Tascam interface, windows 7 - no audio

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almavague
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Tascam interface, windows 7 - no audio

Post by almavague » Sun Jan 31, 2016 2:38 pm

Hi everyone,
I'm having a problem that I've spent several days trying to
solve to no avail. I'm running a home-built PC with a Tascam
US-1641 USB interface. For years I ran Windows XP with no
issues. Last week I upgraded to Windows 7. I did a clean
install and everything seems to be working ok. I downloaded
the most recent drivers for the Tascam from the Tascam
website. The driver installs, the Tascam is set as the default
device, the Tascam control panel says the Tascam is
working, that the driver is the most recent, the firmware is the
most recent. But there is no audio. It doesn't play or record
audio. The Windows mixer doesn't even visually show audio
when I play an mp3 on VLC.

Here are all my specs:
Motherboard: Intel DG33TL
processor: intel core 2 quad q6600
8 GB RAM
Windows 7 Pro 64bit
Tascam US-1641 USB 2.0

Things I've tried/verified:
- The tascam works on my laptop, so the unit and the cable
are both good
- Every driver on the tascam website, even the out-dated
ones
- Updated the firmware
- Another USB audio interface (Edirol UA-20) will work with
the machine/OS
- Complete Windows updates (I'm having trouble with
Windows update, there are 6 optional updates that I can't
download. Maybe this is the problem, I doubt it)
- I've uninstalled/disabled every other audio device
- Tried every of USB ports
- Done a complete, clean reinstall of Windows 7
- Updated the motherboard/chipset/etc drivers from the Intel
website, every driver that corresponded to my hardware

Both Tascam and Sweetwater customer service (where I
bought the device) haven't had any good suggestions.
Please help! My projects are piling up and my PC is usless
without audio! Thanks in advance!

kslight
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Posts: 2968
Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2009 7:40 pm

Post by kslight » Sun Jan 31, 2016 2:53 pm

A few questions I'm not clear on with your post:

Are you using any particular DAW?

Does the laptop that the Tascam does work on run the same version of Windows/whatever DAW you are using?

Have you tried downloading ASIO4All? http://www.asio4all.com



Things I would try for troubleshooting:



Make sure your sample rates all line up correctly. Maybe even set the sample rate 'incorrectly' and see if the computer/daw reacts, and then set it back to the correct sample rate.

Make sure all unnecessary hardware is removed from the system, especially USB hard drives/etc.

Turn computer completely off. Plug in Tascam. Turn on Tascam. Turn on computer. (and other variations of this same idea)

Make sure there is nothing 'funny' in the bios settings under USB (don't know what you'd see exactly, but worth a look).


Try downloading ASIO4All.


Make sure your audio i/o preferences are correct in your DAW, and make sure the DAW is current.





Sorry I don't run Windows here so my ideas are limited, but hopefully that'll get you started. Since your laptop apparently works with the Tascam, there must be something different about your computer that is causing the Tascam to not work, so I'd look for any differences between these systems...

almavague
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Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2012 6:31 pm
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Post by almavague » Sun Jan 31, 2016 4:53 pm

Hi,
Thanks for the quick reply. I never bothered to install a DAW because I couldn't get basic audio to work. I was trying to get sound via youtube, playing mp3's in VLC, etc. But I followed your advice. The ASIO didn't seem to change anything. And just for the experiment, I downloaded Reaper. In the preferences, Reaper doesn't show the tascam. However, when "WaveOut" is set as the audio system it gives me the option to make the Tascam the input device and output device. Or if I choose ASIO as the audio system, I can choose the tascam. In both cases, Reaper doesn't play or record. The cursor won't even move when there's an imported audio track.

As far as the other computer, it's running Vista, so it's hard to compare the systems. I mention that it worked just to demonstrate that there's no problem with the interface or the USB cable.

So far, no dice...

kslight wrote:A few questions I'm not clear on with your post:

Are you using any particular DAW?

Does the laptop that the Tascam does work on run the same version of Windows/whatever DAW you are using?

Have you tried downloading ASIO4All? http://www.asio4all.com



Things I would try for troubleshooting:



Make sure your sample rates all line up correctly. Maybe even set the sample rate 'incorrectly' and see if the computer/daw reacts, and then set it back to the correct sample rate.

Make sure all unnecessary hardware is removed from the system, especially USB hard drives/etc.

Turn computer completely off. Plug in Tascam. Turn on Tascam. Turn on computer. (and other variations of this same idea)

Make sure there is nothing 'funny' in the bios settings under USB (don't know what you'd see exactly, but worth a look).


