Output settings not correct?

[Speedy VonTrapp]

I really need some help here from you guys. I’m hopefully posting this in the correct forums. If someone thinks that it will work better in a different forum, please let me know, and I’ll post it there, instead.

My band made a happy upgrade this past weekend, and bought a Delta 1010. Finally being able to use all of our pieces together, we couldn’t wait to get it up and running.

Here is what we have running:

Windows XP
2.4Ghz (I think) Intel
Sonar 4
M-Audio Delta 1010
Mackie 1642 VLZ Pro


Here is what we are doing.

Running the board as such:

1-Kick
2-Snare
3-L-OH
4-R-OH
5-Bass
6-Guit 1
7-Guit 2
8-Vox

Direct outs running into the 1010

The comp sees the signals just fine, records just fine.
Sonar inputs for each track set up properly, I believe. We see everything the way that it should be.

Output wise, we are having an issue. What we hear is super quiet. Much more quiet than what we should be hearing. We’re getting great levels, but the output just doesn’t seem to be functioning properly.

What I am doing, is assigning each track output to Master. Then the master to the Delta’s 1/2 outs. Just so that I can control the volume with the one master control.

Is this ok?

The other thing, is that we were getting quiet results for a while and switched the buttons on the 2 outputs on the Delta, (1 and 2.) Once I did this, it worked well, it seemed. But later, on it didn’t seem to keep up again.

Considering our gear list, what should each be set to? +4, or –10? I am thinking that this might be part of the problem, also.

Outputs 1/2 are running to a pair of powered monitors. I apologize for not knowing the make/model. I have to ask about those.

Hopefully there is enough info here for you to help us out with. While I realize that we’ll need to do some limiting, etc, after the fact to help bring up some levels later, something still is just wrong. The monitors are turned up quite a bit, and we still hear barely anything. We do hear it, but just barely. The meters peak around 0db, + or – just a bit. We’re just dialing our levels in right now, and this particular setup is just for our rehearsal recordings. We’re wanting to do something more serious track by track, but want to have it all functioning before we dive into that.

To rule out the monitors, I also routed the outputs to my headphone amp, (Presonus 4 output) and used that to listen. Still, barely there, turned up almost full.

Also, during a recording, I tried to monitor in the phones, but could not. I’m not sure what sort of setting needs to be on to do this. I feel like a noob here. *sigh* We have to be able to monitor during a recording…I have been using Sonar just as a dump up to this point, because I didn’t have a sound card that could work with the system right. So, I haven’t done it this way yet, and am not sure how to make everything happen.

Please help if you can.

Thanks,

Speedy

[DavidK]

I would burn a CD and see how it sounds on a CD player. If the levels seem OK you have narrowed down your list of things to look at.

[dachay2tnr]

All inputs and outputs on your Delta 1010 should be should be set to +4 db. That could be the entire extent of your problem.

You say it records OK. What kind of recording levels are you getting?

BTW, I have a very similar set-up (1642VLZ, Delta 1010 and Sonar 3) and I also run the playback outputs from the Delta back to the Mackie (channel 15-16) with the speakers running off the Mackie as well (rather than direct from Delta to speakers). This way you have an easily accessable volume control for the speakers. You can use either the Mackie's Control Room outs or the Main outs. I prefer the control room outs, since it has a separate volume control without having to touch the Main fader.

I also run my headphones off the Mackie as well. Which also has its own volume control. If you need headphones for all the players, consider investing in a headphone amp.

[acidrock]

Have you checked your software mixer for the Delta card?

[Speedy VonTrapp]

Thanks for the good suggestions already.

We do have a headphone amp, so that's ready to go.

I think that we'll try the routing to the Mackie, and out to the monitors or the headphone amp that way. Good suggestion there.

I'll probably also make sure that everything is set to +4, as suggested. We won't have rehearsal again until Sunday, so it will be a few days until I can make sure that it all works.

I was thinking that we would probably just have the +4/-10 settings wrong. I've read a little bit about it, but not enough to be really educated on my choice.

Some extra clarification here would be awesome, in case someone feels like going into what the specific differences between the 2 settings are, and why they apply where they do.

Thanks again for the suggestions, I'll report back after we try some.

[Speedy VonTrapp]

Just a quick update...

Last night, I played back through my PC speakers, just to see what would happen. I seem to have gotten much louder levels through them than through the monitors.

I routed the Master out to my on board sound card, rather than the Delta, (since it wasn't there, hehe) and it played pretty well.

So, now I'm thinking that it's just a matter of settings someplace?

Routing the master back to the Delta and into the Mackie is going to be the next thing that I try. Again, I don't have the monitors, or any other equip until Sunday to try out, so it will be a few days.

[dachay2tnr]

Originally Posted by Speedy VonTrapp

Just a quick update...

Last night, I played back through my PC speakers, just to see what would happen. I seem to have gotten much louder levels through them than through the monitors.

There should be a volume control knob on the monitors. Might be on the back. Sounds like maybe you just need to turn the volume up.

[acidrock]

Originally Posted by acidrock

Have you checked your software mixer for the Delta card?

Just asking again because I've seen many people fouled up because of a Delta panel setting.

[Speedy VonTrapp]

Originally Posted by dachay2tnr

There should be a volume control knob on the monitors. Might be on the back. Sounds like maybe you just need to turn the volume up.

Volume was up all the way once while trying to get sound. We didn't leave them all the way up, but they were both adjusted, yes.


Acid....

Yes, I did have the Delta panel up a few times, also. Got great levels coming in on that. Faders there were put at about -3ish. Give or take, depending on how hot things seemed. (Visually, there, anyway.)

[Speedy VonTrapp]

Still a little bit lost here...

I set everything to +4 on the Delta as suggested. We ended up getting some halfway ok sound, but still was quiet. And then latency in Sonar seemed to rear its head, and we skipped a lot. *sigh*

Anybody here make house calls?

What I was doing was recording to my 4 track minidisc, then dumping into my old computer via an old Lexicon sound card.

So, when I got a new computer, and my guitar player got a 1010 for us to record with, I was excited to see how it was all going to work.

We're a hard rock band, so we don't play quiet. We've had recordings at a proper level before, but things just aren't right here.

I put a CD into my computer, and played through the monitors, and it sounded awesome. So, the monitors are good. The one change that I have a question about there, is that I went into XP's sound control, in the "Sounds" tab, I believe, and changed the output to the 1010. I needed to do this for the CD to play.

Do I need to do that every time we record for Cakewalk? Could that be the issue here? I (maybe foolishly) assumed that between Sonar, and the the Delta panel, the audio settings would be fine. Do I also need to update that particular setting in the audio controls for XP?

(This is more than just a recording comp for me, so I use my on board sound for other things when it's not at the rehearsal space.)

[acidrock]

Originally Posted by Speedy VonTrapp

Acid....

Yes, I did have the Delta panel up a few times, also. Got great levels coming in on that. Faders there were put at about -3ish. Give or take, depending on how hot things seemed. (Visually, there, anyway.)

FWIW,I keep everything wide open in my Delta panel and adjust accordingly in Sonar.

Have you optimised your computer for audio?

[Speedy VonTrapp]

Please explain?

My computer was a gift from my wife for my birthday. My cousin put it together for me, it's solid. Now, optimized for audio? *shrug* I'm not sure.