Soundcard, PC and stereo setup help needed
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Posted on Jul 20, 2004 07:33 am
neuaddsibly
Member Since: Apr 08, 2004
OK, lemme try explain my setup and what i want to achieve...maybe some talented dude can tell me if its indeed possible or not.
I have the Hoontech C-Port soundcard (DSP2000), a computer, and a stereo. I have no mixer, so i use the internal software mixer of the Hoontech, which is more than a little confusing to a non-techie like myself, but i think its about time i tried to reconfigure things somewhat.
Currently i dont use the OUTs of the hoontech at all. All i do is run a cable from its Headphone jack into the back of my stereo (stereo AUX input). Then to listen to stuff, i hear it either through the stereo speakers (yeah, lets forget the fact i should use dedicated monitors) or through my headphones, which of course are then plugged into my stereo.
There are two downsides of this:
1) I havent figured out a way to get WMA files to play through my stereo (i.e. through my hoontech)... instead, they play through my shitty little PC speakers. The same is true for waves, unless i launch them from within ntrack or cool edit (coz i've specified the soundcard paths for these programs). So i guess they are running through the PC's other soundcard, one of them onboard thingies.
2) And the most annoying: i track through headphones in a different room, a different set of headphones. This means when i track, i have to manually swap the headphone cables in my stereo. Is there any way i can have it so that my tracking monitoring phones and my mixing phones/monitors are constantly set up? Coz i'm currently feeling more than a little like Homer Simpson "headphones go out.... headphones go in.... headphones go out...."
Sorry if this is confusing or lacking details, but i have next to no clue when it comes to these things. If anyone at all understands this and can guide me through it, i'll be eternally grateful and probably give you a biscuit or something.
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Jul 20, 2004 07:43 am 1- you need to go into the Windows Control Panel and set up the Hoontech as your primary audio device.
2- to get multiple cans set up at once, always available you need a headphone splitter/amplifier such as service.bfast.com/bfast/c...mp;bfmtype=gear
As an added bonus I will bore you with an opinion. Don't use the headphone outs, use a set of the primary outputs from the Hoontech, and run those to your stereo, using adapters if you have to. If you get a proper headphone splitter, you can run one set of out into the headphone splitter and one set of outs to the stereo and select which one you want to use. Or, what I do is run my main outs into my headphone splitter, the outs of the headpohne splitter into the amp/speakers. So, if I want headphones, I just turn the amp on and put on a set of cans, if not, I leave that amp off and the signal just goes thru the headphone splitter and into the amp for normal speaker listening.
Jul 20, 2004 08:02 am Me not bored at all dB, maybe i'll actually learn something!! :)
Errr...(and thisll prove how dumb i am when it comes to such things)....when you say "use a set of outs", dyou mean use two outs? Coz each out is mono, right, so.....ughhhh...i'm confused already.
To put it another way also.... if i could run these primary outs (not sure what they are) to my stereo, would that take care of one of my headphone sets, allowing me to use the Hoontech headphone out for the tracking set, for example???
Jul 20, 2004 08:02 am ...oh, and thanks for the reply already, totally forgot to say that...
Jul 20, 2004 08:08 am Yes, as I understand (not having a Hoontech, I may be wrong) each out is mono, therefor you need two outs to be a stereo pair. So run one set of outs to an in on your stereo. Run another set of outs to a headphone splitter...no, you don't want to use those outs to go straight to headphones, but to a headphone amp will work great.
Jul 20, 2004 08:22 am This is where i get confused dB.... surely simply using 2 mono outs doesnt make a stereo pair? I mean, how will it know that one is left channel and one is right channel?
I also dont understand (i'm desperately trying hard to grasp this, honest i am!!!) why i would need to buy a headphone amp when the hoontech itself has one, complete with volume knob. Or is that headphone out different to a headphone amp? Sorry again for my stupidity but i'm determined to get to the bottom of this :)
Jul 20, 2004 08:27 am Your above comment stated you wanted to be able to have two headphones at the ready all the time:
Quote:
Is there any way i can have it so that my tracking monitoring phones and my mixing phones/monitors are constantly set up?
THAT necessitates a headphone splitter. To have a single headphone ready you could use the one onboard jack, if you want multiple sets of cans you would need a splitter. Plus, then each set will have it's own volume as well...
True, two outs do not automatically create a stereo pair, but it DOES automatically create two signal paths. From there it is up to you, in the hoontech or your software, to assign each of the two outs to be left and right. How you do that I couldn't help with cuz I don't know that card's software, or the software with which you record.
