USB Audio Interfaces?

andrewecko

New member
Right now, I've got an Allen and Heath Zed 12fx mixer. Thing's great for live sound, but I'm having trouble getting to work in Ableton Live.

The Allen and Heath is hooked up to my PC by USB, and I have my monitors plugged in the Allen and Heath by XLR.

In all of the Ableton tutorial videos, people are using a "soundbox" USB interface, the kind with usually only two inputs. When they hook theirs up to PC, they open up Preferences in Ableton, click the Audio tab, and they choose "ASIO" from the dropdown box. Then they can choose their driver's device. In the tutorials, they choose their "soundbox" interface.

I don't have that. Apparently my Allen and Heath board isn't ASIO-compliant? I don't know. There's no drivers online to be downloaded either. That left me no choice but to download ASIO4ALL. So in ASIO4ALL's settings, I have it configured with the USB audio source (It doesn't even say "Allen and Heath") for both In and Out. Since I'm directly monitoring from my mixer, I turned Monitoring off in Ableton, to avoid feedback, mirrored recording, etc.

Now I always use Ableton's metronome when I record. ALWAYS. But for some reason, the metronome is being recorded onto my track along with my guitar. To make matters worse, if I were to open up another track and try recording again, the first track records onto the second. The only thing I can think of is my routing. Basically,

guitar to mixer, mixer to USB, USB to PC, which is received by Ableton, then gets sent back to mixer through USB to be heard through monitors, and then sent back again?!? UUGGGGGHHHH.

To the "soundbox" users: Is it this hard for you, too?
 
Right now, I've got an Allen and Heath Zed 12fx mixer. Thing's great for live sound, but I'm having trouble getting to work in Ableton Live.

The Allen and Heath is hooked up to my PC by USB, and I have my monitors plugged in the Allen and Heath by XLR.

In all of the Ableton tutorial videos, people are using a "soundbox" USB interface, the kind with usually only two inputs. When they hook theirs up to PC, they open up Preferences in Ableton, click the Audio tab, and they choose "ASIO" from the dropdown box. Then they can choose their driver's device. In the tutorials, they choose their "soundbox" interface.

I don't have that. Apparently my Allen and Heath board isn't ASIO-compliant? I don't know. There's no drivers online to be downloaded either. That left me no choice but to download ASIO4ALL. So in ASIO4ALL's settings, I have it configured with the USB audio source (It doesn't even say "Allen and Heath") for both In and Out. Since I'm directly monitoring from my mixer, I turned Monitoring off in Ableton, to avoid feedback, mirrored recording, etc.

Now I always use Ableton's metronome when I record. ALWAYS. But for some reason, the metronome is being recorded onto my track along with my guitar. To make matters worse, if I were to open up another track and try recording again, the first track records onto the second. The only thing I can think of is my routing. Basically,

guitar to mixer, mixer to USB, USB to PC, which is received by Ableton, then gets sent back to mixer through USB to be heard through monitors, and then sent back again?!? UUGGGGGHHHH.

To the "soundbox" users: Is it this hard for you, too?

They're called "audio interfaces" and they, not mixers, are the default position for most home recorders. Mixers have uses, particularly in larger set ups, or semi pro set ups. I have one and never use it for recording as my audio interface does everything I need.

So no, it's not that hard. It's dead easy. Spend a couple of hundred dollars, keep your mixer for live work, and set yourself free, is my advice.

YMMV...
 
I suspect the snag is that some of your problems are due to the mixer, while others, like the metronome, have nothing to do with the mixer, but could be a routing problem, but are more likely the result of the output of ableton going back to the mixer, and then out again. This often happens when people try to use stereo in and stereo out from these devices. You need to hear the output of the software, but if this includes audio going in, it gets confusing. A decent interface won't break the bank, and lets the software work as it was designed - having permanent stereo in and out is a huge hand behind your back, and of course you also start to get the usual delays and even nasty phasing sounds that the in and out route can often produce when the routing goes astray.
 
Actually, the Zed 12 is a pretty good mixer in terms of the USB routing capability--much better than most of them.

