Please help me hook up my audio interface!

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Member Since: May 14, 2010

I just bought a bunch of equipment to start recording vocals and I'm getting suuuuuuuuper frustrated and I just don't know what else to try.


I'm using an MXL V87 microphone and a tascam us-122mkii audio interface.

Its set up like this: V87--->(via XLR cable)--->us-122mkii---->(via USB cable)---->computer

I installed the most recent driver for the tascam, but I can't seem to get it to record into audacity.

I'm running windows XP sp3, and I'm fairly certain I've installed everything correctly.

But when I try to record in audacity, I either get no sound recorded at all, or a faint buzzing noise.


Through windows I've tried to enable the tascam interface as the default recording device, and through audacity I've tried the same, but it doesn't seem to have any effect.

Messing with the knobs on the audio interface, the only thing I've managed to do is record the track I'm playing on the computer. And yes, I have phantom power turned on.

I've also tried different usb ports (on the front and back of the computer) with no luck.

I've tried using the L R RCA outputs from the mixer to the microphone port of the computer, again no luck.



Does anyone know whats going on here? If you can't figure it out, feel free to ask me questions about this situation, I can provide screenshots if that helps (show you how I have the recording devices configured in windows and audacity, etc)

I really really really really wanted to record yesterday and I ended up spending all day trying to figure this out and I'm getting really ******* sick of messing around with endless combinations of configurations because I'm basically just doing trial and error here so i could really use some help.

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Czar of Turd Polish
Member
Since: Jun 20, 2006


May 14, 2010 03:49 pm

First thing I would do is plug in some headphones (or speakers) directly into the tascam just to make sure you are getting sound.

Second, beings you recorded what was playing on the PC I think you need to verify in the Audacity settings that it is set to the Tascam ASIO driver. The windows recording devices will probably not take effect in Audacity so no point in messing with that.

I don't know if this is the same version you use but this if everything is functioning this is where you need to specify your hardware and input.


http://www.l2pnet.com/system/files/fig1-audio_setup.jpg


Member
Since: May 14, 2010


May 14, 2010 04:08 pm

Do I need to put the tascam as both the playback and the recording device?

Because I have it set as the recording device and I've tried mono and stereo, I have the sample rate and sample format set correctly for the tascam as well.

Czar of Turd Polish
Member
Since: Jun 20, 2006


May 14, 2010 07:29 pm

I know next to nothing about audacity but... when using an ASIO device you indeed use it for both playback and recording bypassing the internal soundcard 100%. You then monitor your audio via phones or speakers directly from the tascam.

Does audacity even support ASIO? If not (after reading online I don't think so) one solution would be to install the ASIO4ALL driver.

A better solution would be to download and try reaper. It supports ASIO, is free and gets rave reviews.

Member
Since: May 14, 2010


May 14, 2010 09:58 pm

I got reaper and tried that, set the sample rate and the I/O's correctly, still no luck. I can record that same buzzing noise but thats it.

When I set the mixer correctly, reaper sees the input and shows bouncing colored bars on the volume meter for the track, but its all below -6 db and nothing I do on the microphone affects it. I'm sitting here trying everything on the mixer and clapping my hands and saying stupid stuff in the mic and I'm getting no feedback on the software.

I've noticed that reaper seems to be expecting me to add another input for the right microphone port on the mixer. If I choose a track to input mono, it makes me pick left or right, and if I choose stereo, it only records one side.

I'm real inexperienced here so I'm a bit lost.... :(

Czar of Turd Polish
Member
Since: Jun 20, 2006


May 16, 2010 02:45 pm

you would want to use mono indeed. if you are plugged into port 1 then tell reaper mono/L. in general 1/2 are left/right. Most instruments are mono (guitar, vox, bass) and we create stereo by panning multiple instruments. Some things like keyboards end digital gear is stereo and would need both.

Sounds like you need to start from the beginning and check the mic elsewhere to make sure it works, check the mic cable, make sure that the mkII is actually picking sound up from the mic (headphones should be able to monitor even if the computer is not recording correctly), and then dive into the computer portion again.

Member
Since: May 14, 2010


May 16, 2010 05:10 pm

It appears to be the xlr cable, but now I'm entirely confused because I returned it and bought a new one and it doesn't work either.

I know its the xlr cable because I went to my friends professional studio, and we did this:

plugged in my mic and my xlr cable. didn't work.
Switched my mic for a dynamic mic. Worked.
Switched the dynamic mic for a different condenser mic. Didn't work.
Plugged my mic into a different cable. Worked.

Seemed clear to me that the xlr cable was the problem so I got a replacement. Doesn't work....

Is it possible that the xlr cable is too cheap to handle phantom power mics?

Czar of Turd Polish
Member
Since: Jun 20, 2006


May 17, 2010 12:21 pm

Unless there is a typo, that is straight up weird that the condensors don't work on that particular cable but a dynamic does. I've never heard of or thought that a cable could be that kind of picky, might be worth a shot to grab a different brand though, you may have just been unlucky.

