Audio Driver Error

The information in this article applies to:
  • SONAR (all versions)
  • SONAR Home Studio (all versions)
  • Guitar Tracks (all versions)
  • Music Creator (all versions)
Audio Driver Error: The following driver(s) either do not support the current audio format, or are in use by another application.

This error is usually caused by audio driver configuration problems. The first thing to do is check the Audio Hardware Guide and make sure your sound card or interface is set up properly. If your interface isn't listed, try switching the driver mode to either MME 32-bit or ASIO under Options > Audio > Advanced.

If you experience difficulties changing your driver mode, please run the Driver Mode Changer utility to change your driver mode to MME 32-bit.

Users may get this error message when setting the Driver Bit Depth or Sampling Rate beyond the capabilities of the currently selected sound card or if opening a project with a different sample rate than the sound card is currently set to.

  1. Go to Options > Audio > General and reduce the Driver Bit Depth to '16' and the Sampling Rate to '44100'. This is CD-quality and is the best option for most users. Please keep in mind that while many consumer cards such as the Creative Labs Audigy advertise 24-bit capabilities, their drivers only support 16-bit recording/playback.
  2. If your soundcard's clock can be controlled via an external connection (ie Word Clock, ADAT, etc) or via a control panel, please make sure that the device's current sampling rate matches the settings in SONAR.
  3. Your card may also be in use by another program on the computer. To eliminate this problem, please close all applications running in the background such as Real Player, Winamp, etc and turn off all Windows Sounds from the Control Panel. You may then need to restart your Cakewalk application.
  4. Some audio interfaces have a control panel that allows the user to specify the device's sample rate.  Ensure that the setting in this control panel matches that of the current project you are trying to work with.


Version: 1.15, Last Updated: 10/21/2009