Direct monitor

[ModaRecords]

Does PT M powered have a direct moniting option so when you are say recording a vocal there is no latency? thx

[Avi Bortnick]

Does PT M powered have a direct moniting option so when you are say recording a vocal there is no latency? thx

Yes and no. Pro Tools does not really have this feature. However, many (maybe all?) M-audio boxes have a direct monitoring function.

I have a Fast Track Pro, which does have direct monitoring. Unfortunately, with Pro Tools, when you record enable a track, you have to specify an output, which automatically blends in the no latency direct sound, with the output (with latency) from Pro Tools. The way around this is to route the record-enabled track to stereo outputs 3/4, rather than 1/2. The drag is that when you want to listen back to the track you just recorded you have to switch track outputs to 1/2. So it's an extra (and stupid) step. I wish it were set up so that when recording, ouput were muted, but when playing back, output is unmuted.

The drag with my "solution" is that punching in is difficult, because you can't hear the previously recorded audio on the track your punching in to.

I wish people at Digi would actually look at how people work and build this "disable output on record" feature in.

In my opinion, no amount of latency is tollerable except for the mushiest keyboard pads.

Avi

[buctayla]

I find that there is hardly any latency at 128 samples

[B-Grade]

it gets a little more noticable doing portamentos with your voice. If I say nothing to the performer, they usually don't say anything. But those that notice...I have to switch over to the Panel for monitoring and it is a pain. Digi should do like an ASIO Diect monitoring thing for M-Audio.

[messenger]

here here!
buffers set to 128 and the latency is only managable (at best) because I've become accustomed to it. Others who are not find it distracting, ESPECIALLY with electric drums (dont bash em until you've tried em... the Roland TD-12, anyways...)
I think Pro Tools should get on top of this ASAP

matt

[blueintheface]

Yes and no. Pro Tools does not really have this feature. However, many (maybe all?) M-audio boxes have a direct monitoring function.

I have a Fast Track Pro, which does have direct monitoring. Unfortunately, with Pro Tools, when you record enable a track, you have to specify an output, which automatically blends in the no latency direct sound, with the output (with latency) from Pro Tools. The way around this is to route the record-enabled track to stereo outputs 3/4, rather than 1/2. The drag is that when you want to listen back to the track you just recorded you have to switch track outputs to 1/2. So it's an extra (and stupid) step. I wish it were set up so that when recording, ouput were muted, but when playing back, output is unmuted.

The drag with my "solution" is that punching in is difficult, because you can't hear the previously recorded audio on the track your punching in to.

I wish people at Digi would actually look at how people work and build this "disable output on record" feature in.

In my opinion, no amount of latency is tollerable except for the mushiest keyboard pads.

Avi

I just wanted to check that this is still the case?

I really need zero-effort zero-latency record-monitoring. Auto-switching as the above quote suggests - or "disable output on record".

I can't be bothered faffing around switching tracks on and off to avoid monitoring latency when recording.

I just assumed - I know, silly me - that PT would have this thing sorted, being such an industry standard.

I'm looking for something easy as I'm licking my wounds after a couple of years with an 01X and thought the ProjectMix would be the way to go.

Ideas?

[blueintheface]

Seriously though, how hard is it to hit the mute button on a track and route it's output to the cans from within the m-aduio control panel?

It just shouldn't be necessary.

What happens if I want to drop in on a track. Let me just mute it and re-route at the same time?

Do I have a point or what?

[Ben Jenssen]

"disable output on record"

Its there:
Prefs: "Link/unlink record/play fader" (or something to that effect, dont have my PT in front of me.) When in rec mode, set the fader to -inf. When in play, set the fader up. Then, when you toggle the "R", the fader switches position. Also check "Auto input monitor".
IHTH.

[blueintheface]

Prefs: "Link/unlink record/play fader" (or something to that effect, dont have my PT in front of me.) When in rec mode, set the fader to -inf. When in play, set the fader up. Then, when you toggle the "R", the fader switches position. Also check "Auto input monitor".
IHTH.

Sounds perfect . . . thanks for that, Ben. Is this a recent feature addition - I'm wondering why a previous post didn't make use of it?

I re-iterate: zero-latency monitoring is a hardware issue

Yes, technically, you may consider zero-latency monitoring a hardware issue, but relatively few people can afford the luxury of a near-zero-latency ProTools HD set-up, and thus software manufacturers have devised ways for the rest of us to get round this issue - that is software working in conjunction with hardware, together as friends.

Steinberg's ASIO Direct monitoring, for example.

This is a thread in the M•Powered forum, after all, and the M•Powered interfaces do offer direct monitoring, and my question was whether ProTools accomodates this to provide with an integrated solution.

I didn't ask about PT HD nor do I want to do my drop-ins on a seperate track if that means I hear the previous track after I've dropped in - I'm happy pre-setting the drop points, so that should be OK?. I don't mind taking such 'destructive' decisions, but what (for me) really gets in the way of creativity/performance is unnecessary steps in the record/monitoring/drop-in process.

I would be very interested to know if Ben's answer satisfies Avi's post - it certainly sounds as if it should.

. . . .

Unfortunately, with Pro Tools, when you record enable a track, you have to specify an output, which automatically blends in the no latency direct sound, with the output (with latency) from Pro Tools. The way around this is to route the record-enabled track to stereo outputs 3/4, rather than 1/2. The drag is that when you want to listen back to the track you just recorded you have to switch track outputs to 1/2. So it's an extra (and stupid) step. I wish it were set up so that when recording, ouput were muted, but when playing back, output is unmuted.

The drag with my "solution" is that punching in is difficult, because you can't hear the previously recorded audio on the track your punching in to. . . . . .

Avi