Troubleshooting — the most common stumbling blocks.

The picture is always the same: the session is running, the levels in Hypnotika are moving, everything behaves as usual — and at the other end there is silence. Usually it hits exactly one output, say the client's headphones, while your own speakers play fine.

The most common cause is not the app but the Windows volume mixer. It keeps volume per application and per output device. If Hypnotika sits at 0 % on that one device, the audio arrives — and is turned down to nothing before it reaches the headphones.

Why this is so hard to spot

Because every single observation seems to argue against Windows:

On top of that, the small volume flyout in the taskbar only ever shows the currently active device. The one slider sitting at zero is therefore practically invisible.

How to find it

1. Hypnotika has to be running and producing sound — so start a session before you look. Programs that are currently silent do not appear in the mixer at all.
2. Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar → "Open volume mixer". Alternatively: Settings → System → Sound → Volume mixer.
3. Pick the right output device at the top. This is the decisive step — the sliders below apply to that device only.
4. Under "Apps", pull Hypnotika's slider back up.

Check your other programs too

This is not a Hypnotika problem but a quirk of Windows. On the very machine where we ran into it, Adobe Premiere was also sitting at 0 % on one of the output devices — and at 100 % on all the others. So if another program is silent through that same device: same slider, same cause.

BPM/key analysis runs in a background thread — the app stays fully usable, and on first launch a banner shows the progress. If values are missing or look wrong:

• Doubletime errors (e.g. 140 instead of 70 BPM) are corrected automatically. If one slips through, use the "÷2" (halve BPM) / "×2" (double BPM) buttons next to the BPM value in "Track details". That also covers ambient tracks without a clear beat.
• Tracks without values: use the "Run analysis now" button in the library.
• Check the file format: analysis supports MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A (AAC) and OGG Vorbis. Convert other formats (WMA, AIFF, Opus in OGG containers) to MP3 / WAV with Audacity or fre:ac if needed.
• For very short files (< 30 s) the BPM result is unreliable — the model needs enough bars to recognise a pattern.

Dropouts are usually caused by an overloaded CPU or competing audio apps.

• Close other audio applications (Spotify, browser videos, DAWs). They tap into the same audio stack.
• Check CPU load in Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc). Continuously > 80 % → the machine is under load.
• Set the Windows power plan to "High performance" — on laptops in particular, "Balanced" throttles the CPU under load.
• Update the audio drivers (Realtek, Intel SST). Outdated drivers are a classic cause.

The symptom "library empty after app start" points to a problem with the locally stored app data.

• The app data lives in %APPDATA%\hypnotika-trancedeck. Check that your Windows user has write access there: right-click the folder → Properties → Security → enable "Full control". Hypnotika never needs admin rights for this.
• Antivirus software may quarantine files in this folder. Add the path as an exception.
• Backup before larger experiments: close Hypnotika, then back up the whole %APPDATA%\hypnotika-trancedeck folder. While the app is running, it writes changes to disk with a delay — so a copy taken while it runs may be incomplete. The folder holds the library's audio files (tracks subfolder) and, in the Local Storage subfolder, among other things the track list with BPM, key, assignments and loop markers, the presets, the settings and the history. Your session recordings are not in it; they are in the recording folder (see "Session recording is missing after the session").
• Restoring: close Hypnotika, rename the existing folder (e.g. to hypnotika-trancedeck-old) and copy the backup to the same place under the name hypnotika-trancedeck. If you copy it over the existing folder instead, old and new files get mixed. The license activation is stored in this folder too: if you activated or re-activated the license after making the backup, remove it before restoring under Settings → "Software & License" → "Remove license from this device" and activate it again afterwards — otherwise a device slot stays in use.
• If nothing helps: create a diagnostic report (see Diagnostic report) and send it to support.

If the six hotkeys fall into the void, another application has usually already taken the same combination.

