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Posted By: jonel Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/06/16 08:17 PM
My audio interface provides two channels to a Realband audio track using ASIO. Both are used when the track type is stereo. So if the actual input input is mono (one microphone only) then only one half of the stereo is recorded. If the track type is then set to mono then only one of the channels is selected? One channel does work but there is no way (not that I can see anyway) of forcing the track to use one or other of the inputs.

It would be great to have any help on this please?

John Lundrigan
Posted By: eddie1261 Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/06/16 08:33 PM
Originally Posted By: jonel
If the track type is then set to mono then only one of the channels is selected?


Kinda sorta. If the track type is mono, there ARE no L and R. It's one merged channel.
Posted By: rharv Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/06/16 09:12 PM
In Audio Prefs you can set a MONO track to record one side or the other.
It's a 2-way system though; If the track type is Stereo it will record both tracks.
If you change the track type to MONO, the above mentioned Prefs setting lets you decide how MONO tracks are handled; record L, record R, or record Both.

Attached picture stereo-mono_RB.jpg
Posted By: David Snyder Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/06/16 10:34 PM

I record everything that I play in mono on the left channel, sometimes switching to right when I am mic'ing the amp and want to use the right channel of the Asio/audio interface.

But generally speaking, when you are recording your own tracks you want to record in mono, and choose either left or right.

Even with some real tracks that render as stereo I convert them to mono in audacity so I have more control in the panning process.

The only exception is drums which I usually leave in stereo.

Hope that makes sense.

Attached picture Audio Input Left.png
Posted By: lambada Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/06/16 11:34 PM
Hi David

How can we make RTs mono if we are panning tracks in BIAB itself? Are you altering your actual RealTracks in Audacity? Assuming they are stereo. I'm very confused as to whether having them in mono is important for backing tracks that are going to be played on a PA, and am not sure how it can be done. Likewise, a while back someone suggested panning the drums and bass one way, so that you could control the mix more easily on the PA for different venues. That's got me completely baffled now. I guess what I'm trying to ensure is that my backing tracks are clear and not taking anything away from my guitar and vocals.

Thanks.
Posted By: eddie1261 Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/07/16 01:06 AM
I have wondered, but never asked, why when you generate tracks they are not all mono or all stereo. Typically drums are stereo, bass is mono, and then it's seemingly at random.

@David Snyder re: panning. I usually leave drums, bass, vocals and solos in the middle but the rhythm instruments go left and right.

One of my teachers used a baseball field as her example. A baseball team always wants to be strong up the middle. Catcher, pitcher, shortstop, second base and center field. Or to apply the metaphor, drums, bass, vox and solos. The other example she used was visual where she held up 5 things behind a computer tower, to visualize that you could only see the last 4 when she moved them to the left or the right. Just expanding on what you said. Record them in mono and then move them left and right. Depending on how many rhythm instruments I have I will do hard left, 45 degrees left, hard right and 45 degrees right. Makes for some depth.

I have at times split a mono track RB created into 2 tracks so I can have a left and a right and place effects on one and not on the other. It doesn't always stay in, but that's some of the experimenting. One time, I had a 12 string track and I cloned it 3 times so I had 4 tracks of the same thing. I went hard left clean, 45 left chorused, hard right with reverb, and 45 right with a little delay, all at low and varied volumes. I was trying to make it sound like 4 guitars playing the same part with slightly different color. A Phil Spector-ish move. It worked well enough but I didn't keep all those layers in the end.
Posted By: jonel Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/07/16 09:40 AM
Excellent rharv, just what I was looking for.

Thanks

John
Posted By: jonel Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/07/16 09:42 AM
Thanks David, great information.

Regards

John
Posted By: Charlie Fogle Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/07/16 11:07 AM
There is a selection in the Master tab submenu, Set mix to flat, dry and center.

Access this by right clicking on the Master tab to open the menu window.

This is a useful feature when exporting BIAB tracks to a DAW for further processing where you will add effects, volume envelopes and panning and want to export your tracks dry, equal volumes and no panning.