Try downloading ASIO4All.


Make sure your audio i/o preferences are correct in your DAW, and make sure the DAW is current.





Sorry I don't run Windows here so my ideas are limited, but hopefully that'll get you started. Since your laptop apparently works with the Tascam, there must be something different about your computer that is causing the Tascam to not work, so I'd look for any differences between these systems...

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Randyman...
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Post by Randyman... » Sun Jan 31, 2016 7:11 pm

I'm assuming you are running W7-64 Bit, and probably came from XP-32 Bit?

I saw an old post where someone recommended using Tascam's 64-Bit Vista Driver (I assume they mean the most current v2.05 fro the Tascam Website?), but specifically installing under Vista "Compatibility Mode".

http://tascam.com/product/us-1641/downloads/

The most current driver is only 13 months old (Dec 2014) - so I can't imagine W7-64 not being supported properly??? They even claim full W8 support!

http://tascam.com/product/us-1641/faqs/


At least maybe try to install the drivers under "Run as administrator", and MAKE SURE you click on the "Always Trust" click-box pop-up if prompted (this will let the driver run unhindered).

Have you downloaded and installed the most current chipset and USB drivers for your specific PC/Motherboard? Might not help - or might make a difference.

Also - in the device manager - on any USB Hubs listed there - go to the Power Management tab and disable "Let the computer turn off this device to save power" or whatever it says...

Do you have any unknown devices in your device manager?

ASIO-4-ALL wold be worth a shot as mentioned above - but it seems to be an issue at the USB communication level IMO.

ADD/EDIT - Long shot (grabbing straws) - Any chance the master/slave clocking settings are inadvertently looking for an external sync input (digital input or BNC wordclock)? This might cause no audio I/O and no ability for a DAW to "play" an imported file....

:cool:
Randy V.
Audio-Dude / Musician / PC Guru / Crazy Guy

almavague
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Post by almavague » Mon Feb 01, 2016 5:43 pm

Thanks Randyman!

Yes, I went from XP-32 to W7-64.
I tried installing the vista driver under compatibility mode.
I tried installing "run as administrator". There was no pop-up box to "always trust"
I turned off the power saving option for the USB hubs in the device manager.
You asked if I have any unknown devices in the device manager - yes, but I think it's more my lack of knowledge than anything causing a problem. For example: Communications Port (COM1) - I don't know what that is...
And for the clock problem - when the driver is installed, there's a US 1641 control panel that always indicated everything is "working" and has driver/firmware information, etc. It gives the clock source option as internal or automatic. Neither seems to work, but it's default is automatic.

I've got the latest drivers for the chipset and everything else I could find that corresponded to my PC on the Intel website. There were no drivers for the USB ports on the website. Here's a question - when the device manager says "you have the best driver for this device", do you trust it?

Any other thoughts? I'm pulling my hair out over this...
Randyman... wrote:I'm assuming you are running W7-64 Bit, and probably came from XP-32 Bit?

I saw an old post where someone recommended using Tascam's 64-Bit Vista Driver (I assume they mean the most current v2.05 fro the Tascam Website?), but specifically installing under Vista "Compatibility Mode".

http://tascam.com/product/us-1641/downloads/

The most current driver is only 13 months old (Dec 2014) - so I can't imagine W7-64 not being supported properly??? They even claim full W8 support!

http://tascam.com/product/us-1641/faqs/


At least maybe try to install the drivers under "Run as administrator", and MAKE SURE you click on the "Always Trust" click-box pop-up if prompted (this will let the driver run unhindered).

Have you downloaded and installed the most current chipset and USB drivers for your specific PC/Motherboard? Might not help - or might make a difference.

Also - in the device manager - on any USB Hubs listed there - go to the Power Management tab and disable "Let the computer turn off this device to save power" or whatever it says...

Do you have any unknown devices in your device manager?

ASIO-4-ALL wold be worth a shot as mentioned above - but it seems to be an issue at the USB communication level IMO.

ADD/EDIT - Long shot (grabbing straws) - Any chance the master/slave clocking settings are inadvertently looking for an external sync input (digital input or BNC wordclock)? This might cause no audio I/O and no ability for a DAW to "play" an imported file....

:cool:

User avatar
Randyman...
takin' a dinner break
Posts: 186
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 8:30 pm

Post by Randyman... » Mon Feb 01, 2016 6:51 pm

This is weird for sure. Not sure where else to go right now.

