ProTools Free dilema

[blooze50]

Have reciently moved from analog recording to digital and downloaded ProTools Free. A great way to produce good quality demos. The big dilema is that when I record a track it seems to echo during the recording. when I play back the echo is gone. Is there something I am doing wrong or is there a quick fix to this.

[SPINSTERWUN]

blooze50...

Welcome to our home here at HR.COM.

How are you running the PT free?

Are you running it through a board, or straight off a computer?

[DonF]

The delay you're hearing is due to latency. This has to do with the time it takes for the audio signal to get from your input, through the software, and back to the output.

If you can't get the latency below about 5 milliseconds, you're better off muting the channel's output while recording, and monitoring straight from the sound card's input. (Most cards have some kind of mixer control panel to allow for this.)

HTH

[blooze50]

I am running all input through my old Fostex 4-track as a mixer. That may have something to do with it. Running it straight to the soundcard would not produce the volume for recording that I needed. Would a standard mixing board help??

[blooze50]

As I mentioned yesterday, I am running all my inputs through my old 4-track port-a-studio as a mixer to my soundcard for ProTools Free and getting an echo when I record. I tried running my guitar straight through the soundcard last night and still had that echo. On my volume controls I did notice that when I brought down the "wave" control it lessened but, then I could not hear the playback when I was recording a track. Can someone explain latency and how to eliminate it?

[DonF]

Yes, bringing down the Wave control would reduce the latency echo, but, as you observed, this brings down the other tracks along with the echo.

I assume you're going from the 4-track's stereo output to the sound card's line input. Instead of bringing down the Wave output, try pressing the MUTE button on the track (in ptFREE) that you're recording on. Then, bring up the sound card's Line slider to monitor the input signal. This should allow you to monitor with zero latency. Of course, you'll need to turn off the MUTE when you're finished recording.

If this doesn't work, I probably haven't explained it clearly enough.

[blooze50]

Thank you...I think you explained it perfectly.
As I am a common working man by day, I will try this tonight. I am developing music at night for a new home improvement tv show and I am really under the gun here.