ASIO guide

ASIO for Audacity on Windows — setup guide & ASIO4ALL alternative

ASIO (Audio Stream Input/Output) provides the lowest latency for Audacity on Windows. It requires a dedicated audio interface with an ASIO driver, or the free ASIO4ALL wrapper for built-in sound cards. Official Audacity builds do not include ASIO by default due to licensing.
Official Audacity builds do not include ASIO support due to Steinberg licensing. To use ASIO, you must either compile Audacity yourself with ASIO enabled, or use ASIO4ALL which creates a generic ASIO layer over standard Windows audio.
ASIO4ALL

Set up ASIO4ALL with Audacity on Windows

  • 1

    Download and install ASIO4ALL

    Download ASIO4ALL from asio4all.org. Install it (no reboot needed). ASIO4ALL creates a generic ASIO driver for your Windows sound card.

  • 2

    Build or get ASIO-enabled Audacity

    The official Audacity release does not include ASIO. You need a custom build. Check the Audacity support forum for community builds with ASIO enabled.

  • 3

    Select ASIO in Audacity preferences

    Edit → Preferences → Devices → Host → ASIO. Select your ASIO device in the Recording dropdown.

When to use ASIO

ASIO vs WASAPI for Audacity

For most Audacity users, Windows WASAPI is sufficient and easier to set up. Choose ASIO only if:

  • You have a professional audio interface with a dedicated ASIO driver (Focusrite, Behringer, Universal Audio)
  • You need latency below 5ms for real-time monitoring while recording
  • WASAPI is causing issues specific to your audio interface
For podcast, vocal and instrument recording, WASAPI with a good USB interface gives excellent results without the complexity of ASIO setup.
FAQ

ASIO questions

Why does Audacity not have ASIO by default?

ASIO is a proprietary technology by Steinberg. Its SDK licence is incompatible with Audacity's open source GPL licence. Including ASIO in the official release would violate the GPL. This is why you must compile Audacity yourself to include ASIO support.

ASIO for Audacity — is there a simpler way?

Yes — use ASIO4ALL. It provides an ASIO layer over Windows audio without needing a dedicated audio interface. While not as performant as a real interface ASIO driver, it gives lower latency than MME and is simpler than compiling Audacity from source.

Want simpler low-latency audio?

WASAPI is easier and works for most users.

WASAPI guide
Related guides
WASAPI setup →
easier alternative
Fix latency →
reduce latency
Microphone setup →
configure mic