No voice-over recording with VS X9 and VS X7

[TonyP]

I wouldn't stress out too much on X7 since X9 is working fine. Keep pounding on X9...

[robspa48]

I will, thanks Tony. That was just intellectual curiosity not to leave any mistery unexplained...

[TonyP]

...I know the feeling!

[robspa48]

Hi, I'm coming back with my true enigma on no Voice-over recording with VS X9 Ultimate.
Just to sum-up: my USB mike is perfectly functioning with any application other than VS. I could temporarily get it function after following instructions from Corel support to reset default values by renaming 19.0 folder to 19.0_old in Roaming/Ulead Systems/Corel VideoSudio Pro (x64) Folder. But, immediately after opening an existing Project, I get the message again: "Could not open Wave in device" and I'm back to the starting block.
Originally I thought this problem was somehow related to reimporting my personal libraries once resetted VS to default values, but this is not the case since the issue reappears even w/o reimporting libraries...I'm really lost, so these are my questions:
1. is there any Sherlock Holmes able to understand what's going on?
2. I'm planning to upgrade to VS X10 Ultimate and I've seen a post where another person complains about the same issue with X10, so I'm afraid I'll also get the problem; one reason more for asking advice from the forum.
3. On a general ground,should I better uninstall VS X9 Pro using the clearing tool before downloading VS X10 Ultimate?
Many thanks for your advice on these 3 points

[TonyP]

With VO in X10, while I don't see a selection for mics (can can choose from 2), by selecting my "default" microphone, it works in X10. I've switched back and forth between headset and webcam without exiting the program, and they both work. I did close the VO first, and then selected new mic input.

[robspa48]

Thanks Tony but your post doesn't answer my questions: I said that my mic (I've just one mic default input, associated with my webcam) is working fine with each and every application other than VS; that it's working fine just after resetting VS to default values and no project on the timeline; that it stops working immediately after I open an existing .vsp project...
So the mistery is still there.

[TonyP]

I just opened a project, and VO is working fine.

[Davidk]

From the context, (use in X7 and X9) the mic worked fine for a while, and recently stopped working, per your description, just for VS.
Have you done any updates to your device drivers recently, eg the mic audio driver?

As an example, I've got a 4 year old Hp laptop, running win7 home fully patched, and last year a periodic driver scan said I should update several. One of them was a mic driver, and once done, no audio on the PC worked at all. I had to revert to the "old" driver using a restore point and . . . situation fixed. Answer from HP help about this was to the effect that 'with the OS superseded for new sale purposes, MS stops generating drivers and fixes so it's entirely possible any new/updated software driver is "incompatible" with the overall installation. So keep using the old one that works'.

This doesn't explain the case you outline, but it's something you might want to check this with your update history and the driver page of the relevant system device in control panel.

Davidk

[robspa48]

Thanks Davidk for your suggestion. Actually I didn't make any update to my drivers. My problem is not related to the mic (changing the mic doesn't fix the issue) but to some mysterious interaction between VS and the mic (message: "Could not open Wave in device"). As I mentioned, resetting VS to default values allows a temporary good functionality of VO recording, but after I work a while on a project (old or new project) the problem appears again. I think I must accept to live with it, and hope that switching to VS ultimate X10 would be a solution...

[TonyP]

Maybe download the trial version first and see if it works?

[Davidk]

The message from VS as reported is saying that VS cannot find the mic device. But maybe what it means is that the audio properties set are "unrecognised" and therefore the device isn't "there". And the posts say that resets to the default values fixes it until an existing vsp is opened. So, several things . . .

