Skip to content

Troubleshooting

github-actions[bot] edited this page Sep 18, 2026 · 5 revisions

Troubleshooting

Update stops at 100% / file is being used by another process

Older updaters kept the SHA-256 verification reader open while trying to rename the download. On Windows this caused a sharing violation after the download reached 100%.

Fully exit VxSound, including the tray, then run VxSound-Setup-v0.2.19-win-x64.exe from the latest release. This manual step is needed once because the old running updater cannot apply its own fix. Confirm the version in Settings after Setup completes.

The new updater closes file handles before moving the verified download and uses a separate partial file for each attempt. Status distinguishes downloading, verification and opening Setup. Installed/full-ZIP copies select Setup to install/update the app and service; standalone EXEs keep their portable replacement flow. VxSound closes once Setup has launched. If you then cancel Setup or its administrator prompt, reopen your existing VxSound copy.

For another failure, export a debug bundle. It includes app-update.log, exception details in diagnostics.log, and available updates/update.log (portable helper) and updates/setup.log (installer). Setup launch is not installation success: finish its wizard and check the new version. No settings or listening records are collected.

Audio Service unavailable / Access to the path is denied

Install or reinstall v0.2.19 using Setup, so both the app and Windows audio service are updated. A portable EXE replacement leaves the old service in place. Restart VxSound. Current App Routing views read your desktop sessions directly; service access is still needed for service-backed features. Normal desktop use should not require running as administrator.

If it still fails, enable session debug logging and reproduce it, then use Export Debug Bundle. Installing VB-CABLE alone does not fix service access. A connected service with missing virtual endpoints is a different setup problem. See Debugging for details.

No apps appear in routing, or every column is unavailable

Play audio in a game, browser or music player, then press Refresh sessions. The list shows apps with Windows audio sessions, not every running process.

Assign a cable under Sound Studio → Routing. A routing column uses that selected cable and explains why it cannot be used. With one VB-CABLE, assign CABLE Input only to Game, leave the other channels Not assigned, select your headset as Physical output, then press Start live mixer. Choose Game for the source app in App Routing, or set its output to CABLE Input directly.

The cable's Windows playback format must be mono or stereo. If a saved preference does not move an already-playing stream, restart playback or change the app's own output setting. Use Windows Volume mixer if Windows rejects the routing API.

Cable choices or profiles disappear after restart

Update to the settings-persistence fix in v0.2.17. Earlier code saved version 2 with four channels but rejected it on startup. Current files and older three-channel files now load correctly. Older settings.invalid-*.json files remain available as backups; they are not automatically copied over newer choices.

Capture useful diagnostics

Open Settings → Audio System, enable Enable detailed debug logging for this session, reproduce the problem, and export a ZIP. For startup failures, fully exit the tray app and launch VxSound.exe --debug.

App logs are under %LOCALAPPDATA%\VxSound; service logs are under %PROGRAMDATA%\VxSound\Logs. Export collects allowlisted log tails, including readable service logs, and reports inaccessible files in collection.txt. Settings, hearing profiles and audio recordings are excluded. Redaction is best-effort: review the ZIP before sharing. Nothing uploads automatically.

No physical output appears

  1. Confirm the headset/speakers are visible in Windows Sound settings.
  2. Reconnect or power-cycle the device if necessary.
  3. Open Devices in VxSound and press Refresh.
  4. Prefer a stereo playback endpoint in the current preview.

VxSound only lists playback endpoints Windows exposes to the application.

Reference/file playback does not start

Check that:

  • a physical output is selected;
  • the file still exists if it is a user file;
  • the file is WAV, MP3, AIFF or AIF;
  • another exclusive-mode application is not preventing normal shared playback;
  • the selected device has not been removed since it was chosen.

Press Stop, refresh devices and try again after changing hardware.

An application becomes silent after stopping the live mixer

The application may still be routed to a virtual playback endpoint that VxSound is no longer consuming.

Change that application's playback output back to your real headset/speakers or restart the VxSound live mixer.

This is expected with manual virtual-endpoint routing; VxSound does not silently rewrite all per-app routes when it stops.

I only see one usable virtual input

A single virtual cable normally provides one independent playback path. To separate Gaming, Music and Chat simultaneously, you need enough compatible virtual playback endpoints for the channels you intend to separate.

The EQ sounds quieter after boosting bands

VxSound applies automatic digital headroom based on the combined filter response. Large boosts can therefore lower pre-limiter gain to keep the DSP path from clipping.

Compare tonal balance rather than treating extra loudness as an improvement.

My personal EQ stopped applying

Personal EQ is bound to a physical output ID. Check Devices and confirm the same output is selected. Rebind after device/connection changes when appropriate.

Analogue headphone swaps on the same audio interface may not create a new Windows output ID, so VxSound cannot always detect that hardware change automatically.

A 20 kHz listening point is unsupported

Test-tone generation is limited by the selected output sample rate. In the current listening system, a test frequency must remain below the allowed fraction of the sample rate. A 44.1 kHz output therefore cannot run the same highest-frequency point that a 48 kHz output can.

Unsupported is recorded separately from Heard, Unclear or Skip.

Listening-test resume is rejected

Resume requires a consistent listening environment. Output identity, sample rate and other saved setup details are checked so a draft is not silently continued under meaningfully different conditions.

Imported profile will not export

The profile may be marked local-only because redistribution provenance is missing or not cleared. It can still be used locally. See Profiles and the asset policy.

Windows build fails with warnings

The project treats warnings as errors. Read the first compiler warning/error rather than only the final build-failed line.

Run:

dotnet build VxSound.slnx -c Release -m:1

Then run the test project separately after the build succeeds.

Still stuck?

When reporting a bug, include:

  • VxSound version/commit;
  • Windows version;
  • physical output name and connection type;
  • whether the issue affects file preview, reference audio or live mixer;
  • exact steps to reproduce;
  • relevant exception/status text;
  • whether the latest CI build shows the same problem.

Do not attach private listening-history data or third-party media unless it is necessary and you are allowed to share it.

Clone this wiki locally