Jul 20, 2004 08:36 am Ahah, beginning to get it.
Maybe i phrased my initial question a bit misleading... in essence, lets forget the monitoring headphones as they can be plugged in and out of my stereo when i see fit.
So, what i am after is a way that i can have 2 constant things set up: my tracking headphones plugged in, and my mixing monitors (which happens to be my stereo, for financial reasons). So for this, its still a case of needing a headphone splitter?
I wasnt aware i could assign two outs to be left and right like you say... i am the perfect example of why having some knowledge before the digital age is a very underrated cog in the wheel.
Jul 20, 2004 08:49 am You can do what you now describe easily, that is what the multiple outs on your Hoontech are for. Read the manual, it will sure tell you how to set that up, as it is a very common way to hook things up. Use two outs for the stereo signal to go to your stereo and the headphone outs for your cans.
When reading the manual, it will probably often refer to the "amp" or "reference amplifier". In your case, that would be your stereo reciever.
Jul 20, 2004 09:22 am Ah, i see. See, i didnt even understand what the outs were for.... i thought that OUT1 corresponded to IN1, if you get me..... <looks for stupid blushy girlie embarrassment smiley>.
I'll try to read the manual again. So much prefered it when you actually got a hardcopy and not just a "manual-on-a-disk"
Thanks for your help toiday dB....at least now i know where to start.....
Jul 20, 2004 09:24 am no problem, glad to help.
Yes, I can understand the misunderstanding of the in/out relationship. Just remember it's all software driven you can make any out do whatever you want really. Heck you can use one to send a track back out to go thru some external processor then back in another input if you wanna :-)
Jul 20, 2004 09:42 am That in itself is a big eye-opener for me :)
Think i was so happy at actually getting sound to come out of the stereo a while back, that i darent not touch anything else LOL.
Jul 29, 2004 03:36 am Hey dB,
I found that cheap mic splitter i used to use and low and behold it still works, so at least i was able to have both headphones working simultaneously. I still took your advice though, and have ordered some cables and adapters to allow me to run the sound to my stereo out of the hoontech outpus and not the headphone jack.
Thanks again bud.
Jul 29, 2004 06:05 am Hey Neuaddsibly..
I do a similar thing to what you talk of myself.
I have a Delta 44 with 4 outs - I run two outs to the desktop monitors (Edirol's) and I run the other 2 to my HIFI (Aux In).
In then set up the Control Panel for sounds (XP) under my DAW log in for all thru the Monitors. However, I set up another log in altogether and left this as out 3-4 via the HIFI as default.
Great way to get your sounds everywhere with the right cabling.
Just thought I'd share that. Its a great way to get an extra set of speakers for real monitoring i.e. monitoring my sound AS it will sound on an actual HIFI. Its actually not a real bad thing you're doing (monitoring via a HIFI) in that you will hear how it will sound on a HIFI without having to test with a new CD. It's not neutral tho as monitors should be but alas, you need to spend a good feq quid to good decent monitors anyways!!
Anyway, good luck with yer speakers...
Coco.
Jul 29, 2004 08:38 am Cheers for the info, Coco! Still got me wondrin which green and white team you are for, btw... i dont wanna mention one in case its the wrongun!!! :)
I'd love proper monitors, but yeah, as ever its a money thing. More importantly though, i understand my stereo's sound characteristics and am familiar with the sound from it, which i think is really important. And of course, i try it out with various settings all the time... no bass boost, extreme bass boost... then burn, then try it out upstairs....etc etc etc but I do pick a pretty neutral sound for my general mixing.
Thanks for chippin in, i might need your help again when my cables arrive ;)
Aug 02, 2004 07:04 am Well the coupla cables arrived and i hooked it up like you guys suggested... and to my surprise, low and behold i'd already configured my software before perfectly, and it worked without me having to alter anything! That was a relief...
Thanks again for all the help...
Aug 02, 2004 07:08 am Nice one Neuaddsibly - its good when stuff goes well withoot any hicups!
Aye, the setup works good for me. Am nae expert or anything like that but for ma purposes, it works just fine. I also find that my CDRW discs are handy - I use them over and over for a mix, then just use a CDR when the mixes are all done and good as the car doesny take CDRW's - CDR's are fine tho.
So - it saves me a FORTUNE in discs!! hehe.
As for the Team in green & White - the FIRST Team to wear the green n white in Scotland..the mighty Edinburgh Hibees! Hibernian FC!
Anyways..glad it worked for ya.
Cheers...
Coco.
Aug 02, 2004 08:34 am Good job i didnt guess at the C team then... ;)
