Beta license and updates
| Symptom | Checks and solution |
|---|---|
| License required | Open the native License window, request a free Beta license or enter the complete emailed key, then select Activate. Activation cannot be completed from the WebApp. |
| Validation required | Connect the Mac to the Internet and select Validate now. If macOS date or time is incorrect, correct it before retrying. |
| Local license vault is unavailable or invalid | Try Validate now first. If the vault cannot be recovered, stop audio and select Delete local vault… before activating again. This does not automatically release the former server installation. |
| All three installations are in use | Review the named least-recently-used installation shown by Live. Select Replace and activate only when you intend to release that installation. |
| License key is lost | Select Lost your license key?, enter the license email and request recovery. The response is neutral; mail is sent only for an eligible matching license. |
| Update waits to install | Stop audio processing. VinylRest Live intentionally postpones the signed update until the transport is strictly idle. |
| In-app update is unavailable | Use the latest Universal 2 DMG from the product page as a manual fallback, then launch the new build online for its exact-build Beta validation. |
Audio setup and startup
| Symptom | Checks and solution |
|---|---|
| Start is unavailable | First confirm that the dashboard reports an active Beta license. Then select an input, an output and a compatible format. Stop any other application that has exclusive control of either device, then select Refresh. |
| No input device | Reconnect or power on the interface. In System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone, allow VinylRest Live to capture audio. Relaunch the application after changing permission. |
| No common format | Set the input and output to the same nominal sample rate, bit depth and stereo channel count in Audio MIDI Setup. VinylRest Live does not normally convert mismatched formats. |
| Processing stops after a device change | This is intentional. Reconnect the device, select Refresh, verify the route and press Start again. VinylRest Live does not silently restart after a hardware topology or nominal-format change. |
| Start fails after sleep | Wake and stabilize the audio devices first. Select Refresh, confirm that the same device UIDs and format are available, then restart processing. |
No sound or unexpected sound
| Symptom | Checks and solution |
|---|---|
| Output meters do not move | Select Repaired or Original monitoring, confirm the turntable is using a phono preamp when required, verify the interface input and hardware gain, and check Microphone permission. The meters follow the signal currently sent to the output. |
| Meters move but there is no output | Verify the selected Output, the downstream amplifier and the Monitoring signal. Use Original briefly to confirm the routing independently of the repair engine. |
| Only removed sound is audible | Monitoring is probably set to All, Clicks or Noise. Select Repaired for normal listening or Original for an aligned unprocessed comparison. |
| Output clips | Reduce Master gain and the interface or preamp level. Keep peaks below 0 dBFS. The master control can add up to +6 dB and cannot restore headroom already lost at the input. |
| Clicks sound over-corrected | Select Paranoid and enable DeClick Auto. Compare Repaired with Original or listen to Clicks. If necessary, disable Auto and reduce DeClick manually; leave DeCrackle unchanged so the comparison isolates one stage. |
| Music changes when NR is active | Listen briefly to Noise, choose conservative S150, reduce the manual maximum or enable NR Auto. Select Paranoid for the gentlest built-in limits. |
Dropouts, latency and performance
| Symptom | Checks and solution |
|---|---|
| XRuns increase | Stop processing, select Safe buffering in Settings → Audio, close CPU-heavy applications and restart. Check cables, hubs and interface drivers. |
| Errors increase | Stop immediately and inspect the status message. A persistent transport error requires a fresh start after the audio route is stable. |
| Latency is too high | Try Balanced after a stable session. Try Low latency only if Transport remains at XRuns 0. The displayed estimate excludes device, driver and downstream latency. |
| Buffering change has no effect | The selected profile applies on the next Start. Stop and restart processing. |
| CPU remains unexpectedly high | Note the sample rate, method, correction activity and duration. Stop processing: CPU should fall close to idle. Relaunch the application and collect a sample if usage immediately returns to the previous high value. |
