Help! Can't Get Input and Output Working

[M83]

Hey guys!

Thanks in advance for checking this out. I'm currently switching over from Audition to Pro Tools, but can't get this (which is crucial) to happen:

Set the input using my Heil PR40 (with USB connected to laptop) and set the output to my Built-in Speakers. I want to record through that microphone, and then, when I'm done recording, play it back and hear it through my built-in speakers on my Macbook, but this isn't happening.

I totally understand this should be fairly simple - but after running down a ton of youtube videos / threads, this is proving oddly challenging, and I think the normal ways to fix this aren't working. There's gotta be something else here.

Just to set the stage here: I'm running on a Macbook Pro, MacOSX Sierra 10.12. I'm using Pro Tools 12.7.0. The device I want to use as a microphone (that isn't working) is the Heil PR40 (which is connected directly to my laptop via USB). My Heil PR40 shows up in my device as USB PnP Sound Device, so for all intents and purposes, they are the same thing. The device I want to be able to hear playback is my built-in speakers (listed as Built-In Output).

So here's why this is kind of weird.

If you go to Setup ---> Playback Engine and select "Pro Tools Aggregate IO", it seems like this should work. When I went back to "Audio MIDI Setup", I set the "Pro Tools Aggregate IO" to my Heil PR40, which is listed as USB PnP Sound Device (input) and my Built-In Output (output). Side note: "My Audio MIDI Setup" seems off only because for the Heil PR40 (USB PnP Sound Device), it says it has 1 In and 2 Out. This doesn't make sense - how does a microphone have 2 outs? (See screenshot)

Ok - so after this - if you go to "I/O Setup", you'll see the screenshots below. For output, it seems like it's good on the "Built-In Output 1 - 2". But go to Input, and there's no "USB PnP Sound Device" to be found. In fact, in this "I/O Setup", through all the configurations I've done, I have NEVER been able to get "USB PnP Sound Device" to show up on this screen unless I set the Playback Engine to select "USB PnP Sound Device". But if I do that, then I can't get the built-in speakers to work as an output.

If I make a new track, arm it to record, it seems I can get an out (I can hear audio), but when I try to set an input, it's greyed out and simply says "In 1 (Mono) - path n/a".

Let me know if I'm missing here and happy to take any advice to fix this. Thanks in advance for reading this and checking it out!

Attached screenshots to show what I'm dealing with here.

[ShiftStudios]

Have you tried deleting the input/outputs and clicking the default?

The aggregate looks fine to me. Is the uPnP device your master device?

[M83]

Hey! First off - thanks for the quick reply. This is awesome.

So - I've tried that. In "I/O Setup", when I delete them in the Output, and then hit "Default", everything comes back. But when I delete the Input and click "Default", nothing shows up. It's blank. Screenshots attached show what it looks like after I deleted them and then hit "Default".


The "USB PnP Sound Device" is simply a microphone attached to a USB that connects to my laptop - it does nothing else. Could you clarify what you mean by "master device"?

Thanks!

[ShiftStudios]

Originally Posted by M83

Hey! First off - thanks for the quick reply. This is awesome.

So - I've tried that. In "I/O Setup", when I delete them in the Output, and then hit "Default", everything comes back. But when I delete the Input and click "Default", nothing shows up. It's blank. Screenshots attached show what it looks like after I deleted them and then hit "Default".


The "USB PnP Sound Device" is simply a microphone attached to a USB that connects to my laptop - it does nothing else. Could you clarify what you mean by "master device"?

Thanks!

Have you selected the Pro Tools Aggregate as your sound device?

[1racerx]

If you're getting no signal at all. (meter in pro tools not going up or down)
Then it's the device, drivers, cord, the device is just not compatible, not compatible in the way you're trying to use it, or the computer is not picking up the device. (which it seems to be, but may not be-make sure there are no conflicts on your computer with the device and something else) Right now I'm sure you're saying: no sh*t.. lol But you'll have to backtrack. Deleting input outputs is not a great idea, because even when hitting defaults you may not get them back properly, computers are just that way sometimes.. Messing around in pro tools should be your last option. This is what I would try:

1) Pull that device/cord out from the computer

2) Set all the pro tools settings you changed back to default and do a restart.

3) Download the audio drivers for your your computer from the manufacturer and reinstall. Hopefully, that will return you to their original settings. Restart. (There may also be an update that helps.)

4) You'll need to do some research on your device. Again, there may be an issue of how you're trying use it. I would do a google search to see if anyone else uses this device with pro tools on a similar system. Question: Will your onboard audio even work with pro tools? You need to know.

5) Then I would download the latest driver for your device, install + restart.

6) Try it. Reboot 3 times, leave the computer off for a minute each time to clear residual memory. Try it again. (make sure, you're trying it in pro tools, watch the meter!) If that doesn't work. You need to go back to step 4.

7) If it's not going to work with your mic or device. You should probably look into a "proven" inexpensive usb interface, and plug your mic into that.

Anyways, this may not be much help, but you can eliminate a few things, and come to some conclusion.

[Ben Jenssen]

I don't know about PT12, I'm still on 10, but I never heard about Protools ever being used with a usb microphone. Have you tried recording something via the analog input on your pc?