Keeping tracks separate until mix? Recording problem

[Blue Moose]

Am on Audacity 2.1.3, Windows 10.

When I record a track, the new track will contain what was recorded on the previous track.

Example: I record drums on track one, bass on track two and rhythm gtr on track three. Track three will have drums and bass mixed with the guitar. When I solo track three, I should just hear rhythm guitar, but drums/bass/gtr are mixed on track three.

How do I keep the tracks discreet until I want to mix? Is it something in my overdub settings?

Excuse my poor articulation of this question;).

Thanks.

[kozikowski]

Is it something in my overdub settings?

You should be recording from your recording device: microphone, USB adapter, etc, not Stereo Mix or other foldback adapter. People get this one wrong when they like to record YouTube or other internet content and forget this is a special setting incompatible with normal recording.

Then you should only have Overdub selected in the recording panel.

Audacity > Edit > Preferences > Recording.

Koz

[Blue Moose]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm not sure I'm following you. Under recording preferences, the only thing I have on is "overdub."

I'm running drum machine, guitar, bass and mis through a Behringer Q502 USB mixer into the USB port. Playback / output goes back through USB. I monitor on headphones on the mixer.

I love the Audacity program, just can't get this one simple thing figured out. Have been on GarageBand for years and am accustomed to the way it handles tracks.

Thanks again for your help.

[kozikowski]

But you're not sure about the other setting? When you're not performing live music, do you like to download and listen to YouTube or other on-line music? The settings to do that, formerly called Stereo Mix, send everything on the computer off to be recorded. That can be a generic sound setting for a long time before you notice anything odd, but the instant you start overdubbing, that bites you immediately by double recording the tracks.

What are the settings in the device toolbar?

Screen Shot 2017-07-23 at 6.23.59 PM.png (14.53 KiB) Viewed 765 times

I'm not a Windows elf, but I think that should say USB Audio CODEC in both windows. That should record USB performance from the mixer and then send the "headphone" traffic back to the mixer.

The first setting is not going to be Core Audio. That's going to be something like WASAPI??

There is an tutorial on Overdubbing. Skip forward in the Windows instructions.

http://manual.audacityteam.org/man/tuto ... rdubs.html

A quick trip through the instructions tells me you can set this mixer to send two-track or USB headphone traffic back down the show mix. See the button that says "To Main Mix?" You probably don't want that.

What made you abandon your Mac?

Koz

[Blue Moose]

Thanks, Koz. Will read back through your post and try everything in the morning, about brain dead now...have been messing with this all afternoon;).

One problem here is my lack of familiarity with Windows. I still have my company owned MacBook Air, my wife picked up a PC laptop for me when my old personal Mac finally died. Some of this Windows stuff is maddening.

Will digest everything in the morning. Thanks again.

[kozikowski]

Some of this Windows stuff is maddening

Some of it?

Koz

[kozikowski]

Look for that mixer button first. Pushing that by accident will give you the symptoms you have.

Koz

[Blue Moose]

Ah! It appears to be this funky mixer. I just recorded four tracks without "to mains" clicked on the mixer. Tracks remain independent as they should. I then recorded a track with "to mains" clicked and it reverted to the old problem.

Now here's the hitch. Unless I click "to mains" I cannot hear myself playing as I record.

In any case, looks like the problem is identified. Now to deal with the new problem (tomorrow when I'm actually awake;).

Thanks!

[kozikowski]

The other button in that group: To Phones.

Koz

[Blue Moose]

Koz:

Thanks. I think I've tracked it down.

You were correct, pressing "to mains" was the cause of my track problem. However, I am unable to hear what I'm playing and the previous tracks simultaneously unless I press both "to phones" and "to mains."

I came across this tidbit while digging around for info on the mixer (also new to me).

--

Published on May 19, 2016
When using the USB as your input and output, you can't hear audio in both directions. Let's fix it!

--

Anyway, it turns out that I had all my settings correct, just one pressed button that shouldn't have been pressed. I should be able to figure out the mixer issue. Maybe I'll set for USB input and use the built-in line out for monitoring.

Thanks again!