Stereo mix doesn't work

Stereo Mix is ​​an option that allows the user to record the sound emitted by their computer. This can be very useful in desktop recording sessions.. However, You may have a problem using Stereo Mix. For some users, Stereo Mix may not work even after enabling all options. In some cases, you may see the Stereo Mix bar move during recording, but the recording will not have audio. In other cases, you may not see the stereo mix bar move at all. The problem may appear out of nowhere, for example, you may have used the stereo mix successfully one day before the problem started.

The reason why the stereo mix doesn't work depends on what you are experiencing. If you are listening to the audio (which means that the Stereo Mix is ​​picking up the audio) but you are not getting any audio in the recording, then the problem may be in the app or settings. On the other hand, if you don't hear any audio, means there is a problem with the drivers or cable connectivity, since the computer does not output the audio. As a last resort, this is not a serious problem and is usually due to incorrect settings or driver issues.

Method 1: enable and set stereo mix as default

The problem you may have is that the stereo mix is ​​not turned on. Even if you activated Stereo Mix a few days ago, worth checking if Stereo Mix is ​​enabled in the options. Another thing worth mentioning is that simply enabling Stereo Mix is ​​not enough to get it working.. Many users just turn on Stereo Mix and think it will work. You need to enable stereo mixing and select it as the default device for it to work properly. Yes, many users make this mistake.

Here's how you can turn on stereo mixing and select it as the default device

1. Right click on the sound icon in the icon tray (Lower right corner)

2. Select Recording Devices. This should open the Sound option with the recording tab selected

1. Right-click an empty spot within the selection area of ​​a recording device to modify its settings: area and check the options View disconnected devices and View disconnected devices. If you don't see a check mark next to these options, just click on the option and it should activate this option.

1. Once this is done, you should be able to see the Stereo Mix option listed. Right click on the Stereo Mix option and select Enable

1. Now is the time to make Stereo Mix your default device. Right-click on Stereo Mix and select Set as Default Device. Right-click Stereo Mix again and select Set as Default Communication Device. Once this is done, there should be a green check mark next to the Stereo Mix option

2. Click Apply and then select OK

This should do the job for you..

Method 2: turn off the mic

For some users, disabling the mic while using stereo mix solves the problem with stereo mix. Therefore, follow the steps below to disable the microphone.

Note: before continuing, make sure Stereo Mix is ​​turned on and set as the default device. Follow the steps of the method 1 to set Stereo Mix as the default device.

1. Right click on the sound icon in the icon tray (Lower right corner)

2. Select Recording Devices. This should open the Sound option with the recording tab selected

1. Right click on your microphone and select Disable

2. Click Apply and then select OK

Now check if the problem has been solved.

Method 3: set microphone volume and sound

Sometimes, the problem may be that the microphone is muted in the options of the playback devices. Simply muting your mic will fix the problem.

1. Right click on the sound icon in the icon tray (Lower right corner)

2. Select Playback Devices. This should open the Sound option with the Playback tab selected

1. Right click on your default playback device (speakers) and select Properties

1. Select the Level tab

2. Mute sound and microphone. You can adjust the sound and check if it solves the problem.

3. Once this is done, click Apply and then select OK

1. Click Apply and then select OK again

Now try using the stereo mix and see if the problem is solved.

Method 4: do not use an HDMI audio device

Make sure you are not using a port / HDMI device or any other digital device for sound. For stereo mixing to work, the sound must go through the sound card and using HDMI will bypass the sound card. Sometimes, your HDMI device can be selected as the default device, which can prevent stereo mixing from working. Therefore, set up your speakers (or any other analog audio device) as default device should solve this problem.

Follow the steps below to set your speakers as the default device

1. Right click on the sound icon in the icon tray (Lower right corner)

2. Select Playback Devices. This should open the Sound option with the Playback tab selected

3. Right click on the speakers (or any other audio device you have connected) and select Set as default device. Note: If you don't see any audio device, connect your speakers / headphones through the audio-out port and try again.

4. Click Apply and then select OK

Once this is done, should be ready to go.

