Sound is coming through headphones and monitors when recording - HELP PLEASE!!

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byrie

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Hi there,

Apologies in advance if this is in the wrong forum.....

Context: I've got the Edirol/Cakewalk UA-25ex audio interface, with Mackie MR5 monitors and am using Sonar 8.
When i plug my headphones in and try recording a track, I can hear the sound in my headphones but it's also coming out of the monitors rather than being bypassed (which surely is the usual thing that happens when the headphones are plugged in to the interface??).
Consequently, the track is recording my guitar/vocals but also the sound coming from the monitors including the metronome!!
Am I missing something obvious here? In the past, with other systems, its simple - if the headphones are plugged in, the sound will bypass the monitors, and to playback on monitors I'd simply unplug headphones. Is there something on the interface I should be switching on and off to enable this to happen, or am I gonna have to unplug the monitors each time i want to record (which would be very annoying!).......HELP please!!
This is how the interface looks:
http://www.midi-classics.com/i/p43802.jpg

And this is the back of the monitors:
http://www.mackie.com/hom...s/MR5_Back Panel.jpg

Many Thanks....
 
Not familiar with your interface, but the same thing would happen in my set up, too. I put my monitors on a separate power strip and turn them off when tracking. Then use just the headphones.
 
Hi, Typically an audio interface doesn't work like your stereo. Ya know plug the headphones in and there's no output to your speakers. I think these are powered monitors ? just turn the volume down when recording. I turn my amp off when recording
 
Thanks for the replies, fellas........not what i wanted to hear :( but cheers anyway!
 
Just switch the monitors off, man, what do you need them for, when you're tracking with headphones???
With a mixer it's the same thing if you plug the phones into its phone output, it doesn't mean it's gonna bypass the monitors.
 
byrie said:
That the audio interface would have the functionality to bypass the speakers. By the sounds of it, I'd have to upgrade to a mixer to enable this.
Click to expand...
A mixer wouldn't do it either. In general the only thing that'll mute the speakers when 'phones are plugged in is a home stereo or boombox.

It's not a very tough action ....... reach over and flip the switch on a power strip when you're tracking.
I've had a studio for 40 years. In all that time I've NEVER had a set-up where the monitors would mute when I plugged in 'phones.
 
okay, so you might have figured out that i'm rather new to this game - as opposed to having done it for 40 years! That's good to hear that a mixer wouldn't fix the problem, I guyess.
Lt. Bob - If I use a power strip, is it fine for the monitors in terms of wear and tear to be constantly switching them on and off using the strip (i.e. leaving the actual monitor power switches always on?)

Like i said, i'm only new, so don't shoot me down!
Thanks
 
well, that's a valid concern ..... ....... to be honest, I personally wouldn't do it that way because of the exact thing you're mentioning. There is a power surge when you turn things on and off and I prefer to minimize that.

So on my current rig (I do everything in the analog realm) I have a pre-amp ( audiophile stereo type ) driving my monitor amp and I simply switch it to a different source. That mutes it for my purposes although I have had incidents where I had a CD playing and didn't realize it and so, when I switched it, I suddenly got different music coming at me. :D

In your case I don't know your gear so I can't be specific but I would think there's some way to mute the signal going to your monitors. There has to be an output of some kind from your interface to the monitors ...... is there a way to mute just that?

And welcome to the fun but often frustrating world of recording!
Newbies actually don't get shot down around here unless they tell everyone that tries to help them that they already know everything ...... then the mortars come lobbing in but otherwise it's a fairly helpful and friendly place.
But if you venture into the cave all bets are off and you need to join a gang for mutual protection!
:laughings::laughings:
 
If you're wary of powering on and off, you can build a signal Off switch. Shouldn't be too hard if you have any DIY ability. A small box with a two pole switch, couple of connectors, drill some holes, do some soldering.

I've been using a power strip with my monitors for many years and I don't believe the cycling of power is going to hurt them. There is not a big surge of current when you turn them on like other devices might have.

peace,
 
Hi again….

