I cannot get the "Audio Input" plugin to work.

WaveLab
#1

No matter what I do, I cannot seem to get the audio input plugin working (Wavelab 8.0.3). I have tried various configurations, but currently I have it set as you see below. Any suggestions?

Currently in the audio connections window:

playback tab:
left front device output (channel 1): HDSP9632 SPDIF L
right front device output (channel 2): HDSP9632 SPDIF L
all others: unused

recording tab:
channel 1 device input: HDSP9632 SPDIF L
channel 2 device input: HDSP9632 SPDIF R
channel 1 monitor output: HDSP9632 SPDIF L
channel 2 monitor output: HDSP9632 SPDIF R
all others: unused

ASIO plugins tab:
device output: unused
device output: unused
device input: HDSP9632 SPDIF L
device input: HDSP9632 SPDIF R

During standard file playback, Wavelab works perfectly and I hear audio. During “recording”, Wavelab works perfectly and I can monitor, or not monitor audio and record fine using the record dialong. I am getting audio in and out of Wavelab fine - but with the “Audio Input” plugin in the 1st slot of the master section, I hear nothing at all - only silence.

#2

ASIO plugins tab: device output
must be assigned. WaveLab reads from the output of the device.

#3

I just tried it like this below. It still does not work - I only get silence:

playback tab:
left front device output (channel 1): HDSP9632 SPDIF L
right front device output (channel 2): HDSP9632 SPDIF L
all others: unused

recording tab:
channel 1 device input: HDSP9632 SPDIF L
channel 2 device input: HDSP9632 SPDIF R
channel 1 monitor output: HDSP9632 SPDIF L
channel 2 monitor output: HDSP9632 SPDIF R
all others: unused

ASIO plugins tab:
device output (to gear): HDSP9632 SPDIF L
device output (to gear): HDSP9632 SPDIF R
device input (from gear): HDSP9632 SPDIF L
device input (from gear): HDSP9632 SPDIF R

#4

The ASIO plugins tab must have different assignments that the other tabs.

#5

I finally got it working, but I’m not quite sure what I did to make it work. I clicked a lot on the “monitor input” and “monitor audio playback” buttons.

I do have a suggestion though. I typically open a wav in the wav editor and I use that as a reference while I’m working. Then I will master incoming audio and compare with my reference. I wish it was quicker to switch back and forth between the two - but I have to unload the “audio input” plugin every time. Here is my suggestion: Instead of having an “audio input” plugin, would it be possible to just have a button in the master section that instantly switches playback from “audio input” to standard playback? This way I could instantly toggle between the two without loading or unloading anything. Please consider something like this for a future upgrade. Thanks PG.

-Todd

#6

Even better would be a button in the master section to “mix input and playback streams” into the master section so that I can hear BOTH. That way while working this way, I can just enable that feature. Then I can hit “bypass” to bypass everything in the master section - and play my reference track. Then I hit stop, then re-enable the fx in the master section, and then hit play on my incoming audio. It would be a bit better… I’m just looking for a faster way to be able to do the switching in this particular situation.

I can monitor fine if I just use the mixer in the RME card to monitor the input. That allows me to playback my reference from Wavelab while also playing audio into the input from my other playback system. Unfortunately, working like that I cannot work through Wavelab in realtime. That is where this idea came to me though - of mixing the streams. Maybe you have a more elegant idea in mind though? Thanks PG… sorry for the complaining - I just want to be able to work better in Wavelab when working in realtime.

Thanks,
Todd

#7

Ok - I have figured out how to get it working. I believe this to be a bug:

TO REPRODUCE THIS BUG:

  1. Open wavelab to the audio edit window, but do NOT open any audio files at all
  2. load the audio input plugin into the 1st slot on the master section
  3. Hit “Play”

At this point, nothing happens. Audio input should be active, but it is not:

THE SOLUTION:

  1. From the file browser, open any wave file (leave the audio input plugin loaded in the master section).
  2. Hit “Play”. Now, with a file open, play will actually activate the audio input plugin, and it becomes active!

So as far as I can tell, an audio file must be opened in order to make the audio input plugin work. I’m assuming this is a bug and that it is not by design.

#8

I don’t know if this is documented, but this is “normal”. The Transport is only active if an audio file is open.

#9

It seems like a bug - because why would I need a file open if I am listening to the audio input in real time? I have no need to open or play back a file when monitoring the input. Please consider correcting this.

