Hello
I recently switched from a recording interface to using an analog mixer yippie!
I’m currently using a Soundcraft EPM8 mixer and an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 soundcard.
Here is my problem, I managed to get it working great… well sort of, not the way I want it to.
It’s routed so that I can only have audio coming right from the mixer itself on one input of the monitors and also only audio coming right from my computer from another input of the monitors, so if I wanna hear the audio coming from my synthesizer through the mixer I cannot listen to VST’s, samples through Cubase etc
It’s quite frustrating because I would like to hear all of the audio at once, it’s kinda hard to fine tune the patches on my synthesizers when you can’t listen to everything else so that they’ll layer with my other sounds because of all my layered synths.
Here are some pictures with text added to better benefit you, thanks in advance
I don’t really understand why you can’t hear both at the same time in your current setup?
You could always plug the computer output into a regular input channel on the mixer and have it that way, just make sure you don’t send that channel to whichever output you’re using to record from because you’ll create a loop.
You’re right, but I think the honest answer to that would have to be the fact that the current studio monitors I’m using runs off of different channels and although there are 4 different inputs each input runs in a different channel so since I have 1, 2 and 4 routed simultaneously it’s not going to run together, on my volume control for my monitors there’s a button that lets me select only 1 input channel at a time
I drew out on paper last night a plan that might work and it sounds pretty good to me and unfortunately I’m going to have to order a few things. I’m probably going to be needing these…
and some simple audio RCA cables this way I can split all of the signals and route out of my soundcard into both my mixer AND monitors, or which ever way is going to work first
Any chance you could post a scan of your schematic?
I’m afraid I’m kinda lost on what you’re doing
To me it sounds like you are having trouble finding a way to create 2 independent output mixes from your mixer, 1 monitor output mix and one recording output mix. Correct?
Absolutely! I may have it incorrect, I might need to use the splitters in the monitors, but you get the idea
Basically I just want everything running off of 1 channel only so I do not have to switch inputs to hear 1 or the other, just want 1 mix altogether.
Ok I see, that’s a messy solution indeed.
Ideally you want the mixer as the central hub where all signals originate or go to. I don’t know the soundcraft mixer too well, but I’m sure there’s a way to connect your instruments to your mixer, your speakers to your mixer, your computer input to the mixer and the computer output to the mixer.
Additionally, I could be wrong but the way your speakers are connected now you aren’t getting a stereo image. These are stereo inputs on mono speakers so they are summed together and both speakers produce the same mono signal in this case. Get rid of the RCA inputs on your speakers and just use the jack input on them, left output on the mixer to the left speaker and right output to the right speaker.
Ok… yeah forget my first attempt… look at the manual, page 40 gives some nice layouts. The monitors do hook up to the mixer. the mixer sends the signal out to the cpu then back to the mixer out the master bus to the speakers, you can then play other instruments on the other mixer channels and blend to taste and record at same time by arming the corresponding channel in cubase.
Yes both of you are spot on, you have my intentions correct and your ideas have influenced me further and gave me 1 last idea! . I grabbed a 2 MALE LINE to a 2 MALE RCA cable and plugged the 2 MALE LINE end into the Stereo 1 area of the mixer and plugged the 2 MALE RCA end into the outs of the soundcard. I then re-routed my monitors (still using the RCA’s) and plugged them directly into my mixer’s “monitor out” alternatively as Strophoid had mentioned I should just get rid of the RCA’s and just use lines into the mixer and I agree I probably should as I’m sure I’d get a much better signal.
Did it work? Yes it did I can now hear everything running at once and I’m extremely happy I just hope that this is the way it is supposed to work, as I wanna have the strongest signals as possible as I strive for highest quality production in an old school way
Let me know if you guys think this is correct
By the way it’s a great mixer and suits all my needs perfectly (for now) and nice drawing!
EDIT* WOOHOO I played around with the EQ a little on the mixer and everything just sounds fricken’ amazing together a million times better than before… I will never go back to using digital crap again! Thanks for the help and suggestions you two I’m the happiest kid in the universe right now…
Nice
If it does what you want it to then it’s the right way to set it up .
Could you try using the panner on your mixer and see if that makes an audible difference through your speakers? (IE, if you pan a channel full left, do you only hear it in the left speaker?)
yippie!
]
.