HELP! My setup records my recording every time I record a new track!

A

Audball42

New member
Hi all! I'm new here and i'm desperately hoping someone can help answer my question! So frustrated with this issue i'm having when trying to make multi-track music recordings.

Here's what i have going on:

Behringer dynamic microphone
Behringer Xenyx 1222 FX mixer and Behringer Xenyx 8802 mixer
Behringer UCA200 USB interface
Dell insprion 1525 laptop
Audacity recording software

Example:

I record a melody vocal track. (track 1)
I record a vocal harmony track on top of my vocal track. (track 2)

When I mute track 1 and only play back track 2, the melody vocal track (track 1) is still very quietly audible.

Same thing happens when I record a keyboard or guitar track... doesn't matter what the input is.
Even when I generate a click track in Audacity and record a "silent" track over it, I get the click track quietly in the new track.

The problem is not the sound leaking out of my headphones (I tested for that.)
It isn't leaking through somehow in the mixer because even when I use one mixer for recording and a separate one for monitoring, I have the problem.
I even installed Audacity on another computer and had the same problem.
I suspect there is an issue with the UCA200 USB interface.

:eek:

Has anybody else run into this issue?

It is frustrating because the audio quality starts to sound worse and worse the more tracks I add. And if I decide to remove a harmony track later, its still hiding there in all the other tracks I recorded after that one! So I can't remove it!

Please help! This is driving me craaaaazy! Thanks :)
 
I think audacity is your problem. I've only used it as a two channel recording program. For something like getting vinyl into my computer.

Many say audacity is not a multitrack daw.

Try Reaper. Free to test out for quite a while. Then if you like it, it's cheap to buy.

I've used it, and it works well.

Can't hurt to try it.
 
You're welcome. Hope we can steer you right.

Besides being a good flexible daw, there are an amazing anount of tutorial videos on it.
Good luck.
 
Don't rule out the UCA being the problem. It's a $30 A-D/D-A converter, it's isolation specs may not be very good.
 
I'd be inclined to think either the UCA or the mixer. However, if the channel is muted in the DAW, then that suggests some other problem, because there is no signal emerging from the DAW to produce the crosstalk.
 
How have you got the levels set for the UCA 200? (new to me BTW. Have had two UCA 202s and know of the 212)

You cannot run ASIO drivers so you need to set the record and play levels in Windows Sounds. By default the device (shows as "USB mic" probably!) will be set for 100% rec gain. This results in a high noise floor and yes, probably some crosstalk. Pull the level down to 5% yes, FIVE! Not a typo, or even lower. Once you have rec level decent you can check the replay.

It has to be said that the 200/202/212 being a 16 bit only device will only have a noise floor of -85dBFS at best and headroom is tight, never exceed -6dBFS but with care you can get decent results, far better than on board sound chips.

A "proper" Audio Interface would be the best way to go but don't, I implore you JUST opt for the next step up, a 2 in, 2 out $120 jobby which are legion. Look for something with two mic inputs but also at least two more line in/outs. That was you will have at least 4 track recording and can utilize the mixers to their fullest extent.

Yup! Gonna say it Native Instruments KA6 (tho' I have been impressed with some of the writings about Audio Boxes and the Rolands)

Dave.
 
Well, maybe I'm a bonehead as far as the hardware being used, but I still think getting Reaper is a good idea. :D
 
RFR said:
Well, maybe I'm a bonehead as far as the hardware being used, but I still think getting Reaper is a good idea. :D
Click to expand...

I think it is an excellent idea and a modest AI to go with it. Old analogue gear is all very well IYLTSOT but ignoring the (relative) perfection of digital storage out of misplaced dogma is silly IMO.

My son loved his Tascam A3440 but used to bounce tracks to a hi fi video recorder to avoid noise build up. As soon as we got a working computer system the Tascam got used less and less.

Dave.
 
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