new setup

B

baz66

New member
Please bear with me. I just joined this forum because obviously it is aimed at what I'm trying to achieve. Hopefully I'm welcome.
My gear:Comp, AMD athlonIIx2 270 processor 3.4 gh, 4G ram 64bit GA experience G board: Korg pa3x 76 key KB: Arturia keylab49 with AL software.Audioboxusb with presonus studio 2(also comes with headphones and condenser mic) Behringer 802 mixer (at the moment only being used for 2 mics into mixer. Questions later.
IT IS A MESS at the moment so I plan to start again. I'm working in a 3.5x4m room that has lot's of my and my wife's hobby's in it. No chance of any dampening so that's out.
Her reaction to blankets on the wall was to simply stare at me. Case closed.
At the moment, I have the computer desk on east wall and korg on west wall. No good. I plan to viceversa these. The keylab sits on computer desk leaving hardly any room for anything else. My plan is to put it on a small table on west side of computer so that I have a 3/4 square and can use my right hand for it.
This is the help I need.
I should mention that I just bought a set of M-audio monitors. They made a big big difference with the sound over the old stereo with amp that I was using. They were not to bad but the diff is extraordinary.
With the new speakers, I tried leads with rca jacks and then made 2 1/4 jacks direct from korg to speakers. Couldn't hear any difference. Some sites suggest to not use rca at all?
The speakers have both 1/4 input and xlr plus volume.
It appears the zynyz 802 is what I need. I have the two mics hooked up to it on the main out with all xlr leads but the korg end is a 1/8 jack into a 1/4 converter. Should this be xlr also?
How should I get the rest to work. I need the computer to record audio. will it need to go into zynyz.Is all the recording done thru the usb where does the audiobox and keylab leads go. I don't want to blow or damage anything so I'm wary about just plugging at random to see what happens.
I can already see a great garble in this post so I think I'll stop here and see if I get some replies.
My Skype user is in my profile and I am available most EST times.
Thank you for reading.
baz
 
OK next question. The m-audio speakers have 2 inputs. 1/4 jack and xlr. Can I use both for different instruments or can I only use one or the other?
baz
 
DO some reading here. Mics and instruments into the Audiobox, USB from it to the computer. Audio out from it to the monitors. Use the Xenyx as a doorstop.
 
Thanks mjbphotos. Does new England mean NSW?
Thanks for the advice. Reading everything I can. I can't find anything about my second post but I guess it's the same as the zynyz. Only can use either the 1/4 or xlr but not both.
Where do I connect the out computer sound too? I can't listen to youtube and radio if it's not routed thru something?
baz

---------- Update ----------

Ahh New England USA Well I won't be paying a visit.
baz
 
New England = New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island.

You should have the monitor/speaker outs from the Audio box going to the M Audio speakers. Instruments into the Audiobox.
 
And also make the Audio Box driver the default audio device in Windows so you can hear Youtube or whatever from the same monitors. :)

It does seem like some reading about how computer recording works is needed here. No offense, I have been there.

:guitar:
 
Some good advice above, I don't have much to add. Read the stickies at the top of the Newbies forum and you'll learn a lot about audio interfaces.

I say keep the Xenyx around. I wouldn't worry about hooking it up quite yet, get your other gear sorted out first. But a small mixer is great for routing monitoring/output. It's nice to have a physical knob to reach for when you accidentally create an extremely loud feedback loop.

Actually, I just looked up the Audio Box. Looks like it has a nice set of monitoring/mixing features, with physical knobs on the front of the unit. So yeah, maybe just use the Xenyx as a doorstop after all :)
 
I appreciate the advice. I have started this learning much too late in life. Never too old they say. Hmmm Maybe.
My big problem is that the korg KB does not have it's own speakers. It uses external sound system( altho one is available for extra cost.) I have been using the zynyz to use two mics so that I can use the t c helicon that is built in.I have tried the audiobox mike and it's great but no harmony. how do I get sound to the speakers if they are connected to the audiobox only?
baz
 
Hey baz, from what i read of your post, you've been recording the korg by miking your monitors through the xenyx, so i assume you have the 802 usb model, which has a 2-channel USB audio interface. It sort of seems an odd way of recording a synth, unless you specifically wanted the sound you get by miking the speakers. If you are using the usb version of the xenyx, it would be simpler to record the korg through the line inputs on the xenyx, it has RCA and 1/4" ins, so your choice as to which way you go. Connect your monitors to the main outs on the xenyx, and you will be able to monitor your playing through the monitors, and record the line input on your computer at the same time. The mixer is now your computer's sound device, and all the audio from your computer will be played back through this too (recording software,youtube,radio etc.)
Same setup applies for the audiobox, though you would have to go in using your 1/4" or xlr on the front inputs, don't think you have RCA line ins on that. I think most people would probably argue that it is by far a superior device than the Behringer, (better preamps, build quality etc), and the behringer is only capable of 16-bit audio, whereas the presonus is 24-bit. Seeing as you have the audiobox, it probably makes more sense to go with that.
I might have got confused about exactly how you were set up and recording using the xenyx, but hope that helps.
 
Thank you Anders. Unfortunately, my zenyz is not usb. From the advice of others(and yours) I started listening to same songs with both units and the audiobox is far superior. I still have to get the korg output and the keylab working so what kind of unit should I look for to connect these up?
baz
 
You plug the AUDIO OUT from either keyboard into inputs 1 & 2 (watch your volume levels, these are instrument/mic inputs, not line-in) of the Audiobox. If you want to record the Arturia MIDI signals, plug it's MIDI OUT into the MIDI IN of the Audiobox.

You COULD plug the audio outputs of both keyboards into the Xenyx, then the Xenyx's MAIN OUT to the inputs of the Audio box if you wanted both keyboards plugged in at the same time, but you will only be able to record 2 separate tracks (left and right output of the Xenyx, inputs 1 & 2 of the Audiobox) at one time.
 
Ahhhh. Now we are getting somewhere. What great ideas you guys(blokes if you're oz) have. I went for the audiobox (luckily) to get studio one. Now I'm glad I did. The program is not as complicated as some and is easy to work with and learn. It doesn't bomb out like some others. Very stable. I would recommend it even with my limited experience. Thank you all for your help.
baz
 
Great, glad that you're off the ground. There are some great folks here with a lot of experience. It really feels good to conquer the tech issues and get down to actually making music, doesn't it?
 
Wow And it all worked.Audiobox to zynyz 3/4 eq good!!! Korg to 5/6 Plays. Comp to rca in. Youtube again!!!Zynyz main out to m-audio speakers. All I have to do now is sort out my mics. I'll use the condenser only on the audiobox and my sm58 thru the korg tc helicon. Thank you all so much. What a great site.xxxxxx(don't get the wrong ideas).
baz
 
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