Troubleshooting Recordings
This page explains how to troubleshoot common recording problems by identifying the symptoms of the issue then fixing its cause.
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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.
Current Audacity
For current Audacity see this page in the Audacity Manual's FAQ section.
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 .
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.
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Mixer Toolbar selector greyed out in legacy Audacity 1.2 or 1.3 versions:
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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 Recording audio playing on the computer.
Red recording cursor stuck
Current Audacity
For current Audacity see this page in the Audacity Manual's FAQ section.
Legacy versions of Audacity
- Try rebooting the computer.
- Additionally on Linux, try turning off Software Playthrough in Preferences.
- If you are recording from a USB device, see these tips.
Distortion due to excessive volume
Current Audacity
For current Audacity see this page in the Audacity Manual's FAQ section.
Legacy versions of Audacity
- Try lowering the recording level using the Audacity Mixer Toolbar or lower the output volume of the recording source (like the tape player, turntable or microphone).
- You can use Effect > Clip Fix in Audacity to improve already clipped audio. If Audacity does not include this already, download Clip Fix here then install it according to these instructions.
Small pieces of recording missing/silent or recording jitters
Current Audacity
For current Audacity see this page in the Audacity Manual's FAQ section.
Legacy versions of Audacity
See Managing Computer Resources and Drivers for a comprehensive list of ways to avoid skips and dropouts when recording.
Background hum or hiss
See Improving Recording Quality and Reducing Noise.
Left/Right channels of stereo recording are not equally loud
Current Audacity
For current Audacity see this page in the Audacity Manual's FAQ section.
Legacy versions of Audacity
- Make sure that Audacity is set to record in stereo, that connections are tight and the system and any recording device balance controls are set centrally.
- Use Effect > Normalize to correct the imbalance in existing recordings (choose "Normalize stereo channels independently" if this option exists).
Click at start or end of track/waveform not centered on the horizontal line at 0.0
Current Audacity
For current Audacity see this page in the Audacity Manual's FAQ section.
Legacy versions of Audacity
See this page for an explanation of DC offset and how to remove and prevent it.
Periodic noise every 6 - 12 seconds
Current Audacity
For current Audacity see this page in the Audacity Manual's FAQ section.
Legacy versions of Audacity
This happens when Audacity writes audio data to disk. You probably want to upgrade your sound card or its drivers or make other changes such as preventing virus scanning of the Audacity temporary directory. See Managing Computer Resources and Drivers for more help.
Overdubbed recording drifts out-of-sync, or produces error or poor quality
Current Audacity
For current Audacity see this page in the Audacity Manual's FAQ section.
Legacy versions of Audacity
- See Why isn’t my new track in sync with the previous ones?.
- For quality problems, make sure the Audacity project rate bottom left of the window matches the rate of the pre-existing tracks (as shown above the Mute/Solo buttons) and matches with the rate in the system mixer and in the hardware or its control panel. To resample each track to the project rate, select each track in turn then choose .
Stereo channels swap over, or errors jump from one channel to the other
This is occasionally reported by people using Linux who have ALSA installed natively, but are using a version of Audacity that only supports OSS. See Linux Issues for details on ALSA support.
Speed variation while recording
This is rare, but if you have this problem, it's definitely not an Audacity issue, rather the audio hardware or its drivers. See Improving Recording Quality and Updating Sound Device Drivers.
