Audacity - Monitor DURING Recording???

MikeTX · #1 02-25-2010, 03:34 PM

I just started doing some pretty basic multi-track recording using Audacity and a Zoom-H4 (as "soundcard").

My signal chain is acoustic guitar >into> Pendulum SPS-1 preamp >XLR into> Zoom-H4 Channel 1, and SM-58 Beta >XLR into> Zoom-H4 Channel 2. The Zoom >USB into> computer. On the Zoom I selected line input, and then USB to computer - seemed to work.

I've had literally ONE SESSION doing this...

My "problem" is that I am NOT HEARING the track that is BEING RECORDED, from the computer headphones. I got by by using one ear from the computer and the other ear from the Zoom. SURELY there's a better way! I'm sure I'm missing some simple selection in Audacity (1.3), but I just couldn't find it... I was more interested in getting my little first demo DONE than troubleshooting and learning. OH... Windows Vista...

I appreciate any insight and suggestions.

Thanks, Mike

sdelsolray · #2 02-25-2010, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeTX

I just started doing some pretty basic multi-track recording using Audacity and a Zoom-H4 (as "soundcard").

My signal chain is acoustic guitar >into> Pendulum SPS-1 preamp >XLR into> Zoom-H4 Channel 1, and SM-58 Beta >XLR into> Zoom-H4 Channel 2. The Zoom >USB into> computer. On the Zoom I selected line input, and then USB to computer - seemed to work.

I've had literally ONE SESSION doing this...

My "problem" is that I am NOT HEARING the track that is BEING RECORDED, from the computer headphones. I got by by using one ear from the computer and the other ear from the Zoom. SURELY there's a better way! I'm sure I'm missing some simple selection in Audacity (1.3), but I just couldn't find it... I was more interested in getting my little first demo DONE than troubleshooting and learning. OH... Windows Vista...

I appreciate any insight and suggestions.

Thanks, Mike

Plug the mic into the Pendulum, channel 2. Run the line outs from each channel to the recorder (TRS to XLR). Make sure the levels are good - it will be easy to overload the recorder if you are not careful.

Monitor through the Pendulum's headphone jack.

This will avoid latency. Analog monitoring rocks.

MikeTX · #3 02-26-2010, 09:34 AM

Ha! I would not have thought of that, thanks!

I DO need to work on the levels, guitar was too hot in my first attempt.

I still want to figure out my Windows issue...

sdelsolray · #4 02-26-2010, 09:41 AM

The Pendulum's output at all 5 available output points (channel line out, channel insert out, stereo effect loop out, stereo monitor out and stereo main out) are +4dBU line level signals. Does the Zoom H4 have line level inputs, an input pad or an equivalent software control? If not, you will likely have limited headroom, i.e., the H4 will overload. You could put line attenuators between the SPS-1 outputs and the H4 inputs to mitigate this issue.

MikeTX · #5 02-26-2010, 10:39 AM

Hey sdel...

The Zoomer does have line level ins, I think pads but I'll have to check...

I'll work on it this weekend.

Too bad the SPS-1 doesn't have USB out...

Thanks for chiming in! I appreciate your expertise...

MikeTX · #6 02-27-2010, 02:18 PM

All right - I found what I was looking for!

In Audacity, in Edit / Preferences / DEVICES ... there is the selection for Playback, and the internal speakers AND the Zoom H4 Headphones are listed.

When I selected the Z-Phones, I could hear the tracks playing back AND the currently recording track.

KNEW it was something simple and obvious... duh...

sdel - I was JUST recording vocals today, no guitar, but I intend to try monitoring from the Pendulum next time - thanks again.

Mike

RickI · #7 02-27-2010, 10:01 PM

I did the same thing... enable software playthrough... and it works.. sort of

Except for latency... Im tried my Zoom H2 as a USB mike, and there is real delay between when I play it and when I hear it... Really screws up any sort of timing... hmmm

Im new to this stuff.... how do you get a mic, say an SM57 into the computer.. If you use an interface, doesnt it wind up going thru the USB port as well... with the same latency effects...?

Rick

Fran Guidry · #8 02-28-2010, 01:39 AM

There's usually a way to monitor the input before conversion. This is the famous "0 latency monitoring" you read about in ads for interfaces.

Fran

RickI · #9 02-28-2010, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fran Guidry

There's usually a way to monitor the input before conversion. This is the famous "0 latency monitoring" you read about in ads for interfaces.

Fran

I'm missing something....

Are you saying that for 0-latency, real time monotoring I would have to play
the original track from some other source, run that signal thru the interface, along with the new source?

Makes sense that, with both signals present at the interface at the same time, I can monitor the combined signal from the interface monitor jack. But then I need another computer?

(In case you haven't guessed.... I am woefully ignorant of these things..)

Rick

Fran Guidry · #10 02-28-2010, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickI

I'm missing something....

Are you saying that for 0-latency, real time monotoring I would have to play
the original track from some other source, run that signal thru the interface, along with the new source?

Makes sense that, with both signals present at the interface at the same time, I can monitor the combined signal from the interface monitor jack. But then I need another computer?

(In case you haven't guessed.... I am woefully ignorant of these things..)

Rick

No.

You play back the recorded track from your computer ... it goes through digital-to-analog conversion and out of the interface to the headphones or speakers.

At the same time you play your new material through a pickup or mic or keyboard into the interface. This signal is analog and there is no latency. You mix this signal with the recorded track and it also goes to the headphones or speakers. And at the same time it passes through the analog-to-digital conversion and is stored on the computer as a new track.

This is the basic signal flow for "zero latency monitoring." This signal flow means that you do not have access to your DAW effects on the new input during monitoring. If you have to have effects on your input for monitoring, you need an effects system in the analog domain.

It is possible, with enough money and determination, to build a system with extremely low latency, allowing monitoring after a/d conversion and with DAW effects, but most of us have no need for this capability.

Fran

RickI · #11 02-28-2010, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fran Guidry

No.

You play back the recorded track from your computer ... it goes through digital-to-analog conversion and out of the interface to the headphones or speakers.

At the same time you play your new material through a pickup or mic or keyboard into the interface. This signal is analog and there is no latency. You mix this signal with the recorded track and it also goes to the headphones or speakers. And at the same time it passes through the analog-to-digital conversion and is stored on the computer as a new track.

This is the basic signal flow for "zero latency monitoring." This signal flow means that you do not have access to your DAW effects on the new input during monitoring. If you have to have effects on your input for monitoring, you need an effects system in the analog domain.

It is possible, with enough money and determination, to build a system with extremely low latency, allowing monitoring after a/d conversion and with DAW effects, but most of us have no need for this capability.

Fran

Ok.... Using the Audacity without the software playthrough enabled...
I used the H2 as the USB interface... then selected the H2 as both input and output device... and then used the headphone jack on the Zoom..... Voila!.. You can hear both the playback and the new track you're adding at the same time..
Probably sounds like pretty basic stuff... but I had no idea I could do that with the Zoom

Thanks for your help!

Rick