Frequently asked questions and common problems

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Sound related

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Select correct playback device
  1. File1 > Preferences2 > Devices3
  2. Select Default4 or the headphones/speakers, that you are currently using
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Change play mode to default
  1. Right-click first icon in status bar1
  2. Set play mode to default (speakers and microphone)2
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Adjust volume
  1. You can adjust the volume with the volume slider1.
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Check the device status
  1. File1 > Preferences2 > Devices3
  2. Status must be Good4
If it isn't Good, then click the question icon next to it for further information. If status remains red, then please report a bug.
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Change play mode to default
  1. Right-click first icon in status bar1
  2. Set play mode to default (speakers and microphone)2
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Let Soundpad measure your voice volume
  1. File1 > Preferences2 > Audio3
  2. Click button4
  3. Follow instructions in Soundpad
  4. Click stop button to finish measurement
  5. Apply the changes
The voice volume should be above 74 dB, otherwise certain voice applications may filter out played sounds misinterpreting them as background noise. If your measured voice volume is lower than 74 dB, it is recommended to increase the overall microphone volume in Windows.
Disable options like Noise Suppression and Echo Cancellation in your voice app.

Here are detailed guides for specific voice apps:
  1. Press and hold the Push-to-Talk button in the game or voice chat
  2. Then play the sound
  3. Or set up Auto Keys to let Soundpad press and hold the Push-to-Talk key for you
Select the same device as in the voice app
  1. Your computer apparently has more than one recording device.
  2. Ensure, that Soundpad is enabled on the microphone, that you use in your games and voice chats.
See here how to set it up.
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Don't test with Windows sound settings
  1. These tests can bypass Soundpad and display nothing, although sounds are played.
  2. Same applies for mic recording websites. Some manipulate the recording by removing "background noise".
  3. Either use Windows Voice Recorder, the mic test in a voice app, or do the self check in Soundpad.
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There's probably a compatibility issue with a voice app
  1. It can happen with particular voice apps like Skype, MS Teams or the web version of Discord.
  2. Choose a different setup mode to fix it.
See here how to change it.
Change only if you hear absolutely no sound when testing Soundpad in your voice app.
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Send us the diagnostic report for further analysis
  1. Help1 > Troubleshooting2
  2. Save the diagnostic report to a text file.3
  3. Report a bug and upload the text file there.
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Change play mode to default
  1. Right-click first icon in status bar1
  2. Set play mode to default (speakers and microphone)2
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Adjust volume
  1. You can adjust the volume with the volume slider1.
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Let Soundpad measure your voice volume
  1. File1 > Preferences2 > Audio3
  2. Click button4
  3. Follow instructions in Soundpad
  4. Click stop button to finish measurement
The voice volume should be above 74 dB, otherwise certain voice applications may filter out played sounds misinterpreting them as background noise. If your measured voice volume is lower than 74 dB, it is recommended to increase the overall microphone volume in Windows.
We get asked quite often if we can add an additional volume slider or special hotkeys to adjust the sound volume on the microphone. There is deliberately no quick option to change that volume and we won't provide any.
Soundpad shall not only be enjoyed by you, but also by all the people you play sounds to. It's a very bad habit to change the volume for others regularly. It's best if you set up the volume once, just like your microphone level and keep it like that afterwards. We discourage playing low volume sounds and then blasting peoples ears with loud sounds.
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Disable voice activation sound
  1. File1 > Preferences2 > Audio3 > Play voice activation sound4
  2. Disable that option
Playing more than one sound at a time isn't and won't be possible with Soundpad because of the used technique. To be able to do so, you really need virtual audio drivers, where sound multiplexing can be done in the right process in real-time.
The only way to achieve this kind of effect with Soundpad is to create a sound with an external sound editor, where you overlap sounds multiple times, and then add the result to Soundpad.
Disable options like Noise Suppression and Echo Cancellation in your voice app.
Here are detailed guides for specific voice apps:

Reason

This can happen if sounds are played louder than your voice while automatic volume gain options in your voice apps or audio drivers are active. These options dynamically change your microphone volume in Windows. Voice apps like Skype or MS Teams have such options. They are called automatic volume gain, automatic gain control (AGC), smart volume or similar.