EDIT/ADD - Just curious - Do you have the Motherboard integrated audio disabled in the BIOS? Have you tried disabling it for grins? Doubt it will do anything - but rarely onboard audio can affect 3rd party audio devices...

The Intel "inf" chipset drivers generally include the USB2.0 drivers for Intel Chipsets - so you should be cool there. If you have any 3rd party USB2 or any USB3 controllers they likely need a separate driver.

I generally track down (and save locally) the specific and most current drivers for all of my PC devices - so no: I don't generally trust Windows "The best driver for your device is already installed". That can only go as far as checking drivers against Windows Update from what I gather...

The only other thing I could think of is some kind of odd ground loop corrupting the USB transmission from the Tascam (which uses a 3-prong grounded AC cord) to the PC's USB (which might get its earth through the PC's 3-prong AC power cord).

But this SAME EXACT PC and SAME INTERFACE worked fine with XP/32 - correct? Nothing else changed in the interim? If ANYTHING changed AT ALL from the last time it worked with XP (aside from upgrading to W7), please recap here...

The "COM1" in your device manager is just your Serial/DB9 interface (likely native on the Motherboard's southbridge chip) - but it is odd that it is not being auto-detected and installed.

I can only guess, but this does smell like some kind of USB/Driver issue somewhere - but not similar to anything I've encountered in my 15+ years building DIY PC's and DAW's. I did just have a really odd issue with an M-Audio PCI card for a hand-me-down PC I gave my guitar player. The PCI Audio Card was showing up as some other kind of device and the drivers would not install (Drivers actually installed, but the device would not get detected as an Audio Device and would not work at all). I pulled the PCI card, cleaned the contacts, and all was well. I doubt your issue has anything to do with dirty contacts or bad cables (same interface / same PC / same cables worked fine under XP) - but stranger things have happened...

Staying tuned for the resolution! :cool:
Randy V.
Audio-Dude / Musician / PC Guru / Crazy Guy

almavague
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Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2012 6:31 pm
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Post by almavague » Wed Feb 03, 2016 8:05 pm

Hey thanks again.

I looked in the BIOS and I didn't find anything about audio. Would it be called something different? I'm always afraid to change things there unless I'm totally sure it's the right thing.

The one other thing I changed with the install of W7 was I moved from 2GB RAM to 8GB - all new sticks. W7 recognizes the RAM - no reason to think that's causing a problem.

I'm going to try to keep looking for all the drivers I can. Maybe there's some strange USB driver that's not totally updated or something. Also, like you said, maybe some canned air will do the trick.

Neither Sweetcare nor Tascam had any good advice. If I figure it out, I'll let you know...
Randyman... wrote:This is weird for sure. Not sure where else to go right now.

EDIT/ADD - Just curious - Do you have the Motherboard integrated audio disabled in the BIOS? Have you tried disabling it for grins? Doubt it will do anything - but rarely onboard audio can affect 3rd party audio devices...

The Intel "inf" chipset drivers generally include the USB2.0 drivers for Intel Chipsets - so you should be cool there. If you have any 3rd party USB2 or any USB3 controllers they likely need a separate driver.

I generally track down (and save locally) the specific and most current drivers for all of my PC devices - so no: I don't generally trust Windows "The best driver for your device is already installed". That can only go as far as checking drivers against Windows Update from what I gather...

The only other thing I could think of is some kind of odd ground loop corrupting the USB transmission from the Tascam (which uses a 3-prong grounded AC cord) to the PC's USB (which might get its earth through the PC's 3-prong AC power cord).

But this SAME EXACT PC and SAME INTERFACE worked fine with XP/32 - correct? Nothing else changed in the interim? If ANYTHING changed AT ALL from the last time it worked with XP (aside from upgrading to W7), please recap here...

The "COM1" in your device manager is just your Serial/DB9 interface (likely native on the Motherboard's southbridge chip) - but it is odd that it is not being auto-detected and installed.

I can only guess, but this does smell like some kind of USB/Driver issue somewhere - but not similar to anything I've encountered in my 15+ years building DIY PC's and DAW's. I did just have a really odd issue with an M-Audio PCI card for a hand-me-down PC I gave my guitar player. The PCI Audio Card was showing up as some other kind of device and the drivers would not install (Drivers actually installed, but the device would not get detected as an Audio Device and would not work at all). I pulled the PCI card, cleaned the contacts, and all was well. I doubt your issue has anything to do with dirty contacts or bad cables (same interface / same PC / same cables worked fine under XP) - but stranger things have happened...

Staying tuned for the resolution! :cool:

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