This page describes three different faults that people often describe in the same way. First find out which fault you have, because the solutions are different.
Which one is it?
| What you hear | Go to |
|---|---|
| Regular stuttering or interruptions | Monitoring into a recorded device |
| The same sound twice, with a short delay | Two paths to the same output |
| A howl or ringing that becomes louder | A microphone hearing the speakers |
Monitoring into a device that is being recorded
This is the most common fault, and its cause is the least obvious.
If the monitoring output uses the same device that a source records from, you hear stuttering. It sounds like a computer that is too slow or a damaged file, but neither is the cause. The usual example is a source that captures the desktop audio while the desk monitors on the same device.
The program warns you about this when it can, and names the source.
To correct it, switch off the source that records from the device, or choose a different monitoring output under Settings → Outputs → Audio output.
Two paths to the same output
You hear the same sound twice, usually with a very short delay.
The cause is almost always that another source is on the audio track of your playout. By default, a new source is on all six tracks, so a source that someone added reaches the output of your card.
To correct it, switch on Reserve this track for the playout under Settings → Outputs → Audio. This removes all other sources from the track. See audio tracks.
A playout that is used as a source in a scene carries only the picture. If you hear doubled sound there, the cause is again the track.
A microphone hearing the speakers
A howl that becomes louder is an acoustic loop, and not a fault in the program: a microphone is picking up the sound of the speakers.
The playout cannot correct this, because it depends on which microphone is open, where the speakers point, and how loud the room is. Ask the person who operates the sound desk.
The program can tell you one thing. The audio that it sends out is the audio you hear at the monitoring output, so if the sound is clean at the desk, the loop is after the program.
Excluding the program
If you are not sure whether the program is involved, set the master fader of the playout to zero for a moment. If the noise continues, the cause is not in this program.