Behringer X1204USB Odd(?) Input Problem

[djeaux]

Second post... I have a Behringer X1204USB mixer that I use for streaming to Shoutcast, mainly into the Second Life virtual world. In general, my performances are vocal, harmonica & guitar (aka "hippie-dip music from the 70s"). My usual guitar is an Ovation Elite LX electric-acoustic.

Main vocals are through a cheap Audio-Technica dynamic mic routed through a BOSS VE-20 Vocal Performer into one of the mono channels on the mixer. No problems there. It's balanced XLR all the way through & once I sorted out BOSS's terminology for a noise gate, it works great for reverb & harmony effects on the vocals.

I also use a pair of Behringer C-4 condenser mikes positioned about 10" apart out about 24" from my playing position for "ambient" vocal & acoustic guitar miking. This may sound strange to purists, but it gives me a lot of presence. I route these mikes through two of the mono channels on the mixer with appropriate panning (about 10 o'clock on the left, 2 o'clock on the right), usually feeding about 40% of the signal into the X1204USB's internal effects for some light reverb.

Now for the puzzlement... I am routing the electric pickup from the guitar into a simple pedal chain (all BOSS), SD-1 distortion -> CE-5 chorus -> FH-3 flanger -> RC-3 loop station & thence to the fourth mono channel on the mixer.

If I route the 1/2 (mains) bus to the control room outs (i.e., headphone), I hear the electric guitar effects. However, none of the effects signal goes via the USB mains output to my laptop.

I have tried all four mono channels, so I know this isn't a "bad channel" issue. I have tried using effects returns & the left side (mono) of one of the stereo channels as alternate inputs instead of the mono channel, still no joy.

Thinking maybe it was some sort of weird impedence matching issue, I tried feeding the output from the pedal chain through a DI box to send a balanced XLR input into the mono channel but got the same results. It's like the guitar effects are filtered out of the mains output although the control room "hears" the main mix with the effects.

If I route the guitar signal to AUX 2 (internal FX on the mixer), it becomes audible on the USB mains output, but only to the extent that I'm mixing the effect return back in.

Finally, I tried routing all channels to the 3/4 bus ("mute"), which has 1/4" outputs, and I get the effects showing up at my laptop. However, this basically deprives me of the soundcard in my laptop, which I like to use to monitor preceding performers (remember, this is Internet radio I'm doing) & puts me in the position of playing "in the dark."

Any ideas of how to get my guitar effects flowing through the main output (and USB)? (Yes, I have a "case" filed with Behringer, so if I get a solution from them, I'll post it back here...)

 

[djeaux]

Forgot to add, yes, I know it's Behringer. But if that's all you care to comment on, I'd rather not hear it.

 

[mjbphotos]

You're not making any sense - if you can't hear the Boss FX pedals in the USB signal to your computer, then that signal is not going there - you must only be picking up the ambient mics sound of the guitar. It's impossible that the mixer is 'filtering out' the pedal fx!

 

[djeaux]

It doesn't make sense to me, either. Otherwise, I'd have figured this one out.

Perhaps I was not clear. I have tested with all other input sources disconnected. I press to monitor 1/2 (main) on the control room headphones & hear the guitar effect. I play back recording made via USB & there is nothing.

I did not say it was filtering the effects. I said it was like the effects had been filtered. Either there's some routing trick for this mixer that I do not know about, or something about the input from the guitar effects is "okay" for the control room and mon (3/4) bus but not for the mains (USB).

 

[jaygee]

I assuming that you do not hear the guitar at all via the usb connection.

Have you tried the guitar connected to the other inputs on the mixer and see if those channels are routed to the usb ?
Since the other inputs when used used with a microphone are routed to the usb, it would seem like the guitar would also be audible.

 

[djeaux]

Yes, the other channels are routed to USB. All the mike channels are low impedance (XLR) inputs. My concern is just not being able to use the "electric side" of the guitar with effects to add a little extra to my tunes.

I'm hoping to get a decent block diagram of the mixer from Behringer, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[jaygee]

Mono inputs 1-4 are physically identical and should be able to be routed to the usb.
Make your gain knobs are adjusted correctly and if you have a DI box, you might want to try
and use that to run your guitar into a mic input.