HELP! My monitors are panning to the right, Newbie Needs Help with Monitor Panning Options

[kelitupu]

Okay, here's the situation...my parents went away for a week's vacation, and I got the keys to the brand new Porsche....oops, sorry, that's a song by the Fresh Prince.

Anyhow, I'm a Logic Platinum user, and ALL my MIDI tracks are coming out on my monitors panned to the right. I've got the panning in Logic set to the default right down the middle (at 64 in the parameter box to the left), so I don't think it's a software problem. I know the cables are working fine, because my audio (coming out of a Delta 44) are working right (the panning is right down the middle), and the cables I'm running from my mixer's main outs to the monitors are brand new.

Here's the weird thing: When I swap the monitor outs on the mixer, the MIDI tracks start coming out of my left monitor, but the equalizer on my mixer still shows the signal being played on the right side.

So, to recap:

1) I know the cables are fine.

2) I know the monitors are fine.

3) When I swap the monitor outs on the mixer, the sound is then panned mostly to the left monitor (instead of the right monitor), but the signal on my equalizer shows the signal is still strongest on the right side (in other words, the mixer is playing it loudest on the left side, but still registers the right channel as being the loudest.)

On my mixer, I'm pressing the PFL/Solo button when playing back.

I'm definitely still a newbie to this home studio setup thing, so any comments and input are desperately sought.

Thanks in advance for your help people.

Gary
kelitupu@yahoo.com

[macmax]

Okay lets start with the answer to the'weird' bit
its because you are swapping the feeds to your monitors (that is reversing the wiring) so naturally wheer first one speaker is active, the other will become so as you reverse which one is plugged int which socket.

This sounds like a completely hardware (mixer based ) issue, that you will no doubt learn to refer to as an RTFM fault (later)
You dont mention which mixer you use, so i'll make a few shots in the dark, hope they make sense to you, and that they help.
In general you shouldnt have to depress the pfl/solo to hear it, it is quite likely that the monitoring / pfl/ solo bits of your set up are incorrectly set.
from a channel input the signal SHOULD, go thru the channel, via its eq abd aux sends and end up at its fader, from there it will be routed to a) the main stereo buss, b) a sub group buss c) nowhere , coz non of the appropriate routing buttons are depressed.
at that point (a) simply raising the master stereo faders should , with luck give you sigal at your main outputs.
Many mixers have a MONO pfl implementation, such that when pfl is active only one channel is used to hear the signal (often the right channel)
it is quite possible that thats the cause of your issues.
If you let me know which bits of equipment your set up consists of( INCLUDE MAKE AND MODEL DESIGNATIONS!!!!) , i'll mail you a basic layout of how you should connect them, and how to set them up for what you want to do!!
Hey everyone has to start somewhere. I heartily recommend a) reading the manuals of all your gear!!! b) the series of 'basic' books by paul white (editor of Sound on sound) available for @£5 each i think. (no i dont know the chap, or work for him, but i do teach Music technology, and recommend his books as background reading to all my students!)
good luck
max

[kelitupu]

hey max,

you were absolutely right -- it was a hardware issue, I experimented with different channels and deduced that one of my channels for some reason is broken, so one side was coming out stronger than the other. I would love it if you could let me know the optimal way to go in and out of my mixer. Below are the specs of my setup:

Behringer MX1604A Ultra Low Noise 12 Channel, 4 Bus Mic/Line Mixer

I am operating a 466MGHZ G4 with a 4-in/4-out Delta 44 mixer, one JV1010 Sound Module, and I use Logic Platinum as my sequencer. I have the EXS24 Softwaresampler

I have 2 balanced audio cables going out of the main outs on the back of the mixer to my monitors

I'm going OUT of 1 and 2 of my Delta card into Channels 3 & 3 of mixer respectively

OUT of 3 & 4 of Delta Card into Channels 10 & 11 respectively

OUT of Mixer Aux sends 1 & 2 into Delta card Ins 1 & 2 respectively

I only have 2 Aux sends, so I don't know how to use the other 2 INs of my delta card -- right now, I just have cables coming from channels 1 & 2 of mixer into delta ins 3 & 4 respectively -- I know that doesn't make sense to go from line in to card in

my roland module is connected to the computer via USB, and audio cables going to the mixer channels 5 & 6

my mic is plugged into line in #2

I'm trying to figure out how to record vocals, while being able to monitor using the line #2 channel fader for input monitoring, while using the channels 3 & 4 for output monitoring -- does that make sense to you?

Again, I know this is probably a pain in the ass for a pro like you, but I would appreciate any help you can offer a singer/songwriter who just wants to press record

thanks a million again for replying in the first place

Gary

[macmax]

Hi
Sorry , I know you emailed me at the beginning of feb or so, you caught me at a bad time, between systems and on the road.

sorry for the delay.
Will have a quick look at the mixer spec and get back to you asap.
:
max

[macmax]

Ok Mixer checked out
1) Instead of using the aux sends , you could utilise the second stereo buss.
By using buss 3/4 you can simultaneously send any input channels in stereo to inputs 1/2 of the delta.
the additional fader will give you control over the level, you can use the control room out ptu to feed the delta as it can select any feed from the mixer, so you would select buss 3/4 for that while feeding your monitors from the main outs.
the input channel would be switched to buss 3/4 and the return channels to main mix buss.
you will be able to listen to the input send from the headphone socket as it shares the control room out, while your monitors will play the main mix buss and thus you can hear the returns.
you dont say whether your monitors are self contained actives or powered from an amp.
if the later is the case, hopefully it will have a headphone out , thus allowing instant monitoring of all signals.
Note that while the signal sent to the control room output is switchable, this would interrupt the signal going to the mac.
You could always swap which set of outputs is feeding the mac and the monitors, this would allow listening to any signal without having to interrupt the recording chain, play around with these ideas and youll see what i mean.
words of warning, avoid creating feedback loops by sending the same signal in and out and back in to the mac as it were, draw a flow chart of where signals are going and you should quickly get the hang of this.
This leaves you free to use the aux sends on the mixer to feed an external fx processor to provide fx without loading the system.
Also investing in a mid price processor from tc or lexicon would provide serious flexibilty in processor useage, as external fx place no load and no latenct in the chain, you would then be able to monitor with decent fx and no latency or performance issues.
(check out the MPX500 MPX1 etc and try out units from TC electronics and higher end roland/yamaha/sony units.)
more when youve absorbed this lot.
max