Thanks PG… Much appreciation - Wavelab is a great program btw. I am loving Wavelab 8 very much.

#10

Wavelab is an audio editor and not a streaming media player, so in my view it’s perfectly normal that an audio file or montage is open before transport controls work. No bug at all.

#11

Do you feel there is a benefit to the way it currently operates? If so, what is the benefit? I do believe there would be a benefit to operating the way I suggest.

Many mastering engineers do use outboard equipment to process - and then record into Wavelab. Why have a file open for this type of operation?

#12

That may be true, but it doesn’t make your suggestion not being implemented ‘a bug’. The current behaviour is the intended behaviour and therefor by definition not a bug.

Reasoning further, I’d say having to push ‘play’ without a file open also doesn’t make sense. It would be a misuse of a transport function to operate something not related to transport. Listening in real time to an input audio stream in my view requires a new button or activation inside the audio input plugin itself.

#13

Agreed - technically not a bug.

Agreed. I’m going to quote myself again from just above in this thread:



#14

Totally agree. The program would be SO much easier to use in the classic mastering sense, using it to capture and compare in real time (like the original Sonic Solutions and Sadie) if the routing was more similar to other mastering and recording programs: an i/o “monitor” button (like in Cubase) on the montage tracks, and an input strip with plugin inserts. That’s how nearly all programs work. The Wavelab method of having to hit play on the transport panel to hear input with an input plugin is bizarre. And even then you can’t compare already recorded analog console mastered clips on the montage track (the previous analog mastered songs in the album) with the input you’re currently recording from the console (the next analog mastered song in the album) if you’re using an input plugin as the final process in the mastering record chain. This assumes analog mastering followed by an input plugin on record, but it can be done (with i/o audition) by nearly every other program.

#15

Exactly. I do my comparisons currently by constantly loading and unloading the audio input plugin… It’s a very slow process though. PG, please consider doing something to make this process easier.

Many thanks,
Todd

#16

Yeah, I love Wavelab but I don’t use it for playback/capture with analog gear for traditional album mastering for a few reasons. I think Wavelab excels at album sequencing, final limter and subtle tweaks. There are also a few clients I do all “in the box” mastering that I can do comfortably within Wavelab.

I tried using Wavelab for playback/capture a few times and it felt very limiting. I prefer to playback in Logic Pro, go through the analog gear, and capture in Pro Tools where I’m very fast at trimming and editing, and I can keep the original captures intact while making a new playlist containing my trimmed masters that I create after doing any final declicking, noise reduction and other misc clean up in Pro Tools. Once files are captured, trimmed, and named properly I export the captured stereo WAVs into a new folder.

This is when I bring the stereo captures into Wavelab for final sequencing, track IDs, metadata, final limiting etc.

Using an app for playback and another app for capture allows me to easily A/B a song I’m dialing in on the analog chain with one that’s been captured already, while keeping the transports for both apps playing. Essentially quick A/B ability of a captured song vs. a song in progress. I just toggle between Pro Tools input monitoring status, it’s great and really helps me match one song to another.

I also prefer to have all my unmastered playback files in one Logic session so that if a client submits a new mix for mastering, I can quickly reload the Logic session and have my ITB plugins settings that are pre-analog chain be easily recalled, and just replace the old unmastered mix file with the new one and then back through the analog chain.

Anyway, it’s a long rant but I think that for a variety of reasons, the flexibly of Wavelab could be improved when it comes to the analog chain and A/B of files but I don’t think one app could have two transports that you can toggle between. It sounds complex.

#17

I use two programs also for the same reason (Cubase for playback, and Wavelab for capture). I can play back from Cubase, and apply whatever FX there - then go through my external mastering hardware. Then I capture the result in Wavelab. I can also use FX in wavelab in realtime using the “hardware input plugin” to monitor input through the master section.

No need for two transports in Wavelab.

I think either:

  1. A button with a quick-key to instantly bypass the “input plugin”,

or

  1. A button with a quick-key in the master section to instantly switch between “monitor input through master section”, and “monitor playback through master section” (playback from the audio editor or montage - not playback of input through the master section).

This way, I could be listening to various tracks of the current mastering project, and with one simple button click, instantly monitor the “input through the master section” of the audio I am preparing for capture. Then bypass the input plugin again to go back to the reference tracks.