please, this might be slighly unorthodox and possibly inappropriate, but i'm having major issues with the 1010. for whatever reason, it's completely alien to me and have no idea even where to start.
i have multiple scenarios in mind and would like your insight. please be explicit as possible - i'm a non-technical person who has had very, very, very little experience w/any sort of traditional studio recording equipment.
delta 1010-centric questions:
(1) how do i power my monitors and from which program should i control the volume of my monitors? i'm unclear on how to route this properly w/o potentially blowing out my monitors accidentally - it hasn't happened YET, thankfully. in the past, i've just used the headphone jack (of which the 1010 has none) to hook-up my monitors by way of a stereo phono to two mono 1/4" jacks. this just "feels" wrong and now my hand's been forced
(2) how do i record an external device controlled via MIDI (ie. access virus c) to the delta 1010 while digital audio from, for example, 1/2 wav out is playing? basically, i want to hear everything in tandem - the streaming audio from my HD along with the incoming audio signal, BUT i just want to record the incoming audio form the external source (virus). so, i guess, more specifically, recording an external source while monitoring what's already in my PC.
(3) how do i record incoming vocals? i want to be able to monitor the audio through headphones and be able to sing along with what's playing while the untreated vocal is recorded by itself. i DO have a Behringer euro rack external mixer which i use as a pre-amp for this purpose, in case that helps make your explanation in easier.
(4) is it bad practice to just use one of the delta 1010s wave devices? should i spread, say, 15-30 tracks of audio over multiple wave devices? or will it be ok to just use one and disregard the other 3? what's the advantage? is there a marked improvement in fidelity when there's less strain on any of these wave devices? (ie. will it sound better if i have 20 audio tracks and a lot 5 tracks per wave device vs just dumping them all onto one wave device for output?)
i don't know who else ot turn to, i'm on a seriously tight schedule and am really in over my head at this point. my past set-up, for whatever reason, was a breeze and i thought it time to up the ante to 24bit/96KHz, but EVERYTHING is blowing up in my face. ARGH!
please be as simplistic as possible i apologize for being a moron.
if at all possible, anybody who'd be willing to give me delta 1010 specific step-by-steps would be most appreciated, as i need to make some headway FAST, but i'm also making an effort to understand the underlying priniciples - i just have to have a workable set-up by this weekend, as my partner is coming into town and we meet only so often.
i feel quite stupid, as all these questions seem simplistic, but time is an issue and the way i went about things before i upgraded simply isn't possible now. i've never had any proper experience with traditional recording methods, methods, etc.
Comments
Hello. I can try to give you a few answers to some, or maybe all
Hello.
I can try to give you a few answers to some, or maybe all, of your questions. I'm not at super-studio-technician so you'll have to excuse me if happen to give any "wrong" answers. You must also know that english is not my native language which will explain my "funky" spelling and stuff like that.
1. question:
- go to the M-audio control panel, go to the pachbay/router "page" (in lack of a better word)
- make sure the "MONITOR MIXER" under "H/W Out 1/2" is enabled.
this means that all sound coming from your seguencer (cubase, logic etc.) will be played through channel 1/2 out.
- connect channel 1/2 out to either you monitors or preferably (in your case)(more on that later) to your mixer, say stereo channel 1, 2, 3 or whatever. Then connect your monitors to your mixers line out, and you will control your monitor volume from (the master) on your mixer.
- By the way: make sure that only output 1/2 is activated in your sequencer (in cubase that is found under devices/vst outputs)
- ofcourse you must also check that you have turned up the faders for 1/2 out in the M-audio control panel.
(you could also route your monitor out to say "tape in" and then (on your mixer) route tape to "control room" and then connect your monitors to the control room out on your mixer)
It kind of depends on what routing facilities your mixer offers.
2. question:
- If you have enabled the MONITOR MIXER in the control panel as aforementioned, you will know monitor all sound coming from your sequencer AND also all sound being recorded at input 1-8. The trick is that your breakout box will send the sound being recorded (almost) directly to your monitor outs (1/2) which means that there will be no audible latency. This is because the sound is not processed in your sequencer where latency occurs. The backside is that since the sound is not processed in your sequencer you won't be able to hear any processing (eq, ambience etc) you might want ad. I just ad it afterwards, which works fine for me.
- Now all there is left to do, is to hook up your external device to whatever input you prefer, and turn that input "up" in the control panel (use the scroll bar) and make shure that the input you have choosen is enabled in your sequencer.
3. Question:
- route your vocal from "direct out"(insert) on your channel strip to the input you want to use. If your mixer don't have direct out use main out left or right on your mixer and make sure you have panned the signal all the way to the left or right.
- the signal will now travel from your mixer to your soundcard where it will be recorded. But your soundcard will also send back a mix to your "monitor channels".
- if you are not able to split up the signal coming from your microphone and the signal coming from your soundcard between buses (meaning that there's no point in first hearing your vocal as it goes through your preamp, and then again after it has been through your soundcard because there might be a audible latency) you should then disable the "MONITOR MIXER" and make shure that your sequencer don't send the vocal signal out of the computer (because you already are hearing it directly from your mixer).
I hope this makes sence to you. It is a little hard to explain since I don't know exactly what routin possibilities your mixer has - which is key if you wan't your mixer to function as a preamp as well as a monitor control at the same time, and you do because you need the headphone jack as well as the preamp. at the same time.
Question 4: The reason for having more than one stereo output on a soundcard is for the sake of outboard mixing. You know: send bassdrum to waw out nr. 1, snare to waw out nr. 2 etc, and then mix them seperately on a good mixing console before they are being recorded on a GOOD two track media. If you don't have a really nice mixing console you will gain nothing but noise doing this and I won't recommend it. Use the eq and processing facilities in your computer. Mix it and then eventually send to a nice stereo tracker if you have that. If you don't have that - just mix'n'master it as you like and burn it to disc. That is what I do.
I have never heard that using more outs would yield better overall performance. I think it's all about the mixing on outboard gear.
I could be wrong though.
AArghh...
I understand your frustration, but I can asure you that the delta 1010 is a very nice piece of equipment. Spend some time with the manual and read a little about mixer routings etc. (tweakhead is GOODGOODGOOD at explaining stuff to (hihi) morons (like myself))
http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm
that dude has spared me many tears (can you actually say that)?
If there is anything in the above mentioned that you don't understand don't hesitate to ask again.
Good luck with it
Jacob Ehlerth
Denmark