Is this normal: Signal delay thru mixer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter canada-paul
  • Start date Start date
C

canada-paul

New member
I have a Behringer UB502 (smallest mixer they make I think), a Shure SM57, and a guitar and effects box. The main outs on the mixer are plugged into the line in on my sound card. If I turn up the mic and give it a little tap, the sound comes immediately through my monitors, so no problems there. But when I plug my guitar effects box into Ch2 using a 1/4" jack and play a note, there is an audible delay of about 250ms before I hear the note through my speakers. But if I take the mixer completely out of the picture (by taking the jacks out of the 'main outs' on the mixer and plugging one straight into my effects box, so now the signal goes straight from guitar-->effects-->soundcard), there's no delay.

Whats the deal? This essentially renders mixer channels 2,3,4 completely useless.
 
Guitar effects box? I can guarantee that the delay is not from the mixer. 250 ms is a VERY long delay. If there's a mix control on the effects box, it's probably set to 100% wet which would only pass the effected (delayed) signal and not the dry signal.bv
 
The effects box is a Korg Pandora PX2, on which there isn't much of a mix control.

Could this have something to do with the difference between balanced and unbalanced signals?

(as I rush to read up on them...)
 
Balanced/unbalanced won't make a difference.

What are your monitors plugged into?
 
Here's my signal chain:

SM57 -> mixer Ch1
guitar -> pandora -> mixer Ch2

mixer main outs -> SBLive line in

SBLive line out -> home stereo amp

home stereo amp -> Sony home stereo speakers

Granted, pretty much anything sounds like crap when monitored through the home stereo setup. But even at that there was never previously any delay. I usually do all my monitoring through headphones plugged into the stereo amp.
 
I can't think of anything in the circuitry of that mixer that could cause this problem. I'm with the wet/dry mix response. It's not that uncommon to change a setting without knowing about it. Or maybe you've got the dry signal panned to one side and the effect signal panned to the other. ???? Puzzling.
 
Eliminate the variables. Listen to the effects-out only to verify it's sound by it's self.
Wayne
 
Yeah actually I did that last night. Just plugged the headphones directly into the Pandora, found a nice Steve Vai-like tone, then went to record it, so wired it into the mixer which is connected to the soundcard, which is when I found the problem. I've recorded (badly however) many many times previously by just plugging the Pandora directly into the soundcard without any delay at all. But now with the introduction of the mixer this problem has popped up.
 
canada-paul said:
Here's my signal chain:

SM57 -> mixer Ch1
guitar -> pandora -> mixer Ch2

mixer main outs -> SBLive line in

SBLive line out -> home stereo amp

home stereo amp -> Sony home stereo speakers

Granted, pretty much anything sounds like crap when monitored through the home stereo setup. But even at that there was never previously any delay. I usually do all my monitoring through headphones plugged into the stereo amp.
Click to expand...

The problem is most likely latency from your sound card. You should run the SB outs back into the mixer and have your speakers hooked up to the mixer. Only monitor live tracks directly off the mixer. Make sure you don't create any feedback loops with the returns from the sound card. That can be a little tricky with those limited mixers.
 
TexRoadkill said:
Make sure you don't create any feedback loops with the returns from the sound card. That can be a little tricky with those limited mixers.
Click to expand...

I think we need to put together a guide on how to connect a 2 channel soundcard to these budget boards. Maybe some 8x10 color glossy photos, with circles and arrows and a paragraph explaning what each one is....
 
I don't think this is a latency problem (that would not explain the veeerrry long delay which is about 1/4 second)
Latency is common at about 10 ms

Are use plugging the FX-box to board using the EXACT output connections like when using FX to soundcard?
Does that box have a direct-signal and send/return?
I'm pretty sure it's the box.

have you tried plugging the guitar DIRECTLY into your board?
see what that does... if it's no delay than you must be darn sure confinced it's that freakin' fx-box!

ro
 
i wouldnt rule out latency, usually i use sonar with a motu 24i, but i tried n-tracks on my other computer with a santa cruz card and it was like, hit the string, wait for it, wait for it, now.
 
Figured it out...

Well, I tried again on Friday night, and lo and behold, switched patch cords and everything worked just fine. Turns out that if you use a stereo patch cord from the Pandora (which is expected, since its output it stereo) into a mono input on the mixer, you get the delay. I switched to a crappy old 'comes with the guitar' mono patch cord, and everything worked fine. Switched back to the stereo one just to be sure, and the delay popped up again.

Thanks everyone for your help though. In just two weeks I ended up hitting the limits of my first mixer, the UB502, so yesterday I went out and upgraded to the UB1204Pro. Lots more inputs, a power switch (strange item to eliminate on lower models), phantom power, lots more stuff. The price was right, and still about a third of the cost of a new Mackie with the same inputs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top