LINE IN sound card woes

  • Thread starter Thread starter cincy_kid
  • Start date Start date
another part

also, theres another part on the mixer that says TAPE and it has 2 buttons:

- TAPE to CTRL Room
- TAPE to MIX

they can either be pressed in or depressed. should either of these be pressed in since I am using the tape out to line in now?
 
You my have the wrong headphone adapter. Check to see if it has 3 sections [tip,ring,sleeve] if not then it is mono which would explain the problem. If you use the tape out of the 802 you can't run the soundcard outputs back into the 802 or you will get a feedback loop. This is why you need to run out the FX send. You only need to press the tape buttons if you want the signal from the tape "input" to be sent to the mains or control room.
 
well i have the surround mixer installed now and i changed the record from mic to LINE IN, but still same thing. No signal in acid.
 
ocnor: why do i want to run the sound card outputs back into the 802? you are confusing me ;)
 
So you can hear the tracks that you have recorded and be able to adjust the listening volume as you record.
 
ah, I see, I am not that far yet. I cant even get acid to pick up anything from the mixer. I can hear myself perfectly thru the headphones, but cant get a signal in acid. I have done the surround mixer settings for recording LINE IN like crank had suggested. I have tried with tape out and FX send still nothing...very frustrating =(
 
Update !

Ok, I finally got a signal into acid. Here is what I did. I went into:

Control Panel > Sound & Audio

Then went to the audio tab and changed both playback AND recording from "Sound Blaster PCI" to "Creative Live!C000".

Have no idea if I was supposed to do that or not but I now can get my vocals into acid. Although its really loud in my headphones, and the green signal meters in acid max out to red when recording a track, but when you play the track back you have to turn the speakers up loud to hear it...very wierd still.

Anyways, I guess I am onto my next challeng of beaing able to hear tracks i have recorded while at the same time hear and record my vocals over top of them. Now I think I may need to do what you has suggested Ocnor.

Thanks again all for the help and if you see anything else I may be missing I would love tro hear it.
 
OCNOR:

So, if you say I cant use the tape out for your method and I go back and use the FX send to the LINE IN. Then I run a cord from one of the cards OUTPUTS to where in the mixer? and do the headphones remain plugged into the mixer?

Also when using the FX send, inside acid I am only getting the left green signal to work instead of both working when I use the Y cable. Using the FX send is mono only? what am I missing here please? anyone?

Thanks again
 
What you need is a stereo 1/8 to mono 2x 1/4 adapter. Plug the 1/8 end to your soundcard output and the 1/4 ends into the 802 channel 3/4 or 5/6 or the stereo aux return. Yes the headphones remain plugged into the 802.
The FX send is mono. If your soundcard has a stereo line in then you could get an adapter 1/4 mono to 1/8 stereo. Then it would record on the left and right in acid. It wouldn't be true stereo [double mono]. Most people record mono tracks anyway so it shouldn't be a problem.
 
Ok, after doing some more reading throught the threads on this BBS and with this post I am now going to buy another Y cable with 2x 1/4" mono and 1/8" stereo at the other end. I am still not sure the best way to hook them up as I have heard many suggestions such as:

1) Mixer Main Out (Y cable) to soundcard LINE IN and then soundcard out to TAPE IN and then send the TAPE to CTRL room.(Which then im not sure how I am supposed to hear thru the headphones if its going to the CTRL room and I have no speakers or monitors hooked up from the CTRL room outs.

2) Same as above but soundcard out back into channel 3/4 or 5/6 like u suggested.

3) Same as above but soundcard out back into the CTRL room or even the AUX Returns.

Is your method the best? I am wanting to control the volumes separately of the existing tracks or mix and then also the new track I am recording like vocals and hear them all thru my headphones.

and on the FX send producing mono, I just mean it only has the left green signal in the acid program where all others have had both, is that not a concern?

Thanks again, I am getting closer! ;)
 
The way that I told you will do exactly what you are wanting. If you hook it up any other way you will have problems. [I've been running mixers for over 25 years] I have my 802 hooked up the same way except my soundcard is an M-Audio Audiophile 2496. Since the 802 FX send is "mono" and I believe that your soundcard input is "stereo" when you plug a mono cord into it you will only get a mono signal in Acid that appears on the left side. To get both sides to show up you need a 1/4 mono to 1/8 stereo adapter.
 
