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  #11  
Old 02-11-2018, 05:40 AM
musicman691 musicman691 is online now
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Default Re: Cabling routing for an analogue mixer to Quartet

Quote:
Originally Posted by mike.a.d.vowles View Post
Again thanks to all for the info. I am not sure how I ended up with Pro Tools as all I wanted originally was a DAW to enable score edit / print ability during composition of new songs. Now I have a tool which allows me to record and mix, a quantum leap from where I planned to be! So I thought of setting up a small studio with a client base of 1. I have all this gear lying around doing nothing so....

One of the problems I picked up when I first started was a lot of Bass buzz from my Fender Strat, feeding it straight into the Quartet, same problem with the 12 string and the Tokai, the Bass Guitar was a nightmare. Keyboard did not sound too bad at all. So I thought perhaps a mixer in the loop would be the way to go to feed in and out of the quartet, if that makes sense to anyone.

All I am trying to do is have fun with my music.
Quote:
Originally Posted by zedhed View Post
Judging by what you say you are trying to achieve, I'd say to keep it simple and ditch the mixer. If all you are doing is recording guitars, adding a component into the signal chain is not going to fix any noise problems and the quartet is fully capable of handling your I/O needs.

The "Bass Buzz" is most likely a ground issue or faulty guitar cable.
Agreed - ditch the mixer as it's only another source of noise.

Where that buzz is coming is is by way of the pickups in the instruments and would explain why to a certain extent the keyboard didn't sound so bad. To explain further: there are two basic types of guitar pickups - single coil and humbucker types (we'll leave piezo pickups out for the moment). A single coil pickup is just that - one large coil of wire wound around a form to help convert the vibrations of the string in the magnetic field of the pickup to an electrical signal and thence on to the amp. A humbucker type has two coils that are wound and connected together to help cancel out the AC mains noise that is radiating all around us. Strats tends to have single coil pickups and Les Pauls tend to have humbucker types. There are some Strats that have humbuckers but more likely than not yours has single coils. Your bass probably also has single coil pickups. Hence the noise. Fender Jazz basses have single coil pickups for instance.

You don't say whether the 12 string and the Tokai (whatever that it) are electric or acoustic guitars. Good quality acoustic guitars probably have a piezo type pickup that translates the vibrations into an electrical signal that doesn't encompass a magnetic field.

There are some things you can do to minimize the noise generators. Got an old fashioned computer monitor with a crt screen - ditch it and get an lcd/led monitor. That old style crt TV - huge noise generator as are any flourescent lights those bleeping cfl's. Next time you got to record with the Strat try changing positions around your recording space and see if there's a good spot where there's no noise (technically it's called hum) and record from there with a long cord on the guitar. And make sure you have a good quality cord to go from the guitar to the interface. Monster Cable not needed despite what they may claim.
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  #12  
Old 02-11-2018, 07:09 AM
mike.a.d.vowles mike.a.d.vowles is offline
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Default Re: Cabling routing for an analogue mixer to Quartet

Thanks to all of you who have replied and given advice, I really do appreciate the help. You all have a wonderful community and are quite willing to share information to us lesser knowledgeable mortals.

My frustration levels with Pro Tools in general have been enormous! Merely installing the software and getting it all up and running required online assistance from both the UK and the USA. Something to do with the licensing. Going through all the tutorial videos I have been unable to replicate the sounds, although I have followed the information exactly, a lot of distortion, particularly at the lower Frequency ranges.

Now I sit with another problem as I cannot reset the clock and there are no options in the drop down menu. 4 hours on the web trying to find a solution takes all the pleasure out of the music. This problem seems to occur every time there is a Windows update.

As a result I figure the only solution is to quit whilst I still have my sanity and stop using Pro Tools and wasting all your time trying to solve issues for me.

Once again to those of you who gave up your time, thank you.

