I have attempted to play with the System Output audio zone with the same result. I have also used a different audio device entirely and have the exact same result. This issue began after downloading Ableton. I suspect it has something to do with conflicting control over the audio device, but the issue persisted even after uninstalling Ableton, uninstalling and reinstalling Roon, and uninstalling and reinstalling the Focusrite Drivers. All other system sounds and programs are able to play music without issue, including using Tidal with exclusive mode.
Roon relies on the loopback ethernet interface to communicate with RAATServer on the local machine. I’d verify that neither a consumer VPN nor the Windows Defender firewall is interfering with Roon’s connection (safelist or disable).
Please share a screenshot of the Signal Path for the System Output and for the FocusRite Zone with the desired driver.
Diagnostics show the ASIO Zone request a 96KHz sample rate from Roon - I’d verify in your system sound settings or Focusrite console software that Wasapi, Asio, and Focusrite don’t have hardcoded sample rates set.
Lastly, try resetting RAATServer. A Roon uninstall/reinstall won’t deeply delete the RAATServer that stores data for Zones.
I’ve tried these steps with the RAATServer folder and unfortunately the issue persists. Interestingly when I use the Focusrite USB ASIO and attempt to play a playlist with different bitrates, it will send the requested bit rate to Focusrite and I get an alert that it has changed to the requested rate, which it has done in the past when it is working, but after doing it now it then skips the song.
In terms of the system output, how would I check what the driver in use for this is? My apologies.
Thanks for the follow-up and for giving the RAATServer refresh a go!
Since the issue persists, let’s take a closer look at a few things to narrow it down.
Check the System Output Driver: In Windows 11, go to Settings > System > Sound
Scroll down to Advanced sound options > App volume and device preferences
Find Roon in the list and check what output device and driver it’s using.
Since Focusrite USB ASIO is switching to the requested bitrate but then skipping tracks, it’s possible there’s a buffer size or compatibility issue. Try adjusting the buffer size in the Focusrite Control software and see if a larger buffer stabilizes playback.
If the issue persists, test with WASAPI mode instead of ASIO to see if playback is stable.
Lastly, it might be worth checking that the Focusrite drivers and firmware are fully up to date from Focusrite’s website. If any updates are available, install them and restart the system before testing again.
Thanks Benjamin, unfortunately it doesn’t look like they’ve worked either.
In the output options for Apps, Roon isn’t listed, but RAATServer is. It was using the default, which I’ve switched to Focusrite, but it’s still the same result.
I’ve also set the buffer rate on Focusrite to as high as it will go (1024).
WASAPI has the same result as well, unfortunately. And I’ve confirmed I’m using the most up-to-date drivers installed.
Sorry to hear your issues persist. As a next step, could you please update Roon and Roon Server to the latest version, and let me know if you are still having issues?
A screenshot of your signal path would be helpful here as well.
Thanks for the screenshot. It is very strange that the processing speed is just listed as x and with no additional information, I have not seen this kind of behavior before. It looks like you have upsampling turned on, is the behavior the same when trying to play lower rates as well? If you set your system output in Windows to another output (like your internal speakers for example), does that work as expected?
Hi @tim.brown92,
Thanks for letting us know what worked to fix the issue! I’ll mark this thread as solved for now, but it’ll stay open for a few more days just in case anything resurfaces.