Method 5: uncheck Listen to this device option

Another option that has solved the problem for many users is the Listen to this device option. Unchecking this option for the microphone will probably be the solution if nothing else worked. These are the steps to locate and uncheck this option

1. Right click on the sound icon in the icon tray (Lower right corner)

2. Select Recording Devices. This should open the Sound option with the recording tab selected

1. Right click on your microphone and select Properties

1. Select the Listen tab

2. Uncheck Listen to this device

3. Click Apply and then select OK to close the properties window

1. Click Apply and then select OK again to confirm

Once this is done, check if the stereo mix works or not. If this does not solve the problem, try these steps for all the devices that appear in the list of recording devices (excepto Stereo Mix) and try again.

Method 6: Realtek Advanced Audio Settings

If you are using Realtek Audio and you are on a desktop computer, then the problem may be in the Realtek Audio settings. Some users managed to solve their stereo mixing problem by using the audio jack on the back of their computer instead of the front. If you are using the front audio connector, you may have this problem. Therefore, try connecting to the audio jack on the back and if this solves the problem, try the following steps. The steps here will change the settings that will allow you to use the front audio connector for the audio device.. If you have no problem using the audio jack on the back, you can skip the steps.

1. Double click on Realtek Audio Manager from the icon tray (Lower right corner)

2. Click Advanced Device Settings in the upper right corner

3. Uncheck the Mute Rear Output Device option, when connecting front headphones from the Playback Device section

4. Click ok

You must be good to go.

Method 7: update / reinstall the audio driver

The problem could also be in the audio drivers. Drivers may be out of date (if they haven't been updated for a while) or the controller may be damaged. A simple update and / or reinstalling the drivers will fix the problem.

Update driver

Updating drivers is a breeze. It can automatically check for an updated version of the audio drivers, or you can visit the sound card manufacturer's website to download the latest driver version. Below are the steps for both methods.

1. Hold down the Windows key and press R

2. Type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter

1. Locate and double-click sound drivers, video and games

2. Right-click on your sound card driver and select Update Driver Software …

1. Select the option Search automatically for updated driver software and wait for Windows to finish the process. If Windows finds an updated version, Follow the instructions on the screen. Otherwise, go on

1. Close the driver update window

2. Double click on your sound card driver

3. Select the Controller tab and keep it open. In the Driver version line, you should be able to see the version of the driver you have installed. This will be used later

1. Open a browser and go to the sound card manufacturers website.

2. Find the latest drivers for your sound card

Check if the latest version is higher than the one installed on your computer. If you don't have the latest version, Download the driver from the website and follow its instructions. It will probably be an executable file and double clicking on the downloaded file will open the installation wizard. Then you can follow the on-screen instructions

Once this is done, your drivers should be up to date. However, if you have the latest version of the driver and have updated the drivers recently, then the problem may be in the latest version of the driver. In this case, you can go back to the previous version of the driver by following the steps below (you can also skip the steps and go to the uninstall section to reinstall the driver)

1. Hold down the Windows key and press R

2. Type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter

1. Locate and double-click sound drivers, video and games

2. Double click on your sound card driver

3. Select the Controller tab and keep it open.

1. Click the Revert Driver… button and follow the on-screen instructions. If this option is grayed out, go to Uninstall section. On the other hand, if the rollback was successful, reboot and check if the problem is resolved.

Uninstall

The last resort is to uninstall the driver and reboot so that Windows will install a compatible version of the drivers for you.. This usually solves the problem if the problem is caused by a corrupted driver or an incompatible driver.

1. Hold down the Windows key and press R

2. Type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter

1. Locate and double-click sound drivers, video and games

2. Right click on your sound card driver

3. Select Uninstall and confirm the additional prompts

Once this is done, reboot. Windows will automatically install the driver on your next startup. Then, try running Stereo Mix and check if the new version of the driver has solved the problem.

User suggestion:

The “DO NOT USE HDMI for output in sound settings” it worked. Disabling these two inputs IMMEDIATELY made the stereo mix work and so did the Audacity recorder. CHECK YOUR HDMI SETTINGS on sound reproduction …