DAW Appears to be echoing when active.

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Dr. Varney

Dr. Varney

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DAW appears to be echoing when active.

I think I need to set up a better listening mix and could do with some advice.

I have my mixer set up to send my guitar to the soundcard (E=MU 0404 into Patchmix) via the Alt BUS. I'm using FL Studio to record and sequence my tracks. My mixer is the Behringer UB1204FX-Pro. The BUS onto which I have the guitar effects is fed into the 0404's PCI Left & Right analogue inputs. I'm monitoring off the control room/phones pot... Which is set to monitor both the Alt BUS and the Main Mix at the same time. I have the DAW coming into the mixer through a line level input.

I've tested this over and over to see if I'm imagining it but yes, there it is... I can hear a slight echo on my guitar while I am recording. It only occurs when the DAW is active and the channel input set up to receive. When jamming with the computer off, there's no issue.

It doesn't make recording impossible but it's not ideal. It would be nice to find a solution as to how to remove it, so that what I am hearing can be more faithful to what I'm playing.

Also, the guitar is coming in to my control room mix too loud for my liking and drowns the DAW playback whilst recording. The recorded result is much lower than expected and I always have to use the Edison to amplify it afterwards.

I've tried compensating, by setting the input level to -10 where the DAW comes in but this just amplifies the guitar sound even more. Obviously, this means the ASIO and guitar signals are joining each other in the control room mix, (that makes sense) but ideally, I want them seperated.

Ideally, I'd like to be hearing my levels as they will be when recorded. Any suggestions?

Do you think I should be looking at an alternative method of rigging my mixer or should I be looking at having two amps and two sets of speakers for listening on (but surely that would be overkill)?

What about using the tape outs (or the tape inputs)? Either way, my one proviso is that I want to hear the effects I am sending from the mixer, into the soundcard.

Cheers

Dr. V
 
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Can you turn off the monitoring in the software?
 
No I can't. That is - I don't know how to do that.

There is a monitor knob in DSP Patchmix but I don't know how that works.
 
Yeah, sounds to me like you are hearing two different playbacks of the same thing: one "zero latency" feed from your ASIO driver, and one that is taking the longer route through your software and picking up some latency along the way, causing the perceived echo.

If you figure out how to turn one of them off, you should be set. I'm not familiar with your interface or software so I can't help.

One suggestion though, if you can't disable monitoring on the software (which would be ideal), try opening the standard windows "playback" sound mixer and mute the Line-In.
 
mattdee1 said:
Yeah, sounds to me like you are hearing two different playbacks of the same thing: one "zero latency" feed from your ASIO driver, and one that is taking the longer route through your software and picking up some latency along the way, causing the perceived echo.

If you figure out how to turn one of them off, you should be set. I'm not familiar with your interface or software so I can't help.

One suggestion though, if you can't disable monitoring on the software (which would be ideal), try opening the standard windows "playback" sound mixer and mute the Line-In.
Click to expand...


Hi Mattdee. I've played around with the ASIO direct monitoring but I don't find that intuitive or that it works anyway. I've done pretty much everything the dialogues and menus allow me to do and still no joy on muting out the echo.

What YOU say makes sense, Matt. Something is taking a second route through the software and ending up back in the main mix. I'd say you're bang on there.

As to the 'standard windows "playback" sound mixer' - didn't I have to disable all that completely, when I installed my soundcard? Well, I've had a look at those options and the sliders appear static and greyed. Can't use 'em.

Dr. V
 
What happens if you put the fader down in the DAW on the track you are recording

You really should be able to disable the DAW monitoring though
 
Here's a screenshot of my DSP for anyone who is familiar with Patchmix.

DSP_Echo_Problem.jpg


Dr. V
 
Ok, so your device came with some software to replace the Windows mixer, as mine did. Again, I'm only familiar with what I have.

Regardless, I'd have to say the same basic principles would apply. If there is no way of disabling monitoring in your recording software (which I find terribly odd), then I would think there should be some intuitive way in the soundcard's "mixer" module to turn down or mute the playback of the live input. IMO even this wouldn't be optimal because you'd still be getting a bit of annoying latency, as the signal would be taking the long way through the recording software to your phones.

Hmmm...

Best of luck, sir.

Matt
 
I think... just think I may have solved it...

It suddenly went away when the girlfriend left the vicinity and went to bed... (no rude jokes about echo chambers please!)... Of course, I had to turn everything DOWN because it will keep her awake otherwise...

I normally turn down the master volume on the amp so as to preserve the levels but this time, somehow I must have lowered the ASIO OUT slider on the DSP. I've discovered that if my ASIO output is equal or higher than my PCI IN (guitar in) then the echo occurs.

The simple fix is to record at low volume and amplify the .WAV afterwards.

Incidentally, I have to keep the guitar pretty low in the mix, otherwise it drowns out the DAW which is playing back to me what I've already done.

But stay tuned... I only think I've conquered it... I hope it was that and not something else.
 
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