Reaper: massive hiss and low track volume on playback

Snags

Total recording numpty here - don't know what I'm doing, don't understand it, just trying to get my head around it.

I've done a few bits in Reaper before, and once I got my interface to work (cheapo Alesis iO2) it all worked as expected. Then not had chance to touch it for months.

Working on a few things on holiday, but with essentially the same kit as normal, and when recording it all sounds fine. Quality of the playback to headphones when recording additional tracks is fine (monitoring via headphones attached to the Alesis, USB feed from the laptop).

Recorded a simple project with three tracks (guitar, vocal, bit of lead). Listened back on headphones, OK. Unplugged headphones and Alesis, set laptop back to using internal audio for output and … ARGH! Hiss city on the lead in, and then the actual track output is muffled and muted, and everything's buried under a layer off hissy rubbish.

I've tweaked everything I can find, and can't make it go away, and the basic wav files have it when played through other tools, so I'm guessing it's something that's snafu'd at the input stage, even though it sounded OK on the 'phones.

Can anyone spot what I've screwed up in my ignorance?

Stuckfast

If it sounds OK on headphones then the problem will be the playback device. Sounds like it might be applying a shitload of compression. How does it sound if you turn the volume down a fair bit?

stratman3142

To check your laptop, how does it sound if you play any music you've downloaded (e.g. mp3s). Also, do YouTube clips sound OK?

Snags

Ah, good shout!  Didn't think to do that. Just played an MP3 that was previously OK and that's buggered as well. I'll reboot the thing and see if it sorts itself out, otherwise I'll have to forget I'm on holiday and go into work mode with the diagnostics.

Snags

Yup, the old classic "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" has sorted it. I really should know better