Connections: ART Tube MP --> SB Live Line-in

M

MrLip

New member
Here's a connection question:

I recently aquired an ART Tube MP. I connect it to my soundcard (SBLive Value) as follows:

ART TubeMP 1/4" out --> 1/4" to 1/8" adapter --> SBLive Line-in

The 1/4" output is mono, while the SBLive Line-in is stereo. The causes problems while monitoring recordings. Since the line-in is stereo and the ART output is mono, I only hear the output from the ART in the left speaker. I want to hear it in both.

Does anyone know of a way around this?

Is there a way to switch the line-in from stereo to mono so that the ART output will be center instead of left speaker only?

Or will I have to use some sort of adapter to splice the mono signal to a stereo one?

Thanks
 
MrLip,

Hi. As you know, I have an ART TubeMP as well. I plug my mono stuff into my "mic-in" on my sound card instead of "line-in" because my "mic-in" is mono. For my stereo stuff I use "line-in". Do you have a mic input on your card? I used to have a regular SB and it had a mic-in, so I'm hoping you have one as well. Hope this helped.
 
Hey Teddie, doesn't that make your mic go through two mic pre's when you go out of your ART to the Mic In on your soundcard? :)

MrLip, maybe your software has a way to monitor center regardless of what side of the line in you are coming through...Please don't run your MP through the mic in though, you will lose a lot of the dynamic range this way as the mic pre amp on most consumer grade sound cards is horrible.

Ed
 
I'll betcha Radio Schlong has an Y-cord that will adapt a single mono cord into two mono cords. And I know they have a Y-cord that will adapt two mono cords into a single stereo cord. And you already have a 1/4 - 1/8 stereo adapter. It's not a very High Fidelity solution, but it would work...
 
Ed, oh I don't know, man. I just run it through there and it's been okay. I wonder though how my vox would sound if I hooked it up into the line-in (?) I might try it, but if it sounds mucho better then I'll just kick myself in the as* for doing it wrong on 4 songs... I'll be forced to redo them, and my wife will leave me.

Ed, do me a fav if you get a free moment - listen to one of the songs and tell me if you think I should redo the vocals using the line-in. http://www.mp3.com/smartapple

MrLip, sorry if I steered ya wrong there bro.
 
tdukex: heh, well, thanks for sharing that idea... but it would probably be better to just use the mic-in instead of all those adapters ;)

teddie: Dont' worry about the bad steering. I've heard your stuff and your vocals sound decent enough even though the mic-in isn't the best way to record. Aside from that, yesterday I got 2 wisdom teeth removed (talk about PAIN) so I'm not going to be doing any recording for at least a few days. (I just can't wait to chew solid food ;) )

Ed: I've emailed Creative asking them if there's a way to do it. Hope they have a decent answer.
 
Teddie,

D/L'ed the song. Redoing the vocals would totally be a personal matter for you to decide. They fit the quality of the rest of the sounds.

When you record again, try to line in and let me know how it sounds. In fact, post something. Better yet, just try both inputs and record both. If you don't find a difference, well then, there is no difference. But I am sure that you will hear one.

Ed
 
This isn't a soundcard issue. Your soundcard is doing exactly what it's supposed to do. Read the docs that came with your multitracking software. There should be monitoring options there.

And avoid the microphone input like the plauge. It might work fine in some cases, but in other cases....remember that the microphone input is preamplified very poorly.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Slackmaster: I'm using Cakewalk (and I don't have the manual), got any suggestions?

(Maybe we should move this to the Cakewalk forum then)
 
Slackmaster: I've been thinking and I'm a bit confused as to how this is a software issue and not a soundcard issue.

All this time I've been controlling my monitor mix by using the SBlive windows mixer. I double click on the little speaker icon in the systray and adjust the "line-in" fader to however I loud I want to hear myself. To adjust the recording level, in that same window, I goto Options/Properties then select "recording". I then adjust the "line-in" fader accordingly.

The Cakewalk fader in the Console view seems to control the output of that track during playback but doesn't seem to have anything to do with monitoring while recording.

If I'm doing this right, it seems like it has more to do with the card's mixer than it does Cakewalk. Are you sure it's not a soundcard issue?

Or have I been doing it wrong all this time?

I got a copy of the Cakewalk manual and didn't see anything about monitoring options.

HeLP!!
 
Listen,

When you only have a signal coming in, say, the left channel of your soundcard, what makes you think it's going to play that signal back through both the L&R channels?

Should your soundcard also mix a stereo signal into a mono signal? Using the logic that it's the soundcard's fault, we could say that whatever comes in the left channel plays back through the left AND right channels...and whatever comes in through the right channel plays back through the left AND right channels. Therefore, you have a mono signal? Is that how it works? Nope.