First, you're correct that the Zed 12 doesn't have ASIO drivers. You can use Asio4All but it's probably simpler to use the native MME/Direct X drivers since latency won't be the issue it usually is (see later).

First, plug your mixer into the computer, go to the Windows Audio Control panel, Select Record Devices and set the mixer as the default input. If you don't see the mixer, right click on the white area of the screen and make sure the options to show hidden and disabled devices are selected. While you're there, go to Preferences then Advanced and set the Sample Rate and Bit Depth on the drop down menu...probably stick to "CD quality, 44.1/16 bit". Go through all the same stuff on the Playback Devices Tab.

In Ableton, go to the Options/Preferences/Audio menu, and select MME/Direct X as the driver type. This should bring up a whole lot of extra options including drop downs where you can select the mixer for input and output...as well and making sure that the Output Buffer Size (latency) is something fairly small, match the sample rate to the Windows settings etc.

Once you have all that, you have lots of choices on the mixer.

First, for the input to the computer, you can choose either the main L/R outputs or a selection of Aux outs. To get you started, go with LR and use the "Post" setting which means it comes after the faders. (BTW, the Aux and LR Pre options will be very useful if you ever want to record when you're playing live.)

To do two mono tracks at a time, pan one source hard left and the other hard right, set you levels and go.

Now, monitoring...and not recording existing tracks and metronomes.

Set the USB Return switch to 11/12. Keep the fader for 11/12 down but turn up Aux send 1 or 2. On the Headphone out selectors, tell it to send whichever Aux you're on to the headphones. If you want to send what you're recording to the headphones, turn up the same Aux on the channels you're recording (but leave the fader(s) up so you record as well.

Honest it's easier than it sounds. FYI, using auxes to create monitor mixes separate from the main outs is how most pro studios work.
 
Actually, the Zed 12 is a pretty good mixer in terms of the USB routing capability--much better than most of them.

First, you're correct that the Zed 12 doesn't have ASIO drivers. You can use Asio4All but it's probably simpler to use the native MME/Direct X drivers since latency won't be the issue it usually is (see later).

First, plug your mixer into the computer, go to the Windows Audio Control panel, Select Record Devices and set the mixer as the default input. If you don't see the mixer, right click on the white area of the screen and make sure the options to show hidden and disabled devices are selected. While you're there, go to Preferences then Advanced and set the Sample Rate and Bit Depth on the drop down menu...probably stick to "CD quality, 44.1/16 bit". Go through all the same stuff on the Playback Devices Tab.

In Ableton, go to the Options/Preferences/Audio menu, and select MME/Direct X as the driver type. This should bring up a whole lot of extra options including drop downs where you can select the mixer for input and output...as well and making sure that the Output Buffer Size (latency) is something fairly small, match the sample rate to the Windows settings etc.

Once you have all that, you have lots of choices on the mixer.

First, for the input to the computer, you can choose either the main L/R outputs or a selection of Aux outs. To get you started, go with LR and use the "Post" setting which means it comes after the faders. (BTW, the Aux and LR Pre options will be very useful if you ever want to record when you're playing live.)

To do two mono tracks at a time, pan one source hard left and the other hard right, set you levels and go.

Now, monitoring...and not recording existing tracks and metronomes.

Set the USB Return switch to 11/12. Keep the fader for 11/12 down but turn up Aux send 1 or 2. On the Headphone out selectors, tell it to send whichever Aux you're on to the headphones. If you want to send what you're recording to the headphones, turn up the same Aux on the channels you're recording (but leave the fader(s) up so you record as well.

Honest it's easier than it sounds. FYI, using auxes to create monitor mixes separate from the main outs is how most pro studios work.

Wow. You know you just described my mixer a hundred times better than whoever wrote the manual?? Haha thank you so much
 
That is the benefit of having a guy like Bobbsy around that knows your situation. :)

Props to you bob!
 
Holy Batman! I have the same mixer for about 4 or 5 years and I never knew u could do that other than Sonar, what it comes with...thx so much!
 
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