How is your recording/monitoring set up?

[nativeaudio]

How is your monitoring set up for recording situations? What's the source of your headphone signal?

[spjessop]

I was using the DSP mixer on my soundcard, but blending in VST reverb gets complicated when punching in using Sonar. It wasn't an issue if I could get the track in one take, but that's obviously not living in the real world

Last night I tracked vocals and guitars monitoring through Sonar with a round trip of approx 6ms and both musicians were happier with it that way.

It simplifies things, but would be nicer if I could get Sonar to monitor sends during tracking whilst leaving the dry signal muted in order for me to monitor that with the DSP mixer. If it's possible, I haven't managed to get it to work.

I think one workaround would be to do each punch on a new track and comp afterwards, but that seems the least elegant solution. As long as the talent is comfortable with 6ms it's no big deal, but it's got me thinking of either patching in my little reverb box or putting together a much lower latency system.

[uncle duncan]

Cuemix software mixer for zero latency monitoring of inputs on a Motu interface. Cuemix output runs through a Yamaha 01V96 mixer, where reverb can be added.

HD24 for tracking bands. Adat lightpipe output from the HD24 goes to the digital mixer for zero latency monitoring, including 4 seperate headphone mixes via aux sends to the 4 analog outs which feed the 6 channel headphone amp.

A related question: do any PTLE interfaces come with a zero-latency software mixer like Cuemix for Motu?

[tomdarude]

analog via Dangerous Monitor ST

monitor-reverb is either via hardware or via Logic send-> Altiverb
(latency on the verb only is elsewhere called "pre-delay", and mostly pretty useful )

[nativeaudio]

I'm monitoring the recorded signal via the FireFace mixer, and the reverb from Logic, so I should have voted 'A combination of the above' (or actually 'The recorded signal is monitored via an additional software mixer', since that's where I get the dry signal from), but clicked on option 3 (software monitoring) for some silly reason. Oh well.

[gollumsluvslave]

Using ASIO Direct via the Edirol UA-1000.

[Eganmedia]

I can't imagine not using a big ol' console to return individual outputs from pro tools. If I have to mix ITB for recall reasons, I still have a great center section, talkback and monitoring and main inserts.


"They can have my D&R Cinemix when they pry it from my cold, dead hands."

A really well-though-out control surface with all of the above, 24 good mic amps and surround joysticks could change that though...

[nativeaudio]

Only one person answered 'The recorded signal is monitored through Pro Tools TDM or a similar, DSP based system'? So much for the value of public polls...

[ambiguity]

+1 for TDM. Outs from 192i/o through X-mon.

[nativeaudio]

These are some questions from this thread, but instead of hijacking yet another Digidesign thread, I'll continue here, since this is about monitoring during record and not about Digidesign.

Originally Posted by psycho_monkey

Well, what does the direct monitoring function do? I have to say, I never really use it - 64 or 32 samples is low enough for me. But if you turn direct monitoring on, and dropped in with the original on a separate track, how would that pose a problem?

Here's how it works in Logic:
Direct monitoring means that you'll set up your system in a way that means that whatever is being recorded, or rather, performed, is being routed directly to the (headphone) outputs directly (with no latency). At the same time, you'll hear whatever is played back by the DAW. When you punch in the original take will automatically be muted in the DAW. Since a native audio scenario still means that the levels and pan (during record) is not controlled by the DAW itself, and - in the case of Logic - not even remote controlled by the DAW, a few things will be different compared to a PTHD system...

Originally Posted by drew

I would like to learn more myself. For example, when using direct monitoring, how does punching in work? Does the software switch from direct to the app and back for each punch in?

Scenario 1: A singer wants to hear the old take, and sing only one word.
In this case, the only difference between a native system and a TDM system is that you'll get a slightly lower latency.

Scenario 2: A singer wants to hear the old take, and replace the last word in the chorus, but sing the whole chorus (and hear her self doing this in real time).
In this case, the latency will also be lower than in a TDM system, and the easiest way to set this up would be to mute the old chorus and start playback from the start of the chorus, and punch in at the word that needs to be replaced.

Scenario 3: A singer wants to hear the old take up to the point where the word that needs to be replaced comes.
AFAIK there's no elegant solution for this in Logic. The latency will still be lower in this scenario than with PTHD, but Logic is designed around the concept of Software Monitoring. Of course there are workarounds, but who wants workarounds... The only way to make this work properly in Logic is to use Direct Monitoring, and either freeze tracks or use a Node if the system doesn't allow you the low buffer setting you want, unless you're in the mood for manually muting and unmuting stuff in real time.

Since I stopped using TDM, I've mainly been composing, mixing or editing, and for my personal work, I rarely punch in. I make a new recording and edit the two together afterwards. Other Logic users may have other suggestions regarding how punch in when using direct monitoring.

If Apple wants to improve how punching works in direct mode, they may implement a way to let the DAW control the 3rd part mixers that takes care of the monitor and routing situation (CueMix, FireFace mixer...) in direct mode. Hopefully they won't do this, and instead develop whatever it takes to make all 3rd part soft-mixers extinct.