Mike Vowles
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  #13  
Old 02-11-2018, 07:59 AM
mike.a.d.vowles mike.a.d.vowles is offline
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Default Re: Cabling routing for an analogue mixer to Quartet

Ditched the mixer! As the setup does not allow any alterations so I cannot change the clock speed Pro Tools no longer works so I am ditching that as well. No enjoyment sitting for hours trying to work out supposedly simple hassles. Thanks for all the help.
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  #14  
Old 02-11-2018, 09:31 AM
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albee1952 albee1952 is offline
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Default Re: Cabling routing for an analogue mixer to Quartet

Ditched the mixer! As the setup does not allow any alterations so I cannot change the clock speed(this is usually because Windows is trying to use the interface as its Default Playback Device. Changing that setting to use the on-board sound card is the solution) Pro Tools no longer works so I am ditching that as well(in this case, that's probably for the best). No enjoyment sitting for hours trying to work out supposedly simple hassles. Thanks for all the help.
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  #15  
Old 02-11-2018, 07:35 PM
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Default Re: Cabling routing for an analogue mixer to Quartet

Quote:
Originally Posted by mike.a.d.vowles View Post
Ditched the mixer! As the setup does not allow any alterations so I cannot change the clock speed Pro Tools no longer works so I am ditching that as well. No enjoyment sitting for hours trying to work out supposedly simple hassles. Thanks for all the help.
Hey, don't give up yet. Pro Tools is great once you get things sorted, and by then you'll be an expert!

There is a demo session that comes with PT. I'd suggest loading it up and making sure it plays back properly (without any noise issues). Getting that done is half the battle.

Then make sure you have the latest drivers installed for your Quartet. It's always good practice to turn interface (Quartet in your case) on before booting computer.

Take Albees previous advice about windows sound settings. Read up a little on 'Playback Engine' in PT reference guide. It's helpful to have an understanding of this aspect of PT.

As far as the buzzing sound is concerned, we can only guess what that could be but as suggested start at the beginning of the signal chain (the pickups) and use a process of elimination to isolate where noise is coming from. As said earlier, ground loop problems are common so that's a good place to check.

Best of luck dude....never give up on anything. Anything worthwhile never comes for nothing
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  #16  
Old 02-12-2018, 07:07 AM
Bookerv12 Bookerv12 is offline
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Default Re: Cabling routing for an analogue mixer to Quartet

Before you do something foolish, like ditching Pro Tools, why don't you seek out some local help and get your system optimized?
It seems daunting, but with a little patience, you'll be on top of things sooner than you'd think.
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  #17  
Old 02-12-2018, 07:41 AM
musicman691 musicman691 is online now
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Default Re: Cabling routing for an analogue mixer to Quartet

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bookerv12 View Post
Before you do something foolish, like ditching Pro Tools, why don't you seek out some local help and get your system optimized?
It seems daunting, but with a little patience, you'll be on top of things sooner than you'd think.
Sometimes that's what it takes - someone to get a hands-on on the machine. It may be something simple that someone sitting down and going through the setup will see and go 'oh yeah - here's the issue & fix'. Part of the problem with trying to get help here is very often the person with the problem can't give accurate info because they don't know how to get said info or may not think it's important. Sad to say but there are times one has to become a computer geek to get a system up and running efficiently and people either don't want to get involved to that extent for whatever reason. Not saying that's what's at play here by any stretch of the imagination.

All that being written there's a book that should still be out there called PT101 (it's a courseware book). I first ran into it with regards to PT10 and don't know if it's been updated for PT12. Here it is on Amazon for PT11 https://www.amazon.com/Pro-Tools-101.../dp/1285774841 It will take a rank beginner that has a modicum of computer knowledge to getting them on the road to recording success with PT.
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  #18  
Old 02-12-2018, 09:36 PM
mike.a.d.vowles mike.a.d.vowles is offline
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Default Re: Cabling routing for an analogue mixer to Quartet

Good day,
Getting local help for me is impossible as I live in a very small village, slightly off the beaten track, so I am stuck with my own resources. I found that the PT IO controller software was corrupted and re-installed it and the system is up and running again. I seem to have spent more time in the last year resolving software issues than actually utilising Pro Tools which is not the ideal. It does however ensure that the brain cells remain active! Again my thanks to all of you who have assisted, I am grateful.
Best regards,
Mike Vowles
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  #19  
Old 02-18-2018, 05:19 AM
musicman691 musicman691 is online now
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Default Re: Cabling routing for an analogue mixer to Quartet

In addition to the PT101 book there's also Pro Tools All-in-One For dummies also available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/11...100_em_1p_0_ti
Not casting any aspersions on your abilities but due to browser cookies I got an email with this and a couple of other books on recording noted in it.
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