Help with set up! Audio Buddy

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smalltowner

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I posted a similar message under Newbies, but after reading this forum I think it is best under here. I apologize in advance in, I know double posting is not highly thought of here!
(I am pretty much a novie in the computer world.)

I am brand new to digital recording on computer. I bought a Midiman Audio Buddy and I am using it to record MIC and Guitar. THe Audio Buddy has two separate preamps. I plugged the MIC into 1 and the Acoustic/electric guitar into 2. I then plugged a split cable (on one end it has two plugs, on the other just one) into each output and plugged the other end of the cable into my turtle Beach Montego II sound card line in. I just downloaded N-Tracks and am using the free trial version to record. THe problems are:

1. I cannot hear the guitar
2. It seems that the sound only comes out of the right speaker of my computer speakers.
3. not really a Audio Buddy quesiton, but it seems to suck the power out of my computer when i record, and the N-tracks crashes sometimes. ( I have a Pentium III, 13 Gig Hard drive with about 9 gig free, 128 Mgb RAM and 450 Mghz)

Here are the specs on my sound card, in case it helps:


I found this on a website. Its a list of its features.

The Turtle Beach Montego II(TM) includes the following features:

- Record and play crystal-clear audio with high-resolution 18-bit converters
at up to 48 KHz.
- Microphone input supports dynamic or condenser mics.
- Stereo line input.
- Stereo line output with headphone driver.
- MPU-401 UART-compatible MIDI interface for attaching external MIDI gear.
- Optional S/PDIF interface.
- Speed-compensated joystick interface supports analog and digital joysticks.
- Stereo CD audio connectors let you play standard audio CDs using your PC's
CD-ROM drive.
- State-of the-art PCI bus master interface for transferring stereo audio at
blazing speed.
- Modem Audio Input for connecting audio-enabled modem signals.
- Add an optional synthesizer module for enhanced MIDI playback.
- Aux input for connecting DVD or other audio source.
- 320-voice wavetable synthesis with 4 MB instrument samples using PC RAM.
- Aureal A3D 2.0 positional audio.
- Hardware full-duplex provides high-resolution full-bandwidth simultaneous
record/playback.
- Supports high-fidelity Internet phone software.
 
My guess involves this line:
I then plugged a split cable (on one end it has two plugs, on the other just one) into each output and plugged the other end of the cable into my turtle Beach Montego II sound card line in.
Click to expand...
It could be that this little cable is taking a stereo source and making it mono. In doing so it could be canceling the guitar sound. Try getting an adapter like the one you have except that it will take two sources and make them stero on the single plug. The single plug will appear to have two rings on it dividing the plug into three sections.

That's just a hunch though :(


-Peace
 
Just a thought...

Have you tried swapping input sources? I think if you do, you'll probably end up with reverse results, only hearing your guitar. But, alas, a lonely newbie I be...

Pete
 
Further info

Yes I did try swapping sources Battle, and you are right. Also if I turn up the gain on the guitar to max and turn down the gain on the Mic to almost nothing I can get levels where I can hear both , but this does not seem what this device was designed for. (And vica versa depending on which one is plugged into Preamp 1. Preamp 2 seems to not be getting the full signal delivered to my CPU and sound card.

Hmmm...it continues....Me thinks maybe I am a mutli track digital turn key type person. I hate playing arund on computers for hours just to record 2 minutes wirth of creativity....
 
Yeah, Lunatic is right on. You need to make sure your cable is stereo. The one you have probably has one ring on it (usually black or green) and it needs two.

Sorry if this is too basic, better safe than sorry.:D

Pete
 
Any other ideas???

Well I looked at the cable and it is in fact a stereo cable. I bought it brand new yesterday at a local guitar store. One thing, on the end with the two plugs , each plug is labeled with a white band- one says RING and the other says TIP. I have no idea what this means...but I am still suffering the same prob's....
 
Hello..don't know if I can help but I'll try. I'm not familiar with the Audio Buddy but since it's new make sure it's working properly. How about trying to play through just your stereo or some other amp assuming you have one. Maybe through the mic input plug one side at a time. I'm not sure but would it work through the line in L/R without the converter plug you have. Anyway make sure the unit is working properly.

With respect to N-track crashing....make sure you close all running programs except Explorer and Systray using Ctrl/Alt/Delete. This will give your system a little more umph!
What OS are you running? I had problems with ME until I added another 128M.

Rusty K
 
i'm a newbie too but i have an idea.
i believe the cable you described is for inserting
effects into loops/channels. one end is for send
and the other is for receive. it is not the same as
a dual mono to single stereo cable.
hope that helps.
mo
 
Hi again!

Well, I got a new cable and no luck. I am pretty sure I am plugging into the correct Line IN on the Soundcard, because when I plug the audio buddy, (guitar and mic) into the soundcard, I hear the Mic in the left speaker and the Guitar in the right. Does this mean it is plugged in to the stereo line in? The problem is, when I get into N-tracks software, neither instrument registers levels.

Then If I go and change which input I am plugged into the soundcard, I can get a level on one instrument, but the other barely registers (I think the other input is the Mic line in). So I have to turn the gain way up on one, and way down on the other , and you get a hiss and it just doesn't seem right.

It appears that it is the N-tracks that I am not understanding. I have played with the panning, but still no help. Maybe I just don't know what I am doing???

Still hopeful....Mike
 
Check which input your soundcard is using to record. The mic input will only be mono, while the line in is used for stereo input. Double click the little speaker in the task bar in windows and then go to options/properties/recording ..... make sure that the line-in box has the check mark.

Hope this helps

Tim
 
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