7. What causes a " Can't open Wave Device" or "Wave Device is already in use..." error?

There are a number of reasons why you might get this error. The device may be in use by another application, or you might have a "DMA Conflict" or "MCI DeviceConflict"

Here are some suggestions:

  • Make sure all other programs are closed. If this doesn't help, try rebooting your computer.

  • Download and install the latest update patch for PowerTracks Pro Audio.

  • A common cause of this problem is in conjunction with a Virtual Synth such as the Roland VSC. Since all software synthesizers rely on the digital audio portion of the sound card, playing MIDI and digital audio together can sometimes be a problem.

    • Go to the Control Panel | Multimedia -or- Sounds and Audio Devices | Audio. Select the same audio playback device as is showing in the recording preferences. Click the MIDI tab (Windows XP: Look in the MIDI Playback area) and select your sound card's synth, rather than the VSC88/3 (or other software synth). This will give a lesser quality for Windows playback but the VSC can be selected internally by the software rather than allowing Windows to be the default.

    • In PowerTracks, de-select the VSC from the MIDI Driver Setup, and select a non-software synth for MIDI playback.

  • Download and install the latest drivers available for your sound card. You should be able to download the latest drivers from the card manufacturer's website, usually in either the "Support" or "Downloads" section.

  • Video cards can be a major cause of DMA Conflicts. Many video cards can monopolize the bus and interfere with DMA operations. One of the first things you should do is make sure you have the latest drivers for your card. Many new drivers provide applets, which allow you to disable or modify certain settings for the card. If there is an option for PCI bus retries and/or DMA bus mastering or a similar option, you should try disabling these.

  • If you are still having problems or your video driver does not have theabove options, you can try reducing graphics hardware acceleration.

    1. Windows 95/98/ME: Go to Start | Settings |Control Panel | System | Performance | Graphics.&nbsp Windows XP: Start | Control Panel | Display | Settings | Advanced | Troubleshoot.

    2. Move the hardware acceleration slider to the left one notch and click OK. You will need to restart Windows.

    3. If the problem remains, repeat the above process until the problem issolved or the slider is all the way to the left. If this did not solve your problem, you should probably reset the slider to the highest setting (to the right).

  • A "Wave device in use" error can also occur if the Sound Mapper is selected in addition to the sound card audio drivers in the Options | Preferences | Audio | Drivers dialog. Make certain the driver is selected only one time. For example, if you select the SB Live! for recording in the Windows Control Panel, select only it or the SB Live! in the Options | Preferences | Audio | Drivers menu. Do not select both the Sound Mapper and the SB Live! driver.


Alyssa - PG Music