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Question Unity disabling all PC audio input AND output with MOTU 8A interface

Discussion in 'Audio & Video' started by jallweiss, Jul 29, 2021.

  1. jallweiss

    jallweiss

    Joined:
    May 1, 2020
    Posts:
    1
    Hi all,
    Was wondering if anyone might be able to provide some tips or advice here.
    Whenever I load into the editor all of my PC audio cuts out. At first this wasn't really an issue because I didn't necessarily need sound while working in editor for what I'm doing. However I've reached a point where I need to record some videos of working in the editor for my team while recording an audio dub over it (just using OBS). I figured it was just output that was getting completely cut out when the editor loaded, but I'm now finding that all of my input gets cut as well. I can have my audio interface and OBS open and be getting a signal perfectly, but as soon as the editor opens everything cuts out. The interface is a MOTU 8A , and I haven't had this issue at all with any other application.

    I do not get FMOD errors or anything audio related in Unity's console.
    So far I have tried the following solutions with no change in the issue.
    -Disable Unity audio
    -Disable editor output suspension
    -Change default input and output devices for windows to something other than the MOTU, boot unity (so it is using different devices). Load OBS and audio software for mic (they are using the MOTU ASIO device, Unity is using my GPU's audio I/O, still no input from MOTU although I see input on the interface display).
    -Disable ALL audio devices on PC, boot unity, re-enable just the MOTU input devices and launch OBS/Audio recording software.

    I'm at a loss. I don't know if this is something specific to using ASIO (I use ASIO Link Pro to route audio from my interface to recording apps), something specific to Unity and my MOTU drivers or what. No matter what combinations of settings I use though, Unity just nukes all audio on my PC despite levels clearly showing on my interface.

    I could really use some help. For the time being I have to record videos in editor, close unity, then go back and overdub these recordings for my team. Eventually I'm going to have to change my hardware around so I can actually get sound while in editor for testing, but that is a less than ideal situation.

    Thanks in advance for any help.
     
    jallweiss, Jul 29, 2021
    #1

  2. janm_unity3d

    janm_unity3d

    Unity Technologies

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2012
    Posts:
    36
    Hi jallweiss, it's difficult to do any remote diagnosis of the issue, but since you didn't mention this in the post, it sounds like you might have exclusive mode enabled on one of the sound devices which can cause all sorts of conflicts with drivers like ASIO that want an even more low-level access to change the sample rate. See https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...es-it-do/26922597-f6c8-4080-a675-199e37f37a0b

    The thing with the levels showing is still puzzling though, especially since it's effectively two separate audio devices (assuming that by GPU I/O you mean the audio outlet of an HDMI monitor). So it might be something completely different. With OBS and ASIO loopbacks in the mix it can be tricky to find the exact cause. I don't know much about OBS, but maybe there are some settings in it where it tries to access the device used by Unity, and perhaps you can set it up to ignore this device?

    Note that even though audio is disabled in the project settings, it never really is in the editor (due to audio preview and other stuff). The setting really only applies to standalone builds, and the editor just blocks out the requests to play sounds.
     
    janm_unity3d, Aug 31, 2021
    #2

  3. tonytopper

    tonytopper

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2018
    Posts:
    199
    Not sure how similar this issue is but, I have issues with my Motu 8pre-es when I am in Play Mode in the editor.

    Sound quality degrades; lots of audio artifacts start getting introduced. Setting the Host Buffer Size to a larger amount helps but doesn't eliminate the issue.

    I get these issues even when Unity is using a different audio driver than the Motu. Turning off exclusive mode can help solve many issues with the Motu devices though.

    I don't get these problems from my onboard sound card though. The Motu runs through USB so maybe that affects how it hits the CPU.

    My Motu is picky about which USB port I use, swapping USB ports might be worth trying.
     
    tonytopper, May 19, 2023
    #3