Noob seeking setup help - cant bring up Scarlet interface in PT

[Rikki127]

Hey all, I'm trying to set up my interface (Focusrite Scarlet 4i4) which works fine with my mic, speakers and headphones but I can't bring up its output or my computer's output into my PT session. When I click on the I/O selector in PT I can see yellow input and output choices so it looks like it should work, but no signal comes through.

I assume I'm supposed to set the playback engine in PT to the Scarlet as well as the input and output sound prefs on my Mac. I also set the Audio Midi utility in/outputs to the Scarlet, just in case that was the problem. Still no luck.

I'm using ProTools Ultimate 2020.9.1, which I understand is the correct version for my machine (new iMac 21.5 inch running OS 10.15.7).

Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong? I've looked at a number of videos on this but they all seem to predate either Catalina or this version of PT.

Thanks so much for any guidance!

Rikki

[Darryl Ramm]

What exactly do you mean by "bring up it's output". And what do you mean by "no signal comes through"... are you looking at Pro Tools track meters not moving? Not hearing anything ? What I/O selector are you talking about? input or output?

Create an empty session, drag and drop a known good WAV or similar commercial audio recording into that session and create a stereo audio track. Get that to play back OK before doing anything else. Have you done that yet?

What exactly are you trying to do? And use words like "track input" and "track output"...? If you can't describe what you're doing at least post screenshots of exactly what IO paths you have selected in the IO selectors... and of your Setup>IO>{input,output,bus} pages.

The output of the interface is an output. You can't use it as an input. Is that what you are trying to do?

Are you asking a similar question to what you asked before in this thread. http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=412161? It was explained there what you need to do to get your Computer's output into Pro Tools.

Or if it's just input not working you likely have not granted "microphone" permission to Pro Tools when you installed it.... you should have seen messages about that.

[Bookerv12]

Hi,
To simplify:

When you connect your interface to the computer using USB, thunderbolt, etc...
The outputs of your interface become the outputs from PT.
1-2, (A, B) become your speaker outs.

The inputs to your interface become the inputs on the PT tracks.
You need to tell protools to use the interface as the audio "interface" in setup.
If it shows up, you are good.
Put a track in record or input, and you will get signal.

Your post was a little vague.

[Rikki127]

My apologies to everyone and to Darryl in particular for my lack of clarity. I learned most of what I know about audio mixing on my own so I have trouble sometimes using the correct vocabulary with others.

Since my post I learned the source of my problem via Focusrite tech support, which you can skip to below if you are interested in the answer. But first I will attempt to clarify what my problem was out of respect for Darry's thorough troubleshooting query and in case there's a chance it helps anyone else with the same issue I had.

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

What exactly do you mean by "bring up it's output".

I simply meant have whatever signals (mic, computer output) I'm hearing out of the Scarlet come up in the track input menu in PT for the purpose of recording it.

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

And what do you mean by "no signal comes through"... are you looking at Pro Tools track meters not moving?

Correct.

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Not hearing anything ?

Correct.

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

What I/O selector are you talking about? input or output?

At the time I posted, both, but I now realize the issue was just the input.

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Create an empty session, drag and drop a known good WAV or similar commercial audio recording into that session and create a stereo audio track. Get that to play back OK before doing anything else. Have you done that yet?

I did, and playback worked fine. Heard the audio and the meters were jumping.

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

What exactly are you trying to do?

Mainly record off my computer (Internet, WAV files) and occasionally record my voice. The interface seemed to be working fine in terms of hearing everything on my speakers and on my headphones, I just couldn't figure out how to get PT to record what I was hearing.

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

And use words like "track input" and "track output"...? If you can't describe what you're doing at least post screenshots of exactly what IO paths you have selected in the IO selectors... and of your Setup>IO>{input,output,bus} pages.

Understood, I will endeavor to do that in the future.

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

The output of the interface is an output. You can't use it as an input. Is that what you are trying to do?

Sorry, I misspoke. I sometimes get confused thinking the output is the USB connection to the computer, not the analog connection to my speakers.

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Are you asking a similar question to what you asked before in this thread. http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=412161?

Yes.

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

It was explained there what you need to do to get your Computer's output into Pro Tools.

I agree it was explained "what" to do (use third party apps like Soundflower or Loopback) but not "how." Since I still wasn't getting a signal I was hoping for more detail on how (open this, click that, etc.)