If you hook your CD player up to your stereo using only one RCA plug, are you going to hear that single channel through both speakers? Of course not. Nothing works this way.......

Except for mixers! A mixer will take mono inputs and turn them into a stereo product if and only if you want it to. Your SB Live! doesn't have a "mixer" really...the stupid "mixer" that ships with it is just a big volume control. That's why you need to check with your recording software which mimics a "real" mixer, or split the signal into stereo before it reaches your soundcard.

You simply can't expect your soundcard to have "intelligent panning" features on a STEREO input. Your mixer will pan a MONO signal no problem...and so will your soundcard via the MIC input (which sucks). However, when you're dealing with a STEREO input, how should it PAN? Even though you're not really recording anything via one of the channels, BOTH channels are still "working" and you can't expect the soundcard's mixer to determine that you're only using the Left Channel and it should pan that channel center. To the soundcard's mixer, both channels are active and therefore you're ALWAYS dealing with a STEREO source. When you pan a stereo image, you don't ever move stuff from the left channel to the right channel or vice versa, only you increase the volume of one channel while decreasing the volume of the other!

Either 1) Split the source to stereo. In other words, get or make a mono to stereo adapter. 2) Use an external mixer 3) ....

I *think* it might be possible from within your multitracking software to get around this...try setting it up to record TWO MONO tracks from your stereo source. I know n-Track can do this. You might be able to monitor the source via both channels then...but you'll also have a blank track every time you record that you'll have to delete.

Slackmaster 2000
 
The simple solution.

Use a stereo to mono adaptor from the line out of the soundcard. This way the adaptors won't be mucking up the incoming signal.

You need THE BIG BAG O' 'DAPTORS.

-jhe
 
Slackmaster: no need to get so pushy.

"If you hook your CD player up to your stereo using only one RCA plug, are you going to hear that single channel through both speakers? Of course not. Nothing works this way......."

I know this. What I was asking is if there's a software way around it, and it seemed to me that if anything were to be configured, it would be the soundcard not the multitracking software because my sotware doesn't seem to play much of a role in monitoring.

Thanks anyway.

[This message has been edited by MrLip (edited 04-30-2000).]
 
Mr. Lip:

I honestly did not mean to get pushy, and I appologize if that's how I came across.

However, you didn't seem to be asking for a "software" solution because you said:

"...I'm a bit confused as to how this is a software issue and not a soundcard issue."

and

"Are you sure it's not a soundcard issue?"

Obviously I misunderstood what you were getting at. And it seemed like you weren't understanding what I was saying. So I made my point and then drove it home with redunant redundancy :) I appologize if that is rude, but I wanted to make sure that you understood exactly why it isn't working the way you might have expected. Perhaps a few extra smiley faces would have helped :)

Also, your soundcard's mixer is software, not hardware, even though it is used to control hardware. And it is possible that there is a software solution (at the application *or* driver level) to this problem, but I've never seen it implemented. I figured that perhaps your multitracking software would have some features to get around this, otherwise:

1) As James suggested, convert your line out to a mono signal.

2) Convert your mono input signal to stereo.

3) Pray for software :)

4) Do what I do and just deal with it...it's a big pain, I know, but I've been able to work around it by really reducing the Wave volume and really cranking the Line In volume...then relying on my power amp to get me a decent signal. It works well enough.

Again, I appologize. The last thing we need around here is more useless bickering and I certainly don't want to be the guy to start any :)

Slackmaster 2000
 
I got a response from Creative Technical Support. Get a load of this:

"There is no way to make the Line In Mono. I'm not sure how well
the Mic will work in the Mic in either because of the Preamp. Most likely
what you'll need to do is get either a stereo mic for the Line in or a non
amped mic for the Mic in. "

The second 2 sentances make me wonder if this guy even knows what a preamp is. Talk about "technical" support.
 
Nope, like I said before, the Mic Input delivers phantom power to stupid computer microphones *AND* amplifies the signal. What the guy was trying to say is "don't use the mic input because it sucks" :)

He's basically saying what we've been saying all along. The Line In is functioning properly and the Mic In is not suitable for the task.

Seriously consider buying a mono to stereo splitter if you absolutely *must* hear your mono input out of both speakers. Maybe it's time for that new prosumer soundcard?

What you are trying to do is not the norm. I have the same exact setup...an Art Tube MP going into a Y-cable going into my AudioPCI (similar to SB PCI128). I can only monitor via one speaker while recording, but it's been adequate so far.

Slackmaster 2000
 
I also use the Tube mp direct to a soundblaster live ! card and agree about using the "line in" (better buffers than "mic in" for sure). I have had good luck using either a I/4" mono to 1/8" stereo adaptor (radio shack) or using a decent (single) RCA cable with appropiate adaptors on each end (also radio shack).
Good luck,
savy
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top