Software Monitoring On/Off

[PMoshay]

i guess anything you don't buy is a deal breaker.

Did you make a deal with Avid? and they broke it?

are you dangling your $300 over their head after they just posted one of the coolest updates of the best DAW software on the market?

Just say that i would like to see this function & why........

[Groovr]

It's pretty simple, but can be difficult to explain.

Basically he wants to be able to record into Pro Tools without hearing what he's recording THROUGH Pro Tools until he does a playback. So a vocalist will hear themselves monitored through the desk without hearing a "double" coming back from Pro Tools. The only time the channel being recorded makes any sound is in playback, NOT in record.

As a vocalist, I find that even at 64 samples you can hear that monitoring delay - it manifests as almost a chorusy sound against your own voice in your headphones.

This isn't a deal-breaker for me, but it would be dead handy to be able to switch it :)

EDIT: Never mind all this - captainhook explained it all much better while I was typing :)

[smpkeys]

does the RME Fireface 800 have a 32 buffer setting option like the digi003 does?

[Rich Breen]

Originally Posted by captainhook

I am hoping Avid will work out something for this. (If it's not already there and I am just missing it). But, I have searched all through the software and manuals and I am pretty sure there isn't a workaround...

Yea, in that workflow it's problematic isn't it? Well, how about half a workaround? You could unlink record and playback faders in prefs-operation, then set the record fader to off - at least it'll mute any time the track is armed.

I know it's not quite what you're after, but maybe helpful?...

best,
rich

[captainhook]

AH - very interesting workaround. Never thought of that one.

The only problem is you don't get to hear the audio before a punch in that way.

Other than plugging in my 003, the only other workaround I would come up with is that you could run 2 tracks all the time and just copy up the keeper audio as you go. That way you can hear the audio preceding the punch and you just mute the track you are recording on. Still alot more work than just using Low Latency Monitoring, or being able to keep your buffer low and monitoring through pro tools.

I think I am more excited about having Delay compensation and 128 buses than being able to use any other interface.

[geetarpicker]

Originally Posted by smpkeys

does the RME Fireface 800 have a 32 buffer setting option like the digi003 does?

I just updated my FF800 driver and it goes down to 48 (like the prior driver also did) though I can't really get clean audio with my Intel i7 computer with it lower than 64.

Truly I also see the lack of a software input monitor "off" option a deal breaker. The FF800 round trip latency through the converter box is a tad under 2ms total for the DSP monitoring. Even pushing the DAW software down to 48 samples is audibly more sluggish than the RME DSP mixer though it is getting close. Fastest I can get my system to record clean is 64 samples, but I'll try the new RME driver and see if it can go down all the way.

That said, I think folks that are used to the RME DSP mixer would hate to give it up. Also the new RME DSP mixer in the UFX is killer and even has effects. Folks would hate to pay $2k+ for one of those and not be able to use that portion of the device.

Even Reaper & Sonar have the ability to turn off input monitoring. Heck it seems they come up after install that way as the default.

[guitardom]

Originally Posted by captainhook

guitardom:

Because I monitor on an external mixer (or the fireface 800 Total mix), I can have my buffer set at 1024 and there is not latency because I hear the direct vocal through my mixer. So, regardless of wether the buffer is at 32 or 1024 there is no change in latency. (That is the beauty of using an external analog mixer, or DSP mixer like total mix).

The problem is when you go into pro tools and record enable a track, you end up hearing both the vocal through your external mixer AND the vocal that is monitored through vocal at the same time with the latency of the moment (depending on your buffer setting).

So, you mute the track and just listen to your external mixer. However, soon as you stop recording, you have to unmute the track to hear your audio that
you just tracked. Do this 100 times in a session and it gets pretty old.

In Cubase and Logic, you can turn off Software monitoring and it basically mutes the signal for you when you are tracking and then you hear your recorded material fine as well.
Hope that makes sense, I just want to clarify what I am talking about.

For people who want to buy these new audio interfaces that have DSP like the new RME device (you can run some reverb, etc), it would cause you the same problems and would get frustrating. (Unless of course you monitor through Pro
Lltools at a buffer of 64 or 128 all the time.) However, in my experience, get a bunch of plugins and VIs happening and before you know it you are at 512 buffer.

One question for you

I don't know if you are on windows, but if you are, I know that ASIO has some thing called direct monitoring. I am wondering if this factors into the situation at all that you are able not to hear double audio.


Here's the test. Put your buffer on 1024, monitor through total mix (send the incoming audio to your speakers pre-protools) and tell me if you hear 2 signals when you record in protools.

Will try that.

Not sure of your system, bit I track at those lower buffers all day w verb, delay, eq and comps on everything. I am running an i7. Track a lot w bfd 2 also in these scenarios. Everything is fine w the ff. A lot of what you seem worried about is no different than moving back a few feet from the speakers. I have to go now, but will get back to you in this thread.

[Rich Breen]

Originally Posted by captainhook

AH - very interesting workaround. Never thought of that one.

The only problem is you don't get to hear the audio before a punch in that way.....

Yea, that's why I said 'half a workaround'... Can't think of any other easy way to achieve what you want - seems like Avid should include this capability. I'd at least make a formal feature request.

best,
rich

[captainhook]

Found this topic on the Pro tools Idea scale and voted on it:

http://protools.ideascale.com/a/dtd/...on-/23853-3779

This is the basic functionality we are looking for.

[Soundtrack2life]

I would really like to see Pro Tools be able to make use of RME FF800 Total Mix!
Joe