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Can't play audio files inside Magic

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pedromiguelxarepe
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Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2022 7:22 pm

Can't play audio files inside Magic

Post by pedromiguelxarepe »

Hi! So I have the Performer version of Magic and it works great for live performances because it has no problem getting the input from my mixer. However, when I try and play a file from within Magic, problems arise. I've been going through similar posts in this forum and the answer seems to be that Magic uses the default output in the system settings to play the files.

It's a shame however that there's no option to control this in-software. I have an Allen&Heath ZED10 mixer that is connected to my Mac via USB. In order to set the mixer up, one has to create an aggregate device so that the mixer, so to say, can handle all of the work. Problem is, aggregate devices usually have no control outputs and I don't think Magic likes that very much. I mean it exports just fine but I can't get the audio to play in the software for the life of me. Sure I could play the file in my computer and do my designs that way but that often is a problem because of volume levels: I can never be sure that what I'm seeing is actually what's gonna turn out to be exported because the volume levels in the mixer might not match the ones in the audio file. So this is a very frustrating issue as it severely hinders my workflow.

Is there any known solution to this issue? I love Magic but I think this is one major flaw. I mean, this is a professional tool for musicians as I understand it and my mixer is a pretty standard issue mixer, so I can't see how Magic didn't account for this. I hope someone can offer me a workaround.

Also, let me just get this out of the way, the file I'm trying to play is a standard 320k mp3, sample rate of 44,1 KHz so there is nothing weird about the file whatsoever, I am pretty sure this is a software problem with Magic.
Magic
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Re: Can't play audio files inside Magic

Post by Magic »

Did you try the "Close Input Device" option? Sometimes there is a conflict between input and output.

Also I'm not sure why you can't simply select your device as the main system output in System Preferences?
pedromiguelxarepe
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Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2022 7:22 pm

Re: Can't play audio files inside Magic

Post by pedromiguelxarepe »

Where is that "Close input device" option located? I've double checked and I can't seem to find any option or checkbox with that name on the software.

I didn't say I couldn't select it as an output device. I did say that aggregate devices have no output controls. Once you select an aggregate device as your system's main output, the system in incapable of controlling the device so to say (you can't control the volume through the volume keys, for instance) and leaves it to the hardware to manage and I speculated that that may be the reason why Magic doesn't "understand" the output. Now I have no technical expertise in this area, so I might be way off, it was just my speculation.
pedromiguelxarepe
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2022 7:22 pm

Re: Can't play audio files inside Magic

Post by pedromiguelxarepe »

pedromiguelxarepe wrote:Where is that "Close input device" option located? I've double checked and I can't seem to find any option or checkbox with that name on the software.

I didn't say I couldn't select it as an output device. I did say that aggregate devices have no output controls. Once you select an aggregate device as your system's main output, the system in incapable of controlling the device so to say (you can't control the volume through the volume keys, for instance) and leaves it to the hardware to manage and I speculated that that may be the reason why Magic doesn't "understand" the output. Now I have no technical expertise in this area, so I might be way off, it was just my speculation.
For reference, this is what my output system preferences look like.
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Magic
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Re: Can't play audio files inside Magic

Post by Magic »

Please see https://magicmusicvisuals.com/downloads ... udioIssues

Why does that device present itself as an aggregate as opposed to just a normal device?
pedromiguelxarepe
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Re: Can't play audio files inside Magic

Post by pedromiguelxarepe »

Magic wrote:Please see https://magicmusicvisuals.com/downloads ... udioIssues

Why does that device present itself as an aggregate as opposed to just a normal device?
Okay thank you so much! This actually worked. I clicked the close input device option and then selected the mixer in the dropdown and now it works! Thanks! :D

Answering your question on the aggregate devices, like I said, I'm in no way an expert but https://support.allen-heath.com/hc/en-g ... -in-Mac-OS here's what it says on the Allen & Heath website. Basically, it's the only way some DAWs can interpret the different inputs from the mixer correctly. It has nothing to do with the issue at hand, though.

Edit: For anyone who is having this issue, you basically have to click on close input devices and select your audio interface everytime you open a new session for it to work.
Magic
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Re: Can't play audio files inside Magic

Post by Magic »

No, that's not correct. You don't have to do it every time you start a new project. Selecting the "Close" option will permanently close the input device, until you select a new one.

Also, you don't need to select anything in the drop-downs. The drop downs are for input only. No input configuration is necessary if all you want to do is play audio files.
pedromiguelxarepe
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Re: Can't play audio files inside Magic

Post by pedromiguelxarepe »

Magic wrote:No, that's not correct. You don't have to do it every time you start a new project. Selecting the "Close" option will permanently close the input device, until you select a new one.

Also, you don't need to select anything in the drop-downs. The drop downs are for input only. No input configuration is necessary if all you want to do is play audio files.
Well, turns out practice begs to differ. If I don't actually select an input, the file doesn't play even if I close input devices. So, there's that. I don't know if that's a bug or if that's just due to the aggregate device thing but it is what it is.
Magic
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Re: Can't play audio files inside Magic

Post by Magic »

Ok, I guess it's the aggregate thing then.
pedromiguelxarepe
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Re: Can't play audio files inside Magic

Post by pedromiguelxarepe »

Magic wrote:Ok, I guess it's the aggregate thing then.
Yeah probably. Anyway, thanks for solving my problem! Have a good one!
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