Solution

  1. Disable the automatic volume adjustment option in your voice apps or audio drivers. Look for names like automatic volume gain, automatic gain control, smart volume or similar.
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Ensure your microphone level is set to the usual value in Windows
  1. Win+R > mmsys.cpl
  2. Recording1 > Double-click your microphone2 > Levels3
  3. Adjust your microphone level and boost if applicable
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Let Soundpad measure your voice volume
  1. File1 > Preferences2 > Audio3
  2. Click button4
  3. Follow instructions in Soundpad
  4. Click stop button to finish measurement
  5. Apply the changes
The voice volume should be above 74 dB, otherwise certain voice applications may filter out played sounds misinterpreting them as background noise. If your measured voice volume is lower than 74 dB, it is recommended to increase the overall microphone volume in Windows.

Serial number

Q: I bought the Steam edition. Can I use the standalone version?
A: Both versions are incompatible in terms of licensing and integration. If you purchase the Steam edition, then you have to stay with the Steam edition. If you purchase the standalone version, then you have to stay with the standalone version.
The versions cannot be linked or switched.

The registration process is described here.

The serial number is sent by email upon order completion and it is additionally shown on the last page of the order process.
It's always possible, that an email doesn't find its way to the recipient. Please contact us with the contact form or write an email to order@leppsoft.com with your order number, so we can find another way to deliver your serial number.
You can request it again with this form.
Not for Steam. The Steam edition of Soundpad is integrated into Steam and doesn't require a serial number.

Sound list

To restore a backup select File > Restore sound list from the menu.
Soundpad stores a working copy of the currently loaded sound list periodically and on application exit at %Appdata%\Leppsoft (equal to C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Leppsoft\soundlist.spl).
If you accidentally clicked on a table column and sorted your list, you can select Edit > Undo from the menu to get your old sort order back. But, if you already closed Soundpad then the working copy was updated and the undo history is gone.
If you want to prevent sorting of the list at all, so it doesn't happen to you again, you can do so by checking File > Preferences > Interface > Disable sorting in sound list.
More info: Managing sound lists.
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Ensure that the sound file exists
  1. Right-click the sound1 > Edit file2.
  2. The info dialog will show, where Soundpad tries to read the file from3.
This happens if you explicitly run Soundpad as administrator. Then Windows prohibits drag & drop between the file explorer (user mode) and Soundpad (admin mode).
It also happens when you update Soundpad from within Soundpad. After the update is completed, Soundpad is run by the installer, which has administrative privileges. Just restart Soundpad in that case.
This happens if you explicitly run Soundpad as administrator. The administrator context doesn't know your network drive mappings and therefore can't find sounds on these drives.
It also happens when you update Soundpad from within Soundpad. After the update is completed, Soundpad is run by the installer, that is unaware of your network drive mappings. Just restart Soundpad in that case.

Steam

Right-click Soundpad in your Steam library -> Manage -> Mark as Private.
Both versions are incompatible in terms of licensing and integration. If you purchase the Steam edition, then you have to stay with the Steam edition. If you purchase the standalone version, then you have to stay with the standalone version.
The versions cannot be linked or switched.
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  1. Open the Steam library.
  2. Select Software in the filter dropdown.
This message is shown when the Steam edition of Soundpad is launched by its executable without Steam running. It may also be shown if Soundpad files are broken or missing, or if your Steam client is not up to date.

Check file integrity:

Right-click Soundpad in your steam library -> Properties -> Installed Files -> Verify integrity of software files.

Check if Steam client is up to date:

You can check it in the Steam library at the top: Steam -> Check for Steam Client Updates.

Wrong Steam account:

This can happen if you are launching Soundpad from an account, that doesn't own Soundpad, e.g. if you are using multiple Steam accounts.

Check if Steam client is up to date:

It can also happen if the Steam client is outdated. You can check it in the Steam library at the top: Steam -> Check for Steam Client Updates.

