Firestudio Problems: Please HELP

  • Thread starter Thread starter gvdv
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gvdv

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Hi,
I am experiencing a couple of problems in using my Presonus Firestudio 26x26 for tracking.

I have had no luck in terms of suggestions from Presonus's tech support, so I am hoping someone here can help as I am become quite demoralized by these problems.

I should say here that I'm sure that my problems are at least partly due to my lack of knowledge about the Firestudio.

So, here is what has been happening:
1. I am experiencing considerable latency when monitoring/tracking through headphones plugged into the Firestudio

2. I have absolutely no understanding of how to use the Firestudio's Control Console - I find it very complicated, despite having studied the most recent version of the manual (Version 2.0), and having tried to get some information from Presonus's tech support and from the forums at Presonus.com

I would REALLY appreciate it if someone could walk me through a very simple set up for the Firestudio using the Control Console. At the moment, I just record into GarageBand on my Mac Pro without opening or adjusting any of the settings in the CC at all. I have a huge amount of memory and HD space on the Mac Pro, which has no other programs installed.

Thanks,
 
gvdv said:
2. I have absolutely no understanding of how to use the Firestudio's Control Console - I find it very complicated
Click to expand...

I don't have a Firestudio...but I have a Firepod, so forgive me here, but what "control console" are you talking about? Surely you're not talking about the front of the unit, because that's not complicated. Are you talking about the software console? If so, I can't help you, because the Firepod doesn't have one that I know of.

As far as latency goes, there should be none. Make sure you have turned monitoring OFF in your recording software. That way, you'll be monitoring through the Firestudio itself.

That's all I've got for now.
 
Hi Chrisharris,
Many thanks for your reply.

When I say 'Control Console' in reference to the Firestudio, I am talking about the software routing matrix that comes with the Firestudio.

I have avoided using the CC so far, and yet I still experience latency. If I turn monitoring 'off' in Garageband (the DAW I'm using at the moment), I cannot hear any of the recorded or live sound, so it seems that the 'monitor' 'switches' for the particular tracks I am monitoring and recording to in GB need to be set to 'on' in order for the set up I have right now to work (I have my headphones plugged into the Firestudio's 'Phones' output).

Thanks, once again for your reply.
 
I have a Firestudio 26x26, and I love it. I had issues upgrading drivers from the stock (which is weird, since most people were clamoring for an update since the stock drivers were apparently bad, but they were perfect for me), but it works great again.

The Routing Matrix is a really cool tool, but it does have a steep learning curve. I use it to operate my PA, my reamper, my headphone amp, and the built-in headphone and monitor support, with seperate mixes. Like, if I want to record a performance and use it for my PA, obviously I have all the mics going through the main mix which goes into Cubase, but the PA mix only has the vocal mic going through it, so the only signal that goes into the PA is the mic's.

What are you wanting to do exactly with the routing matrix? If all you are doing is running a basic monitor mix, then leave it at the default, don't fiddle with anything.

Not sure why you have latency.
 
If you have lots of latency, that usually means the buffer size (chosen in your DAW) is way too large.
 
Hi Seafroggys and dgatwood,
Thanks for your replies.

I think that I tried to manually set the buffer size the other day and couldn't because it is automatically chosen by the Mac Pro (i.e. OSX) I'm using with the Firestudio.

I have a very simple set up where I'm plugging the headphones into the FS, and using either a mic. or guitar or software instrument from within Garageband to record. At times, the latency is quite severe, which I find strange as it's not consistent, and I experience some noticeable form a latency all the time - even with newly created tracks where I'm laying down the first track.

From my - imperfect - understanding of the FS, I thought that I must be doing something wrong in not using the Control Console; is there some way that I can route the signal to the headphones in order to avoid latency, as the default set up seems to be causing me problems?

This post on the Presonus forums has me thinking that I am not achieving zero latency monitoring, as I am monitoring through the software (Garageband).
http://forums.presonus.com/showthread.php?t=1317&page=2

My lack of understanding of the Control Console means that I don't know how to monitor through the CC if I switch off the monitor in Garageband; if I do that, I hear nothing.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks
 
In the second tab, where you have the routing matrix (not the mixer window, which is the first and default tab). There should be a headphone button on the left side toward the bottom. Click on that. Then hover your cursor on the different sections along the bottom of the screen (I'm thinking of this from memory so I don't recall exactly what was down there). You should see a headphone icon appear. Click it on 'Mix 1' (unless you renamed it). Should allow you to monitor through the FS.
 
Seafroggys said:
In the second tab, where you have the routing matrix (not the mixer window, which is the first and default tab). There should be a headphone button on the left side toward the bottom. Click on that. Then hover your cursor on the different sections along the bottom of the screen (I'm thinking of this from memory so I don't recall exactly what was down there). You should see a headphone icon appear. Click it on 'Mix 1' (unless you renamed it). Should allow you to monitor through the FS.
Click to expand...

Hi Seafroggys,
Can't wait to try this out, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.

I have a feeling that this kind of simple thing could be a significant part of the 'missing link' in my understanding.

Many, many thanks.
GVDV.
 
gvdv said:
I think that I tried to manually set the buffer size the other day and couldn't because it is automatically chosen by the Mac Pro (i.e. OSX) I'm using with the Firestudio.
Click to expand...

Apparently GarageBand doesn't give you direct control over buffer size, instead just giving you two choices: "maximum track count" or "minimum delay". Choose "Minimum delay".

(This is in Preferences under Audo/MIDI.)
 
Hi dgatwood,
Thanks for your message.

Yes, that's what I meant when I said that OSX chooses the buffer size; I was mis-remembering and actually meant that Garageband offers the choices you mentioned.

And I do have GB set to 'minimum delay' (always have) and am still getting bad latency.

Thanks, once again,
 
Update:
Got someone to show me how to use the Firestudio - understand it basically, but still a bit in the dark having now lost the ability to get a signal through to monitors and headphones (but can get a signal to go to the computer's speaker).

However, the point of this message is to let people know that my hunch was right: by routing the audio through the Firestudio's Control Console, I have been able to virtually eliminate latency.
 
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