Recording problem with Alesis M1Active 320USB monitors/interface

J

JonPR

New member
Hi, I'm new here, so hope this is the right place. I've had no response so far with this question on a couple of other forums (including Alesis's own).

I got these cute little things to replace an ancient amp/spkr system, attracted by the extra functionality of the USB interface, and three sets of stereo inputs.
I record with either Audacity or Transcribe, btw, depending on task.

Problem 1:
With the monitors installed via USB, I can't record any internal sound, such as streaming audio (spotify, youtube, etc). Both my programs show no signal, even though the monitors are shown as the selected device: (USB audio codec, shown as "microphone" in the recording section).
Switching to Stereo Mix (or anything else) has no effect.

Problem 2:
Recording from external sources (plugged into the Alesis inputs) does work, but only in mono. At least, Audacity only shows a mono (left) option for that input device. I'm guessing this is because it's registered as a "microphone", which one would expect to be mono?
Transcribe lets me select stereo, and records on both channels, but I've a feeling it's just one channel mixed to both (I haven't checked, as I'm more bothered by problem 1 at the moment).

Problem 1 is easily sidestepped, of course, by connecting the monitors the old-fashioned (passive) way, via the line out jacks on my PC (windows vista, btw - yes, I know... :(). But that ruins the whole point of the audio interface option - the attractive one-route-for-everything.

Is there any way round this? Is this a normal thing with USB interfaces?
I didn't have the same problem when I used a guitar effects unit as a USB audio interface (recording - er - guitar); in that case I'm sure I was able to switch devices (to Stereo Mix) to record from an internal source when I wanted, without unplugging the interface.

Any help/advice appreciated (apart from "get a new computer" of course, I'll take that as read... ;)).
 
In my experience you can not record stereo mix with external sound card attached. I have tried many interfaces and none of them worked for that. There would be workaround: connecting interface stereo output to inputs, but those Alesis franken-interface-monitors don't have any outputs.. so... :P
 
Seidy said:
In my experience you can not record stereo mix with external sound card attached. I have tried many interfaces and none of them worked for that. There would be workaround: connecting interface stereo output to inputs, but those Alesis franken-interface-monitors don't have any outputs.. so... :P
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply, and sorry if I'm being dumb, but what do you mean by "external sound card attached"? You mean any USB interface such as my monitors?

I just checked with my Zoom G7 guitar FX unit, which also plugs in as a USB interface. It shows up in the recording devices as "microphone 2-USB" - not "3-USB", but also mono only - which is fine. (Although the G7 can output in stereo, I only need to record in mono with it.)
With this attached, if I switch recording devices in Audacity to Stereo Mix, I DO get an input signal from other audio sources (I just tested with a youtube video).
This is what the Alesis monitors don't allow. Do you know if this is perhaps a difference between 2-USB and 3-USB?

BTW - back with the Alesis as USB interface - I did check how Transcribe recorded external sources through it: it's still just left channel only; selecting "stereo" just records the L channel to both.

Can you enlighten me on the way the PC sound system (Vista, remember, if that's relevant) identifies the USB connection as "microphone"? That seems to be why it only offers mono. That's regardless of the fact the the inputs in the back of the monitor are stereo. Only left channel shows a signal.

It's also (and mainly) the fact it rules out recording from anything else that bugs me. While I can easily use them as passive speakers (from the PC line out), enabling me to record anything I want from anywhere (external devices needing to go into the PC line-in), that renders the whole USB/external input business redundant, which is crazy. They simply don't do the job they claim to be able to do. (I did quite like that "franken-interface" aspect originally :rolleyes: - too good to be true?)
It may not be any fault with the monitors, this is what confuses me; it may just be something to with how my PC recognises them, or even something to do with my recording software.

There is (of course) nothing in the Alesis manual addressing this, and I'm currently getting unsatisfactory replies (two so far) from Alesis themselves - it's like some kind of autobot response, as if they're not really reading my question properly.

Thanks for your patience! Any further hints or tips welcome. (I'm currently resigned to using them the old-fashioned, non-USB, way.)
 
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