Recording Help

[AdamM93]

Hey guys,

I recently bought a Behringher Xenyx 1204 USB mixer, along with some Alesis M1Active 320USB Studio Monitors.
The monitors are simply connected through USB slot, and the mixer is connected via a UCA200 Interface through another USB slot.

PROBLEM
When I try to record into Audacity, the Input Meter goes Red, although my mixer says I'm NOT clipping, the recorded guitar is also extremely quiet and distorted. I'd try connect the mixer and monitors differently, but I'm on a tiny budget, and using a laptop, so I can't...

The guitar is connected to the mixer via a line in, and well... I can't think of any idea why this is happening, And also, any ideas how I can link audacity to my mixer, so that if i turn the master volume of the mixer down the volume of audacity will go down, along with faders etc...

Any help will be greatly appreciated,

Thanks,

Adam.

[stevethefiddle]

The input meter is supposed to go red - but not all of it.
The input meter is red and the playback meter is green.

The USB sdaptor should be connected to the "Tape Out" on the desk - this is a parallel output to the main out.

You should be getting a level in Audacity of about -6dB on the recording meter when you play loudly. (this allows a little overhead for those extra loud notes).

When you connect your guitar to the mixing desk, make sure that the "trim" level is turned all the way down.
Set the meters on the mixing desk to show the "pre-fade level" and gradually turn up the trim control so that you have a good signal that is not distorted. (Do you have any headphones that you can use to monitor directly from the mixing desk?)

When you have the trim set correctly, make sure that the main volume control is all the way down, and switch the mixer meters to show the normal (mix) level.

Open Audacity and click on the recording meter (to activate it)
As you increase the level on the channel level and the main (mix) slider, you should notice that the levels go up on both the Mixing desk and the Audacity recording meters.

The sound monitored through headphones on the mixer should sound clean.

If the meters in Audacity go up very rapidly and hit the 0dB mark while the signal on the mixer is still low, then something is wrong.
Check the above and let us know the situation.

[kozikowski]

The sizes of the meters will change with the Audacity version, but this is more or less what a normal recording Audacity is supposed to look like...

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/Audacity1_record.jpg

It may not go all the way up. That's too loud and will create a seriously damaged show.

Koz

[AdamM93]

Thanks very much for the reply,

Now I could just pretend it's all fine now and I followed what you said, but I'll be honest.
I had the wires connecting the UCA200 the wrong way round... :$

Laugh all you want, It works fine now, so hopefully I can show some music off and get opinions from musicians like myself,

Thanks very much for the help,

Adam.

[waxcylinder]

Laugh all you want, It works fine now ...

No laughing... We like folks who are big enough and brave enough to fess up when they made a mistake.

You never know, this posting may help some other poor soul in the future who has a similar problem.

Glad you got it working.

WC

[Dimaension X]

I posted this in another thread, but I figured I'd try as many spots as possible to get the best answer.

I just bought a Behringer Xenyx 1204 (w/UCA200) yesterday with the UCA200, and before I hook anything up, I want to know the best way to connect everything.

I monitor very simple computer speakers (Logitech X-140s). They have a stereo 1/8" jack.

I assume I plug my mic, synth sound source, bass, guitar, etc., into an INPUT Channel.

The UCA200 is connected to my laptop via the USB (obviously)

Now, ... here's the $64,000 question - How do I go OUT to the UCA200 and how does the UCA200 connect to the monitors?

Can I just be connected to it via the RCA cables and the CD/Tape Inputs/Outputs? Then to my monitors via the PHONES output on the 1204. That seems to be the most simple connection, but what will that do to the signal input to the computer and the output to the monitor speakers.

The tiny instruction manual seems to suggest routing from the 1204 to the UCA200, and then STRAIGHT FROM THE UCA200 to my monitors. Does that make sense? Will that cause latency issues?

Do I route anything back into the 1204 then go from the 1204 to my monitors?

What is the simplest solution?

[billw58]

I posted this in another thread, but I figured I'd try as many spots as possible to get the best answer.

Double-posting is not nice. It just wastes our time. Starting a new thread is also a good idea rather than resurrecting an old one.

Yes, you connect your sound sources to inputs on the mixer.

When you say "out to the UCA200" do you mean output from the mixer or output from the computer?

The answers to the rest of your questions depend on what you want to do. Do you want to overdub (record new stuff while listening to previously-recorded stuff)?

-- Bill

[kozikowski]

<<<Laugh all you want, It works fine now, >>>

Like that's never happened to me......

Koz

[j25712e]

Can someone please tell me why my turntable plays for about 30 or 40 seconds and then ejects??????? I am ready to drop kick it all out the front door. It plays and it records while its playing but it just keeps stopping. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

[stevethefiddle]

Can someone please tell me why my turntable plays for about 30 or 40 seconds and then ejects???????

You mean that the arm lifts up and the turntable stops?
If so, my guess is that it's a mechanical fault with the turntable. Is it under guarantee?