M-Audio Tampa to Delta 1010 (desperate)

[cincy_kid]

Ok i posted this thread already in recording techiniques:
read it here

I am sitting here trying to get this to work.

By the way I clicked on control panel and got to delta audio control panel and there are multiple tabs like monitor mixing, patchbay/router, hardware settings and some others...I have tried messing with it showing that I have channel 1 IN from tampa to delta and going 3/4 out from delta to mixer...and I just want to be able to hear myslef thru the headphones that are plugged into my mixer like I did with the quattro but having no luck.

Any advice appreciated~

 

[punkin]

Is the audio getting to the sound card and being recoded? If so, your recording application is probably where I would focus my attention. How did you do it before you added the new I/O?

 

[cincy_kid]

Yes the sound is getting recorded into the application (Acid 6 Music Studio), but its a VERY weak signal...its almost a straight line in the track wave bar but if i turn the headphones up all the way I can hear it.

Plus it doesnt sound very good (i thouth i would get incredible increase in quality with the addition of the Tampa). I am sure it has somethign to do with my settings, but I am trying to figure it out.

Although its recording into Acid, I am not able to hear through the headphones as I am talking into the mic, what gives?

 

[punkin]

I think you're on top of the problem...if the level is that low, there's not much to listen to.

Sorry, not a lot of help here. When I get stuck like this, I break it down to the simplest set up and work on one piece at a time.

Does the Delta still work?

How is the Tampa connected to your rig? (are you sure it's done correctly?) SPDF I assume. Are the drivers enabled for this in your recording application? Then of course the obvious, is it enabled in the Delta card (M-Audio Control Panel).

Is the Tampa working? (Not familiar with the Tampa...is there a troubleshooting section in the owner's manual?) I'm wondering if there's a way to test it standing alone from the rest of your setup.

 

[punkin]

Had another look at the website...looks like there's a balanced output. I would try this first...

Plug a mic in,...yak into it and observe the meters. I would take the balanced output and plug it into one of the Delta inputs and again check your record levels. At this point, if things are working, the mic pre does what it does...the question is the spdf. It's not much but it's information.

 

[cincy_kid]

OK first off heres the way I have it set up:

Mic plugged into Input of tampa XLR input >>

Out of the Tampa Balanced Output (1/4") into the Delta Channel 1 Input >>

Out of the Delta Channel 1/2 into the mixer channel 3/4 >>

Out of mixer headphone jack into my headphones that i cant hear from.



** more information **

If I go to OPTIONS in Acid and go to AUDIO tab I can change the AUDIO DEVICE TYPE to the following options:

- Microsoft Sound mapper
- Direct Sound Surround Mapper
- Windows Classic Wave Driver
- M-Audio Delta ASIO

If I choose either of the first 2 options, the select box for DEFAULT PLAYBACK DEVICE is grayed out and I can select nothing. but if I choose the last 2, here are the following choices:

- Windows Classic Wave Driver
- M-Audio Delta 1010 1/2
- M-Audio Delta 1010 3/4
- SigmaTel Audio
- M-Audio Delta 1010 5/6
- M-Audio Delta 1010 7/8
- M-Audio Delta S/PDIF

- M-Audio Delta ASIO
- Analog Out 1/2 Delta 1010
- Analog Out 3/4 Delta 1010
- Analog Out 5/6 Delta 1010
- Analog Out 7/8 Delta 1010
- S/PDIF Out L/R Delta 1010

I have tried all of the 1/2 options since the delta in is going into channel 1 and the delat outs are going out from 1/2, still no luck.

Also in the control panel sounds and audio devices I have all playback and recording set to M-Audio Delta 1010 1/2

Any other suggestions?

 

[cincy_kid]

UPDATE

So, I have it on Windows Classic Wave Drivers and selected M-Audio Delta 1010 1/2 for playback and then on the preamp turned the +20db to "ON" and on my Studio projects B1 mic I turned the swicth from - to 20db then back to - and I could hear myself talk in the headphones!!!!

this is a major step! Also when i recorded it, now it shows some zig zag lines instead of straight line in the track (so its picking up more volume). now the problem is that I am only hearing myself in the left ear. I cant hear anything in the right ear.

I have both volumes up in the M-Audio playback settings for Wav and H/W.

Now, here is important info. if I unplug the In going into channel 1 in the delta snd plug it into channel 2 instead it is just the opposite. I can hear out of the right ear but nothign from the left ear.

With the Quattro I could hear from both ears, what am I doing wrong?

 

[punkin]

I take it the Tampa is your only mic pre? If so, that's a bummer. It would be nice to insert another audio signal source into the delta to split the problem potential into two. You don't have a guitar amp modeler (POD) or DI or anything like that do you?

Do you get good meter deflection on the Tampa when recording? If no, start looking into that. (mic, cable, phantom power...stuff like that).

While recording, look at the M-Audio Control panel (inputs 1&2), do you get meter deflection there? (If you have good meter deflection on the Tampa and not here, start looking into the output of the Tampa or the input of the Delta).

If you have good meter deflection on the Tampa and the Delta, start looking at the recording software, drivers and software set up. I would first focus on getting a good strong signal during record.

Sorry if this seems to obvious. I'm just trying to walk through the trouble shooting steps here in my mind.

