Smaart won't recognize my audio device

This article is for troubleshooting audio devices with Smaart. This extends to all editions of the Smaart 9 platform (Suite, RT, LE, and SPL), however some visuals and features may vary.^*1

When having audio device issues with Smaart, is it incredibly important to start at the source and work your way to Smaart, as 99% of the time it's not even an issue with Smaart to begin with!

The first step is always the most obvious, but you would be surprised how many people forget!

Is the device powered on and plugged in?

Next, check to see if your operating system recognizes the device. Navigate to the audio devices control panel and see if the device is showing up (and that it isn't gained down or muted). If your OS does not recognize the device, Smaart certainly won't either!

Windows - Type mmsys.cpl into the Search bar and click Enter. The "Playback" tab hosts output devices while the "Recording" tab hosts input devices.

macOS - Open "Audio MIDI Setup" from Applications > Utilities. Each device is listed separately on the left, and you can switch between the ins and outs of each device on the right.

Is the driver installed, and installed correctly? Smaart works with any audio I/O device that your operating system recognizes as a valid WAV/WDM (Windows), ASIO (Windows), or Core Audio (macOS) device, but the OS won't necessarily recognize your device if there is a driver needed but not installed. Most audio devices that require drivers come with a CD-ROM that contains drivers, device control software, and a user manual. Take that CD, walk to your nearest trash receptacle, and throw it away. By the time the product gets to you the drivers on the CD are almost always outdated. Don't risk installing buggy or outdated software; go directly to the manufacturer's website and download the latest drivers and control software for your device.

Tip: If the device is critical to your work, buy a dedicated USB drive and always have the latest drivers and software loaded onto it.

The only time you don't need to manually install a driver is if the device uses the built-in USB audio class driver. This will be explicitly stated in the device's user manual.

Within all editions of v9, Smaart creates an audio device log every time it starts up. If Smaart is crashing, both in Windows and on macOS, any sort of audio device issue will be recorded in this log. If you are having issues, you can send this log via email attachment to the support team and we can help diagnose and resolve the issue for you.

The log is located in /<user>/Documents/Smaart [EDITION]/ and is named "Smaart [EDITION].log"

Note: replace [EDITION] with the v9 edition you are using --> Suite, RT, LE, or SPL