How do I record an analog stereo signal from a mixer?

[mmarsden191]

I am recording music using an analog mixer that outputs an analog stereo signal. This signal is connected to the line-in (stereo) of my external soundcard.
The soundcard is connected via USB to my PC. Using Pro Tools Intro, I have only been able to record this signal as mono. So, I am losing a channel. How do I configure Pro Tools Intro to record this signal as stereo? I have tried creating a new path, but so far, it has not made the proper connection to the soundcard interface. Any helpful advice will be appreciated.

[Darryl Ramm]

Are you recording to a stereo audio track in Pro Tools? What input IO is selected on that track?

Between the mixer and interface what *exact* connections have you made? To *exactly* what ports using *exactly* what cables?

A common beginner mistake would be to try to use one side of a balanced line output to a stereo line input. A balanced TRS (in the case of your mixer) only carries one channel, even though its the same TRS connector used say for stereo headphones. You would need a Y cable (or balanced to unbalanced balun adapter, but for this stuff a Y cable normally works fine) that does 2x Balanced 1/4" TRS to 1x unbalanced 3.5mm stereo TRS... or whatever is on that interface box. If you are using a Y cable what exact model is it, or give the circuit diagram if you made it.

Most audio interfaces intended for recording will will offer balanced audio inputs, the lack of that on these Soundblaster models is a reason to avoid buying/using them.

[Darryl Ramm]

The other option you have is to use S/PDIF digital to connect the mixer to the interface. But that mixer has S/PDIF coaxial and the interface has S/PDIF optical on a mini-TOSLINK socket. You would have to purchase a S/PDIF coaxial to optical converter (they are not expensive) and a TOSLINK to mini-TOSLINK optical cable.

[mmarsden191]

"What input IO is selected on that track?"
I used the Singer-Songwriter template to create a Pro Tools Intro project. The "Mono Audio" track only allows me to select "Microphone" as an I/O interface option. But that is not what I want. I want to record a stereo track. But I am unable to get the "line-in" to show up as an interface selection for I/O in the "Stereo Audio" track. I tried making a new I/O path, yet something is still missing and the signal path is incomplete.
"Between the mixer and interface what *exact* connections have you made? To *exactly* what ports using *exactly* what cables?"
The mixer outputs are stereo (L & R) 1/4" phono jacks. I use Y cable that has dual 1/4" phono plug(s) to stereo 1/8" trs (males to male) from the mixer to the "line-in" connector of the soundcard. I purchased the Y cable at Guitar Center about 15 years ago and I do not know the manufacturer. But the Y cable is composed of 2 channels of 1/4" phono to 2 channels of 1/8" trs. I have used it for many years without any problems in transferring 2 separate signals from the mixer to my PC's soundcard. The Soundblaster X4 is a new addition to the recording setup as is Pro Tools Intro.
Regarding S/PDIF, that connection also does not show up as an available I/O interface in Pro Tools Intro.

[Darryl Ramm]

Thanks for the clear info.

If you want to record Stereo audio you need to record that to the Stereo audio track, there should be one in that template. What are all the input IO selectors are showing up on that stereo track?

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If still not working as expected...

In Setup > Playback Engine what exactly is showing for the playback engine? What other options are there?

Try any and all that look like they are the X4, you may have more than one, try each one.

Once you have selected that Playback Engine. Go to each of the Settings>IO>{input, output, bus} pages and on each one click on the "DEFAULT" button. Do the missing IO labels show up? If so then use that playback engine and change the inputs in the tracks.

If you never installed ASIO4ALL, now is the time to try doing that and then selecting the playback engine that ASIO4ALL has created.

If none of that shows up more I/O then it's likely a Creative Labs not Pro Tools problem.

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I realized the X4 does not support ASIO. That is a worry with Pro Tools. No matter what anybody says about using WASAPI or using ASIO4ALL with Pro Tools you are almost certainly better off using a interface with proper ASIO support... meaning the vendor provides a device drive that implements ASIO directly (I see garbage posts on the Interwebs about the X4 supporting ASIO, using ASIO4ALL does not mean it supports ASIO, the exact opposite in fact).

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There are multiple reasons here to really not buy these products from Creative Labs, one of my least favorite vendors anyhow as I've had to put up with their litigious whining in a past life being involved with developing software that emulated their cards. How long have you had the X4? Any chance you could return it and get something like a Focusrite 2i2 (or larger) or UAD Volt, or similar? ... products much better suited to audio recording than these more gamer oriented products. Focusrite, UAD, Presonus, Motu, RME, etc. ... audio interfaces all have native ASIO support, typically balanced line and mic inputs, phantom mic power, hardware monitoring/mixing support (you likely don't need that if using your external mixer to monitor... OTOH you might be better off with a multi-track interface to allow you to record all the input tracks before mixdown and mix in Pro Tools) and likely better customer support than Creative.

[mmarsden191]

"What are all the input IO selectors are showing up on that stereo track?"

Nothing on either "interface" or "plug-in"

But the "bus" setting shows "Mix Bus (Stereo)", "Reverb Send (Stereo)", "Delay Send (Stereo)", "Bus 1-2 (Stereo)" ... "Bus 15-16 Stereo". The "Bus 1-2 (Stereo)" does not connect to the audio signal.

The Settings->Playback Engine does list all the X4 inputs (Line-in, mic, SPDIF). Now, I've finally got it working!!

Thanks for your help in showing me how to configure this.

[Darryl Ramm]

Hey glad you got this working.

What is going on is the X4 device presents to Windows as separate devices for each IO or IO pair. That's not how recording audio interfaces normally work, and specifically not how Pro Tools expects to see an interface--it wants all I/O, input and output, to show up as one ASIO device, which you then select as the PlaybackEngine and the individual IO ports then show up in Setup>IO>{input,output}.

You may be able to use the multi-device aka aggregation feature in ASIO4ALL to make this appear as a single interface in Pro Tools. Look at the ASIO4ALL documentation.

This again is an effect of Creative focusing on gaming not DAWs/music production with these products. If its working enough for you that's great, if not I already gave you some other vendors to look at and all their interfaces will have native ASIO support and each of those ASIO devices will show all the IO on an interface.

[JFreak]

Sorry if this sounds harsh, but this is a classic RTFM situation.

In case you (OP) were not aware, there is a searchable and comprehensive "Pro Tools Reference Guide" pdf available (even google finds it) that is updated with every release. It is worth skimming through.

Darryl thanks for helping out.

[Darryl Ramm]

Uh not so fast Janne, nothing in the Pro Tools Reference Guide will explain the behavior of these interfaces to users, especially new users. The problems start and really end here with Creative Labs.

[JFreak]

Well yes, I had my first, last and only Creative Labs Sound Blaster on a PC in 1980's (branded Game Blaster then) but I thought it had died already.