Troubleshooting Recordings

This page explains how to troubleshoot common recording problems by identifying the symptoms of the issue then fixing its cause.

For more general advice and information on all aspects of recording, see our Recording Tips.

1 No waveform recorded behind the cursor
2 Recording cursor stuck
3 Clipping
4 Skips
5 Background hum or hiss
6 Unbalanced stereo recording
7 Recorded waveform is not centered on the horizontal line at 0.0
8 Swapping stereo channels, or errors that jump from one channel to the other
9 Periodic noise every 6 - 12 seconds
10 Overdubbed recording drifts out-of-sync, or produces error or poor quality
11 Speed variation while recording

No waveform recorded behind the cursor

If the red recording cursor moves across the screen but no waveform is drawn behind it (only a flat line), you need to start from the beginning and set up your recording device and input source properly.

For current Audacity see this page in the Audacity Manual's FAQ section.

In legacy versions of Audacity

Step 1: In legacy Audacity versions prior to 1.3.8 explicitly select the Recording Device you are using in the Audio I/O tab of Preferences.

Also choose the input source in the same section of Preferences, for example the device: source combination "Realtek input: Microphone". (In legacy versions of Audacity 1.3.12 or earlier, running on Windows 98/ME/2000/XP or on PPC Macs, choose the input source in Mixer Toolbar as described in Step 3 below).

Step 2: In the same section of Preferences, set the Recording Channels to mono or stereo as required.

Step 3: In the Mixer Toolbar, turn up the input level using the slider that has the "microphone" symbol.

If the Audacity input slider does not control the recording level of the device, use the slider in the operating system instead. This is usually accessed by a loudspeaker icon near the system clock.

Mixer Toolbar selector greyed out in legacy Audacity 1.2 or 1.3 versions:

The selector is redundant on Windows Vista and 7 - choose the recording device and input source in Audio I/O Preferences as per Step 1 above.
On OS X, you must make your required recording device the default at Finder > Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup.
1. Click the "Audio Devices" tab. On the left-hand side. set your required device (for example, "Built-in Audio") in "Default Input" and "Properties for".
2. In Audio Input under that, set the "Source" to your physical input (for example, "Built-in Mic"). Turn the volume slider up.
3. Set the sample rate in "Format" to the Project Rate bottom left of the Audacity window.

Devices such as a USB-connected turntable, microphone or interface will not have choices of inputs. You can ignore Mixer Toolbar in this case.

Further Help:

Input source unavailable/unselectable, or records incorrectly: Try selecting it instead in the system mixer - see the help for Windows, OS X or Linux.
Recording computer playback: See the special help for Windows, OS X or Linux.