How to record through speaker monitors while monitoring through headphones

scdaymon

New member
Hi there guys.

I would appreciate a little guidance here, since I’m having the hardest time trying to find a solution for something I know that Reaper manages for sure.

What I want: I want to record the output of a single track through my speaker monitors, without recording all the other project tracks. Meaning that I want to use my interface (Focusrite Scarlett) as a Guitar Amp along with a pluggin (Guitar Rig 5), and tape that performance with a mic. But I want to monitor the entire project through my headphones.
I sense that’s something to do with the routing matrix, but I can’t get it to work.
Jesus, it’s hard to explain!!! Do you get it?

I’ll try again:

I want that the output of my speakers (connected to the audio interface) to be only the track that I’m playing in real time without the bleeding of all the other tracks (drums, other guitars etc). But to be able to play that performance, I need to hear all the tracks though my headphones.
Speakers: Guitar Track
Headphones: Entire Projet

Can someone, please, help me on this one?


ScDaymon
 
Which Scarlett?

You're going to need more than two outputs so one stereo pair can be your monitor and a separate output can be the guitar output.
 
You're going to need more than two outputs so one stereo pair can be your monitor and a separate output can be the guitar output.

That's the first thing that leaped to mind for me too.

Tho you could make do with just stereo by treating the project and solo guitar as distinct mono mixes. That might involve some wonky cabling tho.
 
ScDaymon,

I do not understand why you would do that, and I suggest that you don't.

If you simply want to record electric guitar using Guitar Rig, I suggest either of the following two methods.
1. Plug electric guitar into interface, and route that input onto a track with Guitar Rig on it. Record as is. That way, you can alter the guitar tone as your project progresses.

If you do not have sufficient processing power and/or RAM to do method 1, do method 2:

2. Plug electric guitar into interface, and route that input onto a track with Guitar Rig on it. Right click on the record-button on that track, and select an appropriate output (likely mono-output, unless you are doing stereo effects in Guitar Rig). Record, and move that audio to a new track. Continue that way until youÂ’ve recorded all you want to.

I prefer method 1, but method 2 has its benefits beyond saving processing power and RAM; you do things once, and you do them right!


You will likely not get a good guitar sound by micing your monitors, but you may be going for a “bad sound” or something else (i.e. moving the mic during performance or something). If you are going for something weird, then there may be something to micÂ’ing your monitors. Before you do so, however, I would suggest you use method 1 or 2, and then try to achieve the effect of a micÂ’ed up monitor using some form of processing (some EQ and reverb should help). Again, this leaves you with the option of tweaking it afterwards. If you absolutely must record what is likely to be a horrible guitar sound, try either of the following methods:

3. Plug electric guitar into interface, and route that input onto a track with Guitar Rig on it. Put all the other tracks into a folder track, and click the “route” button on that folder track. Remove “Master send”, and route it to your preferred headphone output. To do so, however, you require something like a Focusrite 18i20 – the 2i2 will not do! Make sure youÂ’ve set the card up properly in options, so that the headphone outs are available.

4. Plug electric guitar into interface, and route that input onto a track with Guitar Rig on it. Put all the other tracks into a folder track, and click the “route” button on that folder track. Route the output to the left channel of master out. Then route the guitar-rig track to the right channel. Plug your headphones into the left main out on your soundcard.


3 & 4 naturally require that you put up a mic, and route that input onto a track in the folder track or without any monitoring on it, so that you don’t establish a loop.

Hope that helps!

(Wow. I'm late answering this one, heh).
 
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