Cannot find wave-in device

[jparnold]

It's been some time since I edited video especially using voice over and I have found a problem I cannot solve.

I want to add 'voice over' and each time I select the Record/Capture Option and then click on Voice Over I get the error -
Device Error: Cannot open the wave-in device

I searched the internet and found that someone created a thread for the same problem using X6 and Trevor and Ken replied, Ken mentioning that he only uses a 3rd party audio editor.

Now this has only started happening with my new (well it's a year old now) PC. When I use my old (standby) PC I do NOT get the error either using X10 or X6.
I have checked the microphone with Windows and it works ok.

Has anyone found a reason for this? Or do I need to use something like Audacity to record my voice over and then 'move' the files into the VS project?

Thanks
John

[RobertOZ]

Is your microphone seen by your system ? check which apps can access your microphone

[jparnold]

Thanks for your quick reply.
As mentioned in my initial post "I have checked the microphone with Windows and it works ok."
Also it works with Audacity (app) and also with VATPAC - haven't checked any other apps but surely if it's working with two it should work with all.
I feel it might have something to do with settings within Windows 10 but cannot determine where. I have no problems with my old PC which runs Windows 7 64 bit but not my main PC which uns Windows 10.
Why should the app be 'seen' by Windows (audio settings) and two other apps but not VS?

[lata]

Hi John

It’s a known issue that Project Properties set to use Digital Dolby Surround Sound (Dolby Digital Audio, 48 KHz, 3/2(L,C,R,SL,SR)) will cause this problem.
Change your Project Properties to use Stereo (Dolby Digital Audio, 48 KHz, 2/0(L,R)
Then you should be able to use Voice Over

Corel have fixed this for 2020 by removing support for Digital Dolby surround Sound, at least that’s the effect that had.

[jparnold]

Hi Trevor.

You are a champion as usual. Thanks for the advice.

It is strange though that it seems Audacity work ok with surround sound (I am assuming) as when I started to create some voiceovers, when I 'exported' them as MP3 files I got a message that the sound would be converted to 2 channel (can't remember exactly what it was as I 'ticked' "do not show this in the future" (or something similar) which I assume means that it was originally in surround sound)?

Is it a problem with VS when using Windows 10? If so it took Corel some time to fix it (W10 came out in 2015!).

I assume that I need to change the audio FORMAT in project properties to 2/0(L,R) instead of 3/2(L,C,R,SL,SR)? I just tried to change that but it was taking forever for VS to make the change THEREFORE when I start a project and import my first MTS video clip should I NOT respond YES when prompted by VS to set the properties to match that of the first clip?

Exactly what then does project properties achieve when rendering to a different format (eg 1920x1080 MPEG4). Should I then always respond NO when prompted?

John

[lata]

Hi John

You should insert the MTS to the timeline choosing Yes to match the video properties.
Then from Settings -Project Properties – edit – Compression tab – change the audio to use 2/0(L R)
That way your video properties are correct with the audio being the only change.

I dont understand why that should take a long time for you, please try again.

[Davidk]

The microphone properties will show up in the windows control panel, sound page. Then, make sure that the default device is the microphone you want to use. Sometimes these drivers are sensitive in "plugged-in" or not, so make sure that the mic is in fact plugged in, seated properly, and turned on (there is often a small on/off switch on the side of the device for that and generally any doco that exists for the device just doesn't mention that). The last time I had this issue, that on/off switch had gotten to off. The CP sound page items include a test sequence you can use.

However, if you can record OK using the same microphone with audacity then the issue isn't with windows, more probably with VS.

I usually use the record/capture (r/c) device icon in the edit mode timeline tool bar to record voiceover, rather than the capture mode. Clicking r/c gives you a panel with various source devices: click the microphone. The panel that opens has a test volume slider you can adjust the volume of the recording with. If this panel doesn't open you will see the cannot open wav device message instead.

[jparnold]

Thanks Trevor and David

In reply to "I dont understand why that should take a long time for you, please try again." I think that it took a long time as my project contained a HUGE number of different clips and VS had to process each one separately until all done. Well that's my theory as when I tested it on a project of just 2 or 3 clips it took about 1 second (or less).

Looking at the properties for the microphone ('sound page) it shows 'default' in 'advanced' that it is set to 2 channel 16 bit, 48000 Hz (DVD quality). I only have one microphone so it would be the default. All plugged in correctly and switch on the mike is on - anyway it all works ok within Windows setup and also in Audacity (actually while waiting for replies I created my voice over (exported at 2 channel MP3 files) and added each to appropriate places in my timeline. I will have a look at what you do ie
I usually use the record/capture (r/c) device icon in the edit mode timeline tool bar to record voiceover, rather than the capture mode. I note that you use W7 and I have only ever experienced the problem I described in my initial post that it only seems to be a problem when using W10 as I can't reproduce it on my old (backup) PC which runs W7.
John

[Davidk]

Is it possible that the microphone device driver was inherited from a windows 7 installation?
As a long shot, check that the device driver for it is the latest under windows 10?? (manufacturers support, download page).

As to windows 7 in my profile - currently that's the state of play for my laptop, and it's running X10, 2019 and 2020 routinely. My desktop and main machine is another story: migrated to win10 and just could not get VS to run correctly; the share page would not function correctly and locked up the PC. Tried 4 times over 7 months since December 2019 with different approaches - same result. But all, ALL, of the VS installs at that point were firstly made on a win7 platform. And even with no VS (or plug-ins) installed, and cleaned up, a scan showed that there are 898 residual registry entries with a key or data containing the string "Video Studio". Some of them date from beta cycles of X8 - long gone from the machine. Why didn't I do a clean install - actually, I did. But in that mode everything was up for installation and the very first thing I tried was from an installation disk and win10 rejected it. Probably too old, but it was younger than many others - some professional software I use has install disks dating back to 2000. Did not fancy doing that for everything when the only program misfiring on a migration was VS: clearly something carried over from the win7 installation and my best bet is in the registry. Editing the registry to remove these broke the machine too. Recovered. So I lived with a win10 migration and without VS on the desktop, hoping that when 2021 comes out it will be fixed, because it's first install will be on win10, and the result will be different. The admins have (privately) heard this sorry tale before and the reason I'm outlining it now is that a win10 migration or update can result in some software being Ok with win10, yet others are not.

[jparnold]

Isn't Windows 'wonderful'.
Uninstall doesn't always do what you think it would do (eg remove registry entries as well as unwanted folders). Maybe I am over critical about Windows and its the software which doesn't write enough entries to their uninstall data file. I really don't know exactly how uninstall works only think I know.
I too have resorted to using Regedit and looking for entries I didn't want.
(added later)
BTW I tried to use your suggestion (I usually use the record/capture (r/c) device icon in the edit mode timeline tool bar to record voiceover, rather than the capture mode.).
The only record/capture icon I can see is the one I always use and which caused the problem until I set the audio type (in project settings) from 3/2 to 2/0.

[Davidk]

IMHO it's the uninstall entries that are the cause of a lot of registry bloat, including this.
In the 1st instance, developers are keen to get the install right, or windows won't run their baby. But windows is slack about rules for the uninstall files and most developers just don't care about that.