Fast track pro input distortion

[Drapte]

Hey guys,

So I'm using the Fast Track Pro to record my bands EP.
So far so good the whole EP is nearly done but today I went to finalise the guitars and FZZZZ. All of a sudden the input channels are really distorted. I cant record my guitar direct input without getting this horrible fuzz and strangely my volume knobs on the guitar don't work either when plugged into the fast track pro.

Any solutions?
This is making me furious especially the lack of help I have been able to find through Avid or M-Audio.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by Drapte

Hey guys,

So I'm using the Fast Track Pro to record my bands EP.
So far so good the whole EP is nearly done but today I went to finalise the guitars and FZZZZ. All of a sudden the input channels are really distorted. I cant record my guitar direct input without getting this horrible fuzz and strangely my volume knobs on the guitar don't work either when plugged into the fast track pro.

Any solutions?
This is making me furious especially the lack of help I have been able to find through Avid or M-Audio.

What guitar and what pickups, plugged into exactly what input on the fast track pro? Are you going though any amps (I hope not!) or pedals? e.g. when you say "direct input" you really mean a guitar isntument cable connected to the guitar and plugged into the Fast track Pro "DI" input?

Try a different guitar and cable. What happens as you turn up/down the gain knob on that input? you should have the DI selected on the push button, but try the line input -- what happens to what you hear? is the clip LED on the Fast track illuminating for that input? What happens if you engage the -20dB pad?

What happens if you plug a microphone or line level signal into this input on the Mbox? Does it sound OK/work as expected?

Has anybody plugged a guitar amp output (that would go to the speaker cab) into this input.. they may have fried the input.

Are you sure you have the correct Fast Track input selected in Pro Tools and you are not listening to the other mic/inst input with that input's gain cranked.? You could be picking up all sorts of noise on that.

Darryl

[Drapte]

Hey mate,
thanks for the reply,

Yes the guitar is plugged directly into input 1 via a guitar cable. I have tried different cables, the second input and 2 different guitars. Both guitars run EMG pick ups. one of which being an EC-1000 the other being a Jeff Loomis 7,

VERY STRANGLEY
A microphone plugged in directly operates completely as normal!

Back to the guitar...
As for -20db Pad, It litteraly just makes it -20db but still has the distortion
Clip is only lighting up when it blows out and no one has put a speaker out cable in it.

Strangely and I think importantly the Guitar volume knobs literally do not turn the guitars volume off when plugged into the fast track.

As for
"Are you sure you have the correct Fast Track input selected in Pro Tools and you are not listening to the other mic/inst input with that input's gain cranked."

I'm using reaper and I'm unsure to be honest. How do I check this

Cheers
Andrew

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by Drapte

Hey mate,
thanks for the reply,

Yes the guitar is plugged directly into input 1 via a guitar cable. I have tried different cables, the second input and 2 different guitars. Both guitars run EMG pick ups. one of which being an EC-1000 the other being a Jeff Loomis 7,

VERY STRANGLEY
A microphone plugged in directly operates completely as normal!

Back to the guitar...
As for -20db Pad, It litteraly just makes it -20db but still has the distortion
Clip is only lighting up when it blows out and no one has put a speaker out cable in it.

Strangely and I think importantly the Guitar volume knobs literally do not turn the guitars volume off when plugged into the fast track.

As for
"Are you sure you have the correct Fast Track input selected in Pro Tools and you are not listening to the other mic/inst input with that input's gain cranked."

I'm using reaper and I'm unsure to be honest. How do I check this

Cheers
Andrew

You are describign sevrla thigns that just don't make sense or are near impossible so I keep thinkign you've got somethign totally messed up with wiring.

So just to be even clearer, you have a standard 1/4" guitar instrument cable plugged into one of the front panel XLR/TRS multi-connectors (you are not plugged into one of the 1/4" rear insert sockets). Inst is selected on the push button. The cable has 1/4" TS connectors at both ends, it is not a mic cable that has a XLR plug at one end and a 1/4" TS (guitar) plug at the other is it?

The Fast Track Pro mix knob is set where?.. Are you trying to monitor from Reaper or from the Fast Track Pro? play with that knob and see if it changes what is happening. The manual will explain what it does.

You have the DI input selected and if you turn down the gain knob enough you should be able to tame just about any guitar with active pickups, add the pad if needed, can't you get it to the point it is not distorted?

Try new batteries in the EMG.

When you plug your amp guitar into a standard amp how does it sound?

If the microphone just works/records OK in the same input that makes me suspect you have the correct input selected in Reaper and really just need to turn down the gain. You cold also try pluging the guitar into the other input and select that in reaper to check you don't have a damaged DI input. How you do that is simple, and described here... http://wiki.cockos.com/wiki/index.php/ReaperQuickstart

[Drapte]

Hey mate sorry for the late reply.

Yes I am plugged into the front 1/4 port with the mic. It has a mic input on the mic side of it. I'm using a sure 58a Beta,

I've tried monitoring from both devices, even with reaper unopened and the monitoring turned on on the fast track I still get the distortion,

Tried New batteries

Sounds 100% fine in amp, Lead and Clean

Thanks for that link, I think this issue is a physical problem somewhere because as you say it doesn't make sense and the strangest thing for me is that

When I plug it in I can't turn the volume off my guitar. The knobs become next to useless, if I turn the volume up it does change the tone a little but refuses to turn off completely.