MAJOR ECHO PROBLEM - Presonus Audiobox USB - Magix Music Maker 2013 - ASIO4ALL - Wind

[Puentetoribio]

I run my guitar into the front left and right jacks of my Presonus AB USB by plugging and unplugging from each. One is labeled Mic and the other Instrument. The jack labeled Mic has sound coming out of the left speaker and the Instrument jack records the right speaker, so I switch between them when tracking guitars.

I know I shouldn't be running my guitar straight into them because of the different sound levels, but I don't know if I need a DI box. I'm not sure if doing without a DI box could be the cause of the Echo but I wouldn't be surprised.

Aside from the echo, the sound and look of the sound waves are fine actually. I thought the guitars would be distorted in the mic input or the sound waves would clip during playback but they seem okay minus the echo.

I use ASIO4ALL at 512 buffer size and I've tried lowering it and even raising it, but everything skips, freezes and pops except for 512.

I've tweaked the Windows Sound Options around; set the recording and playback options to AudioBox drivers but nothing is helping. Not even resetting to default.

Magix Music Maker doesn't have very many options for helping with this either so I'm not sure what to do.

I noticed mono recordings would only start to echo when I would try to pan the recordings left or right in respect to the Mic and Instrument jacks. Now everything echoes regardless of sound placement.

 

[Tadpui]

If each input jack is only recording to either the L or R side, then I think you've got Magix set up to see the two inputs as a stereo pair (L and R). Either in the options for Magix, or on the track itself, set the input to be a mono source, and pick either input 1 or 2. No reason to record both inputs as a stereo pair since a guitar is a mono instrument. Just pick an input, plug the guitar into it, and in Magix create a mono track and set the input to be one of the 2 inputs from your interface.

Also, I'd suggest getting rid of ASIO4ALL and use the manufacturer's drivers here: AudioBox USB Downloads | PreSonus

I'd imagine that those drivers will perform better, and will allow you to set a smaller ASIO buffer size for lower latency.

Once you get that sorted, we can figure out what the echo is all about.

 

[Puentetoribio]

I meantioned using mono recordings at the bottom of the post.

If I record in mono and try to pan the opposite direction of the jack that I'm plugged into, it mutes the sound entirely. So if I plug into the right (instrument) jack and record mono, it mutes the sound if I try to pan left and vise versa with the Left Mic jack.


As for ASIO4ALL, I've tried using Magix Low Latency as well as Presonus drivers and they've both been problematic.

Magix is laggy and pops, and Presonus doesn't let me listen in on my recordings. I'll give them another shot if you insist but I think configuring through ASIO4ALL would be easier.

 

[Tadpui]

Where are you doing this panning? In Magix, or in the AudioBox control panel?

I'm not a Magix user so I'm not going to be a huge help with that in particular. But all of the symptoms you describe are of a more general problem. Somewhere along the line you're confusing stereo and mono signals. Again, make double sure that your track is set up to record a MONO signal from only one input on your interface.

Have you tried other DAW software to make sure that this isn't just some quirk or confusion about Magix in particular? See if it happens in Audacity, and in the Reaper trial. No cost other than some time to download and install. It might provide some peace of mind one way or the other.

 

[DM60]

There is no panning on the audio box. If you can't hear what you are recording, you have to check the mixer. The ASIO4ALL drivers are not really going to help you, they actually will be negative towards live recording. If it pops, increase the buffer.

You have something set up wrong. When you arm your track, make sure it is getting the recording from channel two from the interface. Increase the gain with knob 2 making sure it doesn't clip (there will be a light that shows it). Once armed, you should be able to hear sound coming out (you don't have to record, just arm the track). Adjust the mixer to give you a balance of monitor and what is going through the track (I assume you have some kind of sim amp or effect you want to hear). Make sure your volume is turned up either on your monitor or phones depending what you are trying to hear, since it has both.

That should work The Presonus may not be the best, but they work and rather reliable from my experience.

 

[mitchiemasha]

Just so you know, inputs 1&2 are both Mic & Inst (guitar) inputs, the label underneath is for both. The only thing they aren't are line inputs. I can see why on this unit it's confusing but look at the larger units and it will make sense. Also, The dial for each input shows they are for both type.

I use 2x Presonus Firestudio in my set up. They come with their own virtual mixer which loads when they do. In the mixer, it can be bypassed (direct to DAW, this is default) or activated enabling any routing of inputs to outputs for Direct Monitoring.

Looking at the AB, i'm guessing it doesn't have the virtual mixer, you can only do it in the daw or via the dial on the front. The problem you're having with the echo is... The mixer dial on the AB is set any where but hard left and your daw is sending what you are recording out the outputs.

To fix this you have a choice.

1. Set the mixer dial on the AB hard left. Now you will only hear what you play and not be able to hear what you have already recorded, obviously no good for overdubbing.

2. Set the mixer dial on the AB hard right. Now the Presonus inputs are muted to the Presonus outputs but are still travelling into the PC, through the DAW, adding any FX etc, and finally out the Presonus outputs. This causes 'latency' to what you play, added delay, depending on how you set the buffer. The buffer is the headroom for the PC to compute everything before it runs out of time. Once out of time you'll get pops and clicks. You can set a super tight latency to reduce the delay but won't be able to run a complex project or many FX, even on a good PC.

3, The Best Solution. Set the DAW to not monitor, send out the Presonus outputs what you're recording (in cubase this is default) and set the mixer dial to taste, anywhere between hard left and right. Now you'll hear the sound of what ever is going in the inputs direct out the outputs (Direct Monitoring) mixed with what ever the DAW is playing, PERFECT!!! You'll hear everything in time and the DAW will record in time.

The only problem now is... lack of monitoring with FX from the DAW. Many performers require FX in order to be their best. A solution is to add hardware but now you can't record a dry signal. Newer, more expensive interfaces come with an FX DSP built in for Direct Monitoring with FX and still record DRY.

I use the send on 1 Presonus to a Hardware FX rack, then back to the return on the other Presonus (this is on another level of complicatedness to set up, mixer routing etc). It records both a mono Dry and stereo Wet signal at the same time, enabling Direct monitoring with FX applied, no latency. Now the FX don't need to be perfect and can be used as a reference to get them perfect in the DAW. We can even send the Dry signal back out to the FX rack with adjusted settings, if those FX were preferred but needed fine tuning, with out having to rewire the studio.

Edit: Ooops that got a lil bit too long, apologies!!!