syncing audio tracks

[darrvid]

So, for some reason playback using my firebox doesn't work right. The tracks randomly skip on playback making overdubbing next to impossible since it throws out the rhythm of the track I'm trying to play over. So... what I'm trying to do is just play to my metronome and sync up the audio tracks after they've been recorded.

Whats the best, and easiest way to get my two (or more) audio tracks to line up correctly since there's a different amount of blank lead time for each track?

I've tried just eyeballing it and cutting, but this is rather tedius and inaccurate. I've also tried hitpoint detection, but don't really get how to use it after reading the manual.

I'm using cubase LE.

Thanks!

 

[legionserial]

If you record the tracks using the metronome in cubase, you should be able to cut the blank lead time off pretty cleanly, so that the sound starts at the very beginning of the audio event, then you can just put it where you want it using snap to grid.

 

[darrvid]

What if I don't use the metronome in cubase? First, I cant get it to work for some reason, second I don't trust it as all audio played back plays jumpy. A jumpy metronome just doesn't cut it

Can hitpoint detection be used? When I make the hitpoints, it does detect the first strum properly, I just can't seem to use those points to cut the audio.

 

[legionserial]

There may be some twiddling you have to do in Cubase to set the metronome up. I think I may have had to do that once but its a long time ago and I can't remember. What do you mean by you can't get it to work? What happens when you try to use it?

If the jumpiness is that bad that you can't use the metronome and the timing is out etc then your first port of call is probably going to be to try and fix the problem. Otherwise you are at the end of the day going to have a nice bit of software that you can't use to full effect. What are your system specs. Maybe we can help? Post your sepcs and a runthrough of where the problem starts etc and I'll see if I can help.

Unfortunately I don't know much about hitpoint detection, never really had a call for it. But if you start with stabilizing Cubase, you may not have to mess around with that. As I say, I've never had any call to deal with it so I don't really know how complicated or uncomplicated it might be, or even what its really for. Something I can spend my time learning about tonight I guess

 

[darrvid]

I have to admit I didn't put a whole lot of time trying to figure out the metronome, but I enable the click, set the time and it doesn't click. Perhapes because I'm using the fireboxs' direct monitor, and not monitoring through cubase.

As far as the fixing the issue, I have made a handful of posts here about it, but didn't really get anywhere with it. I've all but given up on being able to fix it, and have only a few possible options available.
1) Get more ram. I currently have 512mb, which I really think should be enough for clear playback (not monitoring, or w/ plugins, or overdubs, just playback)
2)Get an external hard drive. Mine is a 4200 drive, a usb2.0 7200 drive would make a nice addition, but again, I don't think its the cause of the problem.
3) Use a different computer. I have an older desktop I could use, but I'd need to get a pci firewire card. The specs on the desktop aren't as good as my laptop (other than the hard drive) but I get the feeling it should work. Why? Because I think my laptop has some piece of hardware which isn't replaceable and has an incompatibility with the firebox.
4) Ditch the firebox for a different audio interface. I don't really want to do this, because I really do like the fireboxes setup, but if the additional ram doesn't work I'll probably put it up for sale to make some money back on it, and get a different card. I'm considering the 1616 e-mu card, since it's pcmcia (so I don't have to use a pcmcia firewire card). That's a subject for a whole new post though.

Anyway, after I get more ram, maybe techsupport will kick in a bit more. As of now, they're pretty focused on the 512mb.

 

[Numlock]

1) Get more ram. I currently have 512mb, which I really think should be enough for clear playback (not monitoring, or w/ plugins, or overdubs, just playback)

Get more RAM! Cubase loves to have RAM. You can definitely get sync errors here. I run 2 GB of RAM, and I still sometimes have to freeze my other tracks when recording new ones (if I've put a lot of effects on those tracks, that is).

2)Get an external hard drive. Mine is a 4200 drive, a usb2.0 7200 drive would make a nice addition, but again, I don't think its the cause of the problem.

Get a new hard drive!! A 4200 RPM drive is not writing fast enough- so you probably have a disk write bottleneck happening (data is sitting in RAM, waiting to be written to the HD, and you with not enough RAM to even run the program!!). You're running a laptop? Those drives are SLOW. Really, get a 7200 RPM external drive. Forget USB, go Firewire and plug it right into your Firebox.

Between 1 & 2 above, I can say these are likely one or both of your problems. You're fighting an uphill battle without fixing those two issues first.

3) Use a different computer. I have an older desktop I could use, but I'd need to get a pci firewire card. The specs on the desktop aren't as good as my laptop (other than the hard drive) but I get the feeling it should work. Why? Because I think my laptop has some piece of hardware which isn't replaceable and has an incompatibility with the firebox.

What are the spec on the desktop machine? It could be cheaper to add RAM to it and a Firewire card. Maybe not. Post those specs please.

4) Ditch the firebox for a different audio interface.

I personally love my Firebox. From what you've told me already, you will have the same problem with any interface you buy until you get a fast enough hard drive and some more RAM.

 

[Carter]

Good answer Numloc, I totally agree!

 

[Markaholic]

Mine is a 4200 drive, I don't think its the cause of the problem.

I beg to differ..that very well IS your problem.
My old laptop had a 4200 rpm HD and i couldnt even playback a stereo track w/o it doing what you just have described!

 

[darrvid]

This got brought up after a year!

Anyway, turns out the issue was mainly a driver problem. I wiped the hard drive, and installed an oem copy of xp. The problem was an updated mouse driver. Goes to show that it can be something that seems totally unrelated. Sometimes you just have to start from scratch and go very slowly to find the problem.

 

[stash98]

Yeah, cant blame the firebox for this one. I have one myself, and it just did not work with my inferior Dell. I got a dual core athlon and it's smooth sailing.