Newbie FAIL... Cannot pick-up any signal...still after 2 days..

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sluggo4242
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Got the guitar figured out, it was a VST routing problem as usual... da tube effect is funny with the "tube" lighting up.

Perhaps my last question is, about the 4 outs. Are they stereo? If I want to run one line to a small PA for live practice, is it as simple as setting all levels, and disableing monitors? (to combat latency) Plugging into #1, and adjusting volume with PA volume knob?

Thanks again Jimmy, I truely appreciate your patience with this old farts ignorance...
 
Sorry, was doing a silly video shoot. lol. Not kidding...

No, each out is a mono TRS (balanced) out. 1&2, would be your main stereo out. 1=L,2=R. 3&4 could be setup as a separate stereo out 2, via VST Connections. You would then have to send output from each track to the stereo out 2 bus. Good if you only wish to send parts of a mix to PA for different mix.

What is it you wish to play through the PA? I am curious because there are a few options here.

On the back panel, Monitor out (L/R) is the same output as the headphone jack, but balanced (front panel MIX knob combines direct signal in to interface with computer output 1&2).
1&2 outputs are your main output (stereo out)
3&4 could be stereo out 2, or individual outputs, depending on what you want to do.

You could send one track to output 3, one to output 4, and also send the full mix to a mixer, and have different mixes sent to your live mixer.

Like I said, it just depends on what it is you wish to do, and how you want it done. Sorry if that sounded vague. lol!

I have the patience of a three toed sloth. :D
 
jimmys69 said:
Sorry, was doing a silly video shoot. lol. Not kidding...

No, each out is a mono TRS (balanced) out. 1&2, would be your main stereo out. 1=L,2=R. 3&4 could be setup as a separate stereo out 2, via VST Connections. You would then have to send output from each track to the stereo out 2 bus. Good if you only wish to send parts of a mix to PA for different mix.

What is it you wish to play through the PA? I am curious because there are a few options here.

On the back panel, Monitor out (L/R) is the same output as the headphone jack, but balanced (front panel MIX knob combines direct signal in to interface with computer output 1&2).
1&2 outputs are your main output (stereo out)
3&4 could be stereo out 2, or individual outputs, depending on what you want to do.

You could send one track to output 3, one to output 4, and also send the full mix to a mixer, and have different mixes sent to your live mixer.

Like I said, it just depends on what it is you wish to do, and how you want it done. Sorry if that sounded vague. lol!

I have the patience of a three toed sloth. :D
Click to expand...

I guess I just want 5 vocals and the bass to the PA. I don't have a real PA, just an old single channel Keyboard / PA. But I do have a mackie 12CRX, or whatever those 3 letters are.

I have this all in my little bedroom studio, and my goal in all of this is to have the whole band be able to play, and reccord it all at the same time. the 2 guitars play through little marshall 5 watt amps, and the keyboard plays through his little bass amp. The bass plays through my "PA". Mt electrics drums come out the little PA too. Its and old Berringer 120 watt, with a 15/8/tweet. It's plenty loud enuf for the bedroom.

I want to live record:
5 vocals
1 stereo eDdrums
2 mic'ed guitar cabs
1 stereo Keys

I want to be able to mixdown better than my old 2 channel "room" condenser mics through the old mBox2

I want to "identify" the culprit singing the wrong harmonies who swears "it wasn't me"!

I want to make a reasonable demo tape (haha-CD)

So basically, playlive and record at the same time is my goal, I hope thats possible...:cool:
 
Hmm....

Well, you are likely able to send two outputs from your mixer (the letters were probably wrong). This will allow you two line outputs from the mixer to Line inputs on your 1800. The mixer has a left and right output. They can be sent to any channel from 9-14 on your 1800. 9/10, may be better used as instrument inputs, as they are not truly 'LINE IN'. They go through a preamp, just as the 1-8 do.

Ok, that is over.... Here is what I would do:

Well, maybe....

Drums first; you need to monitor through your PA to get audible correct? This is the first issue, as you may have to sacrifice having vocals live as well as separate into DAW. If you have a really strong computer, you may be able to monitor everything through Cubase. I suppose that needs to be figured out first.

Your mixer (whatever it is) is likely only able to give you 2 outputs that can be separately sent to your DAW-via the1800. Meaning, that anything you put through it, will be recorded as it enters. There is a possibility that that could be different, if I knew what mixer you had. Likely this will not change anyway.. Moving on.

"IF", your PC is fast enough (Setup for performance with audio and gives low latency), you will be best off using the inputs of your interface for everything, and monitoring through the PA system. This may not be the case tho.

