Please help . . . continuing recording woes.

[shniggens]

I feel like I am so close to having my little Fisher Price First Recording Studio set up and ready to rumble . . . alas, I keep running into the dam (damn).

 

Unfortunately, I think that the ultimate remedy will be buying a new audio interface for my computer, but I'll save those ideas for another thread.

 

Let me tell you all how my studio is set up (which is probably the initial problem), then I can tell you what symptoms I am experiencing.

 

Thank you for reading this far.

 

I have a small Behringer 8 channel mixer front-ending my Audiophile 2696 (rather limited) sound card (Just has a stereo IN and a stereo OUT). I have RCA cables from the "Two Track Out" stereo out on the mixer into the RCA ins on the soundcard. Cool? I have the RCA out on the soundcard returning to the "Two Track In" on the mixer. I have the Phones Out on the mixer plugged directly into my headphone amplifier, the Control Room Out plugged direcly to my adequate, but rather cheap Roland studio monitors, and the Main Outs going to my Hafler speaker amp powering some hefty Cerwin Vega speakers (for alternative reference). I'm trying to get all of this connected to Cubase, and record . . . but -

 

Here's the problem I'm having. For one, I am a recording hack that probably has no business even trying to do all this engineering shit, I should stick to the piano. I play everyting primarily in through my Alesis keyboard . . guitar sounds, bass sounds, keyboard sounds, etc. I play one track of piano into Cubase, for example. Then I move on to track to and record some guitar over it, or something. Well, when I play back track 2 SOLO'd, I hear all the recording from track one recorded into track two as well. Now I figure that track one must be being played through my mixer and then back in again, therefore, Cubase is picking up both the recorded stuff being played back, and the new track that I'm recording - right? So then I hit the switch for 2TK TO CONTROL ROOM and bypass the 2TRK TO MIX button on the mixer. Now I can't hear anything I am playing out of my keyboard!!! Only the Main Outs. That doesn't do me very good, because I prefer to listen to everything on the headphones. So this essentially fixes the problem with the recording being duped, but it really limits my monitoring capability. Is there a better configuration?

 

I will be searching for a new Audio Interface soon (once I can afford it), but I'll save those recommendations for later. I just can't do it now.

 

Anyone use the same, or near the same equipment as me?

 

BTW, why does cubase only show the track meters for the track(s) that are NOT highlighted? And why is the first track always set up for stereo, and then the second one always goes to mono by default.

 

I really have some material that I need to get out and recorded, but for the time being I am just stuck in the routine of playing with knobs and switches trying to get everything right. I'm starting to remind myself of my guitar "playing" buddy who does more typing than playing.

 

[Phait]

If you have'nt had this problem before, I suggest unplugging eveything and starting over with the setup, then plug things back in. I don't really qualify to solve your problem here but I can only suggest redoing your setup - it may be the slightest, overseen problem in your hardware or software configuration. Then you'd probably be kicking yourself

[Byrdman]

Enough of the self-deprecation already. Your doing this stuff and that counts for something. Keep doing it and you will get good at it. The problem is not you its the mixer.

 

These mixers have a problem. When you press "2 track to control room" you get just the 2 track and not the rest of the inputs. If you press "2 trk to mix" you get both in the control room and main outs. There seems to be no easy way to do what you want, even though its the most obvious thing that everybody needs. Throwing them across the room makes no difference - doesn't even phase the mixer.

 

The simplest way to fix this is to get a second small mixer that you use to mix the monitoring. Your outs from the computer will drive this as will as the control room outs from your first mixer. Your record ins of course will go from the main outs of your first mixer. These mixers are cheap enough and small enough that this is not too bad a solution.

 

Note - if your headphone amp has multiple ins - one for "me" and one for the band, that will work instead of a second mixer.

 

The alternative is to stuff around with the aux sends but that will require you to invest about as much in cables as the cost of the cheapest Behringer mixer.

[shniggens]

Originally posted by Byrdman:

Enough of the self-deprecation already.

I know, pathetic isn't it?

 

Thanks for the info. Now I understand why the little Behringer mixer was only $70. It is rather limited AND convoluted. All for one low price!

 

I'm going to try the headphone amp tweak. That will work until I throw down on a MOTU.

 

Thanks, again. And I promise I will quit blaming it on my stupidity. Doh! There I go again . . .