Behringer mixer and webcam recording

[Tommymc]

I'm using a Behringer X1832USB mixer and a basic desktop computer running Vista. The mixer has a USB I/O connection as well as analog I/O. I'm trying to understand how the USB I/O works with respect to the (crappy) sound card. Is the USB simply another way of connecting to the sound card or does it bypass it entirely?

I would like to create some youtube videos which will be tutorials on how to play certain guitar licks and solos. My objective is to be able to play audio clips on the computer and then add guitar and vocal as I break the licks down and demonstrate how they're played on a webcam.

So I've gone into my sound settings and assigned the Behringer USB for playback. This sends the sound file into the mixer. Then I set the Logitech webcam software to record from USB. I plug a guitar and mic into the mixer. I can monitor it through the phones plugged into the mixer. Anyway, when I get all the settings right, the webcam will record the mic and guitar but not the audio clip coming from the computer. Everything I see on the board indicates that the USB input is playing though the Main mix. I hear it through the phones along with the guitar and mic....it just get recorded on the video. It sounds like I'm not routing the clip through the main mix, but I can't see what I'm doing wrong...and it's in the phones which are monitoring the mains.

Am I doing something wrong? If there's a better way to make a recording like this, I'm open to advice. I'm an old timer but pretty new to computer recording. Thanks for any help.

 

[Bobbsy]

The USB connection on the mixer will bypass the computer sound card entirely.

Behringer manuals are entirely useless in terms of telling you what does and doesn't happen on the USB I/O but, from other dealings I;ve had in the past, I have a hunch that the computer output is routed directly to the main outs on the mixer, probably AFTER the main out feed is routed into the computer. Allowing to work otherwise would result in a feedback loop.

The easy work round I can think of is to use the Behringer USB to feed INTO the computer, but plug the analogue out of the sound card into appropriate mixer inputs. My rationale for this is that the computer output is generally adequate (if not great) but it's the cheapie mic level input which is almost always rotten. This should let you do the routings you need but keep the USB quality for the computer input.

Bob

 

[arcadeko]

don't use the webcam to record the mix. record your vocal/gtr/video then add the audio track in with your video editing software

 

[Tommymc]

The USB connection on the mixer will bypass the computer sound card entirely.

Behringer manuals are entirely useless in terms of telling you what does and doesn't happen on the USB I/O

You've got that right. Rehringer is priced for the entry level user. You'd think they would acknowledge that and provide better documentation.

I have a hunch that the computer output is routed directly to the main outs on the mixer, probably AFTER the main out feed is routed into the computer.

That would explain a lot. I'll have to make up some adapter cables and try routing the sound card output into a regular channel on the mixer.

don't use the webcam to record the mix. record your vocal/gtr/video then add the audio track in with your video editing software

This will work if I can script the video....just a little more work and I'll have to avoid any video of my lips....

Thanks to everybody for the advice.

 

[Tommymc]

Here is what the manual says.....in fact, this is ALL the manual says about the USB:
"The XENYX mixer line has built-in USB connectivity, allowing stereo signals to be sent to and from the mixer and a computer. The audio sent from the mixer to a computer is identical to the MAIN MIX. Audio being sent to the mixer from a computer can be routed to the main mix with the 2-TR/USB TO MAIN button.

Connect the USB type B plug into the USB jack on the mixer, and the other end into a free USB port on your computer. There are no required drivers, but we recommend that PC users install the included ASIO driver. The driver can also be downloaded from behringer.com."

I can see the advantage of not routing the computer playback into the mains.....for instance, when I'm multi-tracking in Audition, I can assign new tracks to the L and R Main channels and monitor to the playback without adding it to the mix. It just seems like pressing the 2-TRACK/USB TO MAIN button should give me the option and it doesn't seem to work this way....or I'm doing something wrong.