Charlie
Posted By: Guitarhacker Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/07/16 03:19 PM
If you select STEREO as the input type for the track ... you must provide both a left and a right input via the 2 channels in the interface.

If you select MONO as the input type for the track, it will send only that side that you selected as the MONO input to the track.

In MONO, it is totally possible to have the other interface channel providing another different MONO input to another track. So you could record guitar to one and vocal to the other. Both would be mono tracks and both would be recording at the same time if you decided to do it that way.
Posted By: David Snyder Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/07/16 03:46 PM
To answer all questions, or at least try.

1.) I only use Real Band to generate usable backing tracks. Except for drums, I always want those tracks to be in mono, so I go into Audacity after the export and do stereo to mono and resave the tracks if those tracks rendered as stereo in Real Band (and were exported that way.)

Some people use plug ins to reshape stereo tracks inside the DAW but I find that to be a nuisance. I want my tracks (except for drums) to be in mono so I can pan them where I want them. It is just my preference.

Again, this is just my way of doing things.

2.) The question of "Mono left" might be confusing. When I say 'mono left" I mean I am simply using the left channel input on the audio interface to record a mono track, and again--and this is just me--I prefer all the audio tracks except for drums to be in mono.

Then once I have them in Sonar, I pan bass just slightly off center, main vocals straight up, drums straight up, doubled vocals at 10, and -10, main instruments at 25 and -25 and sweetening instruments at 30, -30, or sometimes -35, and 35.

Bob Buford just wrote an excellent column on this in the recording forum.

I hope this makes sense!!!
Posted By: Charlie Fogle Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/07/16 05:48 PM
David, regarding rendering RB stereo tracks to mono. You can save time and effort doing this in RB rather than exporting back and forth between RB and Audacity. I was wondering why you use this particular procedure.
Posted By: David Snyder Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/07/16 07:40 PM
Charlie,

I never go back into real band after I export and I like audacity for various reasons.

However, where is the setting on Real Band anyway that allows you to change it to all mono export?

I can't find it under preferences.

Thanks!
Posted By: eddie1261 Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/07/16 08:36 PM
Jonel, this may be good reading for you.

Audio drivers debate
Posted By: Charlie Fogle Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/07/16 11:18 PM
It works the same in RB as Audacity that you can split stereo tracks and merge them back together if desired.

You can split your tracks prior to export and avoid the Audacity stage altogether and save a little time.

The option is accessed from the Edit Menu on the top tool bar.

Edit>Track>Split a stereo track into 2 Mono tracks...

The merge option is just above the split selection in the same menu.

Charlie
Posted By: David Snyder Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/08/16 11:21 AM
Ok thanks Charlie.

I think we have been around this before. There are aspects of audacity I like, and it takes me 10 minutes to "trim" and normalization ALL of my audio for any song remove, clicks, unwanted passages and stuff, and convert stereo to mono.

I can blow the audio up real big, look for artifacts and zap them in a millisecond with negative amplification.

I mean, everything is ready to go into the DAW after about 10 minutes.

I guess I have just gotten use to it and just like doing it that way though it is nice to have the extra in information about Real Band, so thanks a lot.

But again. once I leave Real Band with my tracks I don't go back. I mix in Sonar.
Posted By: 1mansaxband Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/08/16 02:46 PM
Tech support could not figure out my lingering problem. Since going with this Scarlett 2i2 the melody track midi in yellow is out of sync with the RealTracks -a couple of bars behind. Resetting to factory settings (all option) fixes it but only for a while, it goes back to this problem. Unchecking the use VST/DX on the Midi driver setup dialogue box made it better but still off a little then later it was back to same.
Posted By: rharv Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/08/16 04:25 PM
In MIDI preferences, even though you have the 'Use default DXi' checkbox enabled, do you have the MS Wavetable synth selected as the device in the box above the check box?
For some reason we have seen this fix a weird problem or 2 before.
Just a shot in the dark. It shouldn't matter since all MIDI is getting re-routed, but like I said it has helped before in weird situations.
Posted By: Guitarhacker Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/08/16 06:54 PM
Originally Posted By: 1mansaxband
Tech support could not figure out my lingering problem. Since going with this Scarlett 2i2 the melody track midi in yellow is out of sync with the RealTracks -a couple of bars behind. Resetting to factory settings (all option) fixes it but only for a while, it goes back to this problem. Unchecking the use VST/DX on the Midi driver setup dialogue box made it better but still off a little then later it was back to same.