1. reset what to default values? details please
2. Have you tried to just record a voice overlay as the only item in a new vsp? (what we are after is to pin down the conditions that cause the issue). That is (and apologies for the details),
- open VS X9 (after reset if that is what you find works at this stage) with a blank timeline (no project).
- open the record function (click the record capture film reel button) and observe the option box.
- click the voiceover microphone icon and confirm that adjust volume dialog box opens. (If not, that can't find device message is probably there - I got caught preparing this because I'd not connected a mic. Once I did, click the film reel and mic icons again, and there it is or should be).
- confirm that blowing on the mic causes the colour of the level buttons to flutter: if not, raise the volume by click and dragging the level scroll bar in this box. Repeat until level OK.
- do a test - click on record button and speak for say 5 seconds (count?). when you release the button it plays what you said back. Does it?
- happy? click on start button and speak (to record) your voiceover piece. click on ESC to stop recording.
- that voiceover part (file) should now appear in the voice track. Select and play it in the preview window, confirm it is OK.
- save this as a new project name, then exit from VS.

3. Open VS again, then open that new project vsp (should be one of the top 4 items in the file menu) and play it. Should be OK. Note the project properties that exist now.
- add a video clip to the timeline - just one (one of the ones you have been working with), and repeat the audio recording operation. If the mic is again "device not found", confirm what the project properties are now: select project properties, previous setting, edit, compression tab (where the audio bits are). Something should have changed. Repeat until a video clip does cause that mic not found issue, and the difference between original and now should be the proximate cause. Note the vsp properties again, and the properties of the clip which seemed to be the cause.
- if the issue does not repeat with new vsp's, but is there with old ones there are 2 options
- workaround: record/save a voiceover using that mic and a program that does work, then import the recorded file to VS X9 in the audio track. Saves having to reset all the time.
- re-install VS X9. This seems a bit drastic, but I've had instances when something was wrong with a basic function (in one case, the either one of the left or right hand trim handles in the preview window for a clip in edit mode - when dragged and released (click release was the operative part) VS crashed. New vsp - initially OK, then slowly, the same thing began happening there too. Software corruption (via whatever was in the vsp) of a related exe file seemed the only feasible cause. Eventually I got pissed off about it and a re-install fixed it.

[robspa48]

Davidk, let me first mention that I greatly appreciate that a gentleman from Down Under, some 17000 km far from Paris, takes the time to try and solve my problem, thanks thanks thanks. Second, let me jump at the end of my endless story: based on your input I could eventually find the reason of the VO issue, which lies in the Project Properties. For unknown reasons the projects which failed had Audio properties Dolby 3/2 instead of Dolby 2/0, as my clip properties are (and probably my mic properties too). Once I changed that parameter to 2/0 in all the concerned projects, everything was fixed. Very happy! I bought and installed VX10, and for the time being everything's working fine. I cross my fingers not to have to address the forum for a while...All the best
Roberto

[Davidk]

Not a problem, this is the sort of thing my movie class students drop on me about once a month. Sorting it out can get interesting.

Since your clip and project properties were different (and that caused the issue) without any warning, you clearly haven't set the alert message about that very event, In Settings, Preferences, general tab there's a check box to alert the user to this very situation (project properties and 1st clip properties in vsp are different):

In the project section, the 1st check box (about show message when inserting 1st video clip) is the one. Normally default to off after installation, check it on (tick) and OK. Test by opening a new project and then loading one of those offending clips and observe the message result. Since you want the clip properties you have set to override the project, click the option that suits that. In this case (your last response) you want clip to override the project properties, but in other cases the reverse may be true. You may have to fiddle to find out what works correctly to determine the right combination.

[robspa48]

Actually I set the project properties to match the first clip properties in Preferences: since I'm recording with a 5.1 ch surround mic with my camera Panasonic HX X920 (but I might also choose setting this same mic to 2ch), clip audio properties are as shown in the attached picture: when I right click on clip properties in VS I get the image on the right side (indicating 5.1 ch), whereas when I click on the same clip but in the original computer location I get the image on the left (indicating 2 ch)... While I don't understand the reason for such differences, as a matter of fact Project properties result in Audio properties 3/2 ch (see corresponding picture).
Now, the mic I'm using for VO recording is not a surround mic, and this causes the reported issue (message: "Could not open the Wave in device"), unless I change the Project properties to Audio 2 ch which fixes the problem.

Clip Properties

Project Properties