 

[punkin]

UPDATE

So, I have it on Windows Classic Wave Drivers and selected M-Audio Delta 1010 1/2 for playback and then on the preamp turned the +20db to "ON" and on my Studio projects B1 mic I turned the swicth from - to 20db then back to - and I could hear myself talk in the headphones!!!!

this is a major step! Also when i recorded it, now it shows some zig zag lines instead of straight line in the track (so its picking up more volume). now the problem is that I am only hearing myself in the left ear. I cant hear anything in the right ear.

I have both volumes up in the M-Audio playback settings for Wav and H/W.

Now, here is important info. if I unplug the In going into channel 1 in the delta snd plug it into channel 2 instead it is just the opposite. I can hear out of the right ear but nothign from the left ear.

With the Quattro I could hear from both ears, what am I doing wrong?

Check for stereo vs. mono record settings in your software. Pan the channel(s) center. You're getting there.

 

[cincy_kid]

Check for stereo vs. mono record settings in your software. Pan the channel(s) center. You're getting there.

Dang, its weird. When I open up a acid project (like one that comes with the software), and I play it in acid, I can hear from both ears, also when I open up the control Panel >> M-audio Delta >> and go to the monitor mixing part, both left and right are playing (showing equal green signals). But when i stop it and talk into the mic it only shows left or right (depending on if I have the inpout plugged into channel 1 or 2 in the delta)

I cant find anything in Acid to change it from stereo to mono...I think it has something to do with the M-Audio Control panel but cant figure the damn thing out...still working on it

 

[SRR]

In the m-audio control panel, under patchbay/router what do you have H/W Out 1/2 selected as?

 

[cincy_kid]

In the m-audio control panel, under patchbay/router what do you have H/W Out 1/2 selected as?

Monitor Mixer

 

[cincy_kid]

weird...When I go back in and try again I see the green light still on the left side but i hear NOTHING from the headphones. Sometimes it works and sometimes it dont, bleh...

 

[SRR]

Try wave out 1/2.

 

[cincy_kid]

yea I did, but I cant hear nothing (even when I have monitor mixer on), I dont know why it works sometimes and sometimes not...frustrating...

 

[SRR]

Ok go to the monitor mixer, goto "H/W in 1/2", there are two little sliders under the green meters, they are pan controls, where are they at?

 

[cincy_kid]

0 db all the way up...

 

[SRR]

No, no, its a pan control that goes left to right, not the volume control.

 

[cincy_kid]

No, no, its a pan control that goes left to right, not the volume control.

Whoah Cool!

It was panned all left. It has a range of:

L50..L48..L46..........L4..L2..R2..R4.........R46..R48..R50

It wont let me put it dead center. I have to choose L2 and hear it almost all out of both ears but a bit stronger from in the left ear. This is MUCh better than what I had last night but there should be a way to do dead center?

Also, a couple of other things (not too far off topic), the mic I use SP B1, as I mention has 3 options:

1) -
2) -10db
3) -20db

I have it on the 1st option -

On the Tampa there is a switch for: +20db or OFF. I have it switched on to +20db. Also on the Tampa is an IMpedence switch with options of:

1) 2400
2) 1200
3) 600
4) 300

I have it on 2400 but have no idea where it should be, I think it is dependent on the mic you are using. Not sure where I would find this information at.

Most importantly, is theer are 2 guage meters:

1) Gain Reduction - The needles stays at 100%
2) Output - The needle stays at 0%

Not sure if these effect my sound/voulme or not but I cant get the needles to move even if I swicth differentr switches or mess with turning knobs.

If I turn the gain up on the preamp and turn the channel up on the mixer I get a real nice loud sound coming through on the headphones which I am very happy about. Now I just need to get it to dead center except for slightly left and figure out how to utilize the preamp so that I am taking advantage of its warmth. Currently it dont sound much different at all to me than just running straight thru the soundcard.

Thanks again SRR, if any of these things you know about, I would appreciate it..

 

[punkin]

The switch on the mic is an attenuator. 0 means no reduction in signal output of the microphone, -10 means 10 dB of signal output reduction (attenuation) and -20 means 20 dB of reduction. You would use this when recording loud audio sources which might over drive the input to the mic pre.

The plus (+20) switch on the Tampa is similar but backwards. When turned to +20 increases the gain of the microphone signal and you can't get enough signal to your recording card. This is usually done when you're using a mic with low output characteristics or, if you're recording a very quiet signal. It would be a goofy thing to have the mic switch turned to -20 and the Tampa set to +20 (get it?).

The impedance setting is to match the mic pre input impedance with the mic output. I don't know anything about your mic. If you bought your mic new, the owner's manual will tell you. There's no chance of any harm to the gear by having a mis-match but it could impart an audio quality/tonality difference.

The meters...the input meter shows how much signal is coming from the mic going into the mic preamplifier. Too much and it over drives the input of the amp and sounds crappy. 100% is probably too high...occasional peaks close to 100% is ok...good actually. The output meter shows how much signal is going to your computer recording card. Again 100% is not good. (so to recap, there's a gazinta gauge and a goezoutta gauge) In stead of focusing on the output meter of the Tampa, I would look at the M-Audio Delta card input meters for that channel. Again, getting close to 100% is ok...pegging the meter is bad. Too low, and you don't make the most of the available recording band width and during playback, you've got to turn the volume control way up.

You keep making reference to listening on the headphones...is this during record or playback (after recording)? I would focus on the quality of the actual recording. You'll make much better and faster progress.

You're on a roll...get in there and play with the gear!