Pro Tools has been around since 1989, making it a staple for music creation and production. However, recently users have reported, more issues with Pro Tools sound not working. With this being said, there are some common reasons as to why your sound is not working.

The main reason Pro Tools sound may not be working is due to the drivers on your PC not being updated. With Pro Tools being a program that requires a lot of RAM, running the latest drivers is essential to keep Pro Tools up and running.

Although this is likely to be the reason, if you are still getting further issues after installing the latest drivers, we have compiled an easy guide in order for you to fix your sound issues on Pro Tools with ease, so you can go back to making your music.

Pro Tools Sound Not Working

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You will experience a lack of sound on Pro Tools because your computer isn’t running the latest drivers required to run Pro Tools efficiently. Drivers being up to date allows them to work correctly and ultimately provide sound once again.

Although this is likely to be the issue with Pro Tools sound not working, there are numerous reasons why your sound may not be working, here are some of the other most common issues:

  • Your speakers may be turned down
  • Your playback engine is not configured properly
  • The cables for your setup may not be connected correctly
  • The input gain is not set to a proper level

If you are experiencing any of these issues with Pro Tools, here are some easy fixes.

How to fix Pro Tools Sound Not Working

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Although sound issues can come from within a program, it’s worth checking your volume is turned up on your computer as well as in Pro Tools.

However, if you are still stuck after testing your volume, here are some easy fixes to your Pro Tools issue.

Fix 1. Reset Pro Tools

Resetting your Pro Tools usually helps to fix most issues. Therefore we have a rundown of the steps you need to take in order to reset Pro Tools.

  • Close any open Pro Tools windows
  • Search Finder on your computer, followed by go
  • Select ‘go to folder’ then enter ~/Library/Preferences/Avid and click go
  • Next delete these files within the folder:

com.digidesign.ProTools.plist

com.digidesign.ProTools.plist.lockfile

DigiSetup.OSX

Pro Tools Prefs

Finally, reboot your computer and try to open Pro Tools again.

Fix 2. Update your drivers

If the previous fix did not work for you, the next step is to update your drivers. Head on over to Avid Device Drivers then select the device you have. The site will then offer you a download option for MAC and Windows, select the correct one and allow this to download.

Once this is downloaded, you should then be able to launch the program, finish the setup and your audio files should be able to be played once again.

If you notice Pro Tools keeps crashing, here’s how to resolve this annoying error with ease.

Fix 3. Run as Administrator

Users of Pro Tools have found running the program in Administrator mode successful when trying to fix their issues with sound. If you’re unsure about how to your PC in admin mode, here are the steps to do this:

  1. Right-click the Pro Tools icon on your desktop
  2. Next choose properties followed by compatibility
  3. Check the box that says Run this program as an administrator
  4. Finally select apply followed by ok

By doing this, you are able to enable different preferences and settings that a normal computer user is not able to do.

Fix 4. Create A New Session With Stereo Mix

If you are unable to hear anything from your Pro Tools, creating a new session can often fix the problem. If you’re unsure how to create a new session with the stereo mix option, here’s how:

  1. Launch Pro Tools
  2. From the quick start menu, choose to create a blank session
  3. For I/O settings, choose the Stereo Mix option followed by apply

In order to test this, make a sample recording or import some audio files to see if the issue still exists.

Fix 5. Change your Playback Engine

Another fix for Pro Tools sound not working is to configure the Playback Engine in Pro Tools. Although this may sound complicated, we have a step-by-step help guide to walk you through the process.

  1. Choose Setup from the top bar and then select Playback Engine from the dropdown
  2. At the top of the Playback Engine page, you will notice an option of Playback Engine with a dropdown. This allows you to select the audio hardware, e.g. if you have a MAC it will be a built-in input. However, if you are using a plugged-in speaker, this will appear in the dropdown.
  3. Be sure to select the correct Playback Engine to what you are using. Then click OK.

If you are using headphones for Pro Tools, you may notice you can’t hear any audio. This is also where you can change the setting to headphones, so Pro Tools knows which device it needs to play through.

Pro Tools Import Audio Not Working

If you are trying to import Audio into Pro Tools but notice there is an issue with the import there are numerous reasons as to why this has occurred. These include:

  • Having an emoji in the title
  • The title of the clip is too long
  • You may not have the correct settings enabled
  • You are trying to copy in the audio rather than import it

However, the most common issues can easily be resolved, so you are able to import audio with ease. A large number of users do come across the import audio not working when trying to copy audio into Pro Tools. Here is the simple fix which can be found in Pro Tools Preferences.

  1. Click Preferences in the top bar of your settings on Pro Tools
  2. Select the processing tab
  3. On the left-hand side, under import, make sure the box ‘Automatically Copy Files on Import’ is ticked.
  4. Then choose OK
  5. When importing audio it is important to select Convert as opposed to Add. If you don’t do this, it will stay within your computer as opposed to your Pro Tools session. Therefore if you are to open Pro Tools on another device this will give an error code.

Conclusion

We hope you have found this troubleshooting guide helpful and you have been able to fix your audio issues on Pro Tools. However, if you require further help with Pro Tools, please get in touch and we’d be happy to provide further support.