Your biggest issue, as I see it, is being able to hear/monitor yourselves while recording. You need the PA for '0' latency monitoring of your performance. In order to do that, you need to run through the PA. If you had two PA systems, or you had direct outputs of each channel of your mixer, this would be easier. You have to hear the drums first, in a live situation. The PA can handle that, and send to the 1800. The vocals need to be heard as well. The PA can handle that, and send to the 1800. But you only have two channels possible from the mixer, to send separately to the 1800, thus no stereo drums, and no individual vocal tracks.

I am not even sure what to suggest, without knowing your comp specs, and what the mixer is. Even then it would be a bit of trial and error. I have 'Jimmy' rigged all kinds of situations, but it is always a compromise. If your PC has balls, then none of this would matter. You would just monitor through Cubase and be on your merry way. Problem is, it takes quite a bit of power to do it.

So...what are your computer specs?

My lord, I just rambled on there didn't I?
 
k, here is what I have learned in the last few days.

I need a new computer, mine is old and crashes often. I doesn't seem to like any interface.. but,

When it's up and running I have found that I can run everything with 0 lag, by turning the dial to "input". You have to turn the PA up a bit, but you can play live. You don't get any effects until playback.

You also need to turn the dial a bit to the right, or "computer" for playback. You also need to be careful, as playback is about 5 times louder, but at the end of the day, it serves the purpose of being able to play live with 0 lag, and record everything. I am running:
stereo track - eDrums
mono track - Keys
mono - vox 1-4
in-line bass
mic'ed guitar amp
2 o/h "room" condensers (for ambience)

Overall, I really have NO IDEA what I'm doing, however I believe I am set up to do what I set out to do.
The little us1800 is a very cool toy for the urban hacker beginner wanna-be, such as myself, and for $250, which includes LE5, how can you go wrong?

Now I need to figure out how to bounce my mix down to an mp3...:guitar:
 
Sluggo4242 said:
Now I need to figure out how to bounce my mix down to an mp3...:guitar:
Click to expand...

The rest seems interface dependent, so it's all Chinese to me! :drunk:
But, to get it to an MP3, there should be a "file type" drop down menu in the "export audio mixdown" panel. You can chose lots of different types. And i would recommend making it a 320 kbps file for best quality
 
sixer2007 said:
The rest seems interface dependent, so it's all Chinese to me! :drunk:
But, to get it to an MP3, there should be a "file type" drop down menu in the "export audio mixdown" panel. You can chose lots of different types. And i would recommend making it a 320 kbps file for best quality
Click to expand...

AHA, I thought that might be it, but I don't remember the dropdown offereing an mp3, seemed close tho.... I'll fiddle with it tomorrow and give it a go...
thanks mate!
 
In Cubase; File>Export>Audio Mixdown>. Under File Format, select MPEG 1 Layer 3File (this is MP3). The slider below, will select the quality of the exported file. 3 min song; 192 (around 5 mb. 320 around 10 ish. I have never understood what the 'High Quality Mode' ever did.
 
jimmys69 said:
In Cubase; File>Export>Audio Mixdown>. Under File Format, select MPEG 1 Layer 3File (this is MP3). The slider below, will select the quality of the exported file. 3 min song; 192 (around 5 mb. 320 around 10 ish. I have never understood what the 'High Quality Mode' ever did.
Click to expand...

schweet, Jimmy, as usual, u da man!
 
hmmmm,

so while playing around with every thing on can possibly mess with, I seem to have turned off the auto-scroll, if thats what you call it. It continues to play, or record (whatever I'm doing) but the page doesn't follow the point. Not sure if I'm explaining that well enough for you to understand...:(

so, while I record, the page stays where I started while the new WAV churns along. So when I'm done, I have to use the arrow, or grab the bar to find the end point...

does this make any sense or am I totally not explaining myself well....

I guess my question is, Is there an auto scroll button that I deactivated somehow? DOH! I hate stupid questions like this but it seems the little things trip me up quite regularly...
 
Its the button on the top row next to the snap to grid (LH side) on mine at least
 
Yep, top of Cubase screen, towards middle, to right of edit options. Looks like an arrow with a marker through it. Called 'Autoscroll'. :D
 
jimmys69 said:
Don't worry man, in two years or so, you will have half of what Cubase can do figured out. Not sure when I will stop learning. Guessing 20 years....lol!
Click to expand...

If only I could play with it every day! Too many projects a-burnin in the fire. House paint, garage lighting, fishing, band practice elsewhaere... sheesh!

It's like one step foreward, two steps back sometimes..
 
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