Proposal Auto Detect Audio Device Changes

Proposal pages help us get from feature requests into actual plans. This page is a proposal to detect changes in devices as they happen, e.g. plugging in or out a USB audio device.

Proposal pages are used on an ongoing basis by the Audacity development team and are open to edits from visitors to the wiki. They are a good way to get community feedback on a proposal.

• Note: Proposals for Google Summer of Code projects are significantly different in structure, are submitted via Google's web app and may or may not have a corresponding proposal page.

The Problem

When a new device is plugged in after Audacity has started, Audacity does not detect it.

• You have to explicitly request a rescan.
• This is not just a USB problem.
  • Some headphone-or-microphone jacks detect plug-in or removal of a device.

This issue was in bugzilla as Bug 41

Proposed Features

• Rescan devices when the relevant dialog is opened, if they have not been scanned in the last 5 seconds.

Developer/QA Backing

• Peter - we get countless posts on the Forum regarding this ...