Hi,
Please forgive the complexity or fickle nature of my question, I'm clearly confused. I obviously have a few more devices than I know what to do with, and am having a bit of a tough time getting them to operate in concert with each other. I'll try my best to describe the setup. I use unbalanced stereo/trs outputs throughout.
Active 8 string guitar>Line 6 G90 wireless>Hd500X>Boss RC-300 Looper>Line 6 KB37 Studio interface>PC
I use Alesis midi drums and toontrack ez drummer to make them sound good.
I'm playing with a trio, but am currently mixing another guitar direct out of a Spider iv 150 HD into the auxiliary of the Looper. We monitor strictly through an Art Pro headphone amp as we're in close proximity to neighbors and strictly come out at night. The guitars and drums are mixed (as desired) and sent from the output of the KB37 to an Art6Pro headphone amp where we all monitor from, without any complaints about latency. The PC is no screaming hell, but seems to be getting the job done. 2.4ghz P4, 2 gb ram...
I understand this appears to be a bit clunky, and I'm looking for a simpler setup, or any advice on how to make this a bit more streamline.
I've considered eliminating the looper pedal, I don't lean on it enough, and using the HD500X as an interface, but I'm not sure if this is wise. The KB37 works well as a hub and monitor source, but I'm concerned that theres too many handshakes, too much conversion, and that my signal is strictly analog. I'm not complaining about sound quality, but I want to be as thorough as possible to ensure my signal is as good as possible. I'm curious to know if there's a great benefit to passing audio through the USB port on the HD500X instead of using the unbalanced outputs. I do like the opportunity to I also understand S/PDIF is a digital output on my HD500X...
Another reason I'm considering losing the looper is I can't seem to effectively or consistently maintain proper sync between the HD500X and the RC-300. I understand the RC-300 MUST be the master (barring some fancy stepping) and the HD500X in this case has to be the midi slave, but what I want to achieve is a global tempo sync triggered by patch settings on the HD500X. I've connected the two pedals with the midi cable (OUT from RC, IN on HD) and with the HD500X set to global tempo sync, the tap tempo lights do not align, despite the tempo matching in the parameters when patches are changed. So the tempo sync is working in theory, but is out of phase. I haven't figured on how to trigger the tempo in the DAW, but I want to be able to trigger record in Ableton, and have the tempo sync'd globally, so my delay is phased properly all over.
Even as I write this I feel like I'm trying to achieve some sort of miracle here, and I really need some hand holding. I know its a tall order, and more than one particular query, but please chime in on ANY aspect of this setup if you have anything to add. I don't expect a silver bullet, just advice. I'm really perplexed about the midi sync thing, and very curious to know if I've routed things effectively to begin with. It sounds ok to me, but I'm just making it up as I go, so please correct me if theres a better way. I do have a Scarlett 2i4 which I bought to try to somehow interface the midi to the DAW, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet. I'm still in using XP, and would have to upgrade to Win 7 in order to use the 2i4, but if I need it to make this work, I'll upgrade. A lot to process I know, but I've been stewing for a long time on this. I would be delighted to get any input.
I hope I've provided enough info, I look forward to your advice, thanks in advance
Please forgive the complexity or fickle nature of my question, I'm clearly confused. I obviously have a few more devices than I know what to do with, and am having a bit of a tough time getting them to operate in concert with each other. I'll try my best to describe the setup. I use unbalanced stereo/trs outputs throughout.
Active 8 string guitar>Line 6 G90 wireless>Hd500X>Boss RC-300 Looper>Line 6 KB37 Studio interface>PC
I use Alesis midi drums and toontrack ez drummer to make them sound good.
I'm playing with a trio, but am currently mixing another guitar direct out of a Spider iv 150 HD into the auxiliary of the Looper. We monitor strictly through an Art Pro headphone amp as we're in close proximity to neighbors and strictly come out at night. The guitars and drums are mixed (as desired) and sent from the output of the KB37 to an Art6Pro headphone amp where we all monitor from, without any complaints about latency. The PC is no screaming hell, but seems to be getting the job done. 2.4ghz P4, 2 gb ram...
I understand this appears to be a bit clunky, and I'm looking for a simpler setup, or any advice on how to make this a bit more streamline.
I've considered eliminating the looper pedal, I don't lean on it enough, and using the HD500X as an interface, but I'm not sure if this is wise. The KB37 works well as a hub and monitor source, but I'm concerned that theres too many handshakes, too much conversion, and that my signal is strictly analog. I'm not complaining about sound quality, but I want to be as thorough as possible to ensure my signal is as good as possible. I'm curious to know if there's a great benefit to passing audio through the USB port on the HD500X instead of using the unbalanced outputs. I do like the opportunity to I also understand S/PDIF is a digital output on my HD500X...
Another reason I'm considering losing the looper is I can't seem to effectively or consistently maintain proper sync between the HD500X and the RC-300. I understand the RC-300 MUST be the master (barring some fancy stepping) and the HD500X in this case has to be the midi slave, but what I want to achieve is a global tempo sync triggered by patch settings on the HD500X. I've connected the two pedals with the midi cable (OUT from RC, IN on HD) and with the HD500X set to global tempo sync, the tap tempo lights do not align, despite the tempo matching in the parameters when patches are changed. So the tempo sync is working in theory, but is out of phase. I haven't figured on how to trigger the tempo in the DAW, but I want to be able to trigger record in Ableton, and have the tempo sync'd globally, so my delay is phased properly all over.
Even as I write this I feel like I'm trying to achieve some sort of miracle here, and I really need some hand holding. I know its a tall order, and more than one particular query, but please chime in on ANY aspect of this setup if you have anything to add. I don't expect a silver bullet, just advice. I'm really perplexed about the midi sync thing, and very curious to know if I've routed things effectively to begin with. It sounds ok to me, but I'm just making it up as I go, so please correct me if theres a better way. I do have a Scarlett 2i4 which I bought to try to somehow interface the midi to the DAW, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet. I'm still in using XP, and would have to upgrade to Win 7 in order to use the 2i4, but if I need it to make this work, I'll upgrade. A lot to process I know, but I've been stewing for a long time on this. I would be delighted to get any input.
I hope I've provided enough info, I look forward to your advice, thanks in advance