• Check that under Settings → "Audio & Hardware" → "Stream Deck / macro controller" card the switch to the right of the heading is really on.
• Test the hotkeys on a normal keyboard (Ctrl+Alt+F1 to F6). Does the app respond? If yes, the issue is in the Stream Deck software configuration.
• Shortcut conflicts: graphics drivers (NVIDIA GeForce Experience, Intel Graphics Command Center) often claim Ctrl+Alt+F1–F4. Disable those hotkeys in the respective tool.
• Hypnotika doesn't need admin rights. But: if a program launched as administrator currently has focus, Windows blocks global hotkeys for normal apps. Close that program or run it without admin rights.
• USB issues: plug the Stream Deck into another USB port, restart the Elgato software.

• Windows microphone permission: Windows Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. Make sure "Allow apps to access your microphone" is on and "Desktop apps" too.
• Right device chosen? At the bottom left the cockpit shows "Microphone" — hover over it and the tooltip names the active device. If it says your webcam mic instead of your headset, switch it under Settings → "Audio & Hardware" → "Microphone" in the drop-down list right under that heading. Headset mics sometimes show up as two entries (Bluetooth HFP vs. HSP) — one of the two is the right one.
• The microphone level meter runs at all times — even without a recording or music playing. If it doesn't react when you speak, the device or the permission is wrong. If no voice arrives for around 45 seconds during a recording, Hypnotika additionally warns you by itself with a red message that includes the device name.
• Test system-wide: Windows Settings → System → Sound → Input. The input level should react when you speak into it. If it doesn't, the problem is at Windows level, not Hypnotika.
• Interface users: turn on phantom power (48 V) if using a condenser mic.
• For USB mics: try another port. Some USB hubs don't deliver enough power.

• Check whether "Session recording (MP3)" is enabled in the settings — it may be deliberately off if an external tool (e.g. OBS) handles the recording. See audio setup.
• Recording folder: Documents\Hypnotika Sessions or the path set in the settings. Explorer can hide hidden folders — enable "Show hidden items".
• Recordings only start with a running session — i.e. as soon as music or a nature sound is playing. Just previewing doesn't start a session, so nothing is recorded.
• The MP3 is written while the session is still running: Hypnotika saves a first interim copy after 10 seconds and then every 60 seconds. The file is only complete on soft stop — a session ends exclusively that way. If you merely fade out the nature sound by clicking its tile, the timer and the recording deliberately keep running. Details: Session recording.
• Disk full? Then the MP3 cannot be saved, or only partially. Hypnotika does not check free disk space beforehand and shows no error message when saving fails.

Hypnotika uses SoundTouchJS for pitch shift without tempo change. It's a CPU-friendly library, but hits its limits on extreme shifts.

• Recommended range: ±3 semitones. Up to ±5 semitones still acceptable. Above ±7, artefacts become clearly audible (phasing, metallic chirping).
• For heavily vocal tracks (choir, singing) the pitch limit is lower than for instrumental music. Vocal formants get warped.
• Alternative: pitch-shift the original audio in an external tool (Audacity, Adobe Audition) and import it as a new track. Better algorithms are available there (Élastique Pro, Rubber Band).
• For precise key adjustment: enter manual pitch values instead of the automatic Camelot Wheel correction.

• Windows SmartScreen may block the EXE. "More info" → "Run anyway".
• Antivirus (Windows Defender, Kaspersky, Norton) sometimes mistakes new, not-yet-widespread apps for malware. Add an exception for Hypnotika TranceDeck.
• VC++ redistributable: the audio modules need Visual C++ 2019+. Installer: aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe.
• If nothing helps: describe to support what exactly happens after the double-click. If the app at least starts briefly, also create a diagnostic report (see Diagnostic report) and attach it.

• Close the app and start it again. This fully reloads the interface.
• The language is saved permanently in the app data. If you land on the old language again on the next launch, that probably points to a write-permission issue on the app data folder %APPDATA%\hypnotika-trancedeck — see "Tracks disappear".
• The website language switch (DE/EN in the top right) is independent of the app language. Both are stored separately.