PC Audio Interface: Feedback issues?

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Graffitie

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Hi, :-)

I'm having a question about PC audio interfaces. I'm looking for a specific functionality, but I don't know what it's called. This might be a very simple question to answer, but I'm missing some terminology and don't know what to google for:

The problem I'm having is this: I want to monitor myself while speaking and hear my PC audio while I'm using the interface output as recording input on the PC. My old USB interface did this by simply not mixing the PC-out back into its own USB out. I got delay-free monitoring, and my voice then got passed on to the PC to be used in Discord and Zoom. And in turn, Spotify and Youtube and other people in voice chat got passed through the interface into my headphones/speakers without getting fed back into the PC.

Now that trusty interface is having issues, and I tried to replace it. To my chagrin I had to learn that this functionality isn't standard, apparently. On the new interface, the PC audio gets fed back into the USB main mix going from the interface back into the computer -- and I get a terrible mess of feedback. I can toggle the "Ext/USB to main" switch to get rid of the it of course, but then I can't hear the PC audio anymore, which is what I want.

Can anyone tell me what this feature I am looking for is called when looking for interfaces to purchase? Or even better, recommend me an Interface that has what I need? What I need:
- 1 XLR mic in with 48V phantom power
- a headphone jack, preferrably 6,35 mm
- Stereo main out for PC speakers (my current Interface has two 6,35 mono jacks for L and R, but I'm not picky)
- Preferrably USB for convenience, but any PC connection will do
- the ability to use the interface both as in and out at the same time without getting feedback, as laboriously described above.
- (EQ and Compressor would obviously be nice but aren't a must.)

My old interface is/was an Alesis Mulitmix 4 USB. The replacement I tried is a very similar model which I assumed to be doing the same thing, the Alesis Mulitmix 4 USB FX.

Thanks! (y)
 
Are you certain your computer has not got a box ticked somewhere that is send the audio the wrong way? Pretty much all the interfaces I have work the same way. The mix control lets the interface send the inputs it has, or the computer audio out (with the latency) to your interface connected headphones or speakers. All my different make interfaces work like this. In your case, if you turn the knob to one end you should get only the input devices to your interface? If you still hear the computer, something is adrift. There should be no feedback as there should be no computers content at that position. Set to totally computer, then there should be just the interface sources, plus anything else the computer adds, from your windows sounds, other runn8ng apps like Spotify. Any feedback must be generated in the computer, unless you also have the actual computer audio connected to a line input on the interface, and it’s leaking? My guess is one app has a ‘monitoring’ checkbox ticked and this is then fed back to the other apps. The headache will be finding it. I’d suggest starting just the daw you use and checking things work normally, and double checking no app is running in the background. Then start your various apps one by one till the issue starts. If it is windows, double check the windows audio to see if anything is quietly running with a monitor feature enabled.

I seriously doubt it’s the interface, nothing has changed there I have come across, they all work the same way? Interesting this, because when you find it, the solution will be valuable to others, to tuck away. I had a problem years ago with Adobe audition where there was a tickbox that said enable software monitoring, but as Cubase also did this, it was being done twice when both programs were running. The snag disappeared in an update and never happened again.
 
Hi,

yes I'm certain. I did not change any settings on my PC at all.

I did miscommunicate something, however:

The feedback I'm talking about isn't my voice, but the audio from my PC apps (which does include my voice if I have monitoring enabled in Discord or the systems control panel). That means that when I'm in Voice Chat, everyone can hear themselves as well as my apps. Sorry for my wording, it's technically not a loop. ? I corrected the thread title.

Again, I did not change anything in my setup at all except for substituting a different USB Interface. I switched back to my old interface, and it worked again (the problem with my old hardware is unrelated to this issue. It's producing weird chirping noises at random intervals).
 
I believe there's going to be a settings somewhere to select which inputs/input types to 'monitor'. This allows only certain things to route and come through as desired, which avoids this issue. Windows by default monitors everything, for example, so all things can be heard. This is obviously not desirable when multitracking, which is why interfaces and mixing controls for the interface have granular controls over which inputs to listen to during live playback or when recording.
 
Hi Pinky,
sadly, this particular interface doesn't seem to have that granular control at all. I've been doing some more googling and other people seem to have had the same issues as I did. There's no separate monitor/headphone send or anything. It's really badly designed and I can see no possible use case that involves actually recording audio through it and not just playback and live mixing. It's really, really stupid.

With that being the unfortunate conclusion, the question remains: Does anyone know an interface that works in a sensible way? All I need is something to feed XLR with phantom power into my PC and get the PC out back so that I can hear it both over headphones.
 
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I've not discovered any that don't do this? It's not a common problem I don't think or everyone would be complaining about it?
 
rob aylestone said:
I've not discovered any that don't do this? It's not a common problem I don't think or everyone would be complaining about it?
Click to expand...
Yeah pretty much all modern interfaces allow monitoring controls. Check out the lower end/cheaper PreSonus and Scarlett 2i2 options.
 
Thanks for the replies. I'll try a Scarlett Solo. It's what I was looking at anyway, but this experience made me quite paranoid that I was missing something. Your recommendation really helped.
 
Graffitie said:
Thanks for the replies. I'll try a Scarlett Solo. It's what I was looking at anyway, but this experience made me quite paranoid that I was missing something. Your recommendation really helped.
Click to expand...
Don't. Most of the One Mic interfaces are lowest common denominator in terms of facilities and often performance. No offence intended but aimed mainly at 'podders'. In any case you WILL kick yourself one day wanting stereo!

Go for the 2i2 if you like but I cannot recommend the MOTU M2 highly enough. I have the M4 but that just has an extra two line ins and outs.

Dave.
 
100% agree - the first time you need to get an old recording into the computer or use both your mics at one time (which you really will) you will kick yourself. The price difference is just not worth buying a one input device.
 
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