"MIDI device or the audio device to be used for VSC's audio output cannot be opened. Playback unavailable at this time"

Relates to VSC (Virtual Sound Canvas) and band-in-a-box by PG Music

When you try to open the VSC as a stand-alone application, (and you are trying to use the Roland VSC as your MIDI output driver), you may get the message "MIDI device or the audio device to be used for VSC's audio output cannot be opened. Playback unavailable at this time":

There are a few possible solutions. You should be able to resolve the problem by following one or more of the suggestions below. Alternatively, use the VSC-DXi instead of the VSC-3 stand-alone version.

Select something other than the VSC as your default MIDI driver in Windows

1. On Windows XP go to Start | Control Panel | Sounds and Audio Devices | Audio tab.
   or  Win2000 Start | Settings | Control Panel | Sounds and Multimedia | Audio.
   
2. Select something other than the Roland VSC for default audio and MIDI playback.
   
3. Restart your computer.
   

Make sure vscvol and vsc32cnf are enabled at startup.

1. Go to the Start menu | Run, type "msconfig" and press OK. This should open the System Configuration Utility. Note: Windows 2000 doesn't have the system configuration utility.
   
2. Click on the Startup tab and make sure there are checkmarks beside 'vscvol' and 'vsc32cnf'.
   
3. Press [Apply], then [OK], and restart your computer.
   
   
   

Reinstall the VSC

1. Uninstall the Roland VSC using the Add/Remove Programs utility.
   
2. Right-click on My Computer and select 'Properties'.
   
3. Click on the Hardware tab and press the [Device Manager] button.
   
4. Expand 'Sound, Video and Game Controllers' and look for 'Virtual Sound Canvas'. If you see it listed there, right-click on it and select 'uninstall'. Restart your computer.
   
5. Reinstall the Roland VSC. If you get a message saying that the VSC has not passed Windows Logo Testing, you can "Continue Anyways". You should be prompted to restart your computer again after the VSC has been installed.
   
6. Go back to 'Sound Video and Game Controllers' in the Device Manager.
   
7. Right-click on the Virtual Sound Canvas 3.2 and select 'Properties'. Make sure that Device Usage is set to "Use this device (enable)".
   

Using the VSC-DXi version, rather than the stand-alone VSC
If you are still having trouble with the stand-alone VSC, PG Music suggests that you use the VSC-DXi instead. Band-in-a-Box 2004 and higher support DXi plugins, and the VSC-DXi would have been included with your Band-in-a-Box purchase. The DXi version has the same set of sounds as the stand-alone version, but is used a little differently with Band-in-a-Box.

To use the VSC-DXi, you need to first install it on your computer. To choose the VSC-DXi as your MIDI output device in Band-in-a-Box, go to Opt. | MIDI Driver Setup and place a checkmark in the "Use DXi Synth" checkbox.

When the DirectX window opens up, choose the VSC-DXi as your plugin. Close the DirectX window, and you should be back in the MIDI Driver Setup dialog. By default, Band-in-a-Box will set the Driver Latency to around 2000 milliseconds. This is a high setting, but is safe even on older computers. With most computers, you should be able to choose a Driver Latency of around 200 ms or lower. You can experiment with the Driver Latency until you hear audio glitches. A lower latency will give you a quicker response time.

If you were used to using the "Direct Render to wave" feature of the VSC, you will find that the "DXi Direct Render" feature in Band-in-a-Box will give you the same results. It is also a quicker and easier method of rendering your songs to wave.

PGMusic Technical Support FAQ >>