Thanks again OCNOR.

I am going to buy that other Y cable today. While I am out should I grab the 1/4" mono to 1/8" stereo adapter? Or is it better to have it going in mono the way I have it.

Wasn't trying to challenge you before. I have just seen many people suggest going out of the MAIN OUT instead of the FX send so was just curious.

Thanks again
 
I didn't take it as a challenge. I just wanted to reassure you that I'm not some 12 year old kid without a clue. Yes get the 1/4 mono to 1/8 stereo adapter it will come in handy.

This is for the people that told you to use the main outs:
If you run the main outs then you will not be able to run the soundcard output back into the mixer without creating a "feedback loop". So how would you be able to monitor through the 802 headphone out the previously recorded tracks? The answer is:YOU CAN'T!
 
Thanks again...

I have one of those adapters but its still mono so maybe i have a 1/4" mono to 1/8" mono adapter, o well...

The way others have said to do it with the MAIN OUTS is to run from the souncard out back into the TAPE IN with the RCA Y adapter cable. I have one of those cables and tried it and it works fine...I can hear the track I am recording as well as the previously recorded ones. I am going out of the FX SEND from the mixer tho, and NOT the MAIN OUTS.

Are there any advantages/disadvantages in coming back into the TAPE IN vs coming back into channel 3/4 or 5/6 from the sound card? I am still able to control the volume coming in with the control room volume knob...

Thanks again OCNOR for all your help on this!
 
The only advantage to running back into a channel rather than the tape in is that you can use the channel EQs and pan control. Other wise it is the same.

I run my main outs to my computer speakers which gives me the option of using headphones or speakers without creating a feedback loop. If you are using only headphones then the main outs will work for recording but why limit the mixers potential.
 
Thanks again OCNOR got the new cable and gonna mess with it now. However another post in my other thread here says I need a headphone amp also or the tracks I hear coming back into the mixer will then also record on the new track im recording...please say it aint so! :confused:
 
The best bet would be for you to read this about using a mixer with a DAW.
Most setups would make use of direct outs on the mixer, but that mixer you have is rather limited in its routing capabilities. It seems as though it only offers one AUX send with a stereo return (your FX Send).
Myself, if I where using that mixer, I would set it up as I had said (Tape Out or Main Out to soundcard). This would give you true stereo separation from each channel going to the computer. I wouldn't be trying to monitor off of the mixer (OCONOR is right in that would create a feedback loop). Instead, I would monitor directly off of the soundcard's Line Out. Which can be done, provided you don't have the Line In in the playback section of the Creative mixer muted. You may even be able to plug the Headphones right into the Line Out of the soundcard (adapter may be needed to go from 1/4" TRS to 1/8" TRS). TRS meaning Tip, Ring and Sleeve .... Or think of it as "Three Ring Stereo" plug, though the proper terminology is tip ring sleeve. Chances are you won't get much volume to the headphones that way, hence others recommendation of a cheap headphone amp. An old HiFi stereo would work in a pinch also.
If you have computer speakers hooked up to the line out .... do they offer a headphone jack? That would work also.

OCONORS method will work, but you will only be able to record MONO tracks, and you will only see levels on one side as you are recording. Once they have been recorded, Acid will allow you to pan them to taste. This won't be true stereo representation, as you have recorded using only one channel of the mixer and sent it to the computer in mono. Again, this is fine for many recordings, but say you someday want to capture the true stereo Image of what you record .... it ain't gonna happen using one channel or all channels, when using just the one FX Send.
If all you ever plan to do is record single mono tracks at a time .... go for it, use the FX Send, set Acid to record mono tracks from the left channel and Pan them at 12:00 to hear um in both ears. While you are recording the tracks, you will only see levels on one channel (Left as you have stated) in Acid.

On a side note: I would like to state that I also am no 12 year old child whom hasn't a clue how to do digital audio recording via computer. I make money doing it.

Thank you and good night.
 
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