Turning the monitors on and off is simply not practical as the switches are on the back, and it’s not ideal for power surging reasons to be switching monitors on and off continuously, whether manually switching off or using a powerstrip, and my DIY ability is rubbish, to be honest (re: building a signal switch, Chili).

The problem is, the headphones output on the UA-25EX is simply a “mirror” of the main line outputs (on the back of the unit). This means that both outputs always output the same signal, regardless of what is plugged in or not.

To control the outputs separately, I would need an audio interface with more than a single stereo pair of outputs. As the UA-25EX only offers one pair of outputs, it is not possible to control the headphones/monitors the way I would like as described above………..obviously if I’d known this at purchase time I would have reconsidered – it just seems ridiculous not to have this fundamental functionality in my opinion.

Anyway, with all that in mind, it looks as though I’m going to have to buy a cheap mixer. I’m guessing the setup would be:

Headphones > Interface > STEREO LINE OUT from Interface to Mixer > STEREO LINE OUT of Mixer into two monitors.

If this is incorrect feel free to say so, please! And by adding another element to the chain, is this likely to increase latency?
 
byrie said:
Hi there,

Apologies in advance if this is in the wrong forum.....

Context: I've got the Edirol/Cakewalk UA-25ex audio interface, with Mackie MR5 monitors and am using Sonar 8.
When i plug my headphones in and try recording a track, I can hear the sound in my headphones but it's also coming out of the monitors rather than being bypassed (which surely is the usual thing that happens when the headphones are plugged in to the interface??).
Consequently, the track is recording my guitar/vocals but also the sound coming from the monitors including the metronome!!
Am I missing something obvious here? In the past, with other systems, its simple - if the headphones are plugged in, the sound will bypass the monitors, and to playback on monitors I'd simply unplug headphones. Is there something on the interface I should be switching on and off to enable this to happen, or am I gonna have to unplug the monitors each time i want to record (which would be very annoying!).......HELP please!!
This is how the interface looks:
http://www.midi-classics.com/i/p43802.jpg

And this is the back of the monitors:
http://www.mackie.com/hom...s/MR5_Back Panel.jpg

Many Thanks....
Click to expand...

Simple. Put the "outs" that come from your interface into the "ins" of ....oh alll dammit to helll....dude you are screwed. I would need to be there. It's just not possible to tell wassup w/o me being there.
 
I did what Chili did also because I need the monitors off or else there is a ringing noise in them. So I put them into their own furmann power conditioner and just flip the switch. This is also especially helpful because I hate reaching behind the speakers to flip the switches.

Oh let me add that I also have a volume control knob on my interface so... that helps but like I said even all the way down I have ringing which drives me crazy. Ive already posted about it on here and no one has a solution seemingly. Ive narrowed it down to the drivers on WIN 7 somewhere... and tried other firewire drivers as well to no avail. Its a odd problem I couldnt fix. Maybe will look into it more in the future
 
If it's that big of a problem you can get a Tascam US-144 interface. It has separate volume controls for headphones and your line-out so you can adjust each independently. I think it's got all the features of the interface you have at around the same price range so you could sell yours for it, however, the Tascam drivers are buggy for some people.
 
ThaArtist said:
I did what Chili did also because I need the monitors off or else there is a ringing noise in them. So I put them into their own furmann power conditioner and just flip the switch. This is also especially helpful because I hate reaching behind the speakers to flip the switches.

Oh let me add that I also have a volume control knob on my interface so... that helps but like I said even all the way down I have ringing which drives me crazy. Ive already posted about it on here and no one has a solution seemingly. Ive narrowed it down to the drivers on WIN 7 somewhere... and tried other firewire drivers as well to no avail. Its a odd problem I couldnt fix. Maybe will look into it more in the future
Click to expand...
Off the subject, but that ringing noise sounds like feedback.
 
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