"Preset switch failed" error

The "Preset Switch Failed" error message in the SoundID Reference standalone app signals a failure to launch audio playback. This guide covers troubleshooting steps to remove the error.

Status: issue partially resolved
Article updated: Sep 06, 2023
Resolution date/version: TBD

Status update for macOS users: issue resolved
Resolution version: 5.7.3.17 - download center
Release date: Sep 06, 2023 - release notes

In this article:

• "Preset switch failed"
• What can be done to fix this?
• Contact support

"Preset switch failed"

This error message was introduced in the SoundID Reference standalone app to signal a failure to launch audio playback for various reasons and conditions. There are several variations of this error on both Windows and Mac:

• Error code 3
• Error code 4
• Error code 10
• 'Unable to load the audio driver'
• 'Unable to communicate with CoreAudio'

Recent user reports suggest that there could be a software failure involved in some cases, which should be addressed by a development effort. We are aware of the issue, and working on a fix. 

What can be done to fix this?

While we are investigating and working toward a fix, there is a list of actions and workarounds that could potentially help. 

Workaround

Windows:

1. Restart the playback engine: SoundID Reference app > Output Panel > "…" > Device settings > Restart playback engine
2. Fully quit and relaunch the app: How to fully quit the SoundID Reference app?
3. Clear the configuration data: Deleting the config file in SoundID Reference standalone app 
4. Use the APO driver as a solution: Setting up Windows audio device insert (APO) in the SoundID Reference app [WIN]
5. Update the drivers of the interface to the latest version available
6. Fully uninstall SoundID Reference, and reinstall the latest version: download here
7. Disable the app launch on computer startup: SoundID Reference app > "⋮" > Preferences > Launch on startup. Reboot the computer, and launch the app manually.
8. Uninstall other Virtual Devices active on your machine (ASIO4ALL, etc.). There may be a clash between our Virtual Output Device and another. If it then works, it's worth adding them back one by one, to see which one is the culprit. 
9. Try to manually match the sample rate settings between the Windows WDM driver, your audio interface, and the SoundID Reference app
10. Try different sample rates and buffer sizes: Buffer size setting in the SoundID Reference app

macOS:

We recommend installing the latest version of SoundID Reference (5.9.1.3). Known workarounds on older versions: 

1. Restart the playback engine: SoundID Reference app > Output Panel > "…" > Device settings > Restart playback engine
2. Quit and relaunch the SoundID Reference app: How to fully quit the SoundID Reference app?
3. Clear the configuration data: Deleting the config file in SoundID Reference standalone app 
4. Update the drivers of the interface to the latest version available
5. Fully uninstall SoundID Reference. Then reinstall the latest version - download here
6. Disable the app launch on computer startup: SoundID Reference app > "⋮" > Preferences > Launch on startup. Reboot the computer, and launch the app manually.
7. Uninstall other Virtual Devices active on your machine (Blackhole, GroundControl, LoopBack, etc.). There may be a clash between our Virtual Output Device and another. If it then works, it's worth adding them back one by one, to see which one is the culprit. 
8. Try different sample rates and buffer sizes: Buffer size setting in the SoundID Reference app
9. Make sure the target device (audio interface) is not part of any Aggregate Device
10. As there was a known issue communicated by Microsoft Teams with their driver, it is worth trying to uninstall it from your system. Remove the following directories/files from your machine using the Terminal app:
    
    

    /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/MSTeamsAudioDevice.driver
    /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/MSTeamsAudioDevice.driver/Contents/MacOS/MSTeamsAudioDevice

        
    Then open the Activity Monitor, force kill the MSTeamsAudioDevice.driver process, and reboot your computer
11. Try resetting the CoreAudio engine. Launch the Terminal app and execute the following command. IMPORTANT! Before doing this, make sure to switch off speakers/headphones (or turn down the volume completely,) and shut down any DAW or other music production software:
    
    

    sudo launchctl kickstart -kp  system/com.apple.audio.coreaudiod