Few questions - recording with USB mixer

> > > Few questions - recording with USB mixer

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Member Since: Dec 08, 2006

I'm trying my best to figure out this MW10 from Yamaha so that I know a little about it when my daughter opens it Christmas morning. So I'm reading the manual but am becoming a bit confused. The mixer is not here yet due to shipping delays.

It's more the physical setup for what I'd like to accomplish.

What I need is for her to be able to hear herself play the guitar via her amp and record at the same time and I'm not sure how to do that. I did buy powered speakers (m-audio dx4), should the powered speakers be plugged into the mixer or the PC? It mentions a DI box in the manual but I don't what it is or what it accomplishes.

Can someone help please?

We have:

A mic (xlr connector), not condenser mic though.
A PC, xp1800 1gb ram, hercules fourtissimo 3 soundcard.
Maudio dx4 powered speakers.
Various cables.
Marshall mg10cd amp.
Another accoustic/vocal amp, not sure of wattage or details, AXL I think.
Acoustic guitar.
Electric guitar.

www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/...PRODUCT,00.html

Thanks!

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Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002

Dec 17, 2006 09:21 pm

Well the MW10 is a rather simple set up really. It is not only a mixer but the actual sound card as well. You simply plug it into the USB port of your PC after the PC is booted and it should prompt you for letting windows install the driver's. The page you linked to states it has an ASIO driver for it available for download. I suggest doing that as it will give the best performance and lowest latency. Then you can plug your powered moniters into the moniter or main outputs. Plug the mic into the first channel and adjust your gain and that part is ready. The page says it has Cubase LE supplied with the mixer, you will need that installed as well for recording. The page give a very good set up description and it appears pretty complete. I don't think you should have much trouble getting it up and running.

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004

Dec 18, 2006 11:35 am

www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/...LATION,00.html#

there's a picture of an example. It doesn't show where to plug anything in though.

Mics into preamps
Speakers into the main out (left & right). ( i think that will work)

Putting a mic in front of the guitar amp will pick up the sound coming from the monitor speakers, so you'll want to use headphones, then turn down your monitor speakers, if your micing the amp.

Recording direct is an option, if you have some sort of modelling device, like the UX2 mentioned on this site. Guitar -> UX2 -> mw10 line input on a channel.

Then when you hit play in cubase, the recorded tracks will play back through the mixer, and into the speakers.

if you hit record, then cubase will play back the recorded tracks, but also play out the incoming signal, that's getting recorded, so you can hear yourself.

I think, though, that the mw series only records two tracks, so be aware of that if you're trying to track 4 things at a time. They'll be in the same 2 tracks being sent to the PC.

Member
Since: Dec 08, 2006

Dec 21, 2006 04:46 pm

I'm in way above my head, not being musical myself is a handicap in itself. I just want to make this as easy as possible for a twelve year old that hasn't seen recording equipment in her life but has a great voice and picks up on any instrument quickly.

I guess the best I can do is wait till she opens it Christmas day and see what works and what doesn't.

Thanks for the replies.

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004

Dec 21, 2006 05:26 pm

If she's like my 12 year olds, she'll probably whiz right through it.

Good for you, helping her out.

We're certainly here for help, if you want (or if she wants).

Re-reading my post, it does seem to assume that you're already versed in PC recording. My apologies for that.

Good luck, I'm sure it'll work out well.

Member
Since: Dec 08, 2006

Dec 21, 2006 05:56 pm

Thanks pjk... just one last question (at least for now ;)) should I be using the cubase stuff or is their other software I should consider for a beginner?


Cone Poker
Member
Since: Apr 07, 2002

Dec 21, 2006 06:13 pm

Cubase does have a pretty steep learning curve. I've been using it for years and still learning it. For simple audio tracking and mixing I'd suggest kristal Audio Engine, mixed with Audacity for editing. Any software is going to have a learning curve though. That's unavoidable. Cubase is great, and goes deep, but something like Kristal, Multritrack Studio, or N-Track may be more up your ally. At elast until you get some of the basics down.

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004

Dec 21, 2006 06:30 pm

I poked around with CUbase ( a free version I got with something) and didn't like it much, probably because it was the free (or cheap) version.

I've been a big fan of n-track in the past, up to their 3.3 version. After that, their stability went down, and lots of people have jumped ship . . .

to Reaper. Which is what I'm playing with now. I still have ntrack 3.3 on my box, but reaper is getting better and better all the time.

Very stable, low cpu, and easy to run. There's even video tutorials from their site.

www.cockos.com/reaper

I looked at Multitrack studio, and didn't click with it, so I didn't get too involved. I think I was already seasoned on ntrack, so I stayed with it.

Kristal seemed pretty straight forward, and easy,

www.kreatives.org/kristal/

I'd say that kristal or reaper would be easiest to work with. Reaper is a full version of the software, shareware kind of thing. Kick in the coin when you're happy that you'll be using it.

Oh yeah, there's traction too, it's pretty easy to start on, and more than a few have shined right up to it. It's a little different idea than some of the other apps, but it gets the job done.

www.mackie.com/products/tracktion2/splash.html

hope that helps.

Member
Since: Dec 08, 2006

Dec 21, 2006 08:41 pm

Thanks guys... I'm gonna try it all...

Here's some stupid questions...

What am I accomplishing buying the USB mixer...

1) Is it used for tweaking the sound that I'm recording as it's going to the PC?

2) Once I get the sounds to the PC am I done with the mixer?

3) By someone saying that I can only do 2 tracks at once mean that I can, for example, only record vocals and guitar at one time. Basically asking if each instrument is more or less a "track"?

4) Should my DX4 speakers be plugged into the mixer or the PC's soundcard?

I really appreciate the help guys.


Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002

Dec 21, 2006 09:12 pm

Hey Keith, the mixer is a pretty good option. It allows a little more advantage then a stand alone sound card in that, yes you can use it as an all in one unit. And yes it will still play a part once the audio is recorded as it is also the line out for monitoring the playback audio. The manual will really give you and her a good idea of what it can do.

Just so you know they have a 2 volume quick start guide in pdf format here. www.yamahasynth.com/products/mw/index.html You can simply download that and read up on it. I had a quick look and it is pretty well detailed.

Yes, you can only record 2 tracks/channel's at once. So yes, you can record say 2 mic's on an acoustic guitar or 1 vocal mic and 1 guitar mic and they will go to 2 seperate track in the recording application.

And your DX4 speakers should actually be plugged into the CR (control room) output. You can use the main out as well but the control room out give you better control over the volume and wont effect the recorded signal when turned up or down.

Member
Since: Dec 08, 2006

Dec 22, 2006 06:21 pm

"And your DX4 speakers should actually be plugged into the CR (control room) output."

Thanks for the advice.

So if I plug them into the CR output then I can also playback the tracks on the PC through the DX4's via the mixer? And when singing/playing with the DX4's plugged into the mixer will we be able to her what the software is recording?

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002

Dec 22, 2006 11:08 pm

Yes, but you may want to monitor the singing with headphones so the mic does not pick up the audio coming from the speakers. You will be able to hear the playback via the headphones just as if it were coming from the speakers.

Now if the mic is in a differant room then the speakers can be on.

Member
Since: Dec 23, 2006

Dec 23, 2006 02:20 am

Hey everybody,
Is anyone familiar with setting up a usb mixer, and picking up the signal in cubase? I can get the mixer to work and pick up a signal from a guitar or microphone, but my computer doesnt pick up the signal.

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002

Dec 23, 2006 10:27 pm

eliobean, please don't post the same question in several of other thread's. I answered your question in the first post you made in another thread.

If you are using the same Yamaha as used here then follow the links to the manuals I posted and have a little read. They are very detailed and will get you going in no time.

Member
Since: Dec 08, 2006

Dec 29, 2006 07:41 pm

Well I've had some time to play around with the MW10. I guess it's not as difficult as I thought, once one gets onto the software it should be good.

Reaper was the easiest to get going but then once I tried cubase again after using reaper cubase seemed the same so I'm back to cubase. Right now it's a matter of trying to make the recording sound ok, right now it's very noisy.

btw... what's the best version of the cubase software?

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004

Dec 29, 2006 08:38 pm

Good deal, glad it's up and running. Nothing worse than getting a new neat toy, and it not working =(.

I'm not much on cubase, but there's Cubase SX, which I think is their top of the line, with good plugins, good vst support, lot's of cool add in stuff.

here's their product line (cubase)

www.steinberg.de/27+M52087573ab0.html

Member
Since: Dec 08, 2006

Jan 15, 2007 07:49 pm

Well things are going just fair.

I've got a couple songs recorded, just vocals and accoustic. I'm recording using a mic in front of the guitar. My problem now is that the mic is picking up the pick sound (clicking)... very annoying.

Can anyone suggest a better way to record the acoustic? I tried going through the amp and into the mixer but it was very noisy.


Pinnipedal Czar (: 3=
Member
Since: Apr 11, 2004

Jan 15, 2007 08:04 pm

A couple of questions to help with your answer(s) :

What mic are you using ?, and where are you recording it ?

The tecnique I use for recording acoustic guitar is very simple, and gets good results, but it relys on these two components of the process pretty heavily .

Member
Since: Dec 08, 2006

Jan 16, 2007 05:42 pm

The mic is a behringer ultravoice xm8500 recording in a bedroom... no sound proofing... just a regular bedroom.

What size pick should I be using?

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002

Jan 16, 2007 10:28 pm

Keith, although some may think the pick question to be silly it is relevant at times. I prefer the sound of the lighter Tortex and actually just tried a new pick that is even quieter but can't find the maker of it right now.

For the most part though I now use both the Tortex and standard version of the Jazz III pick from Dunlop. They are heavy as hell and forced me to stop playing so heavy handed. I have recently switched as well to a 20mm standard sized pick from dunlop as well called the Big Stubby. It is designed sort of like the smaller Jazz III but in a full size. Again it must be played with a very soft and deft touch though to make it sound good.

I'll let Hue finish the other answer as he was on a roll with that one.

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004

Jan 21, 2007 12:25 am

I'm interested too, as I'd like to start doing more AG recording.

But, I tend to use my fingers on most acoustic playing. Finger picking, and back of first finger for minor pick work.

I need to record more, though, to have a worthwhile opinion.

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002

Jan 22, 2007 10:01 pm

pjk, I like finger picking as well. I even tried growing my nails out a couple times and tried the finger picks to do the Leo Kottke thing and it was very uncomfortable. So I just went back to the straight up flesh with slight fingernail on the strings. For the guitars I owned it sounded better anyway. Also made a half assed effort at Mark Knopplfer style as well. Although not bad I found it again uncomfortable.

My picking styles now are a mish mash of various styles kind of tossed about in my own little way.

Prince CZAR-ming
Member
Since: Apr 08, 2004

Jan 22, 2007 10:29 pm

I think I'm the same way as you, lots of flesh, but parts of nail click, and strumming with back of first finger / back of thumb.

I use a pick occasionally, but not much if I can help it.

My 12 loves the finger style.

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002

Jan 24, 2007 10:09 pm

Ya, funny thing is I had never noticed how much finger is involved when I use those little Jazz III picks from Dunlop. I think I have trained myself in some mutant style formed from being shown way too many picking styles.

Oh ya, my Alverez Yari 12 loved the finger picking. I rarely played that with a pick.

> > > Few questions - recording with USB mixer

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