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Old 02-02-2019, 05:06 PM
CameronJMci CameronJMci is offline
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Default Stereo/panning issues with Mixer to Audio Interface

Hi, I’ll try and make this as clear as possible.

I am recording acoustic guitar with multiple mics and want to get a nice stereo spread with the multiple mics. I have an analog mixer (Yamaha mg12/4). I have been using the mixer going straight into my Mac 3.5mm jack input, then into Logic in the past and everything has been great, if I pan one mic left on the mixer it pans left in Logic etc (obviously the signal into Logic is a combination of all the tracks on the mixer, but I can still apply pan to one mic on the mixer and I will hear it panning in Logic.

I recently bought a USB audio interface (a Mackie Onyx Blackjack 2x2) because I wanted to see if the preamps improved my recording sound and also if bypassing the Mac sound card improved things, (and also because I wanted to make use of a compressor (behringer mdx2100) but I haven’t had chance to use this yet).

Anyway, so same as before I used a 2 mono L/R into 1 stereo cable, but instead plugged into the Onyx. Now when I use headphones either in the Onyx or in Logic I completely lose the stereo spread I’ve implemented in the mixer. As an example I’ll use just one mic and if I pan it far left on the mixer it it’s loud and central and if I pan it far right it completely mutes. There is no spread at all.

I want to be able to go from Mixer to Usb Audio interface and then into Logic, while keeping the stereo capabilities of the mixer.

Ive been getting very frustrated because I don’t understand where I’m going wrong.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
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Old 02-02-2019, 05:40 PM
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I have used a Mackie Onyx Blackjack - you send both mic signals through the usb connection simultaneously then pan each track in the DAW. Perhaps I havn’t understood exactly what your issue is though....
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Old 02-02-2019, 05:48 PM
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It sounds as if your right channel isn't connected at all. Looking at the Onyx Blackjack, I can see why: it has two channels, each with its own mono jack, rather than the two being accessed by one stereo jack. You just need to plug them in separately.


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Old 02-02-2019, 06:22 PM
CameronJMci CameronJMci is offline
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Hi Bob.

Do you mean that the individual inputs in the Mackie are mono? so I need to have a cable go from the mixer Left into one Onyx input, and another cable from Mixer Right into the other Onyx input?
Thanks for the help
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Old 02-02-2019, 06:25 PM
CameronJMci CameronJMci is offline
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Hi Rod, the thing is id like isolate the different mics with panning before they get combined into one mixed signal going into the DAW
Cheers

Edit: I see what you mean now Rod, but the problem is I have three microphones and a pickup signal going into my mixer so I can’t go straight into the Onyx because it has only two inputs, and also because I want to do some of the equalising and panning on the mixer.

Last edited by CameronJMci; 02-02-2019 at 06:32 PM. Reason: Typo
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Old 02-02-2019, 06:57 PM
runamuck runamuck is offline
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Are you certain you're recording to a mono track in the software and not a stereo track?
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Old 02-02-2019, 07:15 PM
gwlee7 gwlee7 is offline
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See if I understand. You have three mics and they are connected to the yamaha mixer. You then want to go to the Blackjack in order to interface with your computer.

Your mixer should have a left ouput and a right output. You want to use BOTH of these to connect to the Blackjack. Left to left, right to right. Then use your USB/ Lighting/ Thundebolt connector from the Blackjack to connect to your computer. You should then have control of the panning from your mixer.
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Old 02-02-2019, 07:17 PM
CameronJMci CameronJMci is offline
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I tried both and neither solved the issue, and also the problem persists even when I’m listening just to the audio interface without even involving the computer so the problem must be in my method of cabling or understanding the hardware somewhere.
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Old 02-02-2019, 07:32 PM
CameronJMci CameronJMci is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gwlee7 View Post
See if I understand. You have three mics and they are connected to the yamaha mixer. You then want to go to the Blackjack in order to interface with your computer.

Your mixer should have a left ouput and a right output. You want to use BOTH of these to connect to the Blackjack. Left to left, right to right. Then use your USB/ Lighting/ Thundebolt connector from the Blackjack to connect to your computer. You should then have control of the panning from your mixer.
This has solved my issue I think! I was initially using a cable which takes two mono 1/4” jack inputs and outputs a stereo 1/4” jack, going from Mixer Left and Mixer Right (monos) into the onyx (Stereo output) I thought this would leave me with a stereo signal as a result of the two combined mono L and R going into the Onyx (in the same way that this worked for me using a split phono to 3.5mm jack from Mixer (Phonos) straight into Mac (3.5 jack) before). It seems (as Bob pointed out) that the Onyx has two mono inputs so to get a stereo signal you need to plug into both inputs. I tried doing this with two 1/4” jack cables (guitar) which failed again. I then tried Mixer L to Onyx L with an XLR and Mixer R to Onyx R with another XLR, and everything seems to be working (Hooray ��) Why does it require two stereo XLR cables to go from L to L and R to R? I’m still slightly baffled, but st least things are working.
Thank you so much for everyone’s help

Last edited by CameronJMci; 02-02-2019 at 07:34 PM. Reason: Typos, many typos
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Old 02-02-2019, 07:40 PM
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So:
Mics to individual mixer channels
Mixer channels panned to stereo out of mixer

Stereo outs of mixer left and right plugged individually to left and right inputs of Onyx.
Headphone monitoring Onyx should hear stereo panned signals.
Onyx USB to computster.

Record on one stereo channel on computster. In Logic, be sure you are sourcing from a stereo input channel.

When monitored on Logic, sound should be gloriously panned.

Or...

Record on two mono channels on computster. Source one from left and the other from right. In playback, pan left left and right right.
When monitored on Logic, sound should be gloriously panned.

Bob
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Old 02-02-2019, 07:49 PM
CameronJMci CameronJMci is offline
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Thanks Bob, you have assisted me and my simpleton ways
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Old 02-02-2019, 08:35 PM
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Glad to help!

Bob
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Old 02-03-2019, 03:29 PM
Chipotle Chipotle is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CameronJMci View Post
Why does it require two stereo XLR cables to go from L to L and R to R?
XLR cables are not stereo. Maybe this is part of the confusion? They have three pins so you might think they're similar to a TRS (stereo) 1/4" cable, but they're not. XLR uses that third wire for noise resistance for longer runs; they are balanced.

I'm not sure why 1/4" cables didn't work. Assuming you went mixer L -> interface L, and similar for R, using normal mono 1/4" cables, it should be essentially the same.
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