Another noob Question

Special Interest Groups Recording Techniques
1

Hey everyone,

I’m new here having just discovered this site after downloading Audacity. I’m a drummer and have been recording with bands for years. Thought it was about time I had a go at playing on the other side of the desk as it were!

I picked up a cheapy 2nd hand Alesis DM5 kit for practice at home but decided I’d like to have a go at recording from the kit. I bought a Behringer 802 mixer which allowed me to play along with my ipod for rehearsal purposes. Then I purchased a Behringer UCA222 USB audio interface to allow me to record to the PC (Windows 7). Luckily enough a copy of Audacity came with this bit of kit. After a few initial problems that I managed to find answers to I thought I was good to go. Only, I can’t get the drum sound. All I get is the sound of pads being hit by sticks.

My Alesis goes into 1 channel of the mixer and then into the UCA222 which then goes into the PC. I can hear what I’m playing with the headphones connected to the UCA222 but Audacity only plays back the stick / pad sound.

The Alesis is connected from the main output sockets into 1 channel of the mixer. Should I be connecting from the auxiliary output into the mixer? Or is there something else I’m doing wrong?

I know there is a similar thread to this on the forum but I didn’t think it helped me.

Would be really grateful for any help?

Thanks,

Andy

2

Actually, having done some more research (and realising how little I know about this recording stuff) I’m thinking that I might be better off purchasing a USB / Midi interface and some drum software and using the midi output / input on the DM5 drum module.

Whilst I know Audacity doesn’t ‘do’ midi, presumably I can import triggered samples from whatever drum software into Audacity?

Anyone care to comment? I really am starting from scratch here… :blush:

3

That suggests that you are actually achieving a microphone recording of the sounds that exist in the room.

So, the “problem” lies between the UCA222 and the PC. I have no relevant practical experience of your equipment, just what I’ve learned reading posts on this forum. Try shutting everything down and unhook the UCA222 from the PC. Now re-boot the PC. Let it complete doing it’s startup stuff. Now connect the UCA222 to the PC. Does Windows recognise the device? (new device detected, drivers installed, device is ready: that kind of dialogue). If so, start Audacity. Can you find the UCA222 or a USB device of some kind in the Device Toolbar dropdown lists? If so, select that for input and try again. Best I can do. The real experts usually come online early-afternoon GMT (I’m UK based).

4

PGA, many thanks for your input. I will try that. I’m so inexperienced at this stuff even the simple fixes are beyond me at times.

Thanks again,

Andy

PS - I’m also UK based.

5

I attempted to answer this before … Record Electronic Drums - #4 by Trebor

The recording of the “real” (i.e. not electronic) sound of the pads being hit may be due to your computer’s built-in mic being enabled*, if the recording also includes swearing that’s definitely the case :slight_smile:

[* i.e. Audacity is recording from the computer’s built-in mic, which you don’t want, and isn’t recording from the USB device which you do, see your Windows mixer to enable the USB audio device and disable the onboard microphone …

Missing features - Audacity Support ]


Theoretically Audacity can record whatever is playing on the computer, e.g. sound synthesized by the computer triggered by the drum pads via midi interface, however some incarnations of Windows-7 apparently do not have record “what-U-hear” aka “stereo mix” aka “wave out”, ( what-u-hear windows 7 - Google Zoeken).

6

Thanks Trebor, appreciate your help.

And yup, it picked up swearing, huffing and puffing etc… :open_mouth:

However, I’m convinced I sorted the PC issue out but I will try what AGB suggested because I definitely didn’t look at that!

Thanks again,

Andy

7

Fellas,

Thanks for the tips.

I got home and did as you both suggested. Disabled the mic in windows and enabled the correct device in Audacity. I actually recorded something. :smiley:

Now I gotta find out how to get rid of the distortion, clipping and delay!

I reduced the input and output levels on the top toolbar thinking this would help but it didn’t. Back to the manual methinks…

8

You’re not feeding the line-out signal from the electronic drums into the computer’s microphone socket ?
as that’s almost guaranteed to cause severe clipping distortion.

If there isn’t a line-in socket on your computer use the UCA222 to connect the drums to the computer.

9

No, the drums are fed into the 802 mixing unit which is then going into the UCA222 which in turn goes into the PC. I need to check all the levels on the mixing unit in case these are set too high. It’s all I can think of now…

10

There may be a “gain” or “level” slider within the Windows mixer recording tab [see “properties”] for the USB (UCA222) which you can turn down.