Uninstall demo, then search in library:

In case Soundpad is shown as Soundpad Demo in your library, try to uninstall Soundpad Demo and then search for Soundpad in your library.
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Misc

It's vendor and operating system dependent if enhancements are accessible in the Enhancements tab in Windows' Device Properties dialog after you've installed Soundpad.
You can access them with this instruction:
  1. Start Soundpad.
  2. File > Preferences > Devices
  3. Uncheck the Use-checkbox next to the device, whose enhancements you want to configure.
  4. Apply the changes without restart.
  5. If you left the above mentioned Windows' Property dialog opened, then close it and reopen it again.
  6. Now the Enhancements tab should be accessible.
After you have made your changes there, you can go back to Soundpad and re-enable its functionality for your device.
But, if you mean vendor specific enhancement options in their own applications, e.g. Realtek HD Audio-Manager, then the above mentioned solution is not sufficient and you need to restart your system after disabling Soundpad for the device in question. In case of the Realtek example this only is a convenience issue, because Realtek also provides their enhancement options in Windows' Enhancements tab, which is accessible by above mentioned instruction.
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  1. File1 > Preferences2 > Interface3
  2. Language4
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Select the correct device
  1. Open the sound recorder at Window1 > Sound recorder2 or with Ctrl+R
  2. Select speakers3 to record what you hear or
  3. Select microphone4 to record yourself
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Select correct playback device
  1. File1 > Preferences2 > Devices3
  2. Select Default4 or the headphones/speakers, that you are currently using
Soundpad doesn't support MIDI controllers.
MIDI devices have their own interfaces compared to HID devices like mice or keyboards and need special handling. Even if we implement the MIDI interface, there is another issue. These devices are designed for short latencies, fast input and sound compositions. Soundpad, however, can only play one single sound on the microphone and not several at the same time.
Because of that there will be no MIDI support in the future.
Alternatives: There are programs that convert MIDI input to keyboard input, e.g. Bome MIDI Translator, GlovePie or Midikey2Key.
Some MIDI controllers have their own software, which allows to execute a file when pressing a key. With such a software you can configure to play the first sound from your list by executing "Soundpad.exe -rc DoPlaySound(1)".
Soundpad is built upon a driver model for Windows desktops. It won't work on Linux or macOS and also not on any mobile phones, not even on Windows phones. This is a technical limitation. It's not clear if the core feature is actually possible on other operating systems. With that in mind, Soundpad was implemented in a non-portable way. Even if we considered to check for technical solutions on other operating systems we still would've to re-implement the entire rest, which isn't part of our plans.
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Turn off system tray options
  1. File1 > Preferences2 > Interface3
  2. Disable Start minimized4 and Minimize to system tray5
  1. If you have multiple monitors, then check if Soundpad is launched on another monitor.
  1. Close Soundpad or if necessary kill the process from the task manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc)
  2. Run Soundpad with the launch parameter --clean
In the Steam edition of Soundpad you can do so by right-clicking Soundpad in the Steam library > Properties > Set Launch Options.
Your sound list remains untouched.
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Soundpad was installed on Windows N
  1. Determine Windows version: Press Win+R > winver
  2. Install the right Media Feature Pack for your version of Windows and restart your computer.
Other missing files have names like MFPlat.dll and MFReadWrite.dll.
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It can solve problems with Hotkeys and Auto Keys
  1. Search the Soundpad.exe, by default located in
    C:\Program Files\Soundpad
    or
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Soundpad
  2. Right-click Soundpad.exe > Properties1
  3. Compatibility2 > Run this program as an administrator3
  4. Restart Soundpad if you had it running
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Don't run Soundpad and Steam in compatibility mode
  1. Search the Soundpad.exe, by default located in
    C:\Program Files\Soundpad
    or
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Soundpad
  2. Right-click Soundpad.exe > Properties1
  3. Compatibility2 > Uncheck Run this program in compatibility mode for3
  4. IMPORTANT for Steam edition: Repeat the same for steam.exe
  5. Restart Soundpad (and Steam)
If you don't see a compatibility property page, then you need to change following local group policy:
Win+R > gpedit.msc > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Application Compatibility > Remove Program Compatibility Property Page > Not Configured.