How do I get sound?

[Superbobus]

OK, panic time is over. Everything is running, but no sound, so if you guys can help me out with this one, please. I can't find it nowhere in the manuals.

The setup:

iBook G4 firewire -> M-audio FW410

The iBook has Ableton Live 1.5.2, which does recognize the M-audio. System preference audio sees it, the M-audio software mixer also notices sound input, iTunes is running through the FW410, but when I play my synth there's no output from the FW410. As I said, when I play the synth, the mixer is noticing input. Also the LEDs are showing input signal, but no output. The LEDs show output signal only when sound is coming straight from the computer.

The synth is plugged in like this:

CS6x line out L -> FW410 input 1

CS6x line out R -> FW410 input 2

Outputs 1 and 2 are going to my speakers. Is this right?

Do I have to change something in the mixer or in Live?

Are my system prefs okay?

Please help me out with this one. I have a gig in three weeks and I need to get my Mac ready for that one.

[dementia13]

OS X, right? In System Preferences-> Sound, you have the M-Audio selected for "Input"? Does the M-Audio have a control panel or mixer utility of its own in which you need to set the routing? And finally, do you simply have a volume control or mixer channel set to zero or muted? Maybe even the laptop itself? That's definitely only ¢.01 worth, but I hope it helps.

When you've got it sorted out and have a minute, i'd appreciate if you could tell me a little about the CS6X and what you like/don't like about it.

[bleen]

Open "AudioMIDI Setup" from the Utilities folder and make sure you have selected the FW410 for "Default Input" and "Default Output".

 

Just to check, when you are attempting to monitor the CS6 through the 410, is any audio application open? Can the 410 run standalone though the OS like this?

 

Just some thoughts....

[Superbobus]

Originally posted by dementia13:

OS X, right? In System Preferences-> Sound, you have the M-Audio selected for "Input"?

YES.

Does the M-Audio have a control panel or mixer utility of its own in which you need to set the routing?

DUNNO. It has several buttons, like link, ctrl, mute (not switched on). I don't get the output mixer that well, so it might be in there.

And finally, do you simply have a volume control or mixer channel set to zero or muted? Maybe even the laptop itself?

NOT THAT I KNOW. I don't see anything muted.

That's definitely only ¢.01 worth, but I hope it helps.

When you've got it sorted out and have a minute, i'd appreciate if you could tell me a little about the CS6X and what you like/don't like about it.

I put some of my answers inside your quote. Thanks for that one.

The CS6x is very underrated IMO. I bought it because of its capability to produce instrument sounds (piano, EP, organ, strings, horns, some of it good, some bad) and analog type sounds. It blew away some Tritons... Of course the Triton has other strengths, I'm only talking sounds, of which some of them I programmed.

[Superbobus]

Originally posted by bleen:

Open "AudioMIDI Setup" from the Utilities folder and make sure you have selected the FW410 for "Default Input" and "Default Output".

 

Just to check, when you are attempting to monitor the CS6 through the 410, is any audio application open? Can the 410 run standalone though the OS like this?

 

Just some thoughts....

AMS default input and output are set to FW410. Same with system output. No sound from synth, just from iTunes.

Live is open and set to FW410, but I still don't hear anything. Am I missing something in Live?

No, it can't just go through the OS. To get sound, you need a third party app, like Logic, ProTools, Cubase, Live, etc.

[dementia13]

Am I missing something in Live?

That's a safe bet. I'd load a loop into Live and let it play while you futz with some settings. I seem to remember about Live that it's not really obvious at first use how to get the output.

Bob, I have a CS2X, and it sometimes frustrates me in that the programming is pretty limited. That's ironic, considering how accessible the functions are from the front panel, it's just that the programming is not very deep at all and it's not particularly well-suited to building sounds from scratch. Immensely tweakable, but not so programmable. But anytime I get frustrated with it, I hear the thing again and remember why I got it. It's punchy, full-sounding, and although it's sample-based, the soundset and filters are such that it feels more like a VA. I've wondered if I'd be happier replacing it with a 6X, but there aren't any around in stores anymore for me to get my hands on one to see and hear. Is the 6X comparable to a 2X with better features?

[Byrdman]

Could you need to click on a "monitor" button somewhere?

[Superbobus]

Well, I got the answer from our dear Gus Lozada. It's an incompatibility of Live 1.5. Should be fixed from Live 2.0 and I think it has to do with panther.

Just deleted everything that had to do with sound, except for Logic 6.3.1 but that's a different story. Man, I couldn't believe that after running the M-audio uninstaller there would still be so much BS on my hard drive. I installed and uninstalled it before several times, because I messed up something with a switch on the M-audio and didn't clean up all the left overs, so there's probably the reason why it was panicking.

Waiting impatiently for Live 3.0.