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TroubleShoot on Windows

note
  • Haskell: the issue with ghc version 9.6.1 has been resolved.
  • Haskell: A new network package is available (network-3.1.2.9). This will be automatically installed when you use the most current ghc/cabal versions.
  • A new troubleshooting step is available for SuperDirt install hangs during chocolatey install.
  • See Windows Chocolatey cleanup for instructions to cleanup after choco install problems.

Haskell ghci version issues​

Haskell install method - choco vs ghcup
If you are experiencing Haskell problems, it is important to know what install method you used (choco vs ghcup). You also need to decide if you want to continue using choco to resolve install issues, or switch to ghcup, the native Haskell installer. If you switch to ghcup, you should consider removing components from choco, and starting from a clean system.

Version 9.6.1 is now compatible with Tidal. Cabal 3.10.1.0 is now required to get the correct current version of the network package network-3.1.2.9. On Windows, these are the recommended versions:

  • ghci 9.6.1
  • cabal 3.10.1.0

To upgrade versions with choco, first uninstall ghc/cabal, then install with the exact version argument:

choco uninstall ghc
choco uninstall cabal
choco install ghc --version=9.6.1
choco install cabal --version=3.10.1.0

To change versions with ghcup:
(If you don't have ghcup, see Haskell ghcup install.)

ghcup install ghc 9.6.1
ghcup install cabal 3.10.1.0
ghcup set ghc 9.6.1
ghcup set cabal 3.10.1.0

  • Before installing/reinstalling the Tidal package it is recommended to delete your local ghc and cabal directories. These are usually in your user \AppData\Roaming directory but could also be in other directories under \AppData\.
C:\Users\<yourUser>\AppData\Roaming\ghc\
C:\Users\<yourUser>\AppData\Roaming\cabal\
C:\Users\<yourUser>\AppData\Local\ghc\
C:\Users\<yourUser>\AppData\Local\cabal\
  • Now run the Tidal package install commands:
cabal update
cabal v1-install tidal
tip

The steps to delete your local ghc/cabal directories and then run Tidal cabal commands are standard practice for any issue where your Tidal install fails.

SuperDirt install hangs during choco install​

SuperDirt is installed using a command that runs in SuperCollider. Sometimes the install process doesn't complete properly and the choco installer won't continue. This is most likely due to an orphaned process in SuperCollider. You can resolve this by killing the process in Windows Task Manager.

If you see the install process with this message and no further activity for a long time (> 5+ mins), it is likely stuck:

...
SuperDirt installed
** Downloading samples ** - please be patient, this may take a while.
Installing Dirt-Samples
Dirt-Samples installed
SuperDirt installation complete!
Booting server 'localhost' on address 127.0.0.1:57110.
cleaning up OSC

Steps to resolve:

  • Start the Windows Task Manager
  • Identify the orphaned SuperCollider process (sclang or scide.exe)
  • Highlight the task and select the "End task" button
    • To be more exact, use "More details" to view all running processes.
    • Find an orphaned process connected to SuperCollider and select "End task"
  • This should let the choco install process continue

network-3.1.2.8 error during Tidal package install​

failed to install network-3.1.2.8
package has a ./configure script. If on windows, this requires a unix compatibility toolchain such as MinGW+MSYS or Cygwin.

tip

This error shows that you don't have the current version of the network package. A Cygwin installation is not necessary, installing Haskell from either choco or ghcup will install msys2, which provides a Unix shell. What is missing is that cabal can't find it, so you need to fix your $PATH.

Steps to resolve:

  • FIRST: follow the steps above to make sure you have the correct versions of ghc and cabal. Note that cabal 3.8.1.0 will install the wrong version of the network package and won't resolve this error. You need cabal 3.10.1.0
  • Remove your local ghc and cabal directories (see above).
  • Install the tidal package again (see above).
  • If problems continue, you may have problems with your $PATH environment variable.
  • choco: Add these values to your system PATH environment variable, using your version of ghc:
C:\tools\ghc-\<version>\mingw\bin
# example: C:\tools\ghc-9.4.4\mingw\bin
C:\tools\msys64\usr\bin
  • ghcup: Add these values to your system PATH environment variable:
C:\ghcup\ghc\\<version>\mingw\bin
# example: C:\ghcup\ghc\9.4.4\mingw\bin
C:\ghcup\msys64\usr\bin

  • exit and restart powershell (as admin)
    Don't skip this—it will ensure your new $PATH settings are applied.

