No Sound in Pro Tools [FIXED]

A problem that some Pro Tools users sometimes face is having no sound when trying to play a project. There can be several causes for this, some more obvious than others. In this article we will explore the possible solutions that can help you get up and running in no time.

Checking Your Hardware for Possible Issues

A good place to start when facing this issue is to check your hardware. While this might seem like an obvious first step, it’s always good to rule out the following issues before you further troubleshoot.

  1. Check to ensure that your monitors are properly connected and that they are turned on. Do this by making sure that the cables you are using are properly connected to your audio interface. Don’t forget to check the power cables for your studio monitors as well.
  2. Check mute buttons and volume knobs. This applies to the mute buttons on your computer and any sound related peripheral devices that are connected to your computer. This also includes audio interfaces and mixers.
  3. Avoid connecting audio interfaces via USB hubs. Always connect audio interfaces directly to your computer to avoid problems relating to data transfer between the two devices. Using hubs can lead to problems with both input and output.

Solutions if the issues are within Pro Tools

Once you have eliminated hardware as a possible cause of the issues, it is time to look within Pro Tools for a solution.

Check your Playback Engine

The Playback Engine dialog allows you to switch between different audio devices, for example switching from the onboard sound card, which would output sound from your laptop’s speakers to an audio interface connected to your monitors or headphones.

Checking the Playback Engine will help you solve the problem if your audio interface is not set as your sound device for input and output in Pro Tools. This might be a necessity if the current project has been imported from a template that originated from a different computer such as in the case of AAF and OMFs (since some settings may have carried over when exporting such files).

The Playback Engine dialog can be accessed from the Setup drop-down menu.

pro tools playback engine

If your audio interface is not being detected despite being connected to your computer, you might need to have Pro Tools rescan your hardware. To do this, first close Pro Tools. Next, open Pro Tools and hold down the N key while Pro Tools is loading. This will make Pro Tools rescan for audio devices and open the Playback Engine dialog. From here, simply select your audio interface.

If this does not work and you still cannot see your audio interface in Pro Tools, an update of your interface drivers may be required.

Check Your Monitor Path in the I/O Settings

Once you’ve made sure that your audio interface is set up correctly in the Playback Engine, and you have the correct audio device selected, you should also check the monitor path in Pro Tools I/O settings and make sure it is set to the right output.

To access these settings, click Setup and go to I/O. In the I/O setup window, go to the Bus tab. Here you will be able to see what devices are set up as output devices under Mapping to Output. Ensure that the monitor path is set up correctly. Viable monitor paths will be marked with a monitor icon that looks like a tiny speaker.

Input Output setup Pro Tools
I/O setup details in Pro Tools

In case you just want to set your current audio interface as the default, hold Alt or Option and click Default in the I/O setup window.

Check for Mutes and Solos on Various Channels.

If you are sure that there is nothing wrong with your hardware and your I/O settings are correct, then it is possible that there might be a channel in your project that is in solo mode. You will know this to be the case if you can see the meters on the mixer or edit windows moving (indicating the presence of a signal) but you cannot hear any sound.

If the audio or MIDI clip from a muted channel occurs further down the timeline, it can make it appear as if the project has no sound. For example, if a channel whose audio starts playing at the 3-minute mark is in solo mode while the play head is at the start of the project, then no audio will play for the first three minutes of the project. This can be a particularly annoying issue if your project has a lot of channels in addition to being long (in terms of time), and you cannot tell which particular channel is in solo.

If this is the case, the solo status indicator will be active. This is the small ”S” symbol beneath the Main Counter. Clicking it will clear all solos from all the tracks. Alternatively holding the Alt or Option key and clicking the solo button on any track will also clear all solos.

clearing solos from channels Pro Tools

Check for Inactive Plug-ins

In some cases, plug-ins that are not activated will have a silent output. This is the case for certain iZotope plug-ins. If a plug-in was in trial mode when it was placed on a master channel, and that trial expired, it can result in a situation where a session seemingly has no sound.

Simply activating these plug-ins or removing these plug-ins from your effect chain will resolve the issue. Of course, if the plug-in is removed, the effect that the plug-in was meant to have will now be absent from the channel it was placed on. Also, be sure to check any sub-mix channels that have been routed to the master for instances of such plug-ins

Conclusion

If you are facing problems getting sound from Pro Tools, these issues will usually stem from minor hardware issues or unsuitable I/O settings. With a bit of patience and systematic troubleshooting through the steps recommended above, you should be able to resolve these issues fairly easily and get back on track.

Allan K.