Uh, at least one more time . . .
Member
Since: Feb 07, 2007


May 18, 2010 05:56 pm

Too bad you don't have a small mixer with phantom (like a Behringer 802) -- you'd be able to test the thing (cables and mics) without messing around with the computer interface stuff . . . did you go back to your friend's studio with the new cable? It's highly unlikely that you got two bad balanced cables--it's also very unlikely that the cable (any mic cable) "couldn't handle" the 48 volt current.
So, I have a kind of dumb question: Does the XLR cable you bought have XLR-type fittings on both ends (male and female)? The scenario you describe at your friend's studio (and the highly unlikely possibility of two bad brand-new cables) strongly suggest that you are not delivering phantom power to the mic--the cable has to be XLR to XLR. Let us know.

Member
Since: May 14, 2010


May 20, 2010 04:57 pm

update:

I borrowed my friends cable and hooked it up to my audio interface and mic at home and it works.

I swapped it with the replacement cable just now and it still doesnt work. So its definitely the cable idk why though....


But now I have a new problem.... I cant control the mic input volume...

My mixer only allows me to control the volume of headphone monitoring, but does nothing to affect the input volume of the microphone.

Windows microphone volume settings have no effect, and both reaper and audacity microphone volume settings have no effect...

now I'm totally lost.... why is fate trying to stop me???

Member
Since: Jan 17, 2010


May 20, 2010 06:25 pm

it's hardware not software, you can't excepct a software to control the input of your mic though you can adjust volumes with software but is it too low it will be a lot of noise and hiss if you boost it with software and is it very loud it's gonna clip and and distort and you can't do much about that unless you adjust every single frequency

I looked at your interface and it seems very clear to me that it's got a input knob to adjust the level on.

Czar of Turd Polish
Member
Since: Jun 20, 2006


May 21, 2010 04:08 pm

The two bottom knobs should control L&R mic input gain.


http://www.comeon.co.jp/shop/audio_if/images/tascam-us-122mk2.jpg


Member
Since: May 14, 2010


May 22, 2010 12:56 am

I'm an idiot lol thanks guys! I don't know why, but I had some earlier experience of reading that you had to turn the knob to the right to use a mic as input and then had a defining experience of turning the knob and it being the only time I could get the mic light to turn on. I remember testing this but I must've still been doing something wrong at that point because it works now.

Thanks again guys, you've been awesome!

Uh, at least one more time . . .
Member
Since: Feb 07, 2007


May 23, 2010 12:52 am

Huh? I assume it wasn't the cable's terminus?

Member
Since: May 14, 2010


May 27, 2010 06:59 pm

@ Tim N

yea the cable was the problem. It works now...

However, the mic input volume is very.... annoying....

On the mixer, the bottom knobs are what I'm using to control input volume, and it... works... but its super super quiet until I hit that last dot and then its SUPER LOUD.

Wtf is up with that? Its really ******* annoying because I have to adjust the knob with ABSOLUTE PRECISION to get it to the right input volume.

and its not like I'm trying to record whispers and screaming in the same take or anything like that, I'm keeping a pretty steady volume.

What could cause this?

Uh, at least one more time . . .
Member
Since: Feb 07, 2007


May 29, 2010 11:12 am

Do you mean those L/R knobs pictured above on the Tascam? The input sensitivity is a little touchy, I'd say. At around $200.00 US, I'm not surprised that the pre-amp has a bump where the signal suddenly gets hotter. It also could be that the mic and the pre-amp are a "bad" match--this does happen, or so I've read, though I suspect it's the relative cheapness of the components. I use an ART Tube MP to record one channel at a time; there is a slight bump at about -24db where the thing gets noticeably louder. Once I'm past that mark, the sensitivity is much touchier than it was before the -24db. No big deal--it's not like your issue, but the Tube MP costs $100.00 or so, and all it does is provide phantom and gain. I would suggest getting something like this, or even a small mixer with phantom to use only for the mic--send in the mic signal already gained up, with phantom on (phantom must be OFF at the Tascam!). I'm assuming you won't experience the crazy gain bump via the little mixer that you do with the Tascam. At any rate, you should be able to back off the Tascam's input gain considerably, say down to the 9:00 position (the fact that the Tascam isn't marked off by numbers is telling).
At this point I highly reccomend a visit to Massive Master's site, www.independentrecording.net/irn/ You will find very important stuff there about gain staging and meter levels, which you really need to know before you get rolling. As you're finding out, gain staging and overall levels are very important. (Go to "Resources" and then "Metering and Gain Structure" for starters.) In the meantime, you'll have to continue with battling the touchy (very touchy) Tascam gain knobs.

Czar of Turd Polish
Member
Since: Jun 20, 2006


May 30, 2010 03:00 pm

What do you consider super quiet is my question. From my experience vocals don't track extremely loud through my mic/pre setup. If I had a better pre I could probably get more out of it but; I'd rather have a quiet vocal that's clean of noise and simply turn it up later. I usually don't go past 2-3 oclock on my pres.

If your talking quiet when tracking, crank some decent headphones pretty high until you have good vocal monitoring and then slowly bring up the master volume in your DAW so that anything pre-recorded does not overpower said vocal.

I use my line6 plugs when tracking vox now, I actually record the DI but provide a comp/eq/delay mix for the singers phones which helps immensely.

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