  • Follow the steps outlined above to delete your local ghc and cabal directories, and then run the commands to install Tidal again.

other package errors from Tidal package install​

Sometimes the Tidal package install from cabal will fail with multiple errors. If these are related to the network-* package, you can likely resolve them by checking the items below. If your errors don't involve the network-* package, the first thing to try is cleaning out your installed packages and running the installation commands again (see above).

Other things to check:

  • Be sure to clean out all ghc/cabal directories in your local %APPDATA%. (see above)
  • If you have Haskell components installed by both choco and ghcup, this could cause problems.
  • Check your environment variables, restart PowerShell as administrator (or your terminal emulator of choice), and then reboot.
  • If you have a pre-existing Cygwin installation or other POSIX compatibility layer, you may have to temporarily remove it from your $PATH for cabal to succesfully configure network-* during install.

Is Haskell installed?​

Open a terminal window, and type:

ghci

You should see something like this:

GHCi, version 8.6.3: http://www.haskell.org/ghc/  :? for help
Prelude>

If you don't see something like the above, you probably need to install Haskell. You might well see a different version number, don't worry. At the time of writing, Tidal is tested against versions right back to 7.10.3.

To get more information, refer back to the installation page for Windows.

Is the Tidal Library installed?​

Keeping that ghci window open, type (or paste in):

import Sound.Tidal.Context

You should now see something like:

GHCi, version 9.4.4: http://www.haskell.org/ghc/  :? for help
Prelude> import Sound.Tidal.Context
Prelude Sound.Tidal.Context>

If you instead see an error message like:

<no location info>: error:
  Could not find module ‘Sound.Tidal.Context’

This means that the Tidal library isn't installed. To install it, open a new terminal window and type:

cabal update
cabal v1-install tidal
caution

You can ignore warnings about 'legacy v1 style'.

If you still see an error message, then make sure you have installed the Full Haskell Platform and try again. If it still doesn't work, ask help on the Forum or on the Discord or RocketChat.

Is SuperDirt alright?​

CLASS Not Found​

If you see the following error:

ERROR: Class not defined.

This means SuperDirt isn't installed. Install it by running:

 include("SuperDirt")

If it fails to install, make sure you have the git command installed. You can do this by running git --version from a command prompt. If the command isn't found, then check the install page for how to install Git. Once it's installed, you'll need to restart SuperCollider before trying again.

For users who have just installed SuperCollider, restarting it prior to running include("SuperDirt") could also resolve the error.

Could not bind to requested port​

If you see an error like:

Could not bind to requested port. This may mean it is in use already by another application.
ERROR: Could not open UDP port 57120

This probably means you have stray SuperCollider processes running, blocking network ports. Shut down SuperCollider, and force quit sclang and scserver in your task manager. Failing that, a reboot will clear them.

Why don't I hear anything?​

Missing samples​

Tidal Cycles is installed with an extensive library of default audio samples. The download can sometimes fail, leaving you without any sound to play. If everything seems to be working, but not all sounds play, then probably there was a problem causing the download of Tidal's sound library to fail part way through.

You can fix this by finding the Dirt-Samples folder, via the SuperCollider menus: Open File > Open user Support directory (top-menu). Find the downloaded-quarks and then the Dirt-Samples folder. You'll probably find that many of the folders are missing or empty. You can download the missing samples from this link and place them here.

Audio configuration​

The problem can also come from your sound system. Check that everything is plugged correctly, check if you selected the right audio interface and that the volume is up. If you still don't hear anything, it might come from something else.

Installing via 'stack' rather than 'cabal'​

If the Tidal Haskell Library has stubborn problems when installed with cabal, particularly if it brings up errors related to the 'network' library under library, then instead installing with stack solves it.

This is done with the following command in a terminal window:

stack install tidal

Once that's done, you just have to tell your editor plugin to use the Tidal installed with stack. In Atom, find the settings for the Tidal Cycles package, and set the ghci path setting to:

stack exec --package tidal -- ghci

Restart *Atom** and all should be well.