Help With Mixer Setup, using 1/8" audio in on my PBG4/667 Options

[evanmcd]

Hi, I am really impressed by this site and forum; my first time here today. Great job to all those responsible.

I've been struggling with this problem for a while now and have just bought a new mixer (Eurodesk MX-802) with the hope that my old mixer (Spirit Folio) was the problem. It seems, however, that it's not my mixer but my lack of knowledge that is the problem.

I'm a drummer looking to do multi-track recording with my PB G4/667 and Cubase 4.1. Here's how my mixer is setup:

- Electronic drums (Roland V-Drums - the best!) coming in to one of my mixers 1/4" stereo inputs.
- 1/8" output from computer into mixers RCA tape in (for monitoring output from Cubase)
- tape in is sent to main mix (which I'm not using) so that I don't get signal from cubase sent back in to computer.

The problem comes when trying to get a stereo output from the mixer in to my 1/8" stereo input on my computer.

I've tried using the RCA tape out, the 1/4" control room outs, and even the AUX send, but all I get is a mono signal in cubase.

I thought that it must be a problem with my input jack, but after a while I tried sending my headphone out to the computer... and it sounded great! perfect strong stereo signal.

I've tried monitoring the output through the computers out rather than sending it to the mixer, but I get horrible latency.

So I guess my question is: how do I rig my setup so it works correctly?

I won't be surprised (or too embarrassed) if there turns out to be a simple solution, but I've tried lots of things and searched this forum for answers and still am at a loss.

Thanks so much to anyone who might help me out with this.

Sincerely...Evan

[trlynham]

I can probably help you out here. I've got a similar set-up, but there are a couple of things that I'm unclear on, they're sort of interrelated, so sorry if they seem to overlap a bit:

A: You say 'Electronic drums coming in to one of my mixer's 1/4" stereo inputs.' There are no stereo inputs on that mixer, or any mixer I can think of really. You can pan the signal up the middle, but since the input on the mixer only has two contacts (mono signal and ground), you've already lost one side, and you're sending two lefts or two rights. If this is your problem, then you need to split the stereo out from the v-drums brain into two mono 1/4" cables and then input these into two separate mixer channels, panned hard left and right.

B: You don't mention which brain you've got, but I'm assuming that when you say "in to one of my mixer's 1/4" inputs" you're using a single stereo cable out of maybe the headphone jack? If you're not using all of the outputs from the back of the brain into individual channels, then I'm not certain that you need a mixer at all. Perhaps you are running other equipment through the mixer, or you don't yet have the need to effect, EQ or apply gain to the v-drums outputs individually before sending it to the computer. Between the controls inside the drum brain and the effects and what-not in Cubase, you can do pretty well, but if you want to monitor those effects without any latency at all (or intend to play along with a delay or whatever), then it's necessary to use the mixer. I'm digressing a bit, but I guess my question is, what is the mixer doing for you?

C: When you say, "I've tried monitoring the output through the computer's out rather than sending it to the mixer, . . ." I'm guessing that this is what the mixer might be for. Why not just monitor from the headphone out on the v-drums brain? I know that you're not getting a stereo signal for your recording, and that's really the problem here, but if you're not able to monitor what's coming back from the computer without latency, then there's really not going to be any difference between the v-drums headphone out and the mixer's headphone, or monitor, or main, or tape out.

D: Finally (and this might insult your intelligence a bit - I apologize in advance) I want to make sure that when you say, "but after a while I tried sending my headphone out to the computer... and it sounded great! perfect strong stereo signal." that the 'strong stereo signal' was truly stereo, not just a mono signal coming out of both speakers. I once met a guy who set himself up with a 'surround-sound' home theater setup which consisted of five speakers all daisy-chained with radio shack adapters into his mono-out rca jack on the back of his crappy old VCR. He was bragging about how much smarter he was than all those losers who paid all that money for their 'home theater' setups. I tried not to be too much of a prick when I asked him, "do you know what stereo is?" Anyway, just thought I'd make sure - probably with the drums you can hear them move around in the stereo picture as you move around the drum kit.

So let me know if this clarifies anything for you, and if not, maybe with a little more information we can get your v-drums to fill up your cubase as they ought to.

Good luck, Tom