Troubleshooting audio, projects, playback, and drum-score export

Start with the named stage that failed: opening the source, separating drums, detecting hits, reviewing playback, reopening a project, or exporting. Preserve the original file and .bforge project while you investigate.

The source will not open

Confirm that the file is local and uses WAV, MP3, FLAC, OGG, M4A, or AAC. Try a short PCM WAV copy when a damaged container or unusual codec profile is suspected. For percussion MIDI, use Import MIDI with a .mid or .midi file rather than one of the audio commands.

Full-mix separation fails

Install a complete release package rather than copying only the executable. The Linux and Windows bundles include the HTDemucs drum model and the matching ONNX Runtime files. If those resources are missing, the app may fall back to analyzing the full mix with a warning; that result needs extra review because other instruments remain in the evidence.

The score is empty or noisy

For an empty score, raise Detection sensitivity gradually or try an isolated drum stem. For too many false hits, lower sensitivity and check whether bass, guitar, clicks, or mastering transients remain in the source. Do not solve a dense full mix by deleting hundreds of events before checking whether the source command and separation stage were appropriate.

Playback is silent

Confirm that the project has connected source audio, the operating system has an available output device, master gain is audible, and no unintended mute/solo combination is active. A project opened without its original audio can still show the saved score while playback evidence remains unavailable.

A project opens with a source warning

The source may have moved, disappeared, or changed since the project was saved. Backbeat Forge uses a fingerprint to prevent a different recording from being attached silently. Keep reviewing the saved score, restore the matching audio, or intentionally open a replacement and save a new project after checking the relationship. See Projects and source recovery.

Export is unavailable

Community Edition is free for detection and score review. Editing, quantization, PDF export, and MIDI export require an optional licensed edition. If a valid license is installed and export still fails, verify the destination is writable and retry with a short local path.

For the normal sequence, return to Quick start and Transcription workflow. Download the current complete package from Backbeat Forge downloads.