Meters won't peak while recording...EVER!!?!??

[dr_daw]

Originally Posted by Ben Jenssen

No. It's as it should be.
The waves will be cut at the top and bottom at 0dbfs, and become so-called square waves. A digital audio file cannot feed the PT mixer with anything more than 0dbfs, so it can technically not trigger the clip indicator, unless you boost it and meter post fader.
You shouldn't worry so much.

+1 exactly. Remember this is digital, so your audio is a series of 1's and 0's, so if you exceed the word length by clipping the signal; then that data is lost.

[illution1]

Originally Posted by dr_daw

IT's set and forget if you have no interest in monitoring your inputs with zero latency, or setting up headphone cues. In reality it's like a virtual mixer for your interface. If you don't need those things, then yes....set and forget. But don't forget that it can be a very powerful tool that can help during tracking and overdubs.

Ben Jenssen, thank you very much for your thorough explanation. I absolutely understand now.

Dr_daw, That is a very good point about zero latency monitoring. I do find that it makes somewhat of a difference for cutting out that delay from the mic to my ears. I do however find that even with the zero latency setting chosen, I still hear a little bit of slapback (I think I am using that word correct). A slight latency in the speakers or cans.

[The Weed]

That might be slapback from your environment rather than latency.

Cheers,

[dr_daw]

illution1,

Are you monitoring through protools? if you want absolute zero latency, mute your armed track in PT and monitor through the Mix Control. If you are monitoring through PT make sure you have your Mix Control inputs muted or turned down. Then be sure to set your buffer size around 128 or 64 if your machine can handle it. For myself, I much prefer to monitor through the mix control...especially for guitar. I can 'stand' the moderate latency at 128 if I have to, but why, when I can monitor with zero latency.

Doing punches are a bit more tricky when working by myself, but I have a few tricks that work for me. If it's a client that I'm tracking, I just leave the armed track un-muted until the punch point. I hate fiddling with the buffer sizes mid session, and also am not always doing all my track at once. So sometimes I'll have inserts, and effects that will cause my system to crash if I move my buffer sizes down too much.

There is an app out there called 'Mute tone'. It is the workaround to turning input monitoring off in Pro Tools allowing you to take full advantage of your mix control or external mixer. I'm going to give it a shot today.

[EGS]

Originally Posted by dr_daw

... Are you monitoring through protools? ... Doing punches are a bit more tricky ... I hate fiddling with the buffer sizes mid session...

I just leave things at buffer 64, and the latency is not an issue for me or the clients. If 64 bothers you, then definitely explore the various zero-latency options. Actually, buffer 32 is an option on my rig, but I haven't tried it yet.

[dr_daw]

Originally Posted by EGS

I just leave things at buffer 64, and the latency is not an issue for me or the clients. If 64 bothers you, then definitely explore the various zero-latency options. Actually, buffer 32 is an option on my rig, but I haven't tried it yet.

EGS,

64 doesn't bother me, but sometimes I begin adding reverbs, delays and a bit of other pre-mixing that can push the system a little harder that it needs to. I use 64 when doing my own vocal or guitar punches, but if my wife is with me or I'm doing the punches for someone else. I just leave the track un-muted, and hit f12 & shift+m at the same time. Pain in the butt, but it works. Tracking I don't even bother with Pro Tools, it's useless compared to just monitoring the DIRECT input from the focusrite unit. If I had PT HD, I wouldn't need to worry about any of this. I tried MuteTone, it worked as expected, but crashed the system anytime I tried to remove or deactivate it.

If I get one good paying client on this rig that can make me justify getting HD, I would. But, I think it's money better spent on Mics, Pre's, etc... :P

[EGS]

Originally Posted by dr_daw

...64 doesn't bother me ... Tracking I don't even bother with Pro Tools, it's useless compared to just monitoring the DIRECT input from the focusrite unit. If I had PT HD, I wouldn't need to worry about any of this...

So (if 64 bothers you then) by all means explore the various no-latency options available.

[Katherine_Focusrite]

MixControl is not so much a Mixing SOFTWARE as a window to look into the Mixing hardware chip on the Saffire.

The Inputs to Pro Tools do not go through the Mixer Tabs in MixControl ever. You are able to use the Mixer tab to see a visual representation of the values that the Saffire is receiving at it's input. However adjusting these Faders does not change what is going to PT.

If you adjust mixer values or routing values in MixControl you are actually adjusting what is happening in the Saffire's DSP, not in the computer.

However if you were getting an issue where the values to PT seemed louder than normal but the MixControl Inputs looked normal that sounds like a problem with the driver.

As the meters you see in MixControl are in the hardware of the unit they are not affected by the driver as the inputs to PT are. This is how the unit can be set up in Standalone Mode.

I'm glad it sounds like our new Beta driver helped out with your issue though!

If you have any further issue please feel free to let me know. We are glad to help.

Best regards.

[illution1]

Originally Posted by Ben Jenssen

No. It's as it should be.
The waves will be cut at the top and bottom at 0dbfs, and become so-called square waves. A digital audio file cannot feed the PT mixer with anything more than 0dbfs, so it can technically not trigger the clip indicator, unless you boost it and meter post fader.
You shouldn't worry so much.

I need to reopen this thread because this is apparently more complicated than I thought.

Ben Jenssen,

You said that imported audio will not ever clip the meters. As quoted above, you mentioned that an audio clip will not clip the meters because it can not feed PT anything more than 0dB.

Today when I was recording foley at the studio I work at, I noticed that our guide track in PT (HD) was clipping meters. Not only that, any other overloaded audio clip played back inside PT would allow the meters to clip.

So am I am still wondering why played back audio will NOT clip the meters when I am using my PT system at home, but they WILL clip the meters when I work at my studio???!?

Anyone care to shed some light?

Thanks in advance!

[Ben Jenssen]

Originally Posted by illution1

You said that imported audio will not ever clip the meters. As quoted above, you mentioned that an audio clip will not clip the meters because it can not feed PT anything more than 0dB.

Well, what I meant to say was - as long as you're in pre-fader metering mode - the tracks own meter should not clip. Of course, if you boost it with the fader or plugin and send it to an aux or master, it will clip that track's meter. But not its own.

Is one of your PT systems set up to do pre-fader metering, and the other not?
It should be in the options menu.

Edit: Oh, and clip gain. That would also be a way of boosting the signal, so I guess the meter would clip.