Start with the smallest observation you can make: did the program run, did an event happen, and did audio reach the output? Change one thing at a time. Keep a copy of the sound you want to return to.
I hear nothing#
- Choose Run and read any error message. After an unsuccessful Run, the last successful version may still be the one loaded.
- Start Play. Check your selected output, system volume, mute and solo controls, and the current scene's active tracks.
- Try the complete program below in a new song. It uses a built-in oscillator and needs no samples, plugins or input device.
- If it plays, return to the original song and isolate its parts. Check sample names, filter cutoff, gain, envelope length and the note's first entrance.
tempo = 120bpm
timingVersion = 2
play "sine" "c4 ~ c4 ~" |> release 100msListen for: two clear notes per bar. Make it yours: change the octave to test whether the original part was simply too low or high for the output. Volta's Doctor can help trace silence through the signal path.
My edit did not change the sound#
Confirm that Run succeeded and that you edited the live song. With several songs open, only one is live. A preview in Reference is separate from the song's transport. A scene or macro may also be controlling the value you changed. Use Songs and files to identify the live document and The modulation matrix to inspect control connections.
The rhythm is not what I expected#
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Spaces versus brackets | c4 e4 g4 divides the whole cycle into thirds; [e4 g4] divides one slot. |
| Angle brackets | <c4 g4> alternates across cycles, rather than playing both notes within one. |
| Long patterns | A short preview may end before the full repeat period. |
| Timing version | Files without a timingVersion line use composable timing (version 2); a file that says timingVersion = 1 keeps the legacy timing. |
| Pattern versus track pipe | fast changes pattern time; gain on a track changes event strength. |
| A boolean rest | Use ~ for “off.” A numeric 0 is still an event in a structural pattern. |
The pattern roll and cycle views reveal actual event positions. See Patterns for timing and value-holding rules.
Notes disappear or end too soon#
An attack longer than the note may never reach a useful level. A small voice pool can steal notes when chords or release tails overlap. A sample may simply have reached its end. Start with a shorter attack, simpler pattern and shorter release, then reintroduce complexity. Polyphony and voice management explains overlapping voices and stealing.
The mix is harsh, blurred, or much louder#
Compare with effects bypassed and turn the output down before judging the new tone. Distortion adds overtones; resonance emphasizes a frequency range; long reverb and overlapping bass tails fill gaps. Solve the part's musical role and level before adding more processing. From loop to finished track offers a practical order of decisions.
A sample or plugin is silent#
Compiling a name does not prove the audio asset is loaded. Studio warns when a sample name or a bank:N variant is missing from its sample library; on the desktop a variant past the bank's count plays silence. Confirm the recording exists in Samples, that its bank or variant is available, and that its root pitch matches the intended instrument. An external plugin needs the supported desktop host and its installed state; it is not bundled into a plain source file. See Samples, Plugin hosting, and Autosampling for the relevant setup.
The export sounds different#
Check that the export used the current source and full arrangement. Check the tail length and sample dependencies. A track rendered alone may lose a sidechain or audio input from another track; that can change its sound. Plugin and live input paths have host-specific limits. Start with Export and delivery and Recording and takes.
I do not understand an error#
Read the first error before fixing later ones. Check the kind of argument it wants, its units, and the highlighted location. 800Hz is a frequency; 100ms is a duration; 0.5 is often a normalized control. Use Symbols to look up the command and Named options to make longer calls easier to read. The glossary translates unfamiliar terms.
If you report a problem, include the smallest source that reproduces it, what you expected to hear, what happened, and whether you used desktop or browser. The feedback form is available from Studio.