Constant Driver Issues

[brittonashford]

I am really tired of getting this error message:

"Failed to open the audio device <"driver name">"

I seem to get it any time I make a small change to my set up (e.g., just now, I changed what I am plugging into my mixer, which runs to my audio interface). The only fix I have found is uninstalling Ableton Live and re-installing it. Sometimes several times. That is not acceptable.

What is causing this and how do I fix it?

I am using Live 10 Suite on Windows. Nothing else is using audio/my devices on the computer. I don't want to use Asio4All. Please help, I want to be making music.

--Bret

[Artcutech]

I am really tired of getting this error message:

"Failed to open the audio device <"driver name">"

What is causing this

Using windows is causing this

Sorry I just had to get that out, I haven’t used windows since about 2005, prob something really simple for someone who knows what’s causing the problem but if your like me, dealing with driver maintenance and driver issues/problems is a deal breaker, sorry I couldn’t be more help but you most likely would not be having such issues with a Mac, not putting you down or being a smart ass, just something to think about

Not to say that certain hardware units do not need drivers on Mac, everything just seems to work much smoother on mac

[jestermgee]

^^ lOl

Customer: "My car feels a bit sluggish on the hills, anything you can recommend"
Mechanic(Artcutech): "Driving a Ford are you, well that's your issue right there. Maybe consider switching to a Bradley APC as that has no such issues traversing steep inclines"

Probably the most useless advice to recommend someone changes their whole world of what they use because of personal beliefs. You can indeed have the same kinds of issues with a Mac if your audio device becomes unresponsive or the software crashes leaving drivers locked.

If you are using any kind of inbuilt audio card on some kind of motherboard or something you are bound to have some issues since the drivers and hardware are a cost of about $0.05. That kind of error is not a Live error and should certainly NOT need the software to be installed again to fix it. In cases where I get that error it is most likely because another application has hold of the audio driver and the application cannot access it. If you are using an inbuilt audio card it could be some piece of rubbish that locks up and does not release the driver. A computer restart should fix that. For external audio interfaces rebooting it can also work.

If you are not using one then I would recommend a half-decent dedicated audio interface as that would undoubtedly solve the issue and be a fraction of the cost of the previous solution.

[Artcutech]

That sounds like some solid advice from jester and I hope the op gets some advice that’ll help his situation

Sup jester, If he was driving a Ford I would at least recomment a Toyota, haha

Btw another application grabing a hold of the audio driver and causing problems for Ableton does not sound like something that would happen on a mac, jus saying

[jestermgee]

Don't get me wrong dude, there is nothing wrong with using a Mac. There is also nothing wrong with using a PC and many (like me) like the longevity and custom ability that comes with a PC. Some prefer to open the box and have the manufacturer pre-destin everything for them so they can just get going, others prefer more control and choice over what their money gets them and the flexibility to maybe play a few decent games (which isn't something Macs are known to be good at).

For the OP, here is what $6500 gets you. Top of the line Mac Pro:



And here I am just making coffee with mine. I had no idea it could Run Ableton on it too.

**Cue the mods to shutdown another Apple v PC trainwreck...

[ark]

I would start by ensuring that you have the correct driver for your audio interface. What kind of interface are you using?

[TLW]

If simply plugging something into a mixer causes a problem then the issue may not be with Ableton.

Are you using a dedicated audio interface or the PC soundcard? If using an interface have you tried using a different USB/Firewire cable to check that isn’t the problem?

If you’re running a traditional mixer into the PC’s soundcard does moving the cable in the soundcard input make a difference? Sometimes the sockets go loose, though that shouldn’t mean anything needs re-installing.

More information from you about your setup might help people work out what’s wrong:-

What audio interface, if any, are you using and are you using the manufacturer’s own driver?
What audio input and output driver are you using in Live? ASIO, WDM, MME, WASAPI?

[Mark Williams]

Using windows is causing this

Sorry I just had to get that out, I haven’t used windows since about 2005, prob something really simple for someone who knows what’s causing the problem but if your like me, dealing with driver maintenance and driver issues/problems is a deal breaker, sorry I couldn’t be more help but you most likely would not be having such issues with a Mac, not putting you down or being a smart ass, just something to think about

Not to say that certain hardware units do not need drivers on Mac, everything just seems to work much smoother on mac

Complete Tosh, I know of just as many people with problems using DAWS and other music software using Macs too.

Back on track, please ensure you are using the correct drivers for your interface, all too often people dont use the relevant driver for whatever reason. As others have requested, you dont give us much to go on here. System/setup details would help.