Grading and Auto controls
| Symptom | Checks and solution |
|---|---|
| Grade remains — | Play non-silent audio and wait for the first complete grading window of about ten seconds. A reset or side change discards a window that crosses the new boundary. |
| Grade pauses | The input may be below the configured silence level for the configured duration. This is expected at the end of a side. |
| A repair sensitivity does not change | Auto may be waiting for a complete rolling observation after Start or Reset. Allow approximately 3.6 to 5.4 seconds of fresh non-silent audio. |
| A sensitivity slider cannot be moved | That stage's Auto control owns its effective sensitivity. Disable the corresponding Auto switch if you want manual control. |
| NR slider cannot be moved | NR Auto owns the effective value and moves the disabled slider as decisions change. Disable NR Auto to restore the preserved manual value. |
| NRNG keeps waiting or bypassing | Play a quiet lead-in or run-out and check the maximum capture level in Settings → Audio. Use Relearn. Raise the default −55 dBFS only when the record is too noisy to supply a qualifying one-second profile. |
| NRNG acquisition captured music | Lower the maximum capture level, move to a clean lead-in or run-out and select Relearn. Values above −55 dBFS increase the risk of accepting quiet music. |
| NRNG maximum stops at 12 dB | This is the product limit for S150 and S200, even when the selected profile contains a stronger NR value for a poor grade. |
| Invariant violations increase | Stop processing and record the visible profile, transition, confidence, gain and Transport diagnostics. Restart only after the audio route is stable. |
| Grade and Applied Repairs disagree | This is expected. Grade uses an independent fixed reference and a session median; the graph shows repairs made by the audible NG2 engine with current settings. |
Now Playing and recognition
| Symptom | Checks and solution |
|---|---|
| No track identified | Recognition is best-effort. Confirm Internet access, play a clear musical passage and wait. Very short, noisy or heavily altered passages may not match. |
| Wrong track appears briefly | VinylRest Live requires stable agreement before confirming a match, but catalog recognition can still be wrong. Let it continue listening; a better match may replace the result. |
| Now Playing clears at the run-out | This is intentional. Sustained silence ends the side, pauses recognition and removes stale metadata. |
| No artwork | The match may not include artwork, or the artwork host may be unreachable. Track text can still be valid. Check Internet access and content blockers. |
| Genre looks generic | English genre names depend on the metadata available from the catalog. Some matches provide only a broad category. |
WebApp connection
| Symptom | Checks and solution |
|---|---|
| Page does not open | Enable HTTP server, use the displayed LAN address and confirm both devices are on the same network. Do not use localhost on the remote device. |
| Connection stays orange | Refresh the page, close duplicate WebApp tabs and verify that the Mac is awake. On an older iPad, fully close Safari and reopen the Home Screen WebApp or page. |
| Dashboard is stale | The Mac may have received a new IP address. Reopen Settings → General and use the current URL. Disable private/client isolation on the Wi-Fi network if it blocks devices from reaching each other. |
| Port conflict | Select another unused port in Settings → General, then use the updated URL. |
| WebApp works on Mac only | Check the macOS firewall and Local Network permission. Guest Wi-Fi and some mesh configurations isolate clients by design. |
| Old artwork or layout is cached | Reload the page, close the Home Screen WebApp and reopen it. If necessary, remove and add the Home Screen icon again after confirming the Mac serves the current version. |
Collect useful diagnostics
When reporting a reproducible issue, include:
- VinylRest Live version and build.
- Mac model, processor and macOS version.
- Input and output device names.
- Sample rate, bit depth, fixed NG2 generation, buffering profile, S150/S200 selection, acquisition level and current manual or Auto maximum.
- Whether the problem appears with Original as well as Repaired.
- Transport XRuns and Errors, plus the visible NRNG profile, transition, gain, protection, confidence, invariant and Auto-decision diagnostics when relevant.
- The steps and elapsed time required to reproduce it.
Use Console.app to filter for the VinylRest Live process and save the relevant interval. For performance growth, Activity Monitor can create a process sample. Avoid posting logs publicly if they contain local IP addresses or personal metadata.