interface to prove it wasn't the Edirol UA-1A devices or the generic Windows drivers I used.
I'm flummoxed. There must be some software quirk in Win8 that I'm not aware of and isn't obvious for me after searching through everything I think might be relevant in the control panel.
If I can't figure this one out, I'll never be able to retire my old XP ThinkPad, and it's so old it has IBM as the manufacturer.
if you do have the option enable it then follow the instructions for removing drivers for uninstalled usb devices or installed ones that may be causing issues
you can always reinstall the drivers
then reboot
just a thought did you install the m-audio driver as administrator
Last edited by pghboemike; 08/15/1510:50 AM.
Lenovo YOGA 900 Window s 10 Home 64bit M4 pro Mac mini 1tb HD 24GB mem casio wk7500 presonus audiobox i2 usb interface casio wk-7500 biab & realband 2025 everything pk both with Current builds
1. Edirol does not have drivers for the UA-1A for Win8.1 like they do newer devices. 2. What is the M-Audio USB audio box; what is the model number? 3. PT Pro Audio told you that there was a MAC driver instead of a Win driver for the M-Audio device? 4. Can you get any output from the M-Audio device; like with a good old music file on the Win 8.1 computer?
Are you sure you have the device set to default in both payback and record in Windows?<...>
Double checked - yes - still no input
Originally Posted By: pghboemike
scorched earth option
go to device manager's view menu if you don't have a show hidden devices option
try this<...snip...> just a thought did you install the m-audio driver as administrator
Check - still no input
Originally Posted By: rockstar_not
1. Edirol does not have drivers for the UA-1A for Win8.1 like they do newer devices. 2. What is the M-Audio USB audio box; what is the model number? 3. PT Pro Audio told you that there was a MAC driver instead of a Win driver for the M-Audio device? 4. Can you get any output from the M-Audio device; like with a good old music file on the Win 8.1 computer?
1) They've always worked on the generic Windows USB-Audio drivers in the past 2) Can't find a model number, it's called M-Track 3) Yes, and I double checked, it's the Win64 driver file 4) Output through the headphone jack
So I'm still very, very confused, and still recording on my very old IBM ThinkPad computer with XP.
Notes, a couple last comments and questions and then I've run out of suggestions:
1. Is your unit the M-Track or the M-Track II? The reason I ask is that one came out before the Avid purchase of M-Audio, and the 2nd one came out after Avid unloaded M-Audio. Prior to Avid, drivers were rock solid for those products. Can't speak to the post Avid product driver situation, but bad reviews about drivers are one thing that prevented me from buying the M-Audio M-Track Quad a couple of years ago.
2. Are you running a 64 bit version of PTPA? I didn't think such a thing existed. In order for the whole system to work together, the OS can be 64 bit, but I believe your application accessing the driver has to also be 64 bit if the driver itself is 64 bit. I didn't think there was a 64 bit version of PowerTracks Pro Audio. I believe that you can run 64 bit plugins through PTPA using Jbridge, but I think PTPA is a 32 bit application. Somebody step in here and dope-slap me if I have this wrong.
3. The output through the headphone jack you list above could be simply the analog pass-through that the device does for direct monitoring (latency free monitoring). In order to perform the test of whether the device is working correctly do these two steps: a. You need to have whatever the knob is rotated all the way over to whatever is the non-direct label. On the M-Track II, it's the USB side of the knob. If you are getting output there, with it rotated all the way to USB, then you have audio passing through the device, through USB, to the computer, and then back to the device, and getting converted back to analog audio. b. Use a digital audio source - that is, simply play a CD or .mp3 file that is on the computer through the device.
Thanks, I don't think PTPro is 64 bit, so I suppose I need both the 32 and 64 bit drivers -- is that correct?
PTPro installed itself into the C:\pt folder, neither the Programs or Programs (x86) folders. So I think I can assume it's 32 bit.
It's plain old M-Track not II
I'll check the knobs when I try again this afternoon.
Thanks for your suggestions.
This is just weird. Perhaps my old IBM ThinkPad and the newer Lenovo ThinkPads are conspiring to keep the XP in service. Naaaaah, they aren't that smart -- Perhaps I need to learn some Japanese obscenities to shout at them
I'm not giving up - the people at Harmony Central aren't helping and neither is google (or ixquick).
in the old days in situations like this i would install a copy of the os on a different newly created partition for testing purposes and boot to that install
presuming you have the media to do this; after installation i would install the drivers, if needed, for the device in question and verify with sound recorder or audacity
if this is successful you know something's wrong with your main install
other suggestions while researching this topic
create a new administrator account and try under that account
Lenovo YOGA 900 Window s 10 Home 64bit M4 pro Mac mini 1tb HD 24GB mem casio wk7500 presonus audiobox i2 usb interface casio wk-7500 biab & realband 2025 everything pk both with Current builds
As rharve showed the window for playback devices, open instead the window for recording devices. Right click in an open area inside that window, you should then see a dialogue for hidden devices, put a tick in the box if not one there. Providing Windows hasn't removed the facility in W8.1 you should hopefully then see a new device called "Stereo Mix" Right click on the "Stereo Mix" and choose "Enable" if it shows as disabled.
Next is look in Audacity, you have a drop down menu for the input, microphone etc, you should then see the "Stereao mix" in that drop down, choose that and see if it will record then.
It all hinges on whether the stereo mix has not been removed as a hidden device.
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