You should put this in a new post/thread.

Midi playing behind is called latency and is generally a driver issue. The Focusrite Scarlett is a good interface. What driver mode are you using with it?

Are we talking about BB or RB or both?

Give us as much detail on your recording rig setup as you can.
Posted By: eddie1261 Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/08/16 08:58 PM
I believe 2.5.1 is the latest Focusrite driver.
Posted By: Charlie Fogle Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/08/16 09:16 PM
Quote: " Ok thanks Charlie.

I think we have been around this before. There are aspects of audacity I like, and it takes me 10 minutes to "trim" and normalization ALL of my audio for any song remove, clicks, unwanted passages and stuff, and convert stereo to mono."


Yes. I use Audacity a lot too. It's a very versatile program. I recall us discussing how I use the compressor and normalize my tracks. I find it easier to trim the stereo file in Audacity than all the tracks in RB prior to merging the song into a stereo file.

I no longer move every song into a DAW so I split stereo tracks and normalize some in RB. However, if I plan to burn several songs onto a CD, I trim, label, do fade ins/outs and normalize the sum of songs in Audacity.
Posted By: 1mansaxband Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/09/16 01:59 PM
Yes I have Wavetable selected already.
Posted By: 1mansaxband Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/09/16 02:24 PM
Originally Posted By: Guitarhacker
Originally Posted By: 1mansaxband
Tech support could not figure out my lingering problem. Since going with this Scarlett 2i2 the melody track midi in yellow is out of sync with the RealTracks -a couple of bars behind. Resetting to factory settings (all option) fixes it but only for a while, it goes back to this problem. Unchecking the use VST/DX on the Midi driver setup dialogue box made it better but still off a little then later it was back to same.


You should put this in a new post/thread.

Midi playing behind is called latency and is generally a driver issue. The Focusrite Scarlett is a good interface. What driver mode are you using with it?

Are we talking about BB or RB or both?

Give us as much detail on your recording rig setup as you can.


I am using BB for live playback only, here is my setup

-ASUS X751S win 10 laptop
-Yamaha 408i PA
-Yorkville YX10P powered monitor
-Scarlett 2i2 1st gen

I use a Instrument mic on ch 1 using mixer phantom power on ch 4 I have a dynamic mic. I am going to start a new topic to continue finding a solution to my issues. "Latency and static noise issues"
Posted By: Guitarhacker Re: Question about ASIO in Realband - 12/10/16 11:44 AM
Originally Posted By: 1mansaxband


-ASUS X751S win 10 laptop
-Yamaha 408i PA
-Yorkville YX10P powered monitor
-Scarlett 2i2 1st gen

I use a Instrument mic on ch 1 using mixer phantom power on ch 4 I have a dynamic mic. I am going to start a new topic to continue finding a solution to my issues. "Latency and static noise issues"




latency and "static" type noises...pops, clicks, drops and scratching are classic symptoms of using either the wrong driver such as MME or not having your ASIO settings properly adjusted.

A laptop's built in sound chip is not a good option in the world of multitrack recording. Be sure you have the ASIO driver installed for the 2i2. Then it's a matter of adjusting the latency and buffers until you get a reasonably good playback.

Some folks have to have settings for recording and another for playback. Hopefully, you can do as I did and find a nice middle ground which works for all situations and gives low latency under 5ms or so. 10ms is about as high as you really want to see.
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