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Or if it's just input not working you likely have not granted "microphone" permission to Pro Tools when you installed it.... you should have seen messages about that.

Permissions were granted.

Anyway, I just wrapped up an hour with a Focusrite techie in the UK and discovered what was wrong. Even he was stumped for awhile, since all my settings seemed correct at first. Then we did a screen share and after poking around he figured it out.

AND THE ANSWER IS...

My Loopback settings inside the Focusrite Control app were wrong. I guess at some point during my troubleshooting experiments I had changed them so that the outputs were feeding channels 3-4 when they should have been feeding 1-2, which is the factory default (sorry if I'm not wording this correctly) and I never changed them back. This is something I never even thought to investigate and would have never figured out on my own without his help. (He admitted Focusrite doesn't give a clear tutorial on setting up or even explaining how Loopback works like they do for the Scarlet).

So in the end, it was a Loopback issue, not a PT issue.

My apologies again for using up so much bandwidth for a not-really-ProTools-issue. And I promise to try and be more clear in my posts in the future.

Anyway, I'm thrilled to be up and running with PT again and can't wait to lose myself for a few hundred hours with my next project!

Rikki

[Darryl Ramm]

Wow, great that Focusrite support helped get you going. You don’t need to apologize... And the meeting of two worlds between the DAW and monitoring mixers is often some of the hardest stuff for new users to work out. But sounds like you have a good feel for the mixer now... I really advise spending time with the manual and playing around Control.. so you understand all it can do even if you don’t plan to hardware monitor a lot.

[Rikki127]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

And the meeting of two worlds between the DAW and monitoring mixers is often some of the hardest stuff for new users to work out. But sounds like you have a good feel for the mixer now...

I was starting to think so, too, but I ended up having a bit of a rough session today with my first coaching session using my new setup. (I coach actors in commercial voiceover via Skype, among other things).l Everything worked OK, that is I could record her voice and play it back for her to hear, but not without a lot of fidgety adjustments to PT and/or the interface in between record and playback modes. Let's just say it wasn't the smoothest session I've ever done. I suspect something still isn't set up right, or at least not for that particular function. So your last bit of advice is appreciated:

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

I really advise spending time with the manual and playing around Control.. so you understand all it can do even if you don’t plan to hardware monitor a lot.

Thanks, I will! Though I didn't get a manual with the interface. I assume you mean the Control User Guide which I was able to find online after being prompted by your post to look for it. I'll give it a good read before posting anything about this topic here.'

Thanks for your help and guidance!

Rikki

[Rikki127]

[QUOTE=Darryl Ramm;2580241]And the meeting of two worlds between the DAW and monitoring mixers is often some of the hardest stuff for new users to work out. But sounds like you have a good feel for the mixer now...

I thought so too – for about five minutes, but soon ran into new issues running an online voice coaching session. (Basically, recording my client's voice in PT and playing it back for her to hear via Skype.) I found transitioning from record to playback to be very fiddly, adjusting levels, mute button to prevent feedback, etc., whereas it all went seamlessly before when I just had my computer and Soundflower. So I obviously I have a lot more to learn about this stuff. Which is why I appreciate your advice:

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

I really advise spending time with the manual and playing around Control.. so you understand all it can do even if you don’t plan to hardware monitor a lot.

I absolutely will! Though the interface didn't come with a manual. I was however able to find, prompted by your suggestion, an online version of the Focusrite Control User Guide. I expect you meant that. Anyway I've got my homework laid out for me!

[Darryl Ramm]

Not sure exactly how you have this setup... but I am guessing this is a performer singing without monitoring feedback, and its latency, through Skype... in which case there is no need to use hardware monitoring. So you can actually ignore Control. Leave it set to defaults.

If you can find a good workflow there should not be a lot to adjust. Track meter in pre-fader mode while tracking (do not use the fader to try to adjust record levels). Play with levels going into Pro Tools to see what end result sound good... but this is coming from sound garden so set all the input levels outside Pro Tools and the interface. Then on playback you might need to adjust the track fader but should not need to do a lot more. Skype and sound garden add complexity here but I would hope the workflow here could be simplified.... like say aim to get things set up so you only need to adjust playback levels on the one track fader.