Having Trouble with M-Audio Fast Track and Pro Tools SE

[ncd1986]

Hi,

I'm new to all this so if this is a stupid question I do apologize.

I just installed Pro Tools SE and installed the drivers for the M-Audio Fast track. I hooked up my Fast Track, opened a new session (a bank one), made sure the Fast Track was selected as the recording device, but I Pro Tools is not detected any sound when I play the guitar. You can hear the guitar from the speakers hooked up.

Why is this? What am I doing wrong? Like I said I can hear my guitar from the external speaker, but nothing is being detected in Pro Tools.

This is very discouraging from someone that just started and wants to lay some simple guitar tracks. Any help would be greatly appreciated so I can begin my first recordings.

Thanks ahead.

[Darryl Ramm]

How about describing clearly what you are doing. Starting with is this an acoustic or electric guitar, are you micing a electric guitar cab or going into a Direct Input (DI)? If electric what pickups? What guitar amp are you using? Exactly what Mic model? If a condenser mic do you have phantom power turned on? What exact cable is connected to exactly what port on the Fast Track? What exactly is the "external speaker" and where is it connected to.

What type of track are you trying to record to (mono or stereo audio or an instrument track?). Post a screenshot of your mix window showing the IO input and output selectors.

What does "nothing being detected" exactly mean? Do you hear the guitar through Pro Tools when not recoding and it goes quiet when you try to record? Do you see the meters move in the mix window or a waveform being displayed in the edit widow as you are recording (zoom in vertically as far as you can).

Darryl

[ncd1986]

Darryl,

I'm plugged in directly to the Fact Track by an instrument cable from my guitar. By external speaker I meant monitors that are hooked up to the back of the Fast Track. Sorry for the confusion.

I am recording an instrument track. Where is the menu for IO and output selectors? I think that may be one issue

I don't here my guitar through Pro Tools at all. The meter does not move in my master volume when I play.

Please see screen shot of what I currently have up.

Thanks for the help so far.

[ncd1986]

Oh, and the Fast Track is connected to my computer by a USB

[Darryl Ramm]

OK one serious (but common new user, so don't feel bad) mistake is that you should be recording guitar to a mono-audio not an "instrument" track. Instrument tracks are handy special critters that use Midi data to play virtual instruments. You might use one with a drum virtual instument for example to accompany your guitar. Instrument tracks are *not* for real/physical instruments you are recording audio from.

Recording a dry guitar signal (e.g. not amplified though a guitar amp and then through a Mic) gong into an audio track will result in you recording a very low volume signal that is likely to sound very faint and terrible, nothing like an amplified guitar (make sure the interface is set to DI and the gain on the interface box is turned up). If you don't want to mic and record a guitar amp then another option is to use an amp plugin to simulate a guitar amplifier.

As an example of getting started see this video http://vimeo.com/15754220#. There are many other getting started with SE and similar videos on YouTube. The manual is also a *great* place to get started.

Darryl

[JoelG]

And this M-Audio KB article might help about the basic setup - http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=...f5538d2a34ba27

Although it looks like you're past that. Also, be sure you're using the latest driver